Chapter Three

Everyone gathered round the table. "Keep quiet and let me do the talking." Hetty told them. "If you think anything needs clarifying make a note on your tablet and send it to me okay?" Hetty glanced around the table and after receiving a nod of agreement from everyone she pressed the button to connect the call.

"This is the International Watchers Council I would like to speak with Henrietta Lange." The woman's voice was calm and well-modulated with a slight trace of Southern California.

"I'm Henrietta Lange, operations manager with the NCIS who am I speaking with please?" "My name is Buffy Summers; I'm the CEO of the International Watchers Council and I understand we might have stepped on your toes a little?"

"Miss Summers, it is Miss Summers, I presume. Do you know the current whereabouts of Miss Penelope Jones?"

"Yes, Miss Summers will do. Nell is currently in our care." Hetty noticed the information wasn't exactly flowing freely.

"Why did you secretly remove her from the hospital? I presume you gave the order and your underlings carried out the kidnapping?" Callen glanced at Hetty realising that she was trying to needle the other woman to try to get her to slip up but when Buffy replied there was a trace of amusement in her voice.

"We believe we have the better facilities and staff to take care of Nell and also she is one of us. I believe that Fatima Namazi is with you. Can I speak with her?"

"Miss Namazi is currently being interviewed with the possibility of being charged with treason so I'm afraid you can't speak with her. Now where is Miss Jones and when can I see her?"

"Miss Lange, if you let me speak with Fatima, I'm sure she will be more helpful to you and you can listen in while I speak to her, all of you. As for Nell, I'd like to speak personally with you before letting you see her but I can tell you that although she's still in a coma she is improving and healing well." Hetty looked around the table at the curious looks on the faces of everybody then came to a decision.

"I'll let you talk to Miss Namazi on condition that you provide proof of Miss Jones' condition."

"Would a video stream of Nell's room and a word with her consultant do?" Buffy asked. Once more Hetty checked on her team and receiving no signs of dissent she agreed to Buffy's proposal. "If you could tell Eric Beale our IP address." Buffy read off a string of numbers, "could I speak with Fatima while he sets up the connection?" Hetty gestured for Fatima to come to the table then indicated that she could speak.

"Hello Buffy, I told you they were upset."

"Yes, I'm sorry Fatima, perhaps we could have handled things a little more diplomatically. Anyway, use your judgement to tell them anything they want to know except for the divisions. Do you understand? You can tell them about the three-division split but nothing about their actual purpose, that will have to be sorted out at a higher-level, face to face meeting."

"Thank you Buffy I hope that will help. They're a good group here and I've enjoyed working with them. They deserve to know about Nell. What should I tell them if they ask questions about Nell?"

"Well, it's not really your story to tell but you know Nell and you know the people there so use your own judgement."

"Will do Buffy and thanks' again." Fatima glanced at Hetty and receiving a nod returned to her chair.

"Are you there Miss Lange?" Buffy asked and receiving an affirmative answer carried on. "We really need to have a face-to-face meeting. It's three am now do you want to meet tonight or will mid-morning tomorrow do?"

"Mid-morning tomorrow should prove satisfactory." Hetty replied.

"Well, I understand the video connection is coming on stream so I'll wish you a good night and see you in the morning. We'll leave the video streaming all night and you may talk to any visitors Nell gets but please don't pressure them for information, some of them may be quite young, Nell has a lot of friends among the juniors." Buffy broke the connection.

Hetty looked up to see the rest of the team looking at the big screen. On the screen was Nell in a hospital bed in what looked like a hospital room. She was still swathed in bandages and they could see various machines with lines flicking up and down and various digital readouts. Sitting beside the bed was a youngish woman with red hair wearing a dark green pants suit and reading what appeared to be an ancient scroll. Hetty cleared her throat and the young woman looked up. "Are you Miss Jones doctor?" Hetty asked. The woman replied in the affirmative,

"Yes, I'm Dr. Enfys Jones, no relation." Enfys had a beautiful Welsh accent and they could hear the amusement in her voice as she denied any familial relationship with Nell.

"How is Miss Jones doctor?" Hetty asked.

"She's improving all the time." Enfys replied. "Her blood pressure and heart rate are almost back to normal and there have been no unforeseen problems. Nell will need a few more operations to reset the bones in her hand, it was very badly damaged but the thing we were most worried about, the hole in her lower abdomen, has surprised us. The object which caused it must have been dull and tapered because it just seems to have pushed things out of the way without doing too much damage. It should heal nicely."

"Have you any idea what caused these injuries?" Callen asked. "I've never seen anything like them before." Enfys replied. "If there are no more questions, I'd like to get some sleep tonight?"

"Just one more question. How long will the coma last?" Kensi asked.

"We're never sure when people will wake up. It's almost as though the person inside the shell of the body has to feel safe before allowing the body to wake but Nell has improved so much already and although she is on painkillers, she seems so relaxed I don't think it will be too long. Now if there are no more questions?" receiving a negative response Enfys left the room.

"Did you notice how she dodged the question I asked about what caused the injuries?" Callen asked. Hetty and Sam nodded. "Well, you can all go home and get some sleep if you can. I want you all back here by nine o'clock in the morning." Hetty began shooing them out the door. "What about her?" asked Deeks. "She can come home with us," volunteered Kensi, "I'll keep an eye on her and bring her back in the morning for questioning. The members of the NCIS Office of Special projects split up and went their separate ways home.