Isobel

ISOBEL Chapter 21

Callen and Sam visited the crime scene, while Deeks and Kensi checked out the home of the missing physicist. Their thoughts went back to another similar occasion a few years back when Sam and Callen posed as highway cops on motorcycles. They had thankfully found the guys and caught the nuke before it was ever used. They all prayed they had the same success this time around. There was too much at stake for them not to solve this case before a nuke was to be set to go off. Fingerprints had been sent to the lab from the crime scene before Sam and Callen even arrived there, so they didn't have to wait long for results of any evidence. Abby Scuito had been called in to help the L.A. team with analysis of anything they could find to help catch these men, although she was still based in D.C. There wasn't enough time for her to fly out there this time, nor was Gibbs fond of anyone from his team being placed in danger if this nuke went off.

Callen's phone vibrated and he noticed Abby's name appear on the ID. "Hi, Abby, have you found anything for us yet?" He was glad Abby had been assigned to their team for this operation. She was the best in her field.

"Hi, G. Callen. I have actually. The fingerprints have been traced back to some Chechen separatists. I have sent the details through to Eric. He's searching for these men now."

"Chechen?" The last time they had dealt with Chechen separatists was when some guy was after his kid. He had gone in to pretend to be a killer for hire to foil the assigned team. One of their own had lost his life in Monaco because of the intel he had on the Chechen. He was supposed to be dead, but he was very much alive and wanted his former wife dead. 

"Yes."

"Thanks, Abby."

"You're welcome, G. Callen. Stay safe and find these guys will you?" Abby hated anyone she cared about being in harm's way.

"Will do, Abby."

When the four field agents arrived back into Ops, they were confronted with Eric being on edge. He had tried for four hours to frantically contact his family. He paced up and down the Ops Centre, ignoring them as they walked in.

Nell had gently prodded him for questions about his family, and finally he gave in and told Nell about them. His parents, Henry and Patricia Beale, and his sisters Candice, Ellen and Scarlett, all lived in San Francisco. They were a close family and he worried over the fact he couldn't get in contact with any of them. He was the oldest in the family, so he was very protective of his younger sisters. He kept them hidden from his world to keep them safe. And now that there was a problem, he needed to get them out of the city, but his frustrations took over as he couldn't get through to any of them.

"Eric." Callen stood in front of their Technical Operator, hoping to catch his attention.

Eric stopped in his tracks as he realised they had company. "Um...what do you want?" he asked with his mind being elsewhere with worry.

"Abby rang to tell me she sent through the details of the men who stole the nuke and kidnapped the nuclear physicist." Callen raised his brows at the younger man, wondering what was going on with him.

"Eric still cannot reach anyone of his family," Nell advised Callen. "But we've put the images of these men into kaleidoscope and we'll pick them up as soon as they turn up on a camera somewhere in the city."

Callen nodded and moved closer to Nell, who was obviously the one who had control of the situation in the Ops Centre. 

"What are their names? Have you put their names into flight manifests to see if they are planning to fly out of the city? If the rumours are true, they will have an escape out of here pretty soon."

"Their names are Hasan and Ruman Dratchev. They are cousins. I'll get onto it immediately, Callen." Nell typed the suspects names into the LAX system and waited for information.