InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "hi there, lets chat"

Leon Vance (leon_vance) wrote in omega_reality,
@ 2011-05-18 15:11:00

Entry tags:

*complete, 2011 05, character: g callen, character: robert callen, dead: henrietta lange, dead: leon vance

RP: Meeting at Leon's
Who: Leon, Hetty, G and Robert
Where: Leon's office
When: May 18, 2011
Summary: Leon wants to know if the man is lying or not.

Leon had told Hetty to come back with the new arrival that same night. What he hadn't expected was the information about a possible blood relation with Callen. The man was either a competent liar or a relative. Leon was more interested in the first one, but the second would have an impact on his team. Like it or not, Callen's mysterious past had always affected the agency. That meant that they needed to find a way to prove or disprove the man story.

There was research involved, and Ms. Jones proved very useful once again. Then, Hetty had to do some of her accounting magic, and in less than forty-eight hours they were the proud owners of a rapid DNA machine. Leon had read about them before arriving to the Omega dimension. The federal government had made an agreement with a company to make portable rapid DNA machines that any officer or agent could use. It would cut down on lab time, mistakes, and terrorists slipping through, especially considering that most of the machines would go to the airports. The Omega government had done the same thing, except that they were more common here, which mean a less scandalous tag price. Still, Leon wasn't in a rush to get more. He wanted to genetically test anyone that they might arrest just as much as he wanted to test these two men, but he had no options.

With OSP ready to return, he called Hetty and Robert to his office, and began the test. True to the promise, it was simple and fast. Prick a finger, put the blood in a vial, let it run for 45 minutes and you got a nice print-out of 27 markers. Leon also texted Callen, letting him know that he was expected in Leon's office as soon as he reached the base. When the agent arrived, Leon gestured toward the empty chair. For the first time, he looked at the two side by sid, and then looked at Hetty for the briefest moment. If this was a ruse, they had found someone who could pass for a relative.

Leon stood up and went around his desk. "Welcome back, Mr. Callen. Your hand if you please."

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g_callen
2011-05-19 04:53 am UTC (link)

G laughed. Unless his brother was like him enough to push the right way, the fact he was G's brother would probably earn him training on a par with the rest of the family. "We'll see what Sam says. I've asked him not to train the general populace in any way I wouldn't do and I've got enough bullet holes in me I'd sink in surf torture or submersion training. You're military and family, though. You might not escape some special ops training." He raised an eyebrow again. "Whatever the flyboys have to tell themselves to sleep at night. I might have lost count how many repetitions of that I've given, multiple times to the same people. There are now twenty-seven of us not including the Director and Hetty, who between them have experience in more organizations than the rest of us probably know exist. Of those twenty-seven? You, myself, Sam, a burned CIA operative, and possibly one of the new guys, that's how many have military experience. A few from the Alphabet agencies, but the degree of understanding of this sort of situation varies depending on the agency and the division, from the members of my team at NCIS down to the guys from FBI's White Collar. And the rest are all civilians or criminals. I repeat myself a lot," he added with a chuckle.

"Going off the grid? That's what I do, disappear. I'm a ghost, a legend. It's not easy, with this many completely off the grid might not be possible. But, we'll teach them how to disappear as best we can. We found you because you were coming through the rift. There's some way of alerting Vance when that happens. And you came through in an area with a lot of cameras that could be hacked. My unit was three hours out and we had a visual on you through street cams, building security cams, the whole time -- and I happen to enjoy breaking speed limits whenever I can." He smirked. "Deeks didn't get what it cost you to lose the Jag. But, I left behind the Aston Martin Rapide I drove off duty and Sam's Dodge Challenger we drove on duty. I get it. Getting back to the point, though, disappearing is my talent. And from the sound of it, your experience can give us even more of a chance to pull it off. But, let's leave strategy for morning. You and Sam and I can sit down and figure out how to make your knowledge mesh with ours and I'm sure we can get you the specs, if not through official channels, through unofficial. We have a few top hackers and the best intelligence analyst I've ever worked with at our disposal."

G could only nod at the timing. He could do math as well and come to the same conclusion. "That's what it looks like. Amy might have remembered if she was showing before they gave us up. But, I doubt she really ever knew. I asked Hannah what Amy called me, if she knew my name. But, she said the only thing Amy ever called me was 'baby brother'. If we're right and I was trained not to give my name, Amy was older and probably trained just the same." Watching his brother get up and pace, he knew there really wasn't much he could do to make this easier. It wasn't easy on him, either. They had one more tiny little piece of the puzzle, each other. But, the scope of the entire picture had just increased tenfold. "Do not apologize. If anyone is going to get how this is going to fuck with your head, it's me. And I can't even imagine what it's like for you, having had a woman there you believed to be your mother and to lose her, only to stumble into this. There's no need to apologize."

Draining his bottle, G shrugged. "Yes and no. I thought there was a possibility you were someone looking for them, trying to lure them out of hiding by pretending to be me. A lot of the details aren't public record and because of my work, most searches for me get channeled to the NCIS offices before more than my name gets entered. If you'd worked for Keelson and knew enough to fake it, but not all the details, my story could have been yours. Then with the timing, May 18th, it tracked with the evidence we had." Propping his arms up on his knees, he toyed absently with the ID bracelet. "My life wasn't as easy, no. But, if I'd known you were out there, it's what I would have wanted for my little brother, to be safe and protected, even if I wasn't. It wasn't your fault we ended up in the system and you didn't."

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r_callen
2011-05-19 12:23 pm UTC (link)

"Bullet holes?" He could talk his way out of many things, had for a long time, and training didn't seem so important at the moment, but bullet holes got his attention. "The flyboys don't have holes in them, and most people don't use the plural unless they are talking about a corpse. I work in a war zone, and I don't have bullet holes. What happened to you?" He sat down again, grabbing the bottle, more for something to do than a need to drink. No, he needed that entire bottle of whiskey at this point. The beer was just to ease the thirst. "Not that you'd really find any of this in any papers at home, maybe CIA, but I - my squadron worked in anti-terrorism. There are days that I think there are more CIA operatives in Aviano than DC, so you don't need to give me the long explanation. Unless you really feel the need to sound like an elementary school teacher. I can see how that would be your life calling. You really look the part," he said, barely hiding a smile.

Robert leaned back, resting the bottle on his knee. "Talking about the practical stuff is something I can do. Make a plan, execute the plan, do what needs to be done for a successful mission, then come home,fuck and drink. The family discussion- that's.... It's so outside my experience. I was the only child of a rich widow. Everyone knew that. Now, I'm... what? What are they? Criminals? Operatives? Who needs to go to such lengths to hide their children? Even most operatives wouldn't be on the radar after this long." He sighed. "I think I liked it better when they were just a name of some two timing, cheating bastard who refused to take care of his kid."

He smiled when G started to talk about cars. "Can't say I'm fond of American cars. They are more show than speed, but a Rapid is a damn nice car. I'm on the list for the 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP760-2. Do you know how many of those they are making? FIVE. And the only reason I know, it's because a buddy of mine is part of the designing team. Those cars had buyers before they even presented the car, which was... yesterday, or two days ago. They weren't even public yet. Now, I'll be stuck with the regular LP700-4 model like the rest of them. That's really unfair, man. That car is a work of art. I don't know when we'll go home, but when we do, you'll have to take a look at my garage. I bet you'll find something you like, all fast, all stick, and all foreign. Mom liked fast cars; fast bikes too for that matter." God, he really hoped someone took care of his cars.

Of course, they couldn't avoid the real discussion, no matter how much he wanted to. "Summer of 74? She wouldn't have known, you either. She- our mother have to be only a few months pregnant, not even showing. Stupid question on my part. It's just... it's like being thrown so many pieces of a puzzle and trying to make them fit while still in the air."

He snorted. "Nice theory. It would have been better if I knew who Keelson is or if I'd gotten your age right. You'd hope that at least they know how old their children are." There the man went again. First family, now little brother. Robert didn't know what to do with that. He had a family and didn't have brothers, and he had a feeling that G was just as used to being alone. "This makes no sense. That test might say we're brothers, but we've barely met and you're throwing out words like 'family' and 'little brother', and--" And he'd been the one trying to protect his older brother from two people who weren't really trying to hurt. What the hell was wrong with them? "It's always been me and mom," he started again, hoping to make some sense of what he was saying, but giving up, because he didn't even know what he was thinking. "When we go back, maybe you should come to the house. It's huge and I'm alone when I'm even there, and it's not going to make up for what happened thirty-five years ago or the things you didn't have, but maybe we can figure this out together. I don't know about this brother thing. I'm going need time to do what normal families do. I don't even know what the fuck they do," he said, chuckling. "I do know what it means to look out for my squadron, so no hugs, but I'll watch your six."

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g_callen
2011-05-19 05:27 pm UTC (link)

"The flyboys have a few million dollars worth of metal between them and the bullets," G pointed out with a chuckle.

Standing to get himself another beer, one he wouldn't down in two minutes, he stayed up instead of sitting again and leaned against the wall opposite the couch. "Story's a bit complicated." G smirked. "Definitely not for school children. Was working for the DEA back in '99. CIA needed a couple agents who spoke fluent Russian for a joint op with Russian intelligence. I was tapped for the loan-out along with another agent, Taylor. Guy named Stanhope was our CIA point man; Arkday Kolcheck was our Russian contact. Russian cartel was trying to get control of the flow of oil into Europe. We were made very shortly into the op, though, and sent home. Always figured someone was feeding the cartel information. Turns out Stanhope was in bed with the cartel. Got his hands on the oil and his company, which he ran under an alias, was going to go public in November 2009. So, knowing Taylor, Arkady, and myself could identify him, he ordered a hit in May of that year. Three cities, four drive-bys, -- one decoy for himself -- one day. Taylor and the man who was the decoy for Stanhope died instantly. Arkady got wind of the plan and went into hiding. He tried to warn us, but the messages weren't delivered for various reasons. I took five hits, spent too much time in a hospital, but survived, obviously. We put the pieces together six months later when the girl Arkady had sent to warn me turned up dead in Marina del Rey. The two of them had been keeping tabs on Stanhope, thinking me dead, and with Arkady's intel we were able to shut Stanhope down."

The corners of G's mouth tugged up into a grin. "Keep talking like that, though, and it won't matter if we're blood family or not. I'll keep you. I've got too few men here who can put the practical stuff ahead of the emotional baggage." He sighed then and took a pull from his beer. "I wish I knew. I think it was easier for me before I had proof they were still alive."

"I've been here since 2010," G laughed. "I have no idea what they're doing with the 2012 cars. I'll take you up on that tour of your garage when we get home, though. Just, don't let Hetty find out or she'll want to come along. She's more into fast cars than her agents, which may explain why she gives us such fantastic cars to drive. Just don't look cross-eyed at her Jag. Bad things will happen."

Frowning, he stared at the other man for a long moment, this man who blood said was his younger brother and who G didn't really know if he was supposed to protect or what. Finally, he shook his head with a sigh. "I'd love to be able to explain the weird hierarchical order in my head when it comes to words and concepts like family. But, I really can't. I... Identity is something I put on in the morning like a suit of clothes. I got very good at being whoever I thought they wanted me to be when I was in the system, be that part of the family or an unwelcome guest, and I was rarely in one place for longer than a few weeks. So, I make connections fast. It makes me one of the best in my field on the job and really lousy at..." Lost for words, he gestured between the two of them. "...this. But, you don't owe me anything. You weren't looking for this and you aren't obligated to be a part of it, no matter what a test says. And you certainly don't have to make up for anything either of us did or didn't have growing up. I have a house in the valley that used to belong to the only foster family who ever truly cared for me. I don't think I could give that up, not when their daughter was the girl who died trying to avenge my death in the Stanhope case. But, if you want me there, I'd like to come up and visit.

"We can do some of that figuring things out together while we're here." Letting out a huff of air, he crossed over to sit on the couch. "The one thing I do know about the Callen family is it's not normal. Parents? Given what we know, really not normal. I sure as hell am nowhere near normal. Six months without getting shot at and I'm bored out of my mind." Moving his beer to the left hand, he offered Robert his right. "And, I'll take someone who can watch my six and let me watch his over a hugger any day."

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r_callen
2011-05-19 05:54 pm UTC (link)

"Not when they go down," he answered. "Why do you think we go through survival training? When we go down, it's just us, a gun, and injuries, trying to stay alive and free until some of those special forces arrive."

Robert was wondering if every story sounded like some page from the Cold War. "Did anyone tell you that we're supposed to be in a peaceful moment of world history?" he asked with a smirk. "So basically you're saying that May and Marina del Rey aren't things you look forward to. I should have picked another house," he said, chuckling.

"I don't have emotional baggage," Robert said. "Until today, they were some weird story, not real people that came with family. I can't even imagine how hard it must be for you."

He chuckled. "All right, I guess when we go back we'll have to get ourselves whatever it's the latest Lamborghini model to make up for the loss, and she can come along, but you get the keys. Don't wreck them, and we're good. Those babies need to be driven, and I'm not around enough."

Robert looked down at the hand, and then up at his brother (and if he kept saying it in his head, maybe the word wouldn't feel so strange). "When I joined the Air Force, it was all about the money. Get the experience, get the education, go back to the private sector and own my own company. Mom pushed me into the military, I loved speed and those birds can go a lot faster than a car. So everything was simple, and then I decide to become a fighter pilot and suddenly the commitment was ten year, and when those ten years were over, I was still there, because I've learned something else there, something that went past the flying or engineering. Those are my men, my squadron, and I can't just abandon them, not when the Air Force has a shortage of pilots. You are my brother. It doesn't matter that this wasn't our making, or that I wasn't looking for ... for you. I'm not making up for the past, but I'll be damn if I'll abandon my family. The house, that's just to show you a little of my life. Watching out for you, and it sounds like you need a lot of damn watching out, that's because I take care of my own." He took G's hand, staring at him. "Yes, Sir, we can do plenty of figure things out."

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g_callen
2011-05-19 06:47 pm UTC (link)

"I'd tell you the same thing about going down people keep telling me about getting shot, -- don't -- but I get the feeling it would do just about as much good as it does telling me." Of course, when G was on his own with a gun and the enemy, special forces wasn't coming for him. Only one man was.

"Who do you think is the one out there making everyone believe in that peaceful moment?" he asked with a cocky grin. "If the public knew how many terrorists, cartels, and assorted other black hats with deep pockets and big guns were running around L.A., the city would be a ghost town in no time." Snorting softly, he nodded. "Basically. First thing I asked Sam when we found the phonebook listings on you was what the hell was with this month. Lucky for me, turns out you're not here to kill me.

"Don't imagine it," he said. "It is what it is. Some days it sucks more than others. Today it's kind of weird. But, I can't say I want to complain." He chuckled. "Well, I might want to complain about the needle and surprise DNA testing. But, the brother thing might be kind of cool -- especially if it comes with the keys to fast cars I can take up the coast when we get home."

G met his brother's gaze without blinking, thrown a little by the fact he was now starting to see the similarities in their features, the eyes that were so alike. No wonder he'd made the comparison in his head about revealing things in the eyes back in the interrogation room. To say this was going to take some getting used to would be an understatement. He was starting to settle into being pleased, freaked out as fuck, but pleased to find a piece of his family. But, despite his assurances, there was so much churning in his head, a revival of the same insecurities the memories he'd recalled earlier in the year had stirred up, and G was more than a little terrified he was going to fuck this all up before it got started. He almost changed his mind, decided he'd pushed too far, and pulled his hand back. Then Robert finally took it and G started breathing again. "Good." He nodded, holding that hand for a beat before he stood up. "For now, why don't we take a break in this 'story of our lives' show and get you settled where you can crash and get some sleep. You'll have to ignore the pink. Savannah was staying in the room for awhile."

He paused in the act of picking his beer bottles. "Housing assignments here are also assignments for evacuation units. You'll be assigned an investigation unit based on aptitude and, possibly, Morgan's ideas of what's better for your mental state. We don't generally agree on the subject of putting family together on the job. But, the evac units matter more in my book. If it's not pushing too much, I'd like you to stay here. We have the room and I generally take exception to others telling me someone else will be responsible for my people." Chuckling, he smirked again. "Well, actually, even it's pushing too much, I want you here and am disinclined to take 'no' for an answer graciously. But, the other sounds better. It'll get you out of the hotel faster, though, and that place is the least secure living space on the base. Plus, we can take the pink out of that room."

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r_callen
2011-05-19 07:08 pm UTC (link)

"Oh, I try to follow that rules to the letter. It's one of the few I enjoy following. Flying is so much better than crashing," he said, laughing.

Robert snorted. "So not a believer of world piece. I'm shocked, but if it helps your belief in mankind, I promise not to kill you." He thought about what his brother was saying and then grinned. "I guess it is kind of cool , and you can definitely get the keys to the cars, and the bikes, and the speed boat, but not the plane, not a big one, but does what it's supposed to and it's mine. Plenty of cool toys at the house that we can share."

He chuckled. "Is this some kind of torture? A pink room?" He stood up, but before picking up the beer, he put his hands on G's shoulders and squeezed. "You, my man, need to relax and stop explaining so much. If you said something like 'I want you to stay here', then you'd get a 'that's fine'. See? It's so much easier." Maybe if they were home, things would be different. He'd have friends, squadron mates. "I don't know anyone; I have no loyalties to anyone, but I have family." He picked up the beers, and clapped G's back. "Let's see how pink this room is and what we can do to change that."

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