Category Archives: Callen’s Corner

Callen’s Corner: Fanfic Challenge #4

FanFiction Writers and readers alike, here is another CHALLENGE for you to get your creative juices flowing through your system.

We’ve seen Sam and Callen as partners who have become more like brothers. They spar together to be in sync with each other’s movement when it comes to being out in the field and having each backs, ensuring they each make it back alive. They know each other’s habits, the good and the ugly, and will even take a bullet for the other (S4E17 ‘Wanted’). They’ve even argued over whose butt has needed saving the most. Yet how many times have we seen the former Navy SEAL go that extra mile for his partner?

In the pilot episode on the original NCIS, we saw Callen gunned downed by Venice Beach. Sam was there and tried every effort to save him. He mothers him and worries about him to no end. He’s placed himself in danger to save Callen from E.L.E in ‘Ambush’ (S1E08). Hetty even told Sam to be Callen’s anchor, just before she absconded to Prague and then to Romania. As a loyal partner, Sam has been through it all with Callen. He followed him to Romania to save Hetty, with Kensi and Deeks following suit. He’s rescued him when he was poisoned with botulinum (S1E ‘LD50’) and cyanide (S4E20 ‘Purity’) then diffused the bombs he was sitting on and strapped into in the ‘Chosen One’ (S4E13). But that’s not all. In season 5’s 100th episode, Sam and Granger went in to rescue Callen from the Comescus, after he had gone lone wolf, coming to his partner’s rescue, once more. And as we caught our breaths in horror, we saw him pull Callen off the train tracks on the subway, within a split second to spare of almost losing him, which resulted in Sam giving Callen a hug in Fallout (S5E08). Something we’ve never seen before.

We at Callen’s Corner, would love for you to create a FanFiction story, with the minimum words of 3,000 of Sam and Callen’s relationship as partners and brothers. No romance, just hurt/comfort, drama and action of Sam saving Callen in some dire situation either on the job, or from a lone wolf scenario involving Callen and his personal life. A special Prize for the winning entry is up for grabs.

For those of you who just like to read, we’re also giving a prize to the most heartfelt review on any of the entries.

We ask that you post in your description of your story Callen’s Corner Challenge #4, to help us find you. Also if you could please add your link into the comments below, as this will assist us in putting them up on the site for fellow readers to find your story.

ALL ENTRIES AND REVIEWS ARE DUE IN BY Friday, April 11, 2014.

The winners will be announced with an extract of the winning story in the following Friday’s post.

Have fun!

Here is an insert of justdreaming-83’s story ‘Almost Lost’, which led to this idea for the challenge; to inspire you:

CHAPTER 1 – Sam’s Premonition

Sam yawned as he navigated the Challenger through the back streets into Callen’s neighborhood, careful to travel a different route than the last time he picked his partner up for work. He had hoped it would be an uneventful Tuesday since they had worked a particularly hard case yesterday and did not get back to the Operations Center for Callen to file his report until well after dark. Sam was accustomed to the physical demands of his job as an NCIS agent but yesterday felt like several cases rolled into one. He and Callen had spent the entire day assisting Homeland Security with a case that ended with chasing the suspects on foot for several miles. When they caught up to them, the bad guys weren’t especially cooperative. Sam was paying for it today and guessed his partner had fared even worse. Somehow Callen had gotten paired with the suspect that was at least Sam’s size and almost as strong. Callen is no weakling by any means but his small size was no match for the gigantic form he was responsible for subduing.

They had planned to slip into work a little late today; so much for plans. Each team member had been summoned via phone at 7:00 this morning. Eric alerted them that a new case awaited and that their services were needed ASAP. Kensi was picking up Deeks and Sam guessed they were already on their way to the office by now. The younger agents had been in a training class yesterday and had managed to miss being involved in the marathon Homeland Security case and the foot pursuit, with the jabs, and tackles, and punches that went along with it.

Sam knocked on Callen’s door and did not get an answer. Callen was not known to sleep for more than a few hours at a time, and even then, not soundly. But he was beyond exhausted when Sam dropped him off last night. Sam knocked again. Still no answer. He hoped that Callen had not fallen back to sleep after the wake-up call from Eric. His partner had a tendency to come up swinging at whoever had the misfortune of waking him up and, this morning, Sam was in no mood to be used as a human punching bag. He let himself in the front door using the hidden key and called out, “G?” When he did not get a response, he took a few more steps into the living area, halfway expecting Callen to jump out of nowhere with his gun drawn. Sam could now hear the water running in the shower. Why was he not ready? Sam yelled even louder, “G!”

“Yeah,” Callen called back.

“Come on, G! Time to go!”

“Give me a minute.”

Sam sat down on the chair in the living room, the only real piece of furniture in the entire house. Callen had lived in so many foster homes growing up and never really had anything of his own. But it still seemed strange to Sam that a person could be content with so few possessions. He scanned the almost empty shell that served as living quarters for his partner and thought about how often he had seen this same emptiness in Callen’s eyes. G. Callen hated being pitied so Sam never really pushed the issue and knew better than to ask too many questions. But every so often, Callen would be right there on the edge of opening up, revealing a little part of his past. Then he would pull back, usually changing the subject or making a joke and even sometimes becoming angry with himself for allowing those memories to seep up so close to the surface. He was an expert at quickly shoving memories and emotions back into that secret compartment.

As Sam sat waiting, lost in thought, a bad feeling crept in; a sinking feeling like something was not quite right. This didn’t happen that often but almost always preceded something unpleasant. Just then Sam heard the water shut off in the shower. His eerie feeling began to subside and was now being replaced with irritation with his partner for making them late again. Several minutes passed before Callen entered the room, dressed, but moving a little slowly and not fully awake.

“What took you so long?” Sam barked, rising from his chair.

“I had to do my hair.”

To read the rest of this story, please go to Almost Lost

Thanks to justdreaming-83 for their permission to include this story.

Callen’s Corner: Gun Safety

Have you ever wondered what is going on in G Callen’s mind before and after he draws his gun? Ever wondered how fast his heart is beating or how sweaty his palms are? Maybe not, simply because our Callen is the best of the best (keeps his cool in all situations), but surely you’ve wondered about his training. Especially in how he handles his gun, Hetty’s guns, and guns he gets off of bad guys.

Fear not, because it’s high time to take a look at how guns are safely handled by our hero.

There is so much training that goes into being able to handle a gun safely and effectively; everything from knowing how a gun is put together, to how the mechanisms work in one, to the safety protocols, to laws in different states and countries on guns, to maintenance. The list is more extensive than you might imagine (unless you’re in the military, a police officer, or have your CHL.) Since all of the above is second nature to Callen by now and he barely thinks on any of it and just does it, I will share what small training I’ve had so that us fans can get a glimpse of A FRACTION of the items going through his mind (and his Team’s) when they are drawing their weapon.

Safety protocols for using 9mm semiautomatics (and all guns, really) are taught in a small list, usually looking something like this:

Finger off the trigger (until forced to fire)
Keep gun pointed in Position SUL, or down range (obviously, NOT AT ANY PERSON)
Know what the target is
Be aware of what is to the sides and behind the target

One of the items my trainer harped on again and again was the seriousness of keeping your finger off the trigger. I didn’t really understand until my first time of shooting 150 rounds. My arm got tired, I got lazy and occasionally would rest my finger on the trigger while waiting for my target to be reset. This is dangerous because if I were startled, by a loud noise or the like, I might accidentally pull the trigger. Hence, why keeping the gun pointed in the SUL Position is so important. If a gun is fired while not aimed at the target, it needs to be pointing to where it can’t hurt anyone. One of the things I LOVE about Callen and his Team: their fingers are NEVER resting on a trigger. They do this even when they’ve been up all night, or chasing suspects for days–when they are dog tired! Their training, like all who have been in military or law enforcement, was thorough and bred good habits.

Two items that both military and law enforcement teaches in training have to do with the nature of bullets. Bullets themselves behave differently, dependent upon size and the type of weapon being shot. But these two things are pretty general when speaking of guns:

Bullets ricochet bad
Bullets go through bodies

Bullets have the potential to ricochet off of anything durable, such as metals and stone. When a bad guy is shooting in a warehouse filled with pipes and cement walls? Yeah, bad situation. Take cover. Those bullets will go in multiple directions when they start ricocheting. No one knows this better than the Team.

Then, remember the time Callen was in the nightclub, undercover as Ivan? He came face to face with a hostage situation, and needed to take a shot. What did he do first? Make sure that Deeks wasn’t in his line of fire. (Loved how Deeks handled a similar situation near the end of the case, in that home hallway, too!) Bullets always have the potential to go through the intended target and hit whatever is behind it.

Guns require a higher sense of alertness to use skillfully and properly. This can be seen in how intense Callen and the others get when they draw their weapon. They aren’t just about to shoot at the bad guy. They are figuring out what could move into their line of fire from the sides, what’s behind their target, and how to not let their weapon fall into the bad guy’s possession. It takes a lot of focus! Insert applause for the Team here.

Lastly, keeping the gun clean goes without saying. How many times have we seen Callen taking apart his gun and cleaning it? Basic reason? When a gun isn’t clean or cared for, there is a good chance it will jam and NOT FIRE when it’s most needed. That would make for a very sad moment. Just imagine that happening to Callen in the middle of a shoot-out situation. Ugh. I shudder at the thought. But, hey. Callen would never let that happen.

Why? Because Callen is the best of the best.

P.S. Many deep thanks to NCIS: Los Angeles Consultant Osama Shofani (USMC Ret.) for making sure protocol is followed by the Team. And, for keeping it real in the best ways when the guns come out on-screen. You make this Texan proud.

Callen’s Corner: Moments with Hetty

There have been too many moments between Callen and Hetty to mention them all here in this post, however, we have collated our favourites for you to reminisce over. Each and every one of the moments are integral to the overarching story of Hetty’s efforts over the years in ensuring Callen was looked after. At first we were hidden from the secret Hetty had kept close to her chest, until she abandoned everything to keep him safe from an unknown enemy; a Romanian Crime family, the Comescus. A blood feud between the Comescus and Callens, had been going on since his grandfather killed some Comescus back in World War two. It was the reason Callen found himself alone and in the Foster Care system.

But then snippets have been revealed about where Hetty’s best interests lie with her Team Leader, G Callen.

Her words of wisdom to get him to trust his partner and the rest of the team:

HETTY: You see what happens when you pull away from your team? [She speaks to Callen who stares at the others]
CALLEN: My team? I didn’t hire Deeks, or any of them, for that matter.
HETTY: No. If I left the hiring up to you, you’d be the only person working here.
CALLEN: Are you saying that I don’t play well with others, Hetty?
HETTY: I’m suggesting that your default is to go it alone when you may be needing them most. I like to think that I impart a certain wisdom and skill set to those who pass through these doors. The one wish I have for you, Mr. Callen, is that, by the time you leave here, you’ve learned the art of trusting others. In your personal life as well as at work.

(S2E15 ‘Tin Soldiers’)

From the first instance of seeing these two characters together, you knew there was a special relationship between them:

There have been some very entertaining moments along the way between the Operations Manager and Team Leader.

The rock wall challenge:

HETTY: Redo them.
CALLEN: I’ll race you for it. [He points at the climbing wall]
HETTY: You think you can win? Just because you’re…
CALLEN: I didn’t say that.
HETTY: Just because I’m…
CALLEN: I didn’t say that either.
HETTY: All right, let’s do it. Come on, top of the wall.
CALLEN: Top of the wall!
HETTY: I have to, uh, warn you…that if you indulge in this sort of frivolity and brinkmanship, and I win, I’m going to expect these tomorrow.
CALLEN : Deal.
HETTY: I also need to tell you that I’ve had years of practice.
CALLEN: You don’t scare me. Well, maybe a little bit.
HETTY: I seem to recall a certain Sherpa saying exactly that just before I beat him to the Everest summit… with a broken arm.
CALLEN: You expect me to believe that? [She stares nastily at him]: Okay, see, now you’re bluffing.

(S2E12 ‘Overwatch’)

The Life like pose threat:

[Callen and Hetty meet at the cemetery. Hetty reveals to him that when her time comes to die, she doesn’t wish for a ceremony, memorial or flowers on her grave.]
Callen: Don’t worry. There’ll be none of that.
Hetty: Good.
Callen: From what I hear, Granger is going to have you stuffed in a life like pose for his office.
Hetty: Don’t be cheeky! Though I wouldn’t put it past him.

(S4E02 ‘Recruit’)

And the small moments of humour Hetty adds in to lighten the moment:

There have been many moments when Callen has run after Hetty to ensure she remains safe. One we remember clearly, was when Hetty left the office to secretly meet up with Detective Deeks in Human Traffic:

HETTY: Mr. Callen? I don’t take kindly to being tailed.
CALLEN: Well, I’m more of a wingman than a tail man.
HETTY: How did you know?
CALLEN: Well, before the call, it was, “Find Deeks.” After the call, it was, “Find Lazik.”
HETTY: Careless of me.
CALLEN: Now, we need to find Lazik before he finds Deeks.
CALLEN: “Quagmire”.
HETTY: [“Triple score, I win”]. Goody.

(S2E02 ‘Human Traffic’)

But we can’t complete moments with Hetty, without mentioning the heartfelt and emotional roller coaster moments for G Callen:

Like the epiphyte, her agent is resilient, independent;
Thrives in the shaded canopy of the city.

A youth without the benefit of nurturing and affection;
His survival is dependent on no other.

And like the epiphyte, often weathering the storms without roots;
Callen has had nothing, no one, to call his own.

But her wish for this dear friend, is that someday he’d learn how to trust;
At last, ending his search, for he’s already home.

And then, of course, there’s the scenes when Hetty tells him all she knows (supposedly) about his mother… very touching Hetty moment.

We cannot forget the many other moments already mentioned in other posts already published in Callen’s Corner; in particular the tea and clothing posts, that cement the special relationship this woman has with the blue eyed agent.

What has been your favourite Callen and Hetty moment so far on NCIS Los Angeles? Have we mentioned it here? If not, we’d love to hear about it and how it has touched your heart, or caused a chuckle or two from you.

Thanks to an awesome team here on Callen’s Corner for their help on this post: ChrisDaisy , Bee, Mary, B, Richtsje and sindee our editor.

Callen’s Corner: Wallpaper Offering 4.0

Enjoy this week’s NCIS Los Angeles Callen Wallpaper brought to you by @KevianaElliot !! 🙂

Callen’s Corner. Hetty’s Closet — File 97-2

97-2 ‘Ivan Kolvak’

Episode 1.20 ‘Fame’

Description:
His father is the owner of a Russian oil business. Is willing and able to spend a small fortune to have fun and enjoy himself. Likes to surround himself with beautiful women (see note re: Fern).
Garments/Accessories:
Slightly patterned shirts in lighter colours (silver/grey), black leather jacket, dark pants; all clothes must look expensive. Requires a credit card with ‘no-questions-asked’ kind of limit.
Advantage:
Agent Callen’s experience in the business and his many worldwide undercover operations make him able to personify a ‘man of the world’/alpha-male quite easily and convincingly.
Disadvantage:
Especially in interaction with Det. Deeks, Agent Callen has a tendency to bust Det. Deeks for his big mouth and make him pay.
Suitable for:
Undercover operations in expensive clubs and other exclusive locations where money opens doors.
Note:
In conjunction with 74-1 ‘Tim’ and 65-8 ‘Fern’

Favorite quote from this episode:

G: Hetty cut a side deal with you, didn’t she? That’s how you got the card.
Deeks: Yeah.
G: So what’s your limit? Fifteen?
(Silence from Deeks.)
G: Ten?
(Deeks still remains silent.)
G (chuckling): Come on, five?
(Silent confirmation from Deeks.)
G: I’m supposed to look like I can spend 50 and you’re on the hook after 5?
Deeks: She threatened me with a letter opener.
G: I guess some people gotta learn the hard way.
Deeks: Why? What are you…
G: We take two more bottles.

Thanks to Bee, Richtsje and Vicki as well as ncislosangelesfan.com!

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