Don't own Chuck
The team rolled out in a dark panel Dodge van with false license plates and made their way to outside of Cyber Fix. The weather was hot and inside the van it was getting sticky. Casey was driving with Chuck riding shotgun his dart pistol by his side. Sarah was walking Alex through the different aspects of what seemed a routine operation while Morgan listened.
"Okay Alex," explained Sarah, "we have to wait for Baines to come out. Then we'll follow him somewhere where he'll be alone. The actually grab should last only a few seconds if it lasts more than that things tend to get a bit sticky almost as sticky as we feel in here."
"Sorry back there but we got the only van without AC. Hey, look alive the subject is on the move. Chuck have that gun handy just keep the safety on while you're in the van we don't want any friendly fire."
"Look, he's going into Chez Jacque. Can you believe that, I've been trying for weeks to get a reservation there I wanted to take you Sweetie for some nice if not slightly over-priced French cuisine."
"Well, Chuck after today there might be a table opening up. Okay there's valet parking so Troll you're up." Morgan got out of the van and ran across the street to the restaurant.
"What is Morgan going to do?" asked Alex.
"Okay take these," Sarah handed Alex a pair of binoculars. "I want you to tell me what you see?"
"Well I see Morgan dressed like a valet and now he's going inside."
"Right he's going to tell Baines that someone has scratched his car. Now keep watching and keep on telling me what you see."
"Baines is coming out with Morgan and boy does he look pissed. Okay they're going to the lot where his car is. I see him walking around looking at it. I see Chuck with his pistol in his hand. He shot him and the three of them are loading Baines into his own car."
"Now, that's how you do a snatch and grab. How many seconds did it take?"
"I'd say less than twenty."
"In and out with no one the wiser; however, this is the easy part we have to go back to Castle and extract information. Alex I warn you that won't be so pretty so prepare yourself."
"But why was there all that blood from a dart gun?"
"There shouldn't have been any." Just then Chuck opened the driver's door and jumped it.
"We've got to get out of here pronto someone just shot Baines before we could get him. Must be really good because Casey couldn't figure out where he was shooting from. We'll meet up with the others at the company morgue. Sorry Alex this doesn't happen every day."
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IN A DARK PARKING GARAGE TWO PEOPLE MEET
"Was Baines eliminated as planned?"
"Yes, but we almost lost him to Carmichael. His team was about to take him in when Baines was silenced permanently."
"Have we sanitized his offices?"
"Yes, as we speak a Los Angeles fire brigade is responding to an out of control blaze in his building. What do you want done with Carmichael, Pele?"
"Idiot, how many timed do I have to tell you no names? For now keep track of them when the time comes I'll handle them.
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I promise." The man was terrorized by the other person's anger seen in those fiery red eyes.
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BACK AT CASTLE
The team had just finished the unpleasant task of dropping Baines' body at an agency morgue and had heard on the news about a raging fire at 21 Santa Monica Blvd number 19. Chuck and Casey were reviewing satellite feed from the time of the shooting waiting for General Beckman to inform them how badly they had screwed up. Alex sat at the conference table with a cup of black coffee in front of her staring inside wondering if her soul wasn't becoming like to coffee inside.
"Are you looking for something in there?" asked Sarah.
"No, I was just thinking." Sarah could tell there was something deeper and she thought she knew what it was.
"Thinking about what? The shooting or how Baines died?"
"Both actually, I mean I get that we're all at risk and there's supposed to be a bigger picture but-"
"But now it's been brought home. I know I felt the same way the first time and I remember being sick to my stomach and throwing up. I want to tell that it'll get better but it doesn't. If it did then there would be something seriously wrong with you."
"Then how do you do it, I mean well kill."
"If you'd asked me before I met Chuck I'd have said I just pointed and pulled the trigger. You see there was something seriously wrong with me."
"But now? What do you do?"
"I do like you and do a lot of staring into coffee but I also talk to Chuck. He has seen me at my worst and he has never judged me. That's one of the things I love about him even though there are times he does tell me if I am-"
"Exaggerating?"
"That's a nice way to put it. I'm different without Chuck. And I don't like it."
"So should I talk with Morgan? Somehow I don't know about talking about my feelings with my Dad."
"I think Morgan would be good but don't count out Casey. John is a complex man and he's been at this quite some time. He's had a long time to learn how to hide his emotions. That thing he says about female emotions I don't buy it for a minute."
"Thanks I really needed to talk to someone."
"That's what handlers are for they're expected to be one part psychologist. What are you going to do now?"
"I think I'm going to find Morgan."
"Last I saw of him he was in the back putting away the gear from the van. You might want to go back while John is busy with Chuck up here."
"I don't see a thing. Do you?" said Chuck
"No, and you probably won't. The shooter was a professional probably shot from inside a parking garage or an abandoned apartment building. You're not going to see a gun barrel sticking out a window or a muzzle flash that would be a rookie mistake and to make a shot like that this is not his first date."
"You know Casey," said Chuck, "by now they've probably already sanitized the area and the only thing we'd find is some residue or maybe some scratchings on the ground from the tripod so I don't understand why we bother."
"I agree Agent Bartowksi," said General Beckman from a monitor. "Well I'm not going to mention that this was a major fiasco and the missed intel will set us back but as I said I won't mention that."
"Good thing she didn't mention it," said Chuck."
"Agent Bartowski C. , do you have something you'd like to share with the class?"
"No, I just wanted to say how kind it was of you not to mention it."
"Yes, well your team will embark tomorrow morning on the USNS Pathfinder. You will join a U.S. survey team that is mapping the ocean floor noting volcanic and seismic activities between San Diego and the Hawaiian Islands. This will be your cover."
"General may I suggest a different cover story. If we can go in as what we are Carmichael Industries. We could sell the pitch that we are looking to reutilize the trunk line for direct and secure communication using sophisticated algorithms to guarantee safe encrypted transmission in a peer to peer environment. We can also state that we need to check the line physically to make sure there is no Ivy Bells operation taking place against us. This will give us the opportunity to follow the trunk line out. We will be able to see where the power is going and how it's being compressed. If we go as scientists there is so much new information being published that my intersect might not be up to date."
"Thanks Chuck but General what Chuck is trying to put kindly is that there would be no way on such short notice Casey and I could pull the cover off."
"Huh, I might've been able to," grunted Casey.
"Sounds like an excellent plan, make it happen. I want one thing understood we're going to be grabbing hold of the leash and yanking we have no idea what's on the other end. For all we know there could be a tiger at the end."
"General, if you don't mind me asking then why don't we simply sever the line with some well-placed charges?"
"Agent Bartowski, something like this if we could understand how to package that much energy without dispersion or risk of burning out the line would mean a great improvement for our national power grid and even move us closer to energy autonomy."
"General would it be possible to use the USNS Grapple instead the Pathfinder?"
"She was my first choice too but I'm afraid she's in the Mediterranean doing salvage work for the Navy so it will have to be the Pathfinder. You'll embark tomorrow at 32nd Street Naval Station. Be at the piers by 0900 to board with that next group of scientists. Beckman out."
"Chuck, why'd you want the Grapple instead of the Pathfinder?" asked Sarah.
"The Pathfinder has no armaments while the Grapple has two chain guns and two .50 caliber machine guns, not much but something for tiger hunting."
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Alex walked down one of the maze of corridors that make up Castle until she found Morgan. He was sitting on a crate in the storeroom with his feet up on another flipping through the pages of a comic book.
"Hey Alex," he said seeing her come in. "I was just catching up on a little intellectual reading just to pass the time away. What's the word from up front?"
"I don't know. The General called as I was leaving. I wanted to come and find you."
"You should've stayed for the General she doesn't like people bailing on her. I can do it because Diane and I are as thick as thieves."
"Really?"
"No, not really I don't even think she likes me but she tolerates me."
"Oh Morgan, I don't know when you're telling the truth or when you're joking. Can you be serious sometimes?"
"What's the matter you sound like something happened? Did Sarah do or say something you didn't like? I'll talk to her for you if you want."
"No, it's the opposite she's the only one who has really talked to me and has treated me like a person. Morgan how can you be so calm after what just happened?"
"You mean Baines? He was a bad guy who got what all bad guys deserve."
"How can you be so callous? Sure he made bad decisions and did bad things but he was someone's son and maybe someone's father."
"I try not to think about that I look at what they did and see this as karma or divine justice. That in the end they got what they deserved."
"So following your line of logic shouldn't karma kick my father's butt."
"No, I don't see it as the same. Casey has done some bad things alright but they were for the good of the nation. He was just defending his country."
"So when some crazed suicide bomber kills hundreds for his god and to defend his nation isn't it the same? One man's terroist in another man's freedom fighter."
"Alex, are you having second thoughts about becoming an agent?"
"No, I just don't know if I want to be like my father."
"If you think you've got daddy issues let me tell you about Sarah's father Jack Burton." Morgan told Alex about the wedding planner con along with a few others that Chuck had told him about.
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IN THE BUY MORE
"Hey, Big Mike I need you to cover the Buy More. I'll be gone for a few days I'm going sailing with Alex, Chuck and Sarah. Another oh by the way, John Casey told me he had some personal matters he had to take care of."
"I get it all of you are going out on the Love Boat and leaving me here with these fools. Who are you supposed to be Gilligan? I can see where this is going son, Bartowski is the professor and his wife is who Ginger?"
"Yeah and Alex is Mary Ann. No, it's not like that we're going for work."
"Sure you are. You're missing the main personage son, the man who can hold this together for you bunch of land lovers and no idea of how to catch a fish if your life depended on it fools."
"Okay, I'll bite who?"
"See got you hooked already. The captain of course, just look at me that's right stand over there and take a good long look don't you see it in my profile."
"I see something alright. But Big this is a nerd convention and everyone that is invited is like all those people over there in the nerd herd. Didn't you see the memo?"
"Memo about what? I didn't see any memo."
"That's because it was routed only through the managers. The head office didn't want to create any jealousy and I'm also violating about ten different corporate policies by telling you but since you're married to my mother I think I can trust you not to say anything to anyone else especially anyone in the Buy More.
"My lips are sealed."
"Good because if I lose this job I'd have to move back home and spend all my time sitting on the couch between you and my Mom." Morgan was finally getting some well-deserved retribution.
"You know son if you need any fishing tips I am more than willing to help you out. I can even tell you what bait to use. Your mamma she likes to fish. Man oh man can she ever bait a hook."
"Okay moving on. Can you see those nerds fishing? I mean look at them do they look like they could reel anything like your marlin?"
"I guess you're right. Well see you later."
"Mike, where are you going?"
"It's about time."
"It's about time for what?"
"It's about time for me to eat. All this talk about fishing has made me hunger." Big Mike walked off with visions of fishes dancing in his head.
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ECHO PARK LATER ON THAT EVENING
"No Chuck, I'm not," said Sara adamantly.
"Won't you even listen; I mean it's just for a few days."
"No, I'm not going to stay behind while you all go sailing off."
"Can we at least talk about it? I mean it's not like it's the end of the world."
"I don't see why because the answer is no."
"Love, can you just try to see it from my perspective. I'm just thinking about you and our baby." Chuck realized he was fighting a losing battle.
"I know you are and I love you for it but there is nothing to worry. We're going to go out take a cruise to Hawaii then sail back. See there's nothing to worry about."
"When have we gone on a mission and nothing happened? I just mean you deserve a little R&R after everything and I don't see you getting it here."
"Sweetie I do appreciate your worrying about us but remember I have Alex to train and take care of. You agreed to this too. I need to see her trained and I don't go back on my word. It's not fair to her and not fair to Casey."
"I guess you're right but that doesn't mean I have to like it."
"I know and I love you for it. Speaking of Alex I had a talk with her today after Baines was shot. She was kind of upset."
"I can image it's not easy watching something like that. I mean it's one thing to see it on TV where you know it isn't real but to see it live with all the gore is another."
"I just couldn't read how she took it. I mean it wasn't like she tried to paint it out to be something romantic or noble."
"Because it isn't, I remember thinking one minute he was a person and the next a piece of meat. He went from the present into the simple past in the blink of an eye. I still have nightmares about the first time I saw it."
"I know I relive my kills often and think if only I had done something different with my life then-"
"Then we wouldn't have met and that would've been far worse than a few less bad men."
"Thank you Sweetie. You're right but I'm still not going to stay in the van."
"Nor would I want you to Mrs. Bartowski, I want you right next to me for now and forever."
"Mr. Bartowski can you come and sit by your wife. I'm in need of some cuddling. Is Maurice free this evening?"
"For you his schedule is always open." As they were sitting together on their sofa Sarah with her head against Chuck's shoulder and their hands intertwined the doorbell rang.
"I'll go," said Chuck. Opening the door he found Alex and Morgan standing in front of him.
"I hope we're not interrupting," said Alex.
"No, come on in," yelled Sarah from the couch. "Chuck was just telling me about his friend Maurice that I ought to meet soon."
"Who's Maurice? I thought I was your only friend?"
"Morgan you and I aren't exclusive but it's a long story. What do you two want?"
"Well not to be accused of coming empty handed we brought ice cream, Rocky Road." Sarah was up in a flash.
"I'll get bowls and spoons just make yourselves comfortable."