A/N: After a small case of writers block I got back on track today. Thanks to all that reviewed and put this or any of my works in their alerts or favorites. Please read the A/N at the bottom. I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 3: Getting busy.
Two weeks after Kitsap.
After the bombshell the Panel dropped on them two weeks ago after the Kitsap fiasco the ISA was in the process of redistributing its assets. The Austin branch was going to be closed down when the additions were made to the Echo Park headquarters was complete. With the economy in a downward trend several buildings in the industrial park were for sale because the businesses they were owned by went belly up. Beckman had the government buy those buildings for the new ISA complex. Chuck contacted the same person who designed the Echo Park to work on the new complex. It was going to be an ambitious project revamping the old warehouse's into office buildings. The hardest part was going to be the underground connecting tunnels that Chuck's team wanted in place. Security would be a paramount concern for the new complex. People could not be seen walking from building to building all day long, so they came up with the tunnel idea.
They were thankful that relocating the personnel and their families was a nightmare they wouldn't have to deal with. Uncle Sam had programs in place to move its employees when they had to. The team hoped that within six months the complex would be completely operational.
"With our consolidating plans in place we need to decide where to start placing agents," began Chuck.
"I would start by pacing at least one on the largest and most important military bases. Put them in the special law enforcement branches like the Operations for Special Intelligence (OSI) in the Air Force. They pretty much have free reign to look into whatever and whoever they want. Bring them aboard as agents in place. They stay with us till they rotate out then they can continue at their next assignment. They work undercover all the time," supplied Casey.
"That could work," Sarah chimed in. "It would also help us fill positions and give us in roads around the world."
"I agree," added White. "None of them would have access to the information we feel is being stolen and passed on, so we can almost rule out they have anything to do with it. That's a big plus in my book."
"We could also use the baby agents as well," continued Eve. Somehow over the last year she had gone from analyst status back to agent status. "They won't have such a hard time adjusting to how we do business like the more seasoned agents do."
"I like all the ideas you guys have. Now I have to get Beckman to buy into it from a DNI perspective. It's her agents we'll be poaching, again," Chuck said with a sigh.
"Not really Chuck," offered White. "They just need to up the quota a bit. They reject a lot of people each year because they don't have what it takes to be field agents. We can use those people. A friend of mine growing up couldn't hurt a fly. Great at solving problems and figuring out who did the crime in a movie before any of us could. He'd have been perfect for this type of work."
"I'll pass that on as well. Anything else before we head out for the day?" seeing the looks he was getting from his team he dismissed them to go about their business. Sarah of course stayed behind.
"Did you ever see yourself in this position, being the head of a department within the CIA?"
"Not only no, but hell no. I just wanted to get my mom back and I did. This is not what I expected the end result to be. I'm just glad I have a good team of advisors working with me."
"We are the best for a reason you know. All of us have different skills and ideas; you take the best and make it better. You listen to us and that's the key to being a good leader."
"I paid attention to White. You should hear him go off about some of the duds, his words not mine, that he worked with in the Army and Navy."
"That bad huh?" questioned Sarah.
"Sarah, you have no idea about some of the dopes he had to work with. One officer scared even me. White said it took all he had to keep her alive. I make it a point to never go down that road, ever."
"So you talk to him a lot do you?"
"Usually when you girls have your nights out, he hangs out and we talk. He says it saves him from going to the shrinks. He also doesn't want me going down the same roads he did. It's a wonder he's not crazy."
"If you listen to him he is. Let's get out of here for the day, there not much left to do until Beckman signs off on what we need," added Sarah. Chuck and Sarah grabbed Eve and White on their way out and went to the Greek restaurant they began to go to on a fairly regular schedule. When the meals finished the couple said their good byes and headed home.
When Sarah and Chuck entered their apartment, Chuck went over to the sound system and turned on some smooth jazz. He pulled Sarah close and began to dance with her. His hands began to explore her body through her clothes. His hands made their way to her butt and he started caressing it. Sarah not to be out done ran her hands up his back under his shirt. They began kissing slowly and tenderly. It wasn't long before they were removing each other's clothes with practiced ease.
Both of them now naked and highly aroused deepened the kisses. They were dancing skin to skin and it was driving both of them wild with desire. Sarah finally had enough and in a throaty voice said two words to Chuck, "bedroom now." After an intense round of love making they both drifted off into a deep sleep cradled in each other's arms, the worries of the upcoming mission forgotten about.
The next morning Chuck informed his team that the General wanted to speak with them personally. They were gathered in the main office waiting for the General's call. White was the first to speak up.
"I hate to say it but I have a bad feeling about this meeting."
"What makes you say that?" questioned Casey.
"Easy, the last time she called us and personally conducted one of our planning sessions I got stuck in the Navy. I'm betting that since the last attempt to get naval information was thwarted, that's where she'll want to start. Then she'll want to hit the Corps because they fall under the Navy. After that it's all up in the air."
"Why does it always seem like you know what she's thinking?" asked Sarah.
"When you've been around as long as I have you pick up peoples habits. It's also what I would do."
"I can't argue that you're old," quipped Eve. "You tell us often enough."
"White, no comments about sex, I know where you're going to take it," Chuck interrupted.
"Take what Team," the Generals voice came over the communications systems.
"I was going to start talking about sex again, Ma'am," White began.
"Is that all you ever talk about anymore during your meetings? Aren't you supposed to be working on a plan to find our security leaks?"
"We were waiting on you Ma'am," supplied Casey.
"With you five I doubt it that to be true. I have your new assignments ready. The Panels best guess is they will attempt to acquire information on the Navy's carrier groups and the Marine Corps operational plans," began the General. White glanced over at Chuck and mouthed 'told you.' "We have the carrier groups that operate off the east coast covered as well as Marine Corps bases. We also have four of the west coast carrier groups covered. Major Casey will be assigned to Camp Pendleton filling a Lieutenant Colonels billet. Congratulations Colonel Casey. They will hold the official promotion ceremony after you arrive."
"Congratulations Colonel," offered White. His words were echoed by the rest of the team. "We would be honored to attend. Just let us know when and where it will be."
"I'll have the information sent to each of you since I will be attending. Chuck and Sarah you will be assigned to the Naval Air Station at Point Mugu as civilian contractors in the IT department. Carina will be going to Miramar in logistics. Eve will be assigned as a Cryptographic expert on the USS Nimitz." A loud groan was heard coming from the direction of White. They all turned his way and he looked back at them.
"I told ya didn't I?"
"It's of your own making White. You apparently made a name for yourself with the Navy while flying those covert missions for us over Bosnia and the Gulf. The navy kept your name on file as a pilot. When you went back to the Army full time they actually tried to get you back. Now add what happened at Kitsap to the list and the SECNAV decided you were the man for the job. I actually wanted you to go to Camp Irwin."
"How is my damn name still on file with the Navy? That information was supposed to be deleted when the mission was over. What were they thinking?"
"That White is classified information. Why would we give up such a valuable cover identity?" replied the General.
"Because it was supposed to be a one-time good deal," White snapped.
"Using a carrier group to launch an attack on the Ring was your idea of keeping it quiet?" asked Beckman. "Add to that pulling in a Naval Captain to be your wing man? When the Captain in question was asked if you were a risk prior to the Ring mission he told us you're one of the best sticks he's ever flown with. Then there was the time you spent at Fallon, again with Rabb. From the reports I got the two of you flew circles around the best pilots the Navy has to offer." Undeterred Beckman charged on with her speech.
"That kind of praise coming from a pilot with two DFC's and a Silver Star carries a lot of weight with us brass types. So Captain Reynolds if there is anyone to be mad at you need to look in the mirror."
"Well chuck me. Looks like I'm back in the Navy, again. Maybe next time you'll put me back in the Army."
"For the foreseeable future you're a Naval Aviator, there are four other carrier groups you'll be checking out. Don't worry; your wife will be moving with you."
"General with all of us going undercover who will be running the ISA? This mission doesn't look to wrap up anytime soon," asked Chuck.
"For the time being I will be moving out there to take over. My second in command at the CIA and NSA will take over for me back here. The Panel feels it would be a good idea for one of us to be close to the action. So it's me."
"Glad to have you on board Ma'am," said Casey.
"I'll be there in a few days with your orders and anything else you may need, Beckman out."
"And the winner of who guessed the closest to the truth is, drum roll please…ME!" exclaimed White pointing his thumbs at his chest.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got it," said Sarah. "I guess we should start packing some of our stuff up. The good thing for us is we can be back here in a few hours."
"Lucky you," began Eve. "Because my husband happens to know how to fly my happy ass gets to go on a carrier. I have never been on a ship before for an extended time, let alone a carrier. I had a hard enough time during our mission against the ring and Kitsap. This is just plain nuts if you ask me."
"That's what I said before. I've had my fill of carriers. Four years was enough for me, I love to fly but not off a carrier. It's too damn noisy."
"Beckman will be here in a few days and we should get some more information then," added Casey. "I have to get my uniforms out of storage and ready to go. White, I suggest you do the same."
"I just put them away too damn it. One good thing I'll be in flight suits most of the time. How come the boss and his boss always get to go casual? I think we need to negotiate a new contract when this mission is done," added White. Eve began to laugh at that and Sarah followed right behind. Chuck was standing there with a confused look on his face. He just had to ask what White was talking about.
"The General always wears a uniform how is that casual?"
This sent both ladies over the edge and even got Casey to laugh a little.
"Sarah he is dense," Eve said through her giggles, "Chuck, White meant Sarah you dope. I can't wait to tell Ellie about this." Everything finally got settled down and they all left to get ready.
As promised two days later General Beckman showed up and she had two people with her. One of them was an Army Captain Jones, the Generals aide; the other was Commander Elizabeth 'Skates' Hawke.
"Skates, what are you doing here," asked White.
"Hammer said you're going to need a weapons officer and here I am."
"How the hell did he find out?"
"You're kidding me right? Hammer pays more attention to the movement of pilots than the Admirals do. As soon as he saw your name pop up as being re-activated he was burning up the phones getting me assigned to you."
"That answers that question. Welcome aboard Skates."
Beckman began setting up her office, the one that used to belong to Chuck. Chucks team had cleared most of their stuff out by now so it took them little time to remove their remaining things. Beckman handed out orders to those who needed them. Chuck and Sarah just needed identification from the company they were supposed to be working for. They would get their official ID cards when they got to Point Mugu. She also told them that Casey's promotion ceremony and dining in would be taking place in two days at the officers club on Camp Pendleton. Dress uniforms were required for those in the military and formal attire for civilians. The following day they would head out to their assigned duties.
Beckman held a briefing before they would go their separate ways for the next few days. She explained the operation in general to everyone, and then called in each team to go into details. White would do the checking on the pilots. Knowing aviators are tight group anyone not an aviator would get the cold shoulder. Eve would track all communications to and from the carrier. She would also be the point of contact for the other agents assigned to the carrier. The general public could find out if a carrier was deployed and to what region, but the exact location was classified. It would be of great importance to an enemy if they had the routes and capabilities of the carrier group.
At Point Mugu, Chuck and Sarah would insert one of Orion's tracking programs into the system. It would alert them to certain keywords that may appear in e-mails. The NSA would take care of the land lines and monitoring of cell phones.
Carina would check for any missing items in the supply system. She would also be responsible for making sure the records stayed safe. If the enemy knew what was going where and how, they could find a way to disrupt it.
Casey would be heading up the Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division (CID) on Pendleton. With a team of agents they would be checking the accounts of the military and civilians attached to Pendleton and the surrounding areas. Anything of interest would be flagged and sent to the ISA to be checked into. He would be the first to get the new group of baby agents, as Eve called them.
During his meeting with Beckman White told her that she should have some baby agents trained as Hornet mechanics and technicians. His reasoning was simple; they had easier access to the manuals than the pilots. Beckman was on board with the idea and made the decision to add a few new agents to each team.
The day of Casey's promotion ceremony finally arrived. He arrived early to rehearse the ceremony, his team mates would arrive later. Casey's promotion was causing a logistical nightmare for the Public Affairs Officer. It wasn't the fact he was getting promoted, it was who was attending that was causing the problems. The base commander was a full colonel. It wasn't everyday a general paid a visit and today there were two.
Fifteen minutes before the ceremony was to begin the General's motorcade pulled up in front of the officers club. The first two cars were marked with flags denoting the ranks of the officers within the car. The first one had two stars, the second had one star and the last two were left unmarked. Major General Beckman exited the first vehicle followed by her aide. Brigadier General Jones, USMC exited the second vehicle. He was one of Casey's former commanders and was invited by General Beckman. The rest of the team exited the last vehicles and followed the Generals into the club. They were seated in the front row according to naval protocol.
Both General's gave a short speech about Casey before the promotion ceremony. The ceremony itself was short with General Beckman having the honor of pinning on Casey's silver oak leaves. The guests were then escorted to the tables they would be dining at.
"That was some speech Beckman gave about Casey. I just wish he would have told us some of those things himself," said Sarah.
"Casey hates to talk about himself, all he wants is to do his job," explained Chuck. "He doesn't care about the accolades. He didn't even want the ceremony. He told me he would rather have them tell him he was promoted and he'd stick them on himself."
"This is the first time I've seen Casey in his blues. His medal rack is impressive as hell. I'll have to ask how he got some of them. It would be good to know more about him," continued Sarah.
"They should have let him have his way. I know a few military guys who feel the same way. Then again some like all the pomp and circumstance that goes along with the promotion. Most of them just put up with it," Eve added on.
"I can see why," Chuck commented.
At the head table…
When they were all seated, White was the first to offer his congratulations again.
"So Colonel Casey, how does it feel to be moving up in the world?"
"It feels really good to be honest. Doing what we do I never expected it."
"I for one feel you will do a fine job in your new command," Jones added. "You were one of the finest junior officers I ever worked with. It was a long time coming and you deserve it. When I got the call from General Beckman I thought, it's about damn time."
"Thank you Sir it was an honor to have served under you. You helped make me into the officer I am today."
"I also think you will do good things in your new posting. It was an honor to pin those oak leaves on you today. They were passed on to me by someone who admires you a great deal, Colonel Casey. If you wear them as well as he did it won't be long until you join him in rank."
"He was a good officer Ma'am?"
"Is a good officer John, not was. Since the food is arriving I think it's a good time to change the subject and eat. We can talk about him later." Once dinner was finished Casey asked to be excused to talk to his team, Beckman granted him permission and he made his way to Chuck's table. Unnoticed by Casey was Beckman getting up and following him with Reynolds right behind her.
Chucks table
"Eve, why does Bill look like a cat on a hot tin roof?" asked Chuck.
"You know Bill, he hates being in the limelight in any fashion, he wanted to sit with us but protocol required he sit at the head table."
"Then why didn't he just wear his Army blues instead of the Navy dress whites? There only for his cover anyway," asked Carina. "I'm sure nobody would even bat an eyelash at him for being Army."
"Beckman wouldn't let him. He tried going that route but she shut him down cold. She said and I quote, "You're a Captain in the Navy now, it's time to act like it, unquote."" Eve explained to the people at the table.
"Congratulations Casey," Sarah said rising to give him a hug, Chuck echoed her comments but elected to pass on the hug and just shook his hand, Carina was next to give him a hug but added a small kiss on the cheek. Eve was the last to shake his hand.
"Thank you guys, It means a lot to have you here tonight."
"We wouldn't have missed it for the world," Chuck stated in a firm voice.
"I hate these dog and pony shows," Casey said while tugging at his collar. "I just wanted them to hand me my rank and I'd pin it on myself. No big deal."
"We were just talking about the same thing a few minutes ago. Eve was telling us that Bill feels the same way," Carina said. "What we can't figure out is why he didn't just wear his Army blues tonight and instead of his cover uniform. He could have avoided all of this."
"Because I wouldn't let him," stated Beckman from behind them. Hearing her voice caused Casey and Eve to come to attention as protocol dictated when speaking to a senior officer.
"I told White to use his Army cover until I felt the time was right. With our operation now concentrated on the Navy you will hear his name come up a few times and will run into people that know him. The only person in the modern Navy that not only comes close to but exceeds Captain Reynolds is Captain Rabb." Beckman paused after this to look at the faces of her team members. She saw what she expected to see, shock, awe and confusion. She then continued on,
"During the ring mission Captain Ingles thought he recognized White from his past, so he pulled out some old photos of pilots he flew with and found one of a much younger White posing with the then Ensign Rabb. Chuck, your team has been working with one of the best Naval Aviators of all time. Casey, it was Reynolds that passed on the oak leaves you are now wearing. On my orders he just started using his real name for the first time in over twenty years, William Reynolds, Captain, United States Navy."
