I don't own 'Chuck.' I'd hoped to get a share, but the current owners didn't like my idea for Season 4: Chuck's mom is actually General Beckman's twin sister, and Sarah gets possessed by the devil.
I should avoid soap operas.
Chapter 4
Casey pushed aside the pile of employee records in annoyance. There was nothing there. Nothing about any of the people working at the San Bernardino office that jumped out at him. The same thing went for the men that had been on Torrance's transport to Nevada.
Casey hadn't been exactly sure what he was looking for, which didn't help. Just something that distinguished somebody from everyone else. It wasn't that everyone's record was spotless, either. That in and of itself would have been suspicious. But there was nothing to connect anyone to the Ring. For the most part, the agents working in that office stayed in that office. It wasn't a step on the NSA's ladder of success. Still, it wasn't as if it was the Siberia of assignments either; there were many worse places for a field agent to be sent than southern California. So it didn't seem like anyone in that office would be carrying a grudge about his or her current station. All of which meant that nobody there looked like a suspect.
His recent conversation with General Beckman had just made matters worse. She had popped up on his view screen an hour earlier to tell him that a secure NSA facility in Denver, and with it "Director" Jason McCracken," had just been destroyed. A team had dispatched to the site, but it was unlikely that anything would be found. Beckman was clearly frustrated, and she took it out on Casey, focusing on the lack of progress on the part of his team.
So, he was considering whether a glassful of Scotch would bring him wisdom when there was a knock on the door. Instinctively, he grabbed his weapon and switched on the surveillance monitor. The figure of Grimes on the screen emitted one of his trademark growls. "What is it?" he barked into the intercom.
"Oh, hey Casey, do you mind if we talk?"
Casey resisted the temptation to immediately say no. Grimes was a member of the team, so Casey was obligated, probably by law. He should check that, in case this situation arose again. He opened the door.
Casey's eyes immediately latched on to what Grimes was holding in his hand. This time he decided to trust his instincts, and slammed the door. Unfortunately, this only resulted in more knocking.
"What is it?" Casey growled as he opened the door again.
"Hey, Casey. It must be windy here, the way the door shut just like that."
"What do you want, Grimes?"
"Um," Grimes looked a bit unsure of himself. "The thing is, you know how I've been living over there with Chuck and Sarah? Well, it's kind of got a bit crowded, with the whole new couple thing, and I was thinking that…"
"Walker kicked you out, didn't she?" Casey smirked.
"Well, not in those exact words, but we did come to a … mutual understanding. Anyway, I figured that now that we're teammates and all, it would be the most…practical thing for me to stay here." He waved the suitcase in his hand to emphasize the practicality of the idea.
It took all of Casey's self-control to prevent another 'gust of wind' from slamming the door again. In a rare moment of naivety, he had hoped that the suitcase contained printouts of information on the Ring Elders. "You'd better not be serious," he said, leaning into Morgan to emphasize the foolishness of his idea.
"Aw, c'mon Casey, don't be like that. It'll be perfect, we can work on the mission together, discuss plans of action, have some quality chat time with the General…"
"What about your mother?" Casey interrupted, hoping to stop Grimes before he starting talking about them braiding each other's hair.
Grimes made a face. "Are you kidding? With Big Mike there? That would be worse than Chuck and Sarah. A lot worse. Have you ever seen Big Mike in just his boxers?"
Casey had to admit that was something he'd want to avoid too. Still, Casey valued peace and quiet above almost all else, and Grimes was the exact opposite of quiet. "Why can't you get your own place?"
"With what? I don't get a Buy More salary any more."
"No, with what the CIA is paying you, moron."
Grimes gave Casey a surprised expression. "The CIA is paying me?"
"Don't you check your mail, you idiot?"
"My mail still goes home. Big Mike, boxers, remember? Hey, look at it this way. Think how much easier in an emergency if I'm right here, rather than trying to find me somewhere else."
Casey was more worried about the emergencies he'd be causing right here than any help he'd provide during one. Still, it would be less of a hassle to find him if he was right there, rather than having to search through all of Burbank's arcades, comic book stores, and wherever the hell else he spent his time.
Casey sighed. "Just for a couple of days," he muttered, as if hoping Grimes wouldn't hear him. "Then you find your own place." He reluctantly beckoned for the younger man to follow him, and led him into his workout room. There was a small cot on the side behind the free weights and other equipment. Grimes grimaced as he examined his new surroundings, then quickly forced a smile when he saw Casey glaring at him.
"This is just great, Casey. Thanks a lot."
"Just remember, this is not your room. It's my room, which I'm letting you temporarily be in. So don't get comfortable, and don't make yourself at home."
"You got it, big guy," Grimes said, nonplussed. "This is going to be great! I'll finally get to see what makes John Casey tick!"
"Oh I tick alright," Casey said maliciously. "Like a bomb. And if you're not careful, I'm going to go off."
An hour later, Casey reluctantly went to check in on his new boarder. Despite Casey's words, Grimes was currently putting a poster of an old man up on the wall. "Stan Lee," Grimes said when he saw Casey's questioning gaze, "a true American hero."
Casey grunted, but decided to let that pass. "Grimes, there's something we need to talk about."
"Oh, I used tape for the poster. No nails."
Casey chuckled to himself. If Grimes had used a nail, the vibrations in the wall would have set off the warning censors in the bungalow, and the younger man would have wound up with a face-full of knockout gas. "It's not about that."
Casey sat down on an exercise bench. "It's about the mission, and the team."
"Ok," Grimes looked uncertain.
"It's important that you don't bring up or discuss Bartowski to anyone."
"Oh. Not even Carina?"
"Not even Carina." Casey wasn't surprised that the ex-DEA agent had managed to wrap Grimes around her finger in a day. He wasn't the first to fall to her charms. "We still don't know what the Ring's objective is," he explained, "but they have shown a lot of interest in the Intersect project in the past. That may still be part of Torrance's objectives."
"But is Chuck safe?"
"He's still got the thing in his head, so he can protect himself. Plus, he's got Walker." Casey had discussed some extra surveillance with the General as well, but he didn't feel like bringing it up to Grimes, because that information would immediately find its way back to Bartowski. He really didn't need to deal with his whining right now.
Grimes considered this for a moment, before finally nodding, apparently satisfied. Then he gave Casey a quizzical look. "So you really don't trust anybody on the team then?"
"That's a luxury we can't afford, until we find out more about the Ring's reach. And besides, I never trust anybody."
"That's kind of sad, Casey. You need to let people in." Grimes approached Casey, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. One growl later, Grimes reconsidered.
"You must have at least trusted Chuck, right? And Sarah?"
Casey did consider this for a moment. It had taken a couple of years, but he had come to trust Walker, even if she was CIA. As for Bartowski, he wasn't sure he actually trusted his abilities, but he had come to accept that he would do what was right for the country, no matter what. So underneath it all, he did trust Bartowski. This realization made Casey really want a drink.
"See there," Grimes interrupted his thoughts. "It's good to trust people. And you can trust me. Like that Forrest said, there's no way I'm Ring. And now I've got your back."
The scotch didn't pour into Casey's glass quickly enough.
"Well, at least I do have something that will cheer you up," Morgan continued. "I think Carina and I found something today."
"Last night, a bomb went off at one of our facilities. Twelve men and women were killed, including the Ring's so-called 'Director.'"
Casey watched the other four members of the team take this in slowly, their faces registering shock first, followed by annoyance. Casey had already come to grips with this turn of events, and he mostly felt only anger now. Anger at the impediment to their mission, anger at the loss of life, and especially anger that the loss he must regret the most is the one of an enemy.
Casey had arrived at the car lot facility a couple of hours ago. He'd needed the extra time to prepare the meeting, and he didn't want to face the possibility of carpooling with his new roommate. The other members of the team had only just arrived in the conference room.
Forrest recovered first. "He must have known too much," she commented.
Casey nodded. "Torrance is covering his tracks."
"But how are we ever going to find out what he's hiding, now that the Director is dead?" Agent Bailey asked.
"Shaw," Grimes spoke up. "What about him?"
"Still safe and sound," Casey said. The General had told him the number of guards watching over the ex-agent had been doubled.
"So are we going to talk to him? Find out what he knows before Torrance goes after him?"
"We're not. I am."
Casey smiled briefly at the consternation on everyone's face. He'd anticipated it. But it was too late. He was going to be on a flight to Illinois in an hour, and then it would be a short ride to the interrogation.
"But I do have another mission for the rest of you. A link has been uncovered between our Ring Elders." Casey couldn't bring himself to credit Grimes with discovering that link. "Interglobal Industries. All of othe Elders were involved with it, either as employees or investors. And it's clear from his quick action that Torrance still has some resources at his disposal. This company could be the key."
"Interglobal's headquarters is in Phoenix," Casey continued. "We need to have a look. I've organized transport for you this morning. You are to go in and see what you can find. Any connection to the Ring or Torrance. Forrest will be leading the mission."
There was some muttering at this last statement, particularly from Carina. Casey had anticipated this, but he didn't really care. Forrest had more experience than Carina, and was more dependable.
Casey was actually somewhat disappointed about not being able to join them on their mission. Reconnaisance was much more interesting than spending an afternoon with Daniel Shaw. But that wasn't an option. He had to be the one to question him. Shaw would jump at the chance to bring up the Intersect project. As Casey had told Grimes the previous night, that wasn't a conversation he wanted to have with too many ears around.
He turned back to his team. "We're already behind, so we have some catching up to do. So be careful going in to Interglobal, but we need results. Torrance is already laughing at us, and I don't particularly like the joke."
Casey headed out of the room without waiting for a response. He had a plane to catch.
So at some point during the last few episodes of Season 3 I remember thinking "Oh God, they're going to do the whole Casey and Morgan as wacky roommates thing. How lame." And yet, what do I do here? Casey and Morgan as wacky roommates, just because it seems to work for the plot.
Hypocrisy, thy penname is Atlee.
Please comment on this and my other story-related failings in the comments section.
