Don't own Chuck
"Well I've got some news," said Casey. "You're never going to believe why Pierre wasn't in jail. He escaped by having a fake fax sent from a judge ordering his release, can you believe that? Beckman was still livid when she told me and Chuck, her people verified those documents you decrypted. It seems we're not the only people looking for the suitcase, which matches some intel I picked up from my Ranger partners." He went on to explain the story of the excavations as he unfolded his map and pointed at the locations.
"I've looked at the canyon from the satellite feeds but there's just too much growth up there to get a clear picture."
"My guess is that our competition has a base camp in the upper camp ground which would give them access to the area they're digging at. Any ideas as to why they're digging there?"
"Well, the rock formation from the last geographical survey showed material there that might give off trace radiation signals. But that doesn't mean it's buried there. Actually I was reading through reports and records from the power company."
"Sounds like an interesting read," said Casey.
"Well seems there was a rather Bohemian atmosphere up here at one time and some of the shacks had electricity that they stole from the power company running lines in from the road."
"Sounds like someone wanted to be Sparkie."
"I know shocking."
"Guys can we cut the puns and get back on mission," said Sarah as she looked over at Alex who was shaking her head then she turned her attention back to the map
"Okay, you're right, well I was thinking-" Chuck started to say but Sarah realized what he had discovered.
"Yes, you're a genius," said Sarah as she kissed him.
"Don't expect me to do that," said Casey as he grunted. "Do you mind explaining to the rest of the class what you discovered?"
"Love, it seems you figured it out why don't you can continue."
"Well, what Chuck was explaining is that since we know the nuke needs to be connected to an electrical source to charge its internal battery then it makes sense that one of this pirated lines trace back to the suitcase."
"Yes and not just that maybe the reason the SVR was never been able to recover it is because they don't know where it's at. This is my reasoning if something happened to the two agents that planted it then the KGB wouldn't know where it was located at exactly. They know where it was supposed to be planted close to but the not the exact coordinates. That is not until either it comes live or the battery dies which would cause it to activate its transmitter and send a coded message via satellite to the GRU. But if the electricity was never cut then the signal would've never been transmitted."
"Okay so we need to find out which of those old lines are still active. How do we do that?"
"We can't go to the power company. They can tell us there's a power drain on the line but it would take time to trace where the junction was. But just because we have a junction we can't be sure if it's connected to our bomb and we'd tip our hand to our competition."
"So what do we do?" asked Casey as Sarah and Alex looked over the map tracing the terrain.
"We'll have to go out and isolate lines," said Sarah.
"I was thinking the same thing," said Chuck. "I've got volt meters for everyone. We can go out and measure current, the lines that are hot will have to be tracked. After all these years I don't think many of the lines will still have juice in them."
"Well, talking about this isn't going to get it done. Give me my meter. I've got to get back out on patrol before Big Roscoe starts looking for me."
"Big Roscoe?"
"Take my word you don't want to know but remember only you can prevent forest fires." With that Casey left going back outside and mounting Moonlight. "Oh, guys less than a mile up that trail," he point to a sign, there's a stable were you can rent horses to ride in the park. You can cover more ground that way just keep an eye out for anything suspicious."
"Thanks John," said Sarah. Then Casey rode away. Sarah turned to Chuck who looked a little perplexed. "Don't tell me you've never ridden a horse?"
"I know this is going to sound bad but no never. I even get terrified of horses on a merry-go-round. Remember when Leader was chasing me in the amusement park when I was with Jill, I was more afraid of the wooden horses than being shot by him."
"Sweetie, it's in the intersect. It's just mind over matter."
"Well in my mind it does matter. Horses come with full options. They can trample you to death, they can kick the living daylights out of you and lastly the can bite a hunk out of you. I don't see a win in that scenario."
"Sweetie you're spiralling. But you're right you shouldn't be riding with that shoulder the way it is. Alex and I will take Morgan you can-"
"Don't say it."
"Stay with the Airstream."
"And there we go," he said as he hung his head.
"Where is Morgan anyway?" asked Sarah now noticing Morgan was missing.
"I don't know I haven't seen him since he went up on the roof," said Chuck. "Alex you were with him."
"Yeah then my Dad showed up. You don't think he's still there? Surely he's not that afraid of my father to hide." They all turned around and looked up to see Morgan stretched out asleep.
"Morgan," yelled Alex, "you're going to get a sun stroke up there. Come down right now. Dad's gone, it's safe now." Morgan stretched and started to wake up.
"Morgan, how did you get the ladder this far away from the camper," asked Chuck. Morgan was about to answer but got cut off. "Never mind Morgan, you know some of us have to work."
"Guys you got to believe me-"
"Don't worry Morgan I'll talk to Dad for you and straighten everything out. I'm half to blame anyway," said Alex as she held the ladder for him.
"Thanks, but you don't understand-"
"I do," said Alex, "I can understand how intimidating my father can be but you don't need to hide from him." She said as she caressed his sunburnt face. "Oh Morgan."
"How about Roman Holidays tonight?"
"It's a date."
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On the other side of the canyon a different type of meeting was being held. Rose was sitting around a table in a cabin looking over a map as her men stood round. Some of the men were murmuring about what had happened with Pierre wondering if they would be on the short list too when the time came.
"Pepe, tell your men to shut up or if they want they can go outside and talk but I need to concentrate."
"It's just they're concerned about last night and the way you had Guye take Pierre out. It just spooked them is all."
"Are they men or boys? You know as well as I do that he knew our whole operation and if he had been taken the CIA would be at our front door knocking."
"Don't we? Our man in the rangers told us about the new guy who is the same man who arrested Pierre last night."
"But he doesn't know we're here because if he did Special Forces would've served us breakfast and we'd be eating lunch in Gitmo. No, he's probably here for the same thing we are and speaking of that why haven't we found it yet? I thought your expert said that it was around where we were looking."
"I think he was wrong-"
"Really whatever gave you that idea," Rose said interrupting him.
"What I'm saying is originally we thought that since the rock formation gave off residual radiation it would've been the idea place to hide it in but now we might have over thought the situation."
"I must be stupid because I'm surrounded by geniuses and none of you can find a simple suitcase. Don't even say a word," said Rose as she raised her finger. "This is what I want; I want you to have our ranger friend tail that new guy. I want him to follow that guy everywhere he goes. Maybe we can let them lead us to our prize and once they've found it we take if from them."
"Just like that and what if they put up a fight?"
"We kill them. Actually we're going to kill them anyway; we don't want to leave any witnesses behind."
Rose left the room and walked back into the kitchen for coffee leaving Pepe with his men to deal with.
"Okay, ladies you heard the woman now get yourself in gear and let's get this done. You won't be paid until we're done."
"Pepe, I was talking with some of the men and well we were saying that it's hard to spend all that cash you've promised us if we're dead. So, we were thinking that if you paid us half now we'd be better motivated to hurry up and get things done."
"Oh you would, would you for only half you'd be motivated! Why not ask for the whole thing? Why mess around for a miserable fifty percent?"
"Pepe, don't take it like that."
"Oh now you're telling me how to take it, are you? Is there anyone else who wants their pay up front? I don't see any hands? Anyone? It looks to me like you're speaking out of the wrong end I don't see anyone that agrees with you, do you?" said Pepe as he got up close to the man then put his arm around him and pulled him in. "You know friend the next time you complain or become the voice of a group of gutless wonders I'd think twice."
"Yes sir, I will," said the scared men.
"Too bad there won't be a next time," Pepe said as he fired four rounds at point blank range into the man's chest then let him drop to the ground. "You two take him out and bury him away from the cabin and deep enough that the coyotes don't dig him up. Anyone else want to negotiate for a better contract? If not the table of discussion has been killed. Now get to work if you don't want to rest in peace."
"Here," said Rose, "a cup of coffee."
"Thanks," he said as he wiped blood off his hands on his shirt before taking the cup.
"I knew there was a reason I wanted you as my vice. You certainly know how to motivate the men and get the most out of them."
"I don't mind them complaining just not to my face."
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Chuck had finished setting up the Airstream and everything inside was running properly. He sat back on the sofa and stared at the pictures that his father had. They were of him and Ellie before he left. Mary hadn't wanted to step foot inside there were just too many memories and too much pain. Yet here he was like his father. Morgan walked in and went to the fridge got a grape soda them pulled up a chair in front of him.
"I guess this is kind of hard on you," said Morgan.
"Hard how? This was the ideal solution for this mission."
"Yes, but was it ideal for you. You've got to be thinking even worrying that you're not becoming your father Chuck."
"You know Little Buddy sometimes you're the most dense, inconsiderate, tool I know and then there are times like this that you hit the nail on the head." Chuck paused. "Sarah keeps asking me why she's here and not with our daughter. I try to explain that we've got a mission but the truth is I don't believe it. I want to be home too as much as if not more than she does. I keep telling myself I have to be strong, strong for the both of us but then there are times like now that all that comes falling down on me like a ton of bricks."
"Why? Because of your father?"
"Morgan, look around and what do you see?"
"There are pictures of you and Ellie when you were young. I was there when most of those pictures were taken. There's even that red and white lighthouse magnet that your father bought on our famous Nantucket trip in 92 but they seem to end around the time your father left. It's well you know."
"Yeah, you wanted to say sad. I know I feel it. I feel my father's pain in this trailer and there are times that it is all I can do to keep myself from getting a can of gas and burning this thing to the ground. However, as much as I'd like too there is no other place that I feel so close to him as in here."
"I heard Sarah say she was going back to Echo Park this evening and would be coming out tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, I thought it'd be good for her and for Sam."
"But will it be good for you?"
"Morgan, it's like I said last night in Castle sometimes we need to suffer a little to make the person we love happy. It's only one night."
"It's only every night until we find that suitcase."
"Morgan, don't you dare say a word of this to Sarah. Besides why are you here anyway, aren't you supposed to be on a pony?"
"Ha, ha very funny, I don't know but all of a sudden I became allergic to horses. Every time I came close I started to sneeze and my sinuses started to act up so in the end I got sent back here."
"Well Little Buddy I'm sorry for you sinuses but I'm glad you're here. I'd offer you some cherry cheese cake if I had some but I'm afraid I'm fresh out."
"How about a quick game of 'Legend of Zelda'?"
"Is there such a thing as a quick game?"
"The way you play there is."
"Oh I see how it is; you've thrown down the gauntlet. Well I'm picking it up, prepare to meet your fate my little bearded friend."
"That was awesome, sorry for the pun. Have you been practising what to say to bad guys to get them to back down?"
"I might've scripted a few lines you know something to use in a pinch."
"Well it's working for you. Now let the games begin," said Morgan as he handed Chuck a set of controls.
After a couple hours of play Chuck was tired of being cooped up in the trailer so he decided to go outside and get some fresh air. He grabbed a bottle of water, a pair of binoculars and a radio then went outside and started walking down one of the trails. He was about fifteen minutes into his hike or he thought when he bumped into a couple.
"Good afternoon," said the man.
"I guess it is," said Chuck, "sorry but I've been setting up camp and the morning just kind of slipped away."
"We rented a cabin to avoid all that," said the woman. "Are you here by yourself? I hope not this is too lovely a spot to come to by yourself."
"No, no, I came with my wife and as a matter of fact I was just looking for her. I told her to go out on her own with a friend while I got things together."
"See Pepe that's what a husband does," said the woman.
"But Rose, darling how can you say such things in front of complete stranger."
"Well we can solve that right now," said Chuck. "My name is Charles, but my friends call me Chuck and you're Pepe what's that short for?"
"José and this lovely woman is Rose."
"Nice to meet you both but I need to get back to my hunt."
"If you're ever up at the end of the canyon you can drop in on us. If you and your wife happen to come by around dinner time we'll gladly feed you."
"I'd have to talk to my wife about that but sure we could happen up that way. What's your cabin number?
"We're in cabin number twelve. You can't miss it; it's the only one that looks like Heidi ought to be living there." They all laughed and were about to separate when they saw a park ranger come riding towards them
"You ought to ask him, he might have seen her when he was out on patrol. It could save you some time and tread on the bottom of your soles."
"Not a bad idea, I think I will. Again it was a pleasure meeting you," said Chuck as she walked towards Casey.
"Hey, Mr. Ranger I need to ask you a question," said Chuck loud enough for his two new friends to hear then he turned around and waved. He turned back around with them at his back so they couldn't see his face. "Casey, see those two people behind me the ones I was talking to I think they Melville's partners."
"Really, are you sure," he said as he tried to get a good look at them to lock it away in memory. "Did you flash?"
"No but they spoke English with a particular accent a Québécois accent. It's particular to the native French speakers of Québec. They told me they were staying cabin twelve at the upper end of the cabin. It might be worth looking into."
"I agree but right now you need to get back. Sarah called me to find you because when she got back to the camper you were gone so she got worried."
"Why didn't she call me?"
"She said she did but you never answered so when she couldn't get you she called me."
"That's strange," said Chuck as he checked his radio. "Base one this is, I guess Chuck, can you read me?"
"Chuck, where have you been? I've been trying to get you for over an hour." Casey was looking down at him while he was trying to explain and it seemed like both were laughing at him Casey and his horse.
"Sorry, but I guess I lost track of time. Do me a favour; give me a radio check every ten minutes as I walk back. I'll explain when I get there."
