Don't own Chuck
The team pulled up on the tarmac next to Sarah's Lear where a loading crew was standing by to take their equipment on board. To be members of a covert organization the men who met them were rather obvious starting with their dark sunglasses even though it was already dark and the ear pieces that dangled out in plain sight. The only question was whose agency did they belong to but judging from their accent as if that were a good gauge they had to be MI6.
"Take a seat and let me tell the pilot we're ready to take off," said Sarah then she disappeared into the cockpit.
"Does anyone else think this whole thing is a little odd?" said Mary.
"Something is definitely up," said Casey. "But Sarah said everything would be explained so let's give her a chance and see."
Shortly afterwards the plane rolled slowly out onto the flight line and was given priority clearance to take off. Alex was sitting in her seat she heard the roar of the engine and felt herself being pushed back as the plane lifted off. But her mind was elsewhere thinking about Morgan, thinking that she had reacted too slowly and that if she had done things differently he wouldn't have been taken. Mary looked over at Alex and read her mind. It was a look she had seen a hundred times on herself as she tried to correct her husband's mistake and the things she had done while working for Volkoff.
"Alex, don't second guess yourself you'll only drive yourself mad. What is done is done and you have to live with that there really isn't anything else you can do."
"But I could've-"
"But you didn't. I'm not saying not to learn from your mistakes I'm telling you not to dwell on them. Regret is a bitter mistress."
"How do I do that and go on?"
"Payback," said Casey, "and I've had about as much as I can take. Someone is going to die and they won't die well. They took the wrong Troll this time." He added as he cracked his knuckles.
"Thanks Dad, I think."
"No, John's right we've been too nice with these people and they've taken too much. It's time we start kicking in doors," said Mary then she went back over to her seat and got her purse. "It's time I introduce them to my Italian friend, Signore Beretta."
"You sure you didn't adopt Chuck," said Casey. Just then Sarah walked back in the cabin.
"Alex this might make you feel better," said Sarah as she brought satellite imagery up on the big screen. "That is the copter that Morgan's on. I know it's difficult to see, flying at night without running lights. Here you can see it better if we do a thermal scan. There you can make out the targets inside one of them is Morgan."
"How do you know?" asked Alex wanting to believe but she needed some sort of proof even though she was willing to grab hold of anything.
"He's still got the GLG4000 on him and we've been able to remotely switch it on."
"Idiot proof," said Casey.
"The direction they're headed in is a remote section of the high Atlas Mountain range outside Marrakesh. We're going to have to land there and proceed on ground. Transportation will be waiting for us as soon as we touch down."
"I didn't know we had a presence in Morocco. Who's organizing the logistics?"
"That would be the Sûreté nationale and Carmichael industries," said Sarah. "They are a little bit embarrassed right now in Morocco."
"Okay, this is all good but you told us we'd be told everything once we were in the air and so far you haven't mentioned anything about Chuck. What's going on?"
"Yeah, I smell a Bartowski rat, present company excluded, no offence Mary."
"None taken, so what gives Sarah?"
"The pilot will see you now," she said as she led the team into the cockpit. There sitting in the pilot's seat was Chuck.
"Thank you for flying Carmichael Industries," he said.
"Chuck," grunted Casey. "I should've known."
"I know you missed me Big Guy and we can do kisses and hugs later but right now I need to explain what I found out so I can bring you up to speed.
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Devon was in his room doing push ups again. He was determined to stay physically and mentally ready. The operation would be soon he needed his head clear and in the game. The operation would be long and tedious not to mention skirting on ridiculous. Operations like this were supposed to be done in major medical facilities with fully functional operating staffs. This wasn't his cousin Joe's garage, if he had a cousin Joe, where he could just reach in and yank out the gas pump then shove a new one in. Yet, here he was in the middle of nowhere with a witch doctor as his assistant. He wondered if Wadì wasn't going to throw some sort of magic powder in the man's open chest or sacrifice a chicken before they began. He got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower and coming out he looked in the mirror.
"I just hope that Zamir has got his act together," he said as he wiped the steam off the mirror and thought about shaving. There was a sudden knock at his door then Razib came in. He waited as Devon got dressed then they both went back downstairs. Devon didn't even notice if the mini mountain was still outside his door his only thoughts were on the procedure.
"Evening Devon," said Yasmin, "Doctor Zamir is about five minutes out on my helicopter. Dr. Wadì is prepping my father so soon this will be over. Are you happy?"
"That it will be over soon sure, but I have one last request, if you don't mind."
"I don't like people changing deals on me at the end, it's like they're trying to black mail me. I have a tendency to act harshly."
"No, it's nothing like that it's about Razib."
"Razib? What about Razib?" This doctor was certainly strange, thought Yasmin if at a time like this he could be thinking about a little orphan boy.
"I'd like to see him taken care of," said Devon aware that he was treading on thin ice.
"He is, he's one of my servants and I take care of them all." Yasmin never really had given Razib any consideration because of his social standing but now she was curious.
"No you don't understand I'd like for him to go to school to become someone not stay a servant his whole life."
"You care enough about him that you'd take him with you?" Yasmin thought to herself, how far would Devon's commitment for the boy go.
"If it's possible, yes."
"You'd take him from his mother, from his family to a foreign land where he knows no one and no one knows him." She knew she was inventing a fictitious family but she wanted to toy a little with the naive doctor.
"Said like that it sounds bad but I just want to give the boy a chance to better himself. What if I establish a trust fund for him? He can stay with his family but you allow him to go to school. You can always find servants but you can't always find a cultivated mind."
"I think that might be possible," said Yasmin. "Come with me now and we'll meet the helicopter then you and Dr. Zamir can get to work. Everything now hinges on your success."
"Then lead the way but think about what I said."
"Certainly."
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The team had flow about halfway. They were somewhere between the middle and high Atlas range. Flying over spectacular mountain gorges set with a stunning sunset. The setting sun was painted in crimson red by the minute grains of sand that hung in the air. But no one was looking out admiring the view they were all in the cockpit listening to Chuck as he debriefed the team.
"This is what I know said Chuck. The woman we are looking for is called Yasmin Tazi, she is the sister of Fatima Tazi and daughter of Omar Tazi. "
"Okay, so we know their names, so when can we start writing them on bullets?"
"Casey you might know him better by his alias, 'The Toy Maker'."
"Christ, are you sure!" Everything changed in that minute.
"Chuck, the agency has had a kill order out on him for decades. You should know that, both of you should, it's been in the intersect since the first beta edition. How can you be sure?"
"He is," said Sarah.
"So you've seen his intel too," said Mary. Chuck gave Sarah a disapproving look.
"If you go down, I go down," said Sarah. "Remember we're in this together," she said as she held up her ring.
"I love you," he said as he reached over and took her hand.
"Okay enough with the foreplay, Walter Cronkite and I want to hear the rest of the story."
"Excuse the new kid but who is the Toy Maker. I take it from what's been said and the way everyone is acting he doesn't make toys," said Alex wondering also how this tied to Morgan.
"The Toy Maker," explained Sarah "is one of the best and notorious bomb makers in the world. He has eluded capture for decades. Up until now we didn't even know what his real name was or anything else about him."
"He's been on everyone's hit list and moved up to the number one slot after his friend Carlos the Jackal was captured," said Casey. "One thing the French did right."
"Actually they trained together for while at a terrorist training facility on the Iraqi-Syrian border. Ilich Ramírez Sánchez was code named H4 the Jackal and Omar was H5 Dažbog, the sun god. Later they became members of the PFLP and Carlos who loved publicity went on to make headlines while the Toy Maker went underground where he perfected his trade making bombs for a myriad of terrorist organizations around the globe. It was rumoured that he even put a bomb in a diplomat's pacemaker and had him explode during a high level meeting."
"What did you flash on Chuck," asked Casey. He already had an idea what the answer was.
"Technically nothing but it makes sense given what we know." Chuck realized they actually had nothing but he was trying to hide behind a smoke screen. He didn't want to reveal his source but it was quickly looking like he had no choice.
"Have you been in touch with General Beckman," asked Mary seeing where Casey was going with his line of questioning.
"Not since Cairo and guys we can't tell her about the Toy Maker. If we do she'll want to send in a drone strike and take him out. We can't let that happen with Devon and Morgan in there."
"At least we want to get Awesome out," said Casey, "the troll's expendable."
"Dad!" said Alex.
"Just joking, maybe, but Chuck, right now we don't know where there is, or do we? I smell a rat."
"Guys it's for your own good that you don't know anymore," said Chuck. "I can tell you that we're going to a compound in the high Atlas Mountains outside Marrakesh."
"So Chuck who pulled the trigger on Pablo? I don't think you did yet he was gunned down right in front of you and then you disappeared."
"Pablo was working for Aziz and Aziz was killed by Anubis, a gun hired by Yasmin Tazi. She wanted to tie off lose ends and that's what Pablo became after the drop, a lose end," said Mary. A sudden light came on in her head as she was back tracking and looking at Casey she could tell he realized it too.
"You said Anubis' real name was Anton Borloff, a former Cairo KGB section chief gone rogue. You were speaking Russian to someone in the hotel room in Cairo. Christ, Chuck you made a deal with the Commies."
"Casey, I knew you'd react like this and they're ex-commies but they had intel I, we needed."
"Chuck, how do you think the General is going to react! Sarah, did you know about this?"
"Don't answer that," said Chuck. "If anyone is to blame it's me and I take full responsibility. The General gave me discretionary authority and I used it. I told her I'd do whatever it took to bring Devon home and by God that's what I'm doing. Case closed."
"So this is where all your intel came from, from the Russians and they just up and gave it to you for what? What did you have to give them? You gave then Borloff. How?
"My friend Stefan came with the Yasen and picked him up," explained Chuck.
"That's what all the activity was about in the port," said Casey.
"It turned out that they had been after him for years over his extracurricular activities. It seems they frown on freelance hitmen who were former agents as much as we do. Added to that he has killed about ten different agents that they've sent to bring him in and they were willing to deal. In return for him the FSB and SVR gave me all the intel they had on Fatima Tazi and her family. The agreement was I would read-"
"We read," Sarah said.
"Love one of us should try to stay out of Supermax for Sam."
"I go where you go."
"I do love you so terrible much. Right, well after the files were read the deal was that I would destroy them which I did."
"Chuck, you do realize they'll execute him."
"If Stefan has his way he might not make it back to stand trial, but yes I do."
"Chuck the man was an assassin much the same as I am or was," said Casey. Chuck hadn't looked at this from Casey's perspective but now he did and could see what was eating at him.
"John before you think I'd throw you under the bus there are some big differences here. The first and the most important for me is you're my friend, even if you were sent to kill me on two different occasions. But the difference you should keep in mind is Anubis killed for money while you kill for country. Some people might not see the difference but I do."
"Something I'm having trouble understanding," said Mary, "is why didn't the Russians give the information to the General when she got the DNA hit that Fatima had a sister. I know she sent out a request to all agencies both domestic and foreign. What was in those records that made destroying them a part of the negotiations?"
"We're almost a Marrakesh," said Chuck trying to change the topic but Mary had thrown the bone out and now both she and Casey were gnawing.
"Yeah, Chuck why? I can understand the FSB having records on the Tazis but your friend Stefan isn't he in the SVR?" Chuck remained silent.
"John, Stefan isn't just in the SVR but he's also S directorate. He works or worked with illegals so the information that was in the documents was either gathered by illegals or, oh my God don't tell me," said Mary.
"I'm not so it's useless for you to ask me," said Chuck, "and for the record Sarah doesn't know either I removed those pages before I showed her the dossier."
"So if Mary tells us it's only conjecture," said Sarah as she kissed Chuck on the neck and whispered in his ear, "I already figured all this out, remember you're not the only intersect in the family now."
"I know as he kissed her back but remember what I said about Supermax. I need you on the outside to bake me a cake."
"Excuse us class," said Casey, "but Alex and I are a little behind here. Can anyone catch us up to speed?"
"Omar Tazi is an illegal. A KGB trained agent placed by them in the Arab awakening movement to participate in revolutionary Islam. That's why he joined the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and why he got close to the Jackal."
"Christ, the KGB's version of Alexei Volkoff," said Casey. "They must've really wanted Borloff to give up a secret like that."
"First, I haven't said yay or nay and I won't. John, remember what you told us in the detention area of Castle if word got out that we knew about Hartley being Alexei. That someone would get orders to put a bullet in our heads well this is the same deal." Just then they received word from Marrakesh control giving them a priority landing code.
"Everyone go have a seat and buckle up we should be down soon. Sarah, Love if you want you can be my co-pilot."
"Sweetie, I appreciate the offer but if I remember correctly this is my plane so I'm landing and you can be my co-pilot."
"The controls are all yours," said Chuck as he switched on auto pilot, "just one thing a good luck kiss before we land."
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Devon and Yasmin were driven out to the heliport in caravan and waited in the Rover. It was just after sunset as the last rays were dying that the Bell helicopter came in sight. Devon looked at his watch thinking that they were cutting it awfully close but with luck everything would work out. It wasn't long before the copter was hovering over the landing site then gently touched down kicking up sand and debris that pinged against the side of the Rover. Two of Yasmin's men ran out to the resting bird and opened the side door pulling out a man. Devon was looking down at his watch when the door to the Rover opened.
"Dude you're cutting it-" Devon stopped his eyes opened wide and his mouth drop open when he saw Morgan sitting across from him.
"Doctor Zamir, Yasmin Tazi nice to meet you. We've talked on the phone but this is the first time we've met."
"It's nice to put a face to the voice and this handsome gentleman is?"
"Is Doctor Woodcomb," said Devon, "you recommended me remember Doctor Zamir."
"Right, where are my manners of course I did and I brought this for you," Morgan said as he handed the chest to Devon.
"Guys we've got to get this caravan moving if we're going to save your father," said Devon realizing what was in the chest.
"Driver let's go and step on it," ordered Yasmin. "You know Doctor Zamir you sound differently than you did on the phone. It's like you've lost your accent."
"Accent, who me, accent no I really never had one. Oh that, you know it was probably the cold I had and I was speaking through my adenoids." Morgan saw Devon give him a look.
"Right I see what you're saying the old adenoids were acting up it's a wonder you didn't come down with a sore throat or worse," said Devon
"Yes, exactly what Dr. Devon said." Crap he thought after he spoke. Devon hadn't told him his first name but maybe Yasmin wouldn't notice.
"As-salāmu `alayka," she said but Morgan remained silent so she repeated, "As-salāmu `alayka, Doctor aren't you going to give me a proper greeting."
"You're lucky I'm sitting in the same car with you. Your head is uncovered and you're wearing what lipstick. Your father would be scandalized."
"I'm sorry," said Yasmin as she took out a handkerchief and wiped her lips sitting back quietly and she remained quiet for the rest of the way home. Devon gave Morgan a thumbs up, way to go bro discreetly. Morgan hadn't watched Discovery channel for the last thirty years for nothing.
