Chapter 11: Rescue Mission
A/N: Same disclaimer as the other chapters. If you got this far do I really need to keep telling you the same things over and over? Nah I didn't think so. This chapter is almost 10k long so sit back and enjoy the ride. Thanks to SeaJay28 for the beta and BDaddyDl for some plot bunnies. Although with Bdad I'm not sure whether to thank him or whack him on the back of the head. Bdad will say, "hey I got this idea for here," and then it's 2k words later, so that's how this chapter grew to the monster it is. For those of you still around or just popping in for a bit this baby is loaded with action. Thanks again!
Feb 2009
The last couple of weeks had been slow for the team with Chuck and Sarah attending some scheduled parties for the new business attempting to gain more information on the groups they were currently investigating. Since it had been so slow, Beckman cut down the briefings to once a week, the rest of the time was spent going over the daily reports and the continuation of Chuck's training. The results of his training could now clearly be seen. His shoulders were broader, chest and arms larger and more defined and much to Sarah's delight he sported the classic six pack abs. His martial arts and weapons skills had also developed faster than Sarah or Chuck had expected. They were now at the point that Chuck was Sarah's equal when they sparred. It wasn't unusual anymore for them to end the matches with them both ending up with bruises.
The dojo in the residence was on the same level as the one in the Nest. The difference was that both Gabriel and Sirella worked out at the nest and could provide the two agents with additional instruction on the forms of martial arts they were not familiar with. It wasn't unusual for them to use the Nest to train in several days a week. They had come to the nest early for a training session. Chuck and Sarah were in the middle of an intense sparing match when Chuck landed a vicious right hand to Sarah's temple knocking her out. Chuck, believing he seriously hurt Sarah panicked and called for the Doc. By the time he arrived Sarah was already conscious and sitting up although still groggy from the hit. The Doc examined her and pronounced her fit for duty but she should refrain from training for a couple days. While being examined the couple was discussing Chuck's ever increasing skills as a fighter when the Doc decided to explain a little more about the new intersect that Chuck had downloaded. While Chucks flashes were now pain free and hardly noticeable; one of the many new features was the ability of the intersect to link itself to Chuck's brain.
"What do you mean link to his brain Doc?" Sarah asked, now fully recovered from the punch, due to her concern for Chuck's health.
"When Chuck performs certain physical movements on a continuous basis, like the katas he has been using during his training, the intersect implants the moves into the memory portion of his brain. He no longer needs to think how to make a move before actually making the move; he knows how to perform it. He just needs the training to get his body to accept the moves." The Doc paused for a second like he was thinking about something before continuing on. "If it takes a normal person twenty times to master the front snap kick, Chuck will master it in five tries, because the intersect has uploaded the information to his brain."
"That would also explain why my weapons training are way ahead of schedule." Chuck supplied.
"Correct, but this only happens when the moves are done correctly. For example, when Chuck was learning the snap kick if he repeatedly performed the move incorrectly that information will not be uploaded to his brain because it is not in the intersect. Once he starts doing it correctly the information is then uploaded. It was designed like this to prevent bad habits from forming." The Doctor concluded his explanation.
"So if I wanted to teach Chuck how to dance the tango all I have to do is have him do the dance slowly and correctly and the intersect will upload it?"
"That's pretty much it. As long as it's in the data, it will be."
"Wow that's good to know. I think we've done enough hand to hand and since you knocked me out today, I think we can cut back on your training. Now we can start on the next phase, dancing!" Sarah said with a very large smile on her face and a tone of happiness in her voice.
"Sarah you know I have two left feet, I'll just fall all over myself!" whined Chuck.
"Not buying it mister, you heard what the Doc said, you'll learn in record time. And I really do like to dance. Besides it will make it easier on missions when we have to go the those balls and parties. Now let's go, Gene Kelly." Sarah practically dragged Chuck out of the room they had set up for training.
As they passed through the main work area they were surprised to see Gabriel sitting at one of the workstations going over some mission reports. Normally, they were the only ones in the nest at this time of day. They began to approach him to say good morning when his phone began to play "American Soldier" by Toby Keith. His head snapped up from his work and he made a couple of keystrokes on his laptop before answering his call. He put up his hand to stop anything they may have to say. They could only hear his side of the conversation.
"Not secure."
"Damn it!"
"Where, when, and how?"
"How much time do we have?"
Soon other members of his team started to arrive and began powering up their computer systems.
"Shit, that doesn't give me much time."
"Not without authorization. Contact them if you get a go." And he disconnected the call.
"Sarah and Chuck you need to leave, now, something you're not cleared for yet has come up. I'll contact you when it's ok for you to return." He turned and headed to his computer without saying another word.
The couple knew not to argue with Gabriel when he gave an order, just last month they witnessed one of his team members question him. It ended with the team member unconscious and sporting a huge black eye. The rest of the team just laughed quietly and mumbled "will he ever learn?" They headed out to do a quick three mile run before they headed home to meet Casey for breakfast. Not too long after they finished eating General Beckman called and told them they would have a video conference in five minutes. Ever since that fateful day when they had seen the General and her wife naked when they initiated a call on the new system, the General instituted a policy that a call would be made five minutes prior to any video briefing taking place.
Within minutes they were seated in the briefing room waiting on the General. When she finally came online she appeared paler and more reserved than she normally did. "Agents I was just contacted by the President tasking you for a mission. At approximately 0700 the top American nuclear physicist and his protection detail were attacked and captured. I am not in the possession of any further information regarding the attack. The President also informed me that you will be working with two members of an elite group of agents that only answer to him. He feels comfortable having you work with this agent because he feels you can be trusted because of your work with the intersect." If possible the General's expression turned even graver as she continued on, "Only the President has seen members of this group. If the mission goes south they are under orders to kill you and then take their own life. Please don't screw it up, I would hate to lose some of our top agents and worse people that I have started to consider friends. When the agents contact you your authentication code is…" just as she was about to pass on the information the door to the room opened and Gabriel and Sirella walked in "what are you two doing here? This is a classified briefing for my agents only." snarled the General.
"Which way to the Eifel Tower?" said Gabriel in a calm yet serious tone. This rendered the General and her team speechless for a couple of seconds. Finally, gathering her wits she answered just as calmly, "Take the first star on the right and head on till morning."
"Good morning General, Agents I see my boss has contacted you. That's who was on the phone earlier this morning, Agents Bartowski, Ma'am. I am sure the briefing you got this morning was not to your liking, sorry but it had to be done that way. With the bosses' position we have to keep certain information from him in case the shit hits the fan. I will give you the full briefing and if you or your agents feel the need to back out let me know and we will do it alone." The two new comers sat down in the empty seats around the table. "It's about time I filled you in on who I am. Your team has already been informed but at my request they have remained quiet about it. Need to know and all that." He finished with a small chuckle.
"Continue, Gabriel,you have certainly peaked my interest," replied the General.
"First, do a search of the Army data base for a Master Sergeant Mark Williams. Next check the CIA data base for an agent code named Thanatos." While he continued to speak she ran both names through the system. "Earlier today at 0700 one of my agent's code name Echo and Paul Silversmith a nuclear physicist were ambushed and captured in Arizona near Tucson. He was scheduled to give a speech on some new way to generate nuclear energy in a completely safe way with little or no toxic waste. It will dramatically cut down on need for foreign oil. We believe that a terrorist group that receives millions of dollars each year from oil production is responsible for this act. We have Intel that suggests they plan to sell the information to one of our enemies that has the ability to actually build the reactors. Our guess is they will force him to turn his plans into a weapon of mass destruction as well. I need to know now if you guys and agent Casey are willing to join up with members of my team for this one mission."
"I can't answer for Casey, but I can tell you that Chuck and I are in." Sarah answered for her team.
Excellent, we'll give you a couple of hours to get back to your house and pack your tactical gear. Your bird will be there waiting for you. We will take care of getting your jet ready so we can use it to get our mission site. We have wheels up an hour and a half after you reach your residence. You two better get moving." With that the two agents quickly left and headed off for home to pack. "General, take a few minutes to go over those files while my wife while I raid the kitchen for some tea and maybe a bagel." With that they got up and left the General to go over his files.
As Beckman began to read the files she thought, DAMN! Not only was she impressed by his actions as a soldier, but his record with the CIA was even better despite the lack of information in his files. She was shocked that he had been involved in five separate rescue missions for members of her team. She was getting ready to dig deeper into his files when the couple returned and retook their seats.
"There are several holes in those records as you can tell. I was eighteen when I was approached by the CIA because of a certain skill set I possess; I have street smarts to rival none. The place I once worked at once was involved in some illegal activities. Each time an undercover agent came by I was able to sniff them out. Each time they left they were physically destroyed and their careers were done. My first assignments were infiltration of drug gangs and minor burglary rings. I joined the Army as a cover to infiltrate a unit that was constantly coming up short on its mission critical equipment. You have probably heard of operation Reclaim Freight." Beckman gave a small nod to acknowledge that she did indeed know of it. Several officers she knew had gone down hard and nobody knew who turned them in. "I was running ops while in the Army, it seems it was easier for me to get time off, a phone call here, a TDA there and presto, off I went. My combat tours are all legitimate, although some of the action I engaged in were ops as well. In 2007 they formed a group of what they considered the best in their field, I was selected as the team lead and had to leave everyone I knew behind. There is a lot more to tell but that's me in a nut shell. You should receive a package later today via courier that contains all my redacted files. I am only sharing these with you because Sirella and I consider you and your wife our friends. We need to leave General, but I promise you this: I will bring your team back home safe and sound."
"One quick question if I may?" Getting a nod she continued, "I see that you are listed as missing and presumed dead, would you ever want to return to duty?"
"With all due respect Ma'am, that cannot ever happen. Only five people know I am alive, you four and the President. It has to stay that way forever. If all goes well I'll see you in a couple days, also don't believe anything you hear about the operation unless it comes my team. Good day" and he cut the transmission.
Exactly one hour and thirty minutes later they were airborne and headed to a small private air field outside of Tucson. Vehicles would be waiting for them when they arrived having been prearranged by his team while he was briefing Chuck's team. About an hour into the flight, Gabriel began his mission briefing.
"Once we land we are going in hot and heavy, we have about three hours after we land to extract the assets. We have an agent from our Los Angles base feeding us Intel. Once we land use only the call signs we give you. I'm Alpha. Sirella, you're Bravo, Chuck, your Kilo, Casey, you're Lima, Sarah, you're Mike." that got a chuckle out of Casey and a snort from Sarah. "Liz you're Charlie, Cam, you're Delta. You know your teams so let's do our jobs, people. The objective is to extract the two assets safely and kill or capture all the assailants. This next part is critical, no harm can come to any member of Chuck's team, is that understood?" a chorus of aye sir came from the group. Gabriel began pulling up an aerial view of the building where the assets were being held. It was situated in a large open area surrounded by small hills on three sides. The front faced south and had a long road leading up to it. Sirella noticed that Chuck was looking nervous so she walked up to him and tapped his shoulder "Chuck, you ok?"
"No I'm not, I knew this day would come but I'm not looking forward to it."
"You may find this hard to believe but no one here is either. These people will shoot you the second they see you. So you need to shoot first and ask questions later. If it's possible to not kill them just make sure their down for the count." Sirella said in a comforting tone.
Sarah was facing her own set of demons concerning Chuck; she had always hoped this day would never come. The day where he would truly join her world. Would he change from her Chuck into another Bryce or Cole? She knew he was a good shot and she hoped he could just knock them out of commission. She snapped out of her thoughts as Gabriel once again took over.
"Sirella and I will be on the hills on the east and west. Liz and Cam, your team will approach from the south. Casey, your team will approach from the north. At seventeen hundred we go. The guards will be at the end of the shift so they should not be as alert as they should be. An Army unit will fly several Black Hawks over the area for five minutes. Sirella and I will take out the perimeter guards and the ones on the roof. When I say go, Liz and Cam, roll in hot then split into three small groups, one on each corner and one straight in. Draw as much fire as you can, we need to give Chuck's team time to get in the door. The assets are located in the north end of the building. Chuck's team will then attempt to locate and free the assets. Chuck, as soon as you have breached the door let us know. When we get confirmation that Chuck is in; the other teams will enter the south end of the building. Our Intel suggests there may be as many as thirty terrorists in the building and surrounding area. We're going in with the M-4 as our primary weapon, keep your side arm as back up. We will use an open communication system so let us know your status in short simple messages like Kilo in or Tango down. Sam will be in the Van monitoring the comms and directing traffic if we need it. We'll be touching down within the hour so let's get our mission gear on."
When Sarah finished changing, she went and sat by Chuck who was currently looking as nervous as a long tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs. She was definitely getting worried about him now and she instinctively knew he needed to talk.
"Babe you look like shit, talk to me." said Sarah as she placed her arm around him trying to offer him comfort and strength. "You've been on missions before this is just another one."
"Yeah right, Sarah this is NOT like anything I have ever done before. Sure we have been shot at, nearly blown up, twice, and I've had to jump off a building. Those things I just chalked up to bad luck, But this is way over my head." He sighed before continuing "this is a combat mission no matter how you slice or dice it. The other teams are supposed to draw fire just so we can get in. then what; we go running around in the dark?"
"Don't you think I'm a little scared as well? In all my time I have never been engaged in a mission like this before either. You know what I've done and I was never as scared as I am now. Do you want to know why? Before, there was nothing for me to lose, now that I have you I am terrified I may lose you. That if I screw up and fail to do my job and protect you; you could die. Or I could die and never get to enjoy all the fun times we have waiting for us each and every day from now on." Sarah finished up. Casey, seeing his partners having a discussion sat down next to them and began to speak.
"Chuck, listen to me, I remember my first firefight, I was nervous as hell when we started our assault on the target, but once the bullets started flying, there was no time to be nervous or scared. Trust your training. I've seen you sparing with Sarah and on the range. I may give you crap all the time but you're good, real good. Just let your training get you through this. We have one big advantage they don't. Gabriel, you've seen his record; both of them. I have to believe the plan is sound, plus we have our body armor. Just don't take a head shot and you'll be fine."
Now it was Chuck's turn again, "Thanks Casey, Sarah, you don't need to protect me anymore, but I know you too well. I never had to protect you but I tried anyway; so what do you say we watch each other's backs and Casey's too and we all come out alive?"
"Sounds like a plan" and she gave him a quick kiss to seal the deal, and the trio settled down for the remainder of the flight.
When they landed, they picked up the vehicles that were left for them and headed to the engagement area. Alpha and Bravo had taken up positions on the hills, Charlie and Delta teams were sitting a half mile down the road and Kilo team was on the north side. They completed their comms check and waited for the Black Hawks to arrive. They started giving sit reps as soon as they were in position. There were two men on the roof, three on the west side, two on the east and three on the south side. At exactly seventeen hundred the Black Hawks started their fly over. Almost simultaneously the two guards fell dead on the roof courtesy of Alpha and Bravo. Bravo then quickly dispatched the two guards on her side of the building calling in, "east side clear." Alpha was not to be out done, he quickly dropped two of the three targets but the third one seeing his buddies heads explode ran towards the front of the building. Alpha called in "two tangos down, west side clear one tango headed south. Go, Go, Go!" The teams of Charlie and Delta flew down the stretch of road they were on and got into position. While they were trying to get set up the doors to the front of the building opened and more enemy combatants entered the fray. "All teams they are using the spray and pray method" Delta put out over the comm. link.
"Huh?" Chuck mumbled in response.
"It means they spray a lot of rounds down range and pray they hit something," answered Casey.
Conversely, the Charlie and Delta teams were well trained and were using the one shot one kill mentality.
As the battle began on the south side, Kilo's team made their move. With Sarah and Casey taking up defensive positions around Chuck, he quickly got past the security locks and crashed through the door calling in "Kilo team in," with his M-4 raised to the ready position he did a quick scan down the hall and turned left forcing the door against the wall to insure no enemy was behind it. Casey entered right on Chucks butt turning right to clear his hall. He was not as lucky as Chuck was. When he finished his sweep a terrorist came out of one of the rooms and raised his weapon to fire but Casey already had his weapon up and ready to go. Two shots later the enemy fell dead. Sarah was hot on Casey's heels as he entered the building.
"Mike, no doors in Kilo's hall. Advance down your hall, I'll cover you."
"Roger," Sarah and Casey quickly moved down the hall to check out the room the assailant had come out of. Quickly entering the room in the same fashion as they did the building; they found the room empty.
"Room clear heading back to you, Kilo"
Before Chuck could get out his reply a man toting an AK entered the hall from one of the side rooms. Chuck suffered a brief moment of panic then calmness settled in. He didn't know if it was the intersect kicking in or Casey's words to trust his training. As if he was born to it Chuck aimed and fired two rounds. The first round struck the man dead center of his chest the second slightly higher. Both caused his clothes to turn red where the rounds struck him before he collapsed to his knees then on to his side, lifeless. "Tango down in hall" Sarah had witnessed this and was momentarily stunned watching Chuck shoot someone for the first time. Casey just called in "nice shot, Kilo" he gave Chuck a small shove towards the next room they had to clear.
They encountered some minor resistance along the way but not the full-out squads they had prepared for. Chuck, for the most part, took the lead like he was born to it. When they entered the second room they found Chuck turned left to get out of the 'funnel of death' and a shot was fired at Chuck from an agent that was standing there laying in wait. The round glanced off Chuck's leg but the body armor suit he was wearing did its job. Chuck wasted no time in returning fire at the agent taking him out. Casey had followed Chuck in and turned to the right to clear his side of the room. The man Casey encountered was not a trained agent and was unnerved by what was going on and panicked. He would have had a clear shot but in his haste to take aim on his intended target he pulled back on the trigger and sent his rounds everywhere but at his target. Casey, who was unfazed, took down the agent. Sarah remained in the hall to pull rear security. As they advanced through the building Casey was mentally keeping track of the kills as they went along. Chuck was at five, he was at four and Sarah had two.
On the south side of the building the fighting was fierce for several minutes but as more and more of the enemy fell the resistance got to the point where Charlie and Delta teams could advance on the target "Charlie and Delta entering building."
Gabriel still in his saw a man attempting to escape out a window, that had been painted over in black, and promptly took him out. Once the body fell out of the way he had a clear view of most of the room. "Kilo, assets are in the fifth door on your right. Extract through the window."
"Roger" the trio moved down the hall and entered the room as they had all the previous times. There were their assets, tied to a pair of chairs with burlap bags covering their heads. One was a male the other a female. Sarah called in "assets located ready to extract" the female hearing the muffled female voice thought it was one of her team mates called out "about time you got here bravo, I'm gonna kick your husband's ass when I get a hold of him!" The trio froze at the voice that came from under the bag.
No friggin way
You've got to be kidding me
Oh God
"Will you get this bag off my head and get me out of here? It's hot in here." The now very pissed off voice pleaded. Sarah got to work removing the bag and as it cleared Echo's eyes, Echo grasped in surprise. "What are you doing here…?" knowing protocol of here team she waited for Sarah to fill in the name.
"Mike." That got a laugh out of Echo. "Why does every one keep doing that?" Sarah huffed. Casey had just about finished with his asset when two men haphazardly attempted to enter the room. Chuck who had taken up a defensive position guarding the door didn't even hesitate blowing both men away. Echo looked shocked at what Chuck had just done, she turned to Sarah with a blank look on her face and tried to speak but all that came out was a "huh?" Sarah just gave a shrug of her shoulders and said, "You get used to it. Alpha, Kilo team exiting window hold your fire." Securing the door the best they could, they exited the building and made their way to the vehicle they left parked behind the building. By now, most of the weapons fire had stopped. Alpha called for his team to break contact and return to the arranged meeting area. The FBI had teams on the way to round up any stray combatants and mop up the area. A DNI team was also in route to remove any computer systems so they could be analyzed.
The mission complete, they began their return to the assembly area the team used at the beginning. Not much was said during the ride back, partly because they were coming down from their mission high and partly because Mr. Silversmith was with them. Several times during the ride back Sarah noticed Chuck was staring blankly out the window not really looking at anything and not talking. He didn't even attempt to touch her. Ever since they had gotten married it seemed like anytime they were together they shared a small touch here or a caress there, nothing overtly sexual, a touch that said I'm here. She knew she had to get Chuck to start talking about what he had just seen and done or it would begin eating him alive from the inside out. Once they arrived Sarah quickly whispered her plan to Casey and got Chuck off to the side.
"How are you holding up Babe? I just want you to know that if you want to talk about what happened today, I'm here for you." Not wasting any time she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. She could feel his body shake as small sobs claimed him. Several minutes passed before she felt him begin to relax into her embrace. He shifted slightly and brought his lips to hers for a quick kiss.
"Pretty good actually, all things considered," he paused for a second, trying to get his thoughts in order "it's weird for me you know. I always told myself that I could never kill anyone, ever. When the first guy I shot stepped into the hall and I saw his weapon come up, I was scared you know. I had all these jumbled thoughts running through my head. I believed I was going to die and leave you alone, how much it would hurt you and Ellie both. I froze for a second, it might not even have been that long, but it seemed like forever. Then I heard your voice telling me that I had your back, Sirella telling me to shoot first and ask question later, the weirdest one was Casey telling me I was actually good and that he had faith in me." He paused again letting out a soft sigh.
"Don't get me wrong honey but I think hearing what Casey said pushed me forward. You tell me all the time how well I am doing, and that means the world to me, it really does. But with Casey, he rarely gives me any compliments or comments on how far I've come along. What he said meant a great deal to me. All of the sudden my fear and panic were gone and I was calm, and to be honest, I don't think the intersect even played a part in what I did today. When I was faced with the, 'him or me' question, there was no longer any doubt in my mind about what I had to do. I didn't have to think about what to do, I just did it like I had practiced. My first reaction was relief that I got him first, and then remorse for what I had done. Does that mean I'm a bad person? Shouldn't I feel worse for killing them?"
"That's one question I can't answer for you. I was messed up for a while after my first kill, but the situation was different. I would be more worried if you weren't relieved that you weren't the one the ground. How bad you feel about killing them, I think the gravity of the mission puts them into perspective for you, made you realize how truly evil these people are. You knew we had to stop these people now, before they had a chance to sell the information to one of those radical countries that would use it to kill millions. I think your rational side finally caught up with the emotional side and made sense out of everything that you have been training for."
"Thanks for talking to me like this, like a partner not like my wife. I think I'm good for now but be ready to listen to me again. I have a feeling that when I finally wind down enough it may hit me harder than it is now. We should be getting back." Keeping his arm around his wife they made their way to the briefing area. While they were away talking a semi had pulled up and people were busy setting up the area. They made their way to a canopy that had been set up with food and drinks. Standing around the table were Gabriel, Sirella and Casey, who was smoking his post mission cigar. When they were almost to the table a voice from behind startled them.
"Hello Mike" Echo said with her voice full of laughter. The couple turned to face the voice they had heard many times before. "How the heck did you get stuck with Mike?"
"Carina" answered Sarah as she engulfed her friend in a hug. "You have no idea how shocked I was to see it was you under that bag."
"Imagine how I felt when I saw you three there. I figured it would be my team that would be coming to extract us. Chuck, nice to see you again" Carina said as she extended her hand toward Chuck. He takes it in a firm grip. The first thing he noticed about Carina was her usual flirty tone was gone replaced with a warm friendly one. Second she had a calmer look in her eyes like she was finally at piece with herself.
"You too, Carina, how have you been?"
"Very good thanks for asking, you've come a long way from the last time we met. From what I hear you did a good job in there today." She then saw the third member of Sarah's team making his way over to them "Casey good to see you again."
"Good to see you to Carina. We need to head in now, Gabriel is ready for the debriefing" Casey said as he continued towards the trailer.
Once the main players were assembled in the trailer, Gabriel contacted the General. As soon she came on she asked for a status report.
"General we were able to extract Dr. Silversmith and agent Echo, suffering only minor injuries. The FBI has the few surviving terrorists in custody and members of the DNI have the computers. We killed thirty three of the terrorist group, my team took out twenty and your team accounted for the remaining thirteen."
"Gabriel if I may interrupt for a moment, what is Agent Miller doing there?"
"She is one of mine, code name Echo. I was not up front with this information because of the personal relationship between your team and Echo. Your team was going to be under enough pressure on this mission as it was. This is our first time working together as a single team and I treated them like members of my team. We just deal with the mission parameters not the who of it. All my team knew was we had two people to extract and how much time we had to get it done. So your team had more information than mine." Receiving a nod of acceptance from the General he proceeded on
"I would like to give you my assessment of your teams' performance during today's operation. I initially had my reservations about working with your team on this style of mission. One of your agents is raw, one is set in his ways and the other has never been on this type of mission. Because my resources are stretched thin I needed to include your team. But I digress, each member of my team is fitted with a small video camera so we can monitor their movements during the ops and then review it and see where they can improve. Your team surpassed all my expectations. When they were given the go signal they acted immediately and effectively. They infiltrated the building expertly. When they were clearing the rooms they did it like it was second nature to them taking out the enemy with precise and controlled weapons fire. From a tactical perspective it was a beautiful thing to watch."
Casey knew the operation went well but did not think it went that well. He admitted to himself that Chuck performed well above expectations, even taking out the seven of the terrorists. His team was getting praise from a man, who based on his military record, definitely knew what a successful operation was. His team….he mulled it over for a minute. Was it his team? Not really. At the same time it wasn't Chuck's or Sarah's team either. They each brought something different to the team that enabled it to make it a complete team effort.
Sarah was pleased as well with the review her team was receiving, and then she thought, it's not really my team, is it. We don't really have a leader, we just are.
"There was absolutely no loss of cohesion when the positions were switched. Each member knew what they had to do and did it. The person I was most impressed by was Chuck, even when he was surprised by the enemy he didn't panic just aimed and fired effectively eliminating the enemy. Each of your agents has a weakness when they operate alone, but when they operate as a team they are almost as good as one of mine. The entire operation from start to finish took just over twenty minutes. I have the final tally on the number of hostiles each member of your team took down. Agent Bartowski had two, Agent Casey had four, and the other Agent Bartowski had seven. Your team did well and it was an honor working on this mission with them. I will send the mission tapes to you so you can evaluate their performance yourself. We'll leave you to your team, we're going get some of the food that was brought in." with that he rose and his team followed him out.
While the General had a smile on her face that would rival any young child on Christmas morning, Carina just looked stunned, she glanced over at Sarah who mouthed "later" to her as she was leaving. Beckman however, could not contain her good mood anymore. "Well done team, well done!" she said with unsuppressed glee. "It's been a long time since any of my Agents got such a great review. And it was over in twenty minutes. Amazing simply amazing. I believe we can safely say you are now the best that I have to offer. Chuck if you need to talk to someone after today just let me know and I'll arrange a Doc for you. The first kills are the hardest to deal with you having to do it twice today I know it must be hard on you."
"Actually General, Chuck had the high number for our team. He was as good as anyone I have worked with before. He handled himself like a true professional today" you could tell by Casey's voice he was proud of the team he was a part of but he was even more proud of Chuck. Sarah was also proud of how Chuck had handled himself today especially being able to handle the fact he had to kill several people.
"Very good team, take a couple days off when you get back. Beckman out."
"Sarah let's get something to eat I'm kinda hungry and I'm sure you want to catch up with Carina."
"Sure babe lets go, Casey you coming?"
"Yep, let's get out of here; we can see when we are going to hit the road. It's been fun but I want to get back it's been a long day."
They found themselves around the table laden with food and drinks and they filled themselves a plate of ribs and various salads and they each grabbed a drink. Casey went to find Gabriel to talk about old war stories while Sarah and Chuck found Carina and sat down at the table opposite of her.
"I heard you finally married Chuck? I'm really happy for you. How long have been you two been married? And since your both here together I guess Beckman is on board with it?" Carina asked with genuine curiosity.
"Thanks Carina, we got married about four months ago and believe me I have never been happier. Beckman called us in for a briefing one day and told Casey and I we were going to be reassigned. Scared the shit out of me. After that I don't remember much until she asked me if I loved Chuck, and I said yes. On the first of November we went to Vegas and got married. And trust me it's been great."
"Now for the million dollar question, what are you guys doing here? We usually take care of ourselves. This is the first time since I've been on the team that we had any outside help. So are you on our team now?"
"No, we were called yesterday by the President and he tasked us to help get you and Silversmith out. We work closely with them but we do our own missions. They mostly give us operational support and tactical advice if we ask for it. They have never sent anyone along with us. What about you, how did you get on Gabriel's team?"
"It was right after I worked with you on that diamond mission. I was assigned to Miami to infiltrate a drug operation. I was about three months into the mission when the shit hit the fan. A friend and I were hanging out with some locals in a bar when one of the dudes I was working with comes in with another guy. They start talking about business and the new guy says he is part of a secret government agency called Fulcrum and they want him to run drugs so they can locate the main suppliers. He offers them protection if they start working for them. I call my handler in the DEA and report the information and that he needs to report it to the CIA. About two weeks later my friend and I are eating at the same bar it was unusually crowded and almost none of the regulars were there. Then this smoking hot guy sitting across the way has a drink sent to my table. We acknowledge each other then BAM" slapping her hands on the table making a loud bang in the process. It startles Chuck and he almost chokes on the ear of corn he had been happily munching on. Sarah, who was in the middle of a big swallow of soda, gasps which causes her to inhale some of it sending her into a coughing fit. Carina waits a few minutes allowing the couple to get their coughing fits under control.
"Ooh you guys are too funny, anyway about fifteen guys come in with the Fulcrum Agent who starts screaming 'it's time to have some fun with the DEA whore pointing at me. I figured my time was up, I was going to be raped repeatedly then killed. The Fulcrum traitor gets to within three feet of me and does a face plant with a knife sticking out of his head. I notice the good looking dude and this chick with long black hair are fighting side by side. I'd never seen anything like it in all my years on the job. They literally sliced and diced their way through the bar to get to me. It took them less than ten minutes to clear out the bar. When it was over there were ten dead Fulcrum agents and eighteen members of the drug gang I was after lying dead on the floor. They never fired a shot, it was all done with knives. When they escorted me out to their car he said, and I'll never forget it, 'Hello Agent Miller of the DEA I'd like to talk to you.' And here I am."
Maybe one day I can actually tell them that I was supposed to die that day. And she remembers: we had just left the bar and were headed to his car when he spoke up. "Agent Miller I have a proposition for you. One you may not like. My name is Mark Williams this is my wife Sirella. We have been keeping an eye on an old friend of yours Sarah Walker and the love of her life Chuck Bartowski." I wanted to object that they weren't in love but he stopped me with his raised hand. "She may not have admitted it yet but she will, all the signs are there. They will be tasked by me in the near future to help us take down a group of aliens known as the Gallians. Why is not important right now it will be explained to you in full at a later date if you decide to help us. We are here to assist them. My team and I are not from this time we are from your future. You were supposed to die in there today Agent Miller make no mistake about it. Come work for us and when we leave you will come back with us. If you decide to stay I will end your life here as it was supposed to be. The choice is yours." I looked into his eyes and saw nothing, no emotions, just a cold blank stare that caused me to shiver. I made the choice to help and in the process met the person of my dreams.
"Wow Sarah, sounds similar to how we met him. Carina would you mind if I ask you a personal question?"
"No problem Chuck, what do you want to know?"
"Don't get me wrong or anything but you seem different than the last time I met you. It's been almost an hour and you haven't even made a pass at me. Not that I want you to, Sarah is the only one for me but it is out of character for you."
"Wow that's an easy one. I spent most of time as an Agent using my assets to get the job done. Alpha took me aside later that night and asked me a series of questions then made a speech that changed my life. He asked me what was the difference between a fifty dollar an hour street hooker and a one thousand dollar and hour call girl. The answer he gave me was the amount of money they make. There were other things as well but the bottom line was he said they sell themselves for money. Next he asked what the difference was between them and I was, he said less money more danger. Bottom line was I was no different than them, sure I stopped a couple thousand weapons or kilos of dope but in the end I was still a whore. Now I get to do all that but I don't have to sell my ass anymore. I still need to flirt to get close to them, but now I can just walk away if I want, no questions asked."
During Carina's talk Sarah noticed so to many similarities to her own career all the marks she slept with because she was told to. After all, her missions they may have put something on hold for a while, but did it stop? Not likely. Hell, U.S. even killed some of the top leaders in the Taliban and they were still there and in full attack mode. Funny thing about the completed missions, nobody ever checks back after it's over, to see if the hard work stopped it or just put it on hold. Guess I'll never know.
"Then I started doing missions and training with them and my life began to change, these people actually appreciate me for my skills, not my just body. I won't lie their training is tough, but you know what? When you get done you regain your self worth, not because you prove to them you can do it, but you prove to yourself you can do it. That was it for me, I never looked back. I'm still not up to their standards, you know best of the best and all that, but I'm better than eighty percent of the agents in the CIA or NSA right now and only getting better."
Chuck and Sarah could see the pride in her eyes, from what she had personally accomplished.
"Best of all I've been in a steady relationship for over a year!" this was said with a large smile.
"No shit!" exclaimed Sarah "from the both of us, congratulations! That's so great, but I'm a little jealous, you got more time with your man than I got with mine!"
While they were listening to Carina, Casey and Gabriel had snuck up behind them and listened to the end of the story. Casey could also see how much Carina had changed. "Carina, Sam's pissed you got your ass caught and says you better be on the bird with us when we leave later today. So you better give Sam a call soon, you're already in the dog house, no need to make it worse!" this was said with a laugh and shake of his head.
"Henpecked much Carina?" asked Chuck.
"You have no idea! But I wouldn't change it for the world."
"Speaking of leaving when do we need to leave to catch our flight?" Inquired Casey
"We're going to head out now, grab your stuff and let's go. With any luck we should be back home by ten. Carina, Sirella has already gone to your hotel room and retrieved your bag. She's going to meet us at the plane. We load in ten." With that Gabriel turned and left.
"Come on Hon let's get going, I just need to relax, it's been a long and trying day for me" stated Chuck.
"Yeah babe let's go. I can use some sleep as well." Sarah grabbed Chuck around the waist and started walking with him to the car, followed closely by Carina. Casey elected to go with Gabriel in his car. During the ride over Carina pulled out her phone and made her call, "Hey babe, Gabriel told me to call."
"Yes Sam, I'm fine." she shook her head, "Really Sam, I'm fine, not a scratch on me I swear" rolls her eyes.
"Meet me at the plane?" she furrowed her brow, and smiled.
"Sweet, love you too. See you in a couple of hours."
Several hours later the plane landed and pulled into its parking space on the tarmac near the small private passenger terminal. Once the stairway was pushed into place the door opened and the team members began exiting the plane. Gabriel and Sirella, went first followed by Chuck, Sarah, Casey and finally Carina. They were about half way to the terminal when a short, petite blonde came flying out the doors heading towards the group at a dead run. Sirella pulled Gabriel out of the way and shouted "get out of the way!" to the rest of the team. Chuck barely managed to get his wife out of the way before the blonde ball of fury ran past them. Casey wasn't so lucky, he was a tad slow in moving out of the way and took a forearm to the chest knocking him on his ass, Chuck and Sarah cringed and said "ouch" Carina stood her ground and opened her arms knowing exactly what was about to happen. When the blonde was about three feet away she leapt at Carina, arms held open and legs spread out, slightly resembling a long jumper. At the moment of impact her arms and legs wrapped around Carina, and she started peppering her face with kisses. It finally ended in a scorching kiss.
"I give her a nine point five for that one, she loses points because she forgot to lock her ankles" Sirella laughed out.
"I disagree, nine point seven, she had better height than the last couple of times" Gabriel adding to the score "well you two, what do you give her?"
To say that they were speechless would be an understatement. Sarah had known Carina a long time, and as far as she knew they were both heterosexuals in good standing. It had been their one rule they abided by on missions, no women. Chuck was equally astounded, he was watching Carina the man eater be devoured by a petite woman, and was returning the kisses with gusto. Casey he was another story, he was still trying to figure who the middle linebacker was that knocked him on his ass. As his head cleared and he struggled to get to his feet, he saw Carina and the blonde in a passionate embrace. He turned quickly to Gabriel and asked the question everyone on his team wanted to know "besides the five of us do you have any straight couples on your teams?"
"Yeah we do, they just happen to be on missions right now. I'm an equal opportunity employer and before you ask, most of the people that work with me are in long term monogamous relationships. Carina, Samantha, break it up and save it for later. You should introduce your girlfriend to your friends."
"Casey, Sarah, Chuck this little fireball is Samantha Wildman, my girlfriend." This caused Sam to roll her eyes "Sam these are friends of mine from when I worked for the DEA. Chuck and Sarah are married and Casey works with them. They were part of the team sent to get me out. In fact they are the ones who did get me out. Now that I am back we need to get together and catch up."
"Nice to meet you, thanks for getting my girl back. Now you'll have to excuse us, I have a bottle of wine and some finger foods" this was said with a wiggle of her eyebrows, "sitting next to our hot tub. She's been gone for over three months and I need to get me some lovin." Arms wrapped around each other, they left the terminal and headed to Sam's waiting car.
The other members of Gabriel's team followed right behind them. Team Bartowski headed over to where their Bell 430 was waiting for them and began the short trip to their residence. During the flight the team began to discuss the mission they had just completed.
Casey was the first to speak "I know we already briefed the General on the mission but I can see why Gabriel is the best. Even though I read his service jacket it didn't compare to what happened today. His plan actually went right and the timing of everything was spot on. I would love to see the video of how it all went down on the outside while we got Carina and Silversmith out."
"I was thinking the same thing. The intel we got about the inside of the building was right on the money and we had no surprises. Which sorry to say, we can't get from our own people most of the time. That was my first extraction where we conducted actual battle field tactics. Most of mine were just snatch and grabs off the street or from a room. It was different experience for me. Casey, I know you have heard this before about an Officer or NCO that you would follow into hell and back because you know he will get you out alive. I think we just worked for him. He instills a confidence in people. Talking to him before the mission helped." Sarah added her thoughts to what Casey had just said.
"Sirella did it for me. I was a mess at one point but she took me aside and explained the facts of life to me. That it was a kill or be killed mission. But what got me to focus was when I heard Casey say rely on you training. After that everything kind of flowed. I think I may have some help from the intersect on the room clearing. But with the flashes I get now it's hard to tell."
"Speaking of room clearing what the hell were you doing going first?" Sarah asked her husband with just a hint of concern in her voice.
"You know I have no idea. It just seemed right for some reason. It was like everything fell into place."
"Chuck I may not say it enough but you've come a long way. Tonight you were very professional and did a great job. I think Beckman had a cow when she heard you had the most agents taken out." Casey did not want to use kill because it was still close to Chuck's first kills. Ever since he was asked to attend the wedding he began to think of Chuck more like a brother instead of a bother, like he used to. He was pleasantly surprised by the advancements Chuck was making and tonight was no exception. The Bell 430 finally landed and the trio got in the golf car and headed to the residence to get some much needed rest.