A/N Thanks once again for all the readers, reviewers and alerts. Seeing new alerts show up this far into the story is really great to see. I appreciate every single one of them.

As usual thanks to Esardi for the read through and help in plugging the plot holes. He asks me to explain things to him that end up helping me explain them better to you the reader. After every time he gets done I end up with a much better chapter. Thank you for that. Thanks again for all the great PM sessions with some of my favorite writers. They have been great. I thank you all. I also want to thank some of the new writers I have been PMing with. Those conversations are helping me to be a better writer and to feel more part of this community.

This chapter was a lot of fun to write and was a real learning experience. I hope it shows in the story.

Still don't own Chuck but if I did Morgan Grimes would never ever be allowed to dance with Sarah Bartowski again. I really don't want to see his moves in the least. That was just too weird.

Chapter 11

The Mission

Zuoz Training Facility

Agent Saunders Office

Friday 21:50 CET

Agent Saunders had been sitting in her office for the past 2 hours thinking about the ramifications of learning that Carmichael was flashing again. First of all what changed? What caused him to finally start and how long has it been going on? Had he been able to all along and they simply hadn't noticed? Was he that good that he could now control them so well as to shut them off before they caused the physical reaction like the earlier Intersect had? If he was now flashing did he now know that she was working with the Ring? Did he know about her 'mission' to control Mitchell? There were too many questions and too few answers. The more she thought about it the more she felt that they needed to take action ASAP. They simply couldn't afford to waste any more time. Charles Carmichael was The Human Intersect and he was now functional again. The margin for error was shrinking and shrinking fast.

So Agent Andrea Saunders decided to make the call. She opened the drawer to her desk and got out her Ring phone and pressed its only button.

After a few seconds she heard.

"Report"

"Target is functional again. Operation might be compromised. Recommend extraction."

"We will notify secondary team of mission changes."

"Thank you sir."

"Extraction will take place in lower ballroom"

"Understood"

General Beckman's Office

DNI

Friday 22:10 EDT

As has been the case far too many times for Brigadier General Diane Beckman it was late on a Friday evening and she was still in her office. She had at least 4 active operations going on around the globe that she needed to keep tabs on. But the real reason she was anxiously awaiting a call from her aide in the outer office had been a request from Colonel John Casey to speak with her.

Colonel Casey had radioed her office on his way back from flying a support mission to Kabul that once he had landed and he did a quick debrief on the mission he had just completed he was requesting a secure conference with the General. General Beckman only had one issue that would take her away from everything else she was working on for a video conference and that was something to do with the Intersect project. She had been become growingly concerned that Chuck Bartowski still was not flashing and that his training was turning into an almost complete failure. Sure Agent Landers had been reporting that he was improving in his hand to hand skills and that his classroom work was exceptional and that he had passed with flying colors his "hunter/prey" exercise but that wasn't what his primary role was. For some reason the Intersect 2.0 had not shown itself since Mr. Bartowski had subdued the Ring Agents in the Intersect room when Agent Larkin had been killed.

Now the 2.0 had been tailored to Agent Larkin and maybe that would explain why Mr. Bartowski was having difficulties but why did it work that one time and nothing since? Hopefully Agent Casey had something, anything that would help her figure things out. The battle with The Ring was going to be bad enough but without a working Intersect it would be that much tougher.

The General heard the distinctive "ping" of her computer notifying her that Colonel Casey was ready in the secure conference room in Stuttgart. She quickly clicked her keyboard opening up the conference window.

"Colonel Casey, the lateness of the hour there in Stuttgart tells me this isn't just a courtesy call." As usual the General was direct and didn't waste time. "I would expect this is about Mr. Bartowski?"

"Evening ma'am sorry for the interuption but I have some news that I, actually we believe you should be aware of."

"We?"

"Yes, Agent Walker and I."

"Colonel, I thought I had made myself perfectly clear that you were not to mention anything that I had told you last time to Agent Walker? I can't believe that you disobeyed my orders, Colonel."

"Excuse me ma'am, but I didn't contact her, she or actually Bartowski asked her to contact me."

"Bartowski? How the hell did he ask her to contact you? He is supposed to be in complete communication lock down while in training. This is a major breech.."

"Ma'am" The Colonel interrupted. "Please let me explain. Though I agree their communication was a violation of orders I believe that what I am about to tell you will show that it was necessary."

"Ok Colonel, I'm listening but this better be good or there will be serious consequences for the both of them."

"Yes ma'am. First of all are you aware of any changes in asset's condition?"

"No Colonel, Agent Landers report to me earlier this evening said that Mr. Bartowski was still not flashing but that he had successfully completed his latest training mission. But he did it without flashing. The Intersect is still malfunctioning for some unknown reason."

"Well General, Agent Landers is mistaken. Bartowski is now flashing again."

"What? How do you know that?"

"Bartowski told Agent Walker when he contacted her."

"Damn it. How the hell did he pull that off?" She asked rhetorically.

"General does that really surprise you? This is Orion's son we are talking about."

"True Colonel, continue."

"Well from what Agent Walker told me, the asset contacted her and told her that he had flashed on the Agent in charge of his training and she is working with The Ring."

"What? So Mitchell's choice to head up the Intersect's training is a Ring Agent?"

"Yes ma'am. I believe you understand the importance of this bit of information."

"Believe me Colonel, in more ways than one. But why didn't Bartowski go to Agent Landers with this information?"

"Well from what we can tell, Bartowski has not told anyone at the facility that he is flashing again because he simply doesn't know who he can trust. He only seems to trust his former team. However, he has been able to control his flashes enough that he hasn't been discovered as of yet."

"So he has learned to somehow control his flashing and not tip off anyone there? That ability could be very useful in the field."

"Yes Ma'am"

"Well if Agent Saunders is a Ring operative then why haven't they grabbed him yet?"

"I'm not sure ma'am. Possible they are waiting to see if he flashes and then they can monitor him and figure out the best time to do whatever they have planned."

"I agree. But Colonel, do you know what caused him to start flashing again?"

"Not for certain but my guess is it was Walker."

"Well this changes things Colonel. If Agent Walker really is the key to having a successful Intersect then we will need to make sure that we deal with it appropriately."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Colonel, if Agent Saunders really is a threat I need you as close by as we can safely have you. We also don't know if anyone else at the facility is working with her or if she is working alone. In any case take tomorrow to finish your reports on the Kabul mission and I want you on in St. Moritz by Sunday afternoon. I will contact Agent Walker if I feel it is necessary for her to head to Switzerland as well." With that, in her typical fashion the General simply terminated the link.

The General turned around and reached inside her credenza and pulled out a glass and her supply of Chivas Regal. Colonel Casey had his Johnny Walker but the diminutive General had a special affinity for Chivas. After pouring a glass she took a swallow and then leaned back in her chair. She thought to herself, 'If Bartowski is right, well when wasn't he, then this news about Agent Saunders being a Ring operative could be a real blessing in disguise. Saunders was Mitchell's hand picked choice to head up Bartowski's training. If she is a traitor it will be exactly what I need to regain control over The Intersect project.'

"Well Bartowski, you just may have saved my ass again. Now I just need to return the favor."

Zuoz Training Facility

Agent Saunders Office

Monday 08:45 CET

Chuck sat across from Agent Saunders, his 'fiance' for the mission tonight, for his normal morning briefing before his self-defense workouts began. His session with his team last night had gone well and Agent Saunders had allowed him to run the meeting his way and whenever any of the other Agents had looked to her she had redirected their attention to 'Agent' Carmichael and reminded that he was lead agent on this operation.

Over the weekend, Chuck had asked for the files on the other members of his team and had followed the same procedure he had followed with the original mission pack. He hid his face from the camera in his room in case he flashed on any of them. He had not flashed on any other relevant information than what was in their files and it seemed to him like they were all loyal CIA Agents. However as he had worked on the plans over the weekend he kept getting that funny feeling that Sarah often talked about. Her 'spy" sense. Something about this mission had him concerned and he wasn't sure why.

So far the only person he could identify as being connected to The Ring was his date. 'Typical Bartowski luck' he thought. But there was the matter of the two other Ring Agents who he was to be watching and hopefully arresting this evening. But he would think more about them later. Right now he had to get Saunders to let him go see Ursula and see if she got a message back from Sarah.

"Mr. Carmichael after reviewing your plans with the team last night, are there any last minute changes or modifications you would like to discuss?"

"No ma'am. It seems to be a straight monitor the two Agents and when the deal goes down we simply swoop in and make the grab and arrest them."

"Well remember Mr. Carmichael missions have a very bad habit of not following the plan and you have to think fast and modify it is necessary."

"Believe me I am well aware of the fact that missions rarely go according to plan."

"Very well, we are going to have you only do light workouts this morning as I ..ah we need you at your peak performance level for this mission."

"About that ma'am, I'd like to go to the medical lab and have my neck worked on a bit. I seemed to have slept wrong and it is very stiff this morning." Chuck then rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand.

"Very well Charles, we wouldn't want anything 'stiff' this morning. We may need it later." And the sultry voice was back again. "Besides I have a feeling your sleeping accommodations might be much different tonight after the mission is over."

Zuoz Training Facility

Medical Lab

Monday 09:05 CET

Chuck sat on the examination table waiting for Ursula to arrive. She normally arrived in the Training facility lab between 9 and 9:15 after she finished her rounds in the school infirmary. The mission tonight was making him anxious and he hoped that she would be bringing a response from Sarah when she arrived. He was continually rubbing his hands together and intertwining his fingers to try and relieve the tension. He had hoped that the "window boys" were not catching on to the reason he was fidgety and simply put it up to pre-mission jitters. He had to admit that part of his issues were just that. This was his first mission as AIC as well as his first real mission without Casey and Sarah by his side or some reasonable facsimile there of.

Chuck knew the plan was relatively simple and he had done a number of missions like this with his team, attend a fancy dinner party with a beautiful woman on his arm, do a simple surveillance on a transaction and then after it was completed, arrest and grab the participants and hopefully deliver them to a holding facility. But the big difference was that the woman on his arm tonight was not the CIA's best agent, but a Ring operative who had made it quite clear that she expected him to 'perform' above and beyond the call of duty even after the real mission had been successfully accomplished. Chuck wasn't sure what concerned him more, arresting Sydney Prince and Simon Grant at the party or what Agent Saunders expected in another part of the hotel later on.

The two marks were both seasoned Agents and they would be on guard for anything that looked out of the ordinary. They had picked this exclusive party because it offered the cover of a large crowd of overly dressed, overly pampered, and overly rich narcissists that would be more concerned with who they could mingle and be seen with than watching them. They would fit right in with the folks scouring the crowd for whatever film or art world star happened to be in attendance. Seeing that they were unknowns but fit the profile for those in attendance, they could easily spot someone who didn't belong and when the time came, slip out to wherever they had planned their meet up. Chuck's team needed to be on top of their game to keep from being made.

But that feeling that had been bothering him all weekend just wouldn't go away. He kept thinking that maybe this was all a set up. That he would be alone with Saunders, Prince and Grant and all of a sudden a dart would be sticking out of his neck and the next thing he knew he would be on a plane to some god forsaken other camp in Tierra del Fuego or somewhere.

His only comfort was that they didn't know he was flashing yet and why risk a snatch and grab for a grade B Agent in training which was about all he was after just two months in Switzerland.

One complication he didn't need was the not so subtle plans of his 'fiance' for the evening. He knew she fully intended to prove their cover story in more ways than one. One thing was for certain though, he would not betray Sarah. She had taught him that the key to a successful seduction mission was to never actually go too far. Once you did you lost your advantage. She always had backup as she did with the initial mission with Cole Barker before they realized he was one of the good guys. Get the advantage, take down the mark and call in backup when you need it. Only in the extremely rare long term deep undercover solo missions did actually sleeping with a mark become necessary. Luckily she had been able to avoid that because she simply was so good at her job that she got what she needed from the mark long before they knew what was going on.

Unfortunately Chuck didn't have that luxury on this mission because his backup was in fact his 'mark'. Or was he her 'mark'? It didn't matter which way it was he had a big problem. So if Saunders did get him up to her room after their real marks were arrested he might have to give in to some serious kissing but he would have to figure out a way to avoid it going any further.

Just then Ursula gave her customary knock on the door before she came in.

"Hey Chuck. I'm a little surprised to see you here in the morning. Is there something wrong?" As she spoke she walked over to Chuck and gave him an oh-so subtle wink.

"Well I must have slept wrong and my neck is really stiff. I have a mission tonight where I may have to do a lot of dancing and don't want a stiff neck to be a problem."

"I can understand that. So you're a dancer too? My husband and I love dancing. It's where we met actually."

"Well I'm not really much of a dancer but I don't make a fool of myself at least. My sister made me take dancing lessons. 'Girls like guys that dance' she always said."

"You're sister is wise. I never got why so many men are intimidated or too 'cool' to dance with a beautiful woman. They say the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but sometimes I believe the best way into a woman's heart is through the dance floor."

"I'll have to remember that and tell my sister. I think she would agree with you."

"Ok. Turn over and lets see if I can do something with your neck."

"Thanks you're a lifesaver, Ursula."

As Ursula reached over to grab the massage oils she loved to use, she rested her left hand on Chuck's back just above the top of Chuck's waistband of his nylon workout pants. Once she had the bottle of warmed oil in her right hand she leaned over to pour the oils onto Chuck's shoulders and neck. As she was doing that Chuck flinched just a bit but it wasn't because of the oil's temperature but because at the same time as it hit his shoulders he felt Ursula's fingers of her left hand slip into his waistband. With the slight of hand skill of a trained magician, Ursula had distracted her audience with the oil in her right hand while she slipped a note into Chuck's jockeys with her left.

She then proceeded to work the oils with both hands into his neck and shoulders for the next 10 minutes. They continued their small talk but both knew the reason he was there had already been accomplished.

"Ok Chuck that should do it."

"Ursula you are amazing. When I finish my training can I bring you along and have you work your magic before every mission?"

Ursula chuckled. "Sorry Chuck. I have no intention of leaving my little Swiss paradise. Especially with skiing season coming up."

"You ski?"

"Chuck, I'm Swiss. Everyone skis in Switzerland. Besides it's our busiest season with all kinds of people pushing their luck when they aren't in shape or forget to stretch before the take off down the slopes. Then I have the students who think they are invincible."

"Ahh yea. Orthopedic massage therapists and nurses must be in high demand here in the winter."

"It is my busiest season and I'm glad the 'requirements' of this job are less during the winter. Not much training going on here when there's 6 feet of snow on the ground."

"It must be beautiful though."

"Absolutely. I love winter here. If I didn't I wouldn't survive long."

"Well I'd better be getting back. I want to go over my mission plans in my room for a bit before we start to pack our gear."

"Ok Chuck. Good luck. I hope you got what you needed from me."

"Thanks Ursula. I'm certain I did."

With that Chuck left and headed back to his room. He hoped the smile on his face wasn't big enough to betray him.

Zuoz Training Facility

Chuck's room

Monday 10:07 CET

As Chuck got back to his room he headed into the bathroom. As he dropped his pants to ahh… do his business he palmed the note that Ursula had tucked into the waistband of his jockeys. He quickly finished, washed his hands taking special care not to get the note wet and headed back over to his bed where his plans for the mission tonight lay waiting. He sat down on his bed facing the camera with his back against the wall. He propped up his pillow to make it look like he was trying to get comfortable. He then picked up his the blueprints of the Hotel and acted like he was going over the plans he developed one more time. He very carefully unfolded the note keeping it away from the view of the camera behind the blueprints.

Before he started reading he took one long calming breath and sighed. He needed to relieve any emotion that might be seen on the video feed and give away the fact that he was not in fact looking over the hotel's layout but reading a note from the woman he loved. He quickly placed the look of an analyst on his face and began to read the Romulan and translate it in his head.

C.

Thank you for the note. You were right, I am worried. You are in danger and that will always worry me. Heard back from the Colonel. Councilor is a good one. He trusts him. He contacted General and she is on board. She sees opportunity here. Colonel sent nearby. I'm on standby. We got your back.

Love you and need to hold you again.

S

Just like Sarah had, Chuck reread the note three times before he palmed it once again. As he didn't trust even the plumbing not being under surveillance here he decided to do the only thing he could think of that was perfectly safe. He slid his hand over his face and into his hair as if he was yawning. As he did it he slipped the note into his mouth and he very subtly ate it.

'Yuck' he thought to himself. 'Tastes almost as bad as some of Sarah's first attempts at cooking at the Weinerlicous. The things I do for that woman. If we ever live together I need to improve my cooking skills real fast or we are going to go broke on takeout. I just hope she kept the uniform. It might come in handy someday.' The small smile that thought made him display was quickly pulled down.

The more Chuck studied his plans the more a lingering feeling of wariness crept in again. His newborn 'spy' senses were telling him something wasn't right. After another hour and a half of actually studying the plans he thought about heading to lunch. He had to get to Agent Landers and let him in on what was going on.

Zuoz Training Facility

Hallway outside agent Landers office

Monday 12:17 CET

Chuck looked carefully down the halls in both directions as he walked. He did not want to run into Agent Saunders when he found Landers. Fortunately he had seen the door ajar leading into Agent Saunders office and she was sitting going over some reports on her desk. She looked totally engrossed in them. Part of him had hoped it would be closed so he could slip by unnoticed but such was not his luck. As Chuck moved on by the opening he failed to notice her eyes lift up ever so briefly as she caught him just as he passed.

She quickly called up the security cameras in the hallway and noticed Chuck standing outside Agent Landers office. He then knocked on the door softly.

"Come in, it's open"

"Excuse me Agent Landers might I have a word with you?"

"Sure Charles. What can I do for you?"

"Agent Landers I just wanted to ask you if you had a chance to look over my mission plans for this evening. I know you are a councilor but you were also career military and have been an agent for a long time. Besides another pair of friendly eyes is always a good thing."

"Charles, I have and your plan is sound. You have specked the right gear, you have the access codes and IPs for the security systems so that the agent in the van will be watching from every possibly vantage point. You have the escape route planned should this all go sideways. Plus you have an experienced Agent as your partner with a solid 'cover' plan. It is a text book operation."

"Thank you sir. Also I'm sorry I have been so closed off in our sessions. I know you have a difficult but important job to do. I'll try to again be a little more forthcoming at our next session on Friday."

"I'm glad. Is there anything else?"

"No sir. I'm going to go get lunch and then have to start packing our gear. We will need to be in position by 19:00 and Agent Saunders and I will head into the event at around 19:30."

"Well just remember I'm always here if you want to talk about anything."

"Thank you sir. I will remember that."

Chuck then reached out his right hand in order to shake Agent Landers hand. When the agent took Chuck's hand he felt a small note hidden behind Chuck's thumb. When their palms were in contact Chuck removed his thumb and Landers moved his to hold the note in place.

"Charles, good luck tonight."

Chuck nodded and headed out the door.

As Agent Landers knew where the blind spots in the surveillance cameras were in his office he sat back down at his desk and opened the middle top drawer where he kept his normal office supplies. He unfolded the note in the drawer and pulled out a pen and the note. He slid the note under the edge of his keyboard and placed his hands in normal position as if he was going to begin typing. He glanced down at the note and read:

Saunders and targets with Ring, got bad feeling about mission. Notify Beckman.

Surveillence Van

Marseille

Monday 12:47 CET

As Sarah sat with Carina in the van for another boring shift watching Marchon's residence her thoughts kept drifting a few hundred kilometers east. Casey was in St. Moritz by now and that made her feel at least somewhat better. But she kept coming back to her own nagging worries. Here she was sitting in a van on what had become a pointless part of her mission and Chuck was being trained by a Ring Agent. At some point she knew that the outcome was inevitable. They were either going to kill him to keep him away from the CIA or more likely they were going to capture him, torture him and try to figure out some way to turn him to work for them. She knew that last option was extremely unlikely but she was also aware that their methods could be extremely persuasive. None of those options were acceptable to her. But so far she was still on "standby".

She wondered what role Mitchell had played in all this. Was he working for the Ring? Had he been compromised? Was he so stupid and lustful for power and glory that he was oblivious to his Chief trainer working for the enemy? The one thing that she kept falling back on was the idea that Mitchell was out for himself and that having the Intersect killed or captured under his watch and at his training facility with his hand picked trainer would be a disaster for him. His thirst for power and glory was so strong that it would overwhelm anything else so in that sense Mitchell would be inclined to protect Chuck. Just not for the same reasons that she, Casey and Beckman would.

Sarah was startled a bit when her phone vibrated. She looked at the display and noticed it said "encrypted line". Carina turned and looked at Sarah inquisitively. With that she answered "Walker secure but not alone."

"Beckman secure. Agent Walker is that Agent Miller with you?" Sarah mouthed 'Beckman' to Carina.

"Yes she is ma'am."

"Good, she needs to take over your part of your mission immediately. I need you to get to St. Moritz asap."

Sarah made a small gasp that she hoped Beckman didn't hear. "Yes ma'am. May I ask why?"

"Agent Walker I know that you have been in communication with Mr. Bartowski and that he has told you his primary trainer is working for The Ring."

"Yes, ma'am."

"While I don't condone your actions in regard to disobeying the communications isolation order, we will have to deal with that later. Mr. Bartowski has alerted my NSA rep there that he feels his mission tonight may be a ploy to either capture him or terminate him. I have already sent Colonel Casey there and I want you there as well to protect the Intersect. There are no better individuals to keep him safe than you two. You have proven that countless times."

"Thank you ma'am. May I ask the nature of his mission tonight and what we will be encountering?"

"Agent Walker, Colonel Casey will brief you when you get there. Time is of the essence here and I don't want to waste it now. You need to get there asap. There will be an NSA jet waiting at the airport in Marseille within the hour."

"Yes ma'am what should I tell Agent Miller?"

"Agent Walker. The safety of the Intersect is once again your top priority and I will deal with the DEA. I will make sure they understand the sensitivity here. Plus I will also deal with your 'Acting Director' once Mr. Bartowski is secured."

"Understood"

"And Sarah, make sure you bring an evening gown. You're going to need it."

"Yes ma'am"

With that the General terminated the call and Sarah began to get her things together. Carina had been watching and listening the whole time. "You're headed to help Chuckles aren't you?"

"Yes. I need to get to the airport asap. Carina I didn't tell you but Chuck contacted me again and his chief trainer is working for the Ring."

"The Ring?"

"Yes, they are a new threat that Fulcrum was just a small part of. The idiot Mitchell put a Ring agent in charge of Chuck's training and he has contacted Beckman telling her he thinks they may be making a move tonight when he is on some mission. Casey's already there and I'm headed to meet with Casey and provide Chuck some backup."

"Do you want me to come with you there isn't anything going on here, again."

"Thanks Carina but no. She said you need to handle this mission and she will deal with the DEA as far as my transfer back to under her command. She is also going to try to deal with Mitchell as well."

"Ok but if you need me I can be there in a few hours."

"Thanks. I'll let you know when I can."

As Sarah was opening up the door of the van and heading to her DEA vehicle Carina called her name.

Sarah turned and looked back at her best friend and partner for the last 2 months.

"Sarah, take care of Chuck and take care of yourself. You two have something special we spies rarely get the chance to have. It's not for me but it is for you. Remember that."

"I will and yea we do."

Badrutt's Palace Hotel

St. Moritz

19:45 CET

Chuck and Agent Saunders stepped out of the limo that Chuck had arranged for the evening. He was wearing a black Armani suit, silk tie by Joseph Aboud and white Brooks Brothers shirt. He then turned back towards the open door and reached out his hand to his 'fiancé' and helped her out of the vehicle.

Andrea Saunders was dressed in a classic 'little black dress' with a flowing pleated skirt and plunging neckline that accented her cleavage just shy of being naughty for an event like this. The back was scooped low and highlighted by a small bow at the waist. She had her beautiful brunette hair pulled back in a French twist and had beautiful pearl drop earrings that matched the pearl necklace that was sitting devilishly between her breasts.

As they walked up the small flight of stairs into the lobby of the hotel, Chuck offered her his arm and she gladly accepted. In her other hand she held her clutch which contained her personal items and her primary weapon.

As they passed through the lobby of the hotel they were greeted by a string quartet playing Bach while they made their way to the ballroom. As they were walking both 'Agents' looked carefully around taking in the other guests as well as the two Agents that Chuck had placed at either entrance to the ballroom. Once inside the ballroom one of the Agents would join them in alternating shifts until AIC Carmichael gave the word to move in.

As one of the waiters passed Chuck grabbed two glasses of champagne and handed one to Agent Saunders.

"Thank you Charles."

"Everyone seems in position I think it's time we mingle and see if our targets are here."

"Certainly. I just hope we get the chance to dance again Charles. I really enjoyed our prior time and you look so handsome in that form fitting suit I can't wait to get my arms around you on the dance floor." Andrea gave Charles a seductive smile and pulled him in a little closer.

"Well I must admit I'd love to see how the pleats in that dress unfold when I give you a spin." Charles then gave her a bit of a wink and flashed that confident smile she was very fond of seeing.

"But first we need to find our hosts, introduce ourselves and then see if we can find our targets."

"Charles, do you know how sexy you are when you are in charge?" Agent Saunders then leaned in to Chuck's ear and gave him very breathy whisper. "I told you it's a real turn on for women and its definitely working." Agent Saunders then gave his ear a little nibble.

Chuck leaned back and said. "There will be plenty of time for that after we have completed our mission, Andrea."

She then stepped back and gave him a little pout.

Chuck was beginning to wonder if Agent Saunders seduction techniques were to simply get him into bed or to try to distract him so that he would lose focus on the mission and drop his guard when Agents Grant and Prince arrived. Neither possible reason was any less concerning than the other.

Charles pulled her arm in tighter and they headed over towards where a large group was gathering and being greeted by the hosts of the party Mr. and Mrs. Franz Tesla. Once they had reached their hosts, the very attractive spy couple drew the attention to them and away from the other guests standing there patiently awaiting their turn.

Franz turned and Chuck caught him briefly glancing down at Andrea's neckline and then back up to her face. Franz Tesla was in his early fifties, fit and definitely came from old money. Chuck had done some research and found that Franz was distantly related to the scientist Nikola Tesla inventor of the Tesla coil. Chuck had enjoyed climbing into the Tesla coil cage and the California Science Center when he and Morgan went there on school trips.

Franz reached out his hand to take Andrea's gave it a small kiss. "May I ask who this charming and beautiful woman is?"

"Mr. Tesla, I am Andrea Saunders and this is my fiancé Charles Carmichael."

"Well he is a very lucky man."

"That I am" Chuck reached out his hand and gave his host a shake.

"This is my wife Paulette. Paulette this is Andrea Saunders and her fiancé Charles Carmichael."

"Well congratulations. I hope you two are very happy together."

"Thank you." They both replied.

"So what brings you to our little party this evening?"

"Well Andrea and I are travelling through Europe for a few weeks vacation before we head back next month to New York. We are planning to have a fall wedding in New England. It is so beautiful that time of year. But we wanted to take some time for ourselves and see this beautiful part of the world. We heard about the benefit tonight and as we always like to be supporters of the Arts we thought we would attend and get to come to a fabulous party as well as support a good cause."

"Well we appreciate you coming and please if you have any questions at all please feel free to find me and I will personally answer them." Franz said while only looking directly at Andrea. Chuck noticed that Paulette saw his attention to Chuck's 'fiance' but it looked like she had seen it before and it didn't seem to bother her. Paulette was in her late thirties light brown hair and definitely well kept. Chuck assumed that she accepted his wandering eye as long as he gave her a bottomless charge account.

"Well if you will excuse us we don't want to take up so much of our host's time but if I have any questions I'll be sure to come find you." Andrea replied with a wink.

Franz then bowed his head slightly and smiled at the couple but his attention was on only one member.

As they walked away Charles asked." What the hell was that?"

"Are you jealous Charles?" Andrea asked with a grin.

"No, besides he is almost old enough to be your father and we are here on a mission that I'm in charge of. I've worked with someone who improvised before and it tends to complicate things unnecessarily."

"Well a girl needs to keep her options open. Besides if you fail this mission I'll need someone else to get me out of this dress later on."

"I have no intention of failing Andrea."

"I hope so I'd much rather have you deciding it looks better rolled in a ball on the floor than him."

After about a half hour had passed Charles noticed that Sydney Prince had entered the ballroom. The thin striking brunette had captivating eyes and it was hard not to notice her. He hadn't spotted Grant yet so Chuck turned to Andrea and said. "Would you care to dance?"

"I'd love to."

As the walked out on to the dance floor Charles pulled her in tight so he could whisper in her ear. "Prince is here over near the entrance. I haven't seen Grant yet. I'll alert the team to keep an eye out. He should be here soon. I think they will want to mingle a bit before they have their meet."

"Understood. Just let me know if you see they are on the move."

Casey and Sarah were just arriving at the front of the hotel. Their plan was to mingle in the background and keep an eye on Chuck. They would provide backup and try to see if in fact the Ring was setting a trap for Chuck. She had decided that she didn't want to have Chuck see her right off as she didn't want to have him react and possibly blow the mission. Agent Saunders might realize Chuck has backup and she had been made. She might then try to grab Chuck and escape with him. The longer they waited the more likely it was that they could figure out what the Ring's plans were.

Sarah was dressed in a beautiful deep blue dress that was off her left shoulder. Her blonde hair was tucked under a long brunette wig. She wore a beautiful 2 caret diamond solitaire necklace a matching diamond studs. She looked beautiful as always and she had put just a little extra into her outfit and makeup in case she finally got to see the man she loved and had been missing so much for the past 2 months. Her primary focus was on the mission as always but she did have a slight edge knowing that Chuck was nearby and in possible great danger.

As the orchestra finished the song they were playing Chuck and Andrea walked back towards their table. "Andrea something seems off, I think I'm going to go over and talk to Sydney. Give me five minutes and then come join us. I'd like to get a feeling for her and see if I can assess what kind of a threat she is."

Andrea nodded and watched carefully as Charles headed over towards the bar area where Sydney was ordering a glass on Cabernet. As she saw him introduce himself to Sydney a little smirk came on her face. "This is going to be easier than we thought. He's walking right into place."

Charles walked up to Sydney and signaled the bartender to give him the same. "Excuse me. I'm Charles Carmichael and my fiancé and I are strangers here and you look to be as well. I also noticed that you look to be an American so I thought the gentlemanly thing to do was introduce myself."

"Sydney, Sydney Prince and yes I happen to be here on business and a friend of mine and I thought it would be a fun evening."

"Well would you mind if we join you? These events can be a bore without some good company."

"I agree. That would be nice. I'm afraid my friend hasn't arrived as of yet but he should be here any minute now."

At this point Andrea had walked over to join them. "Honey, this is Sydney Prince. Sydney, my fiancé Andrea Saunders."

"Pleasure to meet you. I hope my fiancé hasn't been bothering you. He does have a bad habit of talking to every beautiful woman in the room at parties."

"Yes but I only have eyes for you sweetheart." Charles leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"No, he was an absolute gentleman. He asked if you and he could join my friend and I as we all seem to be outsiders at this event. Maybe the four of us can figure out a way to make this a memorable evening." Sydney looked at Andrea and gave her a knowing smile. She then turned to Charles in hopes he would not see the hidden message between them.

Andrea then added," well it seems the evening won't be a total bore afterall."

Sydney turned and noticed Simon Grant approaching them. "Ahh I see my friend has arrived just in time. Simon came over next to Sydney and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Simon, so good to see you. This is Andrea Saunders and her fiancé Charles Carmichael. They were hoping they could join us as we all seem to be a bit out of our element here in this circle."

Simon was tall but shorter than Chuck, mid thirties and had that Cole Barker MI6 look. Chiseled chin, rugged features with a definite air of confidence. Chuck thought to himself, 'do all MI6 agents look like they come from central casting?'

"Pleasure to meet you Simon, can I get you a drink?" If he says, 'Martini shaken not stirred' I'm going to throw up.'

"Likewise Charles. I'll have bourbon straight up." Well at least he isn't a total cliché thought Chuck.

As Charles took the glass from the bartender and handed it to Simon he continued. "Charles might I say you are a very lucky man to have such an enchanting fiancé."

"Thank you Simon. She is very special to me. I'm lucky to have her." Charles leaned in and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. 'Hmm I think I could get used to those lips' thought Andrea. She smiled back at Charles as he pulled away.

"Well shall we find a table and sit for a bit? Then I hope you two will join us on the dance floor." Sydney then looped her arm through Simon's and Charles and Andrea followed suit.

Sarah and Casey came into the ballroom and had noticed the two agents standing by both entrances. Their earwigs only confirmed their presence. They also noticed two other men standing near the orchestra with what looked like the bulge of a shoulder holster under their jackets. At the opposite side of the room near what looked like a door to some adjoining function rooms were two others.

As Sarah looked around the room her heart skipped a beat as she saw the back of Chuck's head laughing as he sitting at a table near the dance floor. He was sitting with another couple and a brunette woman who was holding on to his arm and occasionally nuzzling his ear while overtly laughing at everything he said. Even though his back was to her she could tell his laugh anywhere.

Casey noticing the change in Sarah's demeanor placed his hand on her arm. "Hold it together, Walker. Remember he needs you on top of your game right now. There will be plenty of time for your 'reunion' later." Casey gave a bit of an amused grunt. He knew that seeing Chuck was affecting Sarah and she wanted to run over to him and start their 'reunion' right there on the table. But Chuck was in danger and they needed to focus on protecting his ass.

"Thanks John. It's just…"

"I know. But let's just keep him safe first." Casey gave her a small smile.

"Remember we need to stay out of sight until he needs us. If he sees you he is going to blow his cover and we need to figure out what he's up against."

After about 20 minutes of small talk about phony careers, phony families and phony lives the two couples decided to head out to the dance floor. After the first dance was over Sydney asked if they could switch partners for the next one. The four all agreed and Charles and Sydney began to dance.

"Charles you are a marvelous dancer. I would assume your either naturally physically gifted or you took lessons." Sydney had a bit of gleam in her eye.

'What's up with all the Ring agents and their double entendres?'

"Well I don't know about 'gifted' but I do alright for myself. Besides, my sister made me take lessons as a kid. She said it would help me get a girlfriend."

"Well she was right." This time the wink came from Sydney.

Andrea and Simon had drifted away to the other side of the dance floor. Simon leaned in and whispered. "We need to get him down to the lower ballroom. Then we tranq him. The pickup will be waiting outside."

"Ok. You two say you are going to take a walk downstairs as you have some things you need to talk about privately. I'll tell him that is where you will probably be making the exchange. He'll have our team follow as backup but you send your guys to take them out."

"Good, simple. The less complicated the better."

"Yea we need it to be a surprise and keep his guard down."

"Ok. When this song is over I'll ask Sydney to take a walk."

As the music stopped the two couples headed back to their respective partners. "Andrea, you are a very lucky woman. He is an excellent dancer and I have a feeling that isn't the only thing he is 'excellent' at."

Charles blushed just a bit as the two Ring Agents continued their blatant flirting with him.

"Thank you Sydney. He really is something very special. I just hope you didn't wear him out on the dance floor. I have plans for my 'excellent' fiancé."

"Charles, Andrea, if you would excuse us for a few minutes. I'd like to take a little walk with Sydney, we have some things we need to discuss privately. I hope you don't mind. We won't be long."

"Certainly, Simon. I was hoping to get my fiancé's undivided attention for a few minutes anyway." Charles replied.

"Excuse us and thank you again for the dance Charles."

"It was my pleasure, Sydney"

As the other couple turned and headed out the doors where Sarah and Casey had seen the two other agent types monitoring Chuck, the two men followed Simon and Sydney out the door but a respectable time after. One was now carrying a briefcase.

"Charles, I think the exchange is going down we need to follow them."

"Agreed." Chuck pressed the button his watch and called to the other members of the team. "Do you have a visual on the two agents and their probable bodyguards?

"Affirmative sir."

"We are going to follow them. One of them was carrying a briefcase probably with whatever Grant was getting in exchange. Blue team you need to follow in behind us as backup. After the exchange you will need to take care of the bodyguards while we make the arrest."

"Let's go. We need to see that exchange." Andrea grabbed her clutch and she and Charles headed towards the doors that the two Ring Agents left by.

Sarah and Casey had witnessed the entire scene and then noticed the two agents that were standing near the entrance follow Chuck and Andrea out the door. As soon as those two were out of sight the other two agents that had been standing near the orchestra followed as well.

"Casey I don't like this. I think we got two different teams here. Chuck's being set up."

"Looks that way. I'll follow that bunch down the that corridor and you see if you can out flank them and come around to the other entrance to the Hotel by the conference rooms."

Chuck and Andrea headed down to the lower ballroom area where they had seen Simon and Sydney head towards. "Blue team looks like the exchange is going down in the lower ballroom. We are going around to the service entrance. You need to take out the guards at the main entrance."

"Charles, don't you think they will have the service entrance covered as well?" asked Andrea.

"Well then we will just have to take care of them. You throw a mean punch Andrea, I know that from experience and I bet you can handle them just fine while I slip in past them."

Charles and Andrea noticed there was only one guard at the service entrance. "I guess you're up Agent Saunders."

"Yes sir!" Andrea got up and then stumbled just a little bit as she came around the corner. In her best drunk voice she said. "Excuse me. I think I'm lost. Can you tell me where the ladies room is?"

"Miss, you shouldn't be down here. This area is closed for the evening. The ladies room is upstairs to the left off the lobby."

"Thank you" Andrea then stumbled and fell into the guard's arms. "Sorry" and then she delivered a knee to the groin followed by a hard right hand to the side of the head and the guard was out on the floor.

Chuck then came out around the corner. "Hey it took you three blows to put me out. This guy you did in two."

"Well I'm more motivated to make this a successful mission Charles" She then gave him a peck on the lips. "Very motivated!"

"Ok. Lets go."

Once they went inside they looked through the door in the collapsible wall that was used to separate the larger ballroom into smaller conference rooms. Sydney and Simon were completing the exchange.

"Cover me." Charles said to Andrea as he stepped out from around the partition.

"Excuse me folks but we seem to have a problem here."

Sydney and Simon turned to the right and saw Charles holding his tranq gun.

"Charles?"

"Yes, Sydney. There seems to be a small problem in that the data that is on that drive you are now holding is simply something I can't let you folks with the Ring have. Plus Simon, I really don't think that your friends at MI6 are going to be happy when they find out you have been selling them out."

"Well Charles what do you propose is the solution to this little problem."

"Well you are going to put down your weapons along with the drive plus the briefcase and then my partner here is going to take these rather nice strong zip ties and wrap them around your wrists. Then you are going to quietly walk out to our vehicle where you'll be brought to someplace a little less pleasant than this fine hotel. BTW the food here was great don't you think?"

Sydney then spoke. "I'm sorry Charles but I really don't think that is going to happen. In fact you actually have it backwards. You see your partner here is actually our partner not yours. Agent Saunders if you would."

Chuck turned around and found Andrea pointing a tranq gun at him.

"Sorry Charles I really was looking forward to our night here after the mission. I'd even planned to let you arrest Sydney and Simon just so we could have it before they mysteriously broke out of the detention cell. But when I found out you were flashing again it kind of moved up our timetable. But I promise I'll give you a rain check any time you want."

"Well then I guess if you know that I'm flashing then there is no point in hiding it anymore." Chuck had figured this was where the trap would be sprung and while he was walking into the room he had forced a flash of Kung Fu and gymnastic skills.

Chuck then dropped to his knees and rolled to distract Andrea and did a back flip knocking the tranq gun from her hand.

Simon had pulled his Baretta and started firing at Charles but missed when Charles jumped behind some banquet tables.

"No bullets, idiot. We need him alive!" Agent Saunders screamed while lying on her back on the floor.

Sydney Prince tried to circle around to the other doorway in the partition wall and come up behind Chuck but the Intersect's heightened senses caught her before she had the chance. Chuck slammed the door back in her face knocking her out cold. Chuck then crawled back towards the other end of the banquet tables and looked to see where Simon was. With a gymnastic move that would have made Bart Conner proud Chuck vaulted the tables planting a scissor kick to the side of the MI6 agent's head. Agent Grant threw a right hand at Chuck that he easily avoided. Chuck then rolled and came up with a vicious elbow to the midsection of Simon and then a swift uppercut to the jaw and the British Secret Agent cliché was out cold.

Chuck then stood up and turned around and the last thing he saw was Agent Saunders fire her tranq gun at his neck before his world went black.

Casey had seen the second two Agents take out the guards at the door to the lower ballroom entrance. Then the third team came out from around the other side and took those two out. Casey heard the commotion in the ballroom and then saw the brunette that Chuck had been sitting with come out and signal the two Agents to come and assist her. He then sees the two agents come out carrying Chuck between them followed by the brunette and the other couple that had been sitting with Chuck. Both were shaking off the effects of what Casey figured was a little 2.0 action.

"Walker we got problems. They got Chuck and it looks like he's been tranqed. They are coming out the side entrance."

Sarah's heart was pounding in her chest as she headed around the corner and saw a black van pull up to the side entrance. She then saw the group coming out of the door headed towards the van. She quickly rolled out on to the driveway and took out the front two tires of the van. The two guards hurriedly threw Chuck into the van and grabbed their weapons but before they could get them Sarah had caught them each in the chest. Agent Grant fired back at Sarah as she jumped behind a parked car. Agent Saunders and Prince tried to escape back the way they came but walked right into the arms of John Casey.

"Sorry girls but nobody messes with my teammates."

"Colonel Casey. I should have known. I bet that's Agent Walker outside. Still backing up the nerd I see."

Sarah lay down behind the car and saw Agent Grant walking around the other side. She quickly pulled one of her throwing knives from her leg holster and threw it under the car catching Agent Grant in the ankle severing his Achilles. The MI6 traitor dropped immediately to the ground. Sarah ran around to the other side of the vehicle and found him clutching his ankle. As he looked up at his assailant he saw her right foot come crashing into his head and he too was out cold.

Sarah quickly ran over towards the van and saw Casey with the two female Agents. He had already secured them with some zip ties.

Sarah looked at the two brunettes. 'Why is it always the brunettes?'

She then threw a vicious right at the jaw of Agent Saunders. "That was for messing with my teammate and this" she threw a hard left to the stomach, "is for flirting with my boyfriend."

Sarah then turned and rushed over to where Chuck was lying out cold in the van. She planted a soft kiss on his unconscious lips.

"Chuck, I told you we had your back." She then picked him up and held him in her arms for the first time in two months. She whispered into his ear.

"I love you Chuck. You're safe now. I'll be right here when you wake up."

Zuoz training facility

Surveillence Room

22:16 CET

After watching the feed from the surveillance van of Carmichael's mission with the 'men behind the curtain' she went out into the hall and reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.

After it rang twice the person on the other end answered.

"Secure."

"Secure"

"What can you tell me?"

"The mission was a success on both fronts. Carmichael accomplished his mission and he had help."

"And?"

"Yes, she is definitely the one he contacted. She is clearly compromised with him."

"Good. I can use that to our advantage."

"Yes sir."

"Thank you for the call."

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Make them pay."

"I promise I will."

"Thank you sir."

"I'll be in touch, Ursula."

A/N2 Well there was something in there for one of my writer friends. I hope you liked it. Next up is another chapter I've been waiting to write. We are closing Act 1 and Act 2 will follow. It really has been a great ride for me.