Don't own Chuck
Two black Escalades with tinted windows pulled out of the airport taking the I-5 North and turning off at the Burbank exit. Driving in a convoy they followed each other through town keeping just under the speed limit and obeyed all the traffic laws. The last thing they wanted was to be stopped by the police as they made their way to the Mall. Arriving at Lou's they pulled over on the street outside to regroup and organize.
"Demetri," said Mary. "I want you to go inside and get a visual on our target. We can't start shooting unless we know she's inside."
"But why don't you go in, I'll wait out here with the rest of the men?"
"Because I'm not expendable and if you don't want to find out just how expendable you are you'll do as I say," said Mary as she raised her gun.
"Okay, how do I signal you?"
"Here put this ear piece in just talk to me and I'll hear you. Now go." She watched Demetri as he went inside the shop and waited until the door closed behind him. "Okay guys I want you all to stand in front of me and be ready to run inside when I give the word. Come on, that's good."
"Boss, has Demetri said anything?" asked one.
"Shouldn't some of us circle round behind in case she decides to escape?" asked another.
"No, you're where I want you at," she said as she took out a Tec-9 and eliminated her team. Then she tossed the weapon back into the car and went inside to handle Demetri.
"Frost," said Demetri sitting at a table, "what are you doing here? I thought I was supposed to report back to you. That Lou girl isn't here." Mary looked behind the counter and saw Alex, Casey and Morgan serving but no customers.
"Demetri, sorry but I'm afraid I'm going to have to terminate your employment. Consider this your pink slip."
"What? I don't-" And he never understood as she emptied her Beretta into him.
"Okay, what is Chuck doing and where is Sarah?" asked Mary standing over Demetri with a empty pistol in hand.
"Right here Mary," said Sarah standing behind her with a dart gun.
"You guys don't understand I don't have time to play around," Mary said as she dropped her pistol. "Stavros will know something went wrong and I've got to get back before he figures that out."
"Well you're not going anywhere," said Sarah. "We're all going to take a ride to Castle and have a nice talk. Sam is waiting for you." Mary hung her head.
"I'm sorry, truly I am but Sarah as much as I'd like that you know I can't," she said as she spun round pushing Sarah against the wall knocking the pistol from her hand then pulling Sarah between her and Casey so he couldn't fire then ran out the door.
"Wait," yelled Casey as he received a message in his ear piece. "Everyone down, now!"
Mary had just cleared the door when there was a loud explosion that knocked her off her feet and destroyed the two Escalades.
"What was that," asked Sarah as she got up coughing and smoke billowed in from outside.
"Someone took control of a predator drone and launched two missiles at Mary's Escalades out front. You know what they say about payback," said Casey as he made his way to Sarah. Morgan ran from behind the counter to Mary outside.
"Mrs. B are you okay?" Morgan asked as he raised her from the rubble and she started to shake off the shock but Casey rolled her over and put handcuffs on her.
"Chuck says hi," said Casey as he waved to a drone that made a low pass before heading back to base.
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Chuck and Carina were standing over the monitor looking at the view from the drone's camera when they saw Mary run out of the deli. Chuck never hesitated he click on the fire button twice after he lined up both vehicles then watched both go up in fire balls and his mother being thrown to the ground. Chuck waited for Casey to wave saying everything was okay before he turned drone control back over.
"You know NSA, NORAD even SAC command is problem going ape crazy trying to figure out how a Russian submarine instigated a missile attack on US soil."
"No they won't they have my access codes so they know it was me."
"You know you'll be arrested for treason when we get back and me too probably?"
"You don't have to know what I'm doing and yes but I'll take full responsibility, but that's all past now. I need to do some video editing and while I'm doing that I'll be downloading all of Stavros' data off his island's server."
"How?"
"That file I gave to Mikhail didn't just have my information on it, it had also a Trojan horse like what I used on Volkoff and now that its' running I can download all his server information."
"So you can take away those warheads?"
"Well, yes and no, you see Mikhail told us the ships they were loaded on so I've got another program running that will trace their routes via GPS this will tell me also the ships and ports they visited since. Calculating the time it would take to off load something like that and using NSA IR satellites I will be able to eventually track down the current locations of the warheads."
"Then we can go pick them up, right?"
"No, it's not that easy. This my mother could have done granted it would've taken her longer but the problem is Stavros' dead man switch. If we try to board or access the system he can explode them and he might just be that crazy. I could try to remote access them but if I make a mistake they explode."
"So what do we have, a Mexican standoff?"
"Not really what we have to do is to scare him enough that he turns it off himself."
"How are you going to do that?"
"I have a plan."
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Mary came to slowly. She felt like she'd been run over by a train or that she had a very bad hangover. She tried to get up but fell back down. It was as if the bed had some magnetic force that pulled against her as she tried to move. She turned her head when she saw the Tron poster on the wall she knew where she was. Then she turned to the other side and saw Sarah sitting on the edge of the bed with a wet towel in her hand.
"Sush, don't try to get up just stay still and let me take care of you," said Sarah wiping her forehead.
"I feel like I have a hangover almost as bad as the one I had when I was first sent to Mykonos."
"After Stavros?"
"No, this was long before that. I was sent there with this young scientist, he was doing an experiment for the agency and they didn't want it done in public eye. We spent over a year together there. At first he was an asset then slowly, unexpectedly well more. We celebrated one night his success and well one thing led to another. That was Chuck's father." Sarah realized then why there was so much detail about the safe house in the intersect and she so wanted to share it with Chuck but they were on mission.
"Thank you for telling me that," said Sarah.
"So you understand why I need to get out of here. I can't let Chuck do this for me. I won't," Mary said as she fought to get up out of bed.
"Mary, stand down," said a voice from the monitor in the bedroom then General Beckman's image came one. "I'm sorry but Chuck has taken over your mission whether you like it or not. We just intercepted this it was sent from the North Aegean to Stavros' island," said the General as she split screened and played a video message.
"Stavros, you know by now who I am and what I'm capable of. If not let me show you, watch what I call America's funniest home videos. I think you can see your hit squad and your woman Frost. Now watch boom and they're all gone. I assume you find me imposing. I was going for imposing but the people who hired me give me the hebbie-jebbies and they know about your dead man switch and frankly don't care. I'm only sending you this out of professional courtesy because I am a professional. I think you've heard that already from someone. Don't underestimate me and put your affairs in order. Have a nice day it will be your last."
"Well, that man didn't look like Chuck and so I really don't see-"
"Yes," said Mary, "That could be anyone and I know from the man I talked with in Russia that the Bratva operating out of-"
"Agents Bartowski cut the crap I've seen Chuck's Perchik disguise. I want to know why he's intimidating Stavros? Is there any way to contact him on that sub?"
Sarah looked at Mary and she took Sarah's' hand then nodded.
"Well if he's in Russia two names stick out in my head. One would be Anatoly Mikhailovich he works in the FSB and I know Chuck contacted him. Then there is Captain Gorgey Ivanoff we dealt with in Sicily. I know that although we were on opposite sides then that he and Chuck had mutual respect for each other. I would even say a friendship with the way everything turned out."
"Captain Ivanoff was a submarine captain, if I remember correctly?" said the General. Sarah flashed.
"Captain Gorgey Ivanoff aka Old Sea Wolf, seventh submarine division, first submarine flotilla in the Baltic fleet he's retired and lives in Saint Petersburg."
"That's right," said Mary, "I remember Chuck telling me the same thing."
"Very well, I'll try to use my channels here to contact them and see if there isn't someway to establish a link but I need to talk to Chuck as soon as possible before he's burnt all his bridges. Beckman out."
"First I'd remove that monitor from my bedroom if I were you two and secondly when did you start flashing?" Sarah explained about her pregnancy and Sam's birth along with the Chinese Triad.
"The only people who know are just us here with the exclusion of Cole. Chuck wanted it that way and I agree with him the fewer the better at least until I have it under control."
"You have a control issue? You want to kill when you flash?"
"Yes, how do you know?"
"That was one of the problems Chuck's father had with seasoned agents. You're used to taking orders and as soon as you flash your brain tells you that you have an order to kill. It's like muscle memory and you react faster than you can tell yourself to stop. Have you killed anyone yet?"
"No of course not, there have been some incidents," Sarah said.
"Some! She slapped the crap out of me," said Casey as he walked in on them.
"And you probably deserved it," said Mary. "You need to keep this quiet. What you're going to have to do is do some unlearning. I won't lie it's not going to be easy but you can do it if you want to keep it. I supposed you've talked about that option too?"
"Yes, and Chuck has left that up to me but we agreed to wait for a while to make sure that it is working properly and well that I was in a place where I could make a decision like that."
"Sarah darling," said Mary, "having a baby is life changing for any woman but a spy having a baby is earth shattering. Plus you've got the intersect to deal with I can understand you needing a timeout to make decisions and lucky for you that you have my son to help you. Now can I see my granddaughter I think this has been too long in coming."
"I agree," said Sarah as she helped Mary to her feet and to the living room where Alex was with Sam. Cole was in the kitchen drinking tea when Mary walked in.
"Do you mind?" asked Mary as she glanced back at Sarah who nodded to Alex then handed Sam to her. "Hey little one, I'm your other grandma." Sam responded by touching Mary's face.
"She's saying hi," said Alex. Mary looked around.
"Where's Emma and your sister Molly?"
"They're at Ellie's doing Molly's homework."
"Sarah, I don't want Emma to think that she's in the way just because I'm here. If anything I'm the intruder and I don't want her to feel I put her out."
"I sure she doesn't. Besides you were injured and needed to rest."
"You and Chuck have a rather dramatic way of saying hello to each other," said Cole.
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Chuck was in the war room tracking their position calculating when they would arrive at Mykonos and making the final adjustments to the ship's equipment and programming. He was doing all this as he watched the video feeds from Castle and Echo Park. Captain Aleksei came in bringing Chuck some bread and cheese.
"Thanks," said Carina as she took it from the Captain.
"I thought you could use a break and beside you haven't left here since we pulled out. You two should get some sleep before we arrive."
"Juri did you hear that," said Carina. They all could see that he was visible tired.
"I've got too much to finish first. But if you want to go grab some sleep go ahead," Chuck said as he grabbed a piece of bread and put some cheese on it then took a bit. Just then the Executive office came in and whispered in Captain Aleksei's ear.
"Okay patch it through here," he said then the man disappeared. "It seems your friend in the FSB wants to have a word with you in private so I'm leaving." The Captain disappeared and shut the door behind him.
"Chuck, do you want us to leave?"
"No, it's probably better that both of you stay," said Chuck as he reluctantly switch the view screen from home and Anatoly's image came on. "You look like my General just hairier."
"Chuck, there's little to laugh about after your missile attack. The U.S. government panicked and demanded an answer from us as to why we launched an attack on American soil."
"I told you so," said Carina.
"Not helping," said Chuck, "Anatoly it's a bluff they know it was me not you, it was all written in the encoding in my command sequence. What do they really want?"
"They want to know what your plan is and my bosses want to know too or they're talking about pulling the plug on your operation and on me. We both know what that means."
"Here give them this," Chuck said as he transmitted a file.
"What is it?"
"It's the location of the three container ships that have your warheads. Please don't board them yet. Stavros has a fail-safe switch that will cause them to explode if you try to take them. I'm working now to get that deactivated."
"Good, good I'll get with the SVR and coordinate a joint operation with these countries. That should buy us some more time."
"Tell Stefan hi."
"How did you know he was SVR?"
"When he talked about watching Fiddler on the Roof in New York, how many low level FSB get out of the country? Director S? I guess you needed their approval too?
"I'm sorry."
"Why? I would've done the same and besides I'm here right now and that's what matters. We're making the world a safer place by working together. I can't tell you more because I don't want anything leaked back to Stavros and if it's any consolation to your bosses my people know even less."
"You realize if you were one of my agents I'd have to shot you."
"Slava Bogu, ya ne"
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Stavros was naturally panicking as he had his days if not hours marked. He was running from room to room in his manor staying away from open windows as he made frantic phone calls to anyone and everyone, first to confirm Frost's demise and then to look for help both with negative results. Finally, from an old contact he had in L.A., he got confirmation about an explosion near the Buy More. Local authorities wrote it off as a gas leak but the explosion involved two parked vehicles and ten men plus one woman were killed. That was all he needed to know the communique was true.
"What am I going to do," he yelled at himself in a mirror then grabbed an ashtray and broke it.
"Boss, that's going to bring you seven years of bad luck," said one of men.
"At least that would be seven years I'd have. Have you got everyone armed? I even want the sheep to carry sidearms."
"Don't worry Boss we know what we're doing, we're all-"
"If you say professionals I'll shoot you in the face."
"Boss why don't you run go someplace and lay low until everything blows over? I think that would be a prudent move right now and none of us would think less of you for doing it."
"You're right and I would if I could. I guess it doesn't matter if I tell you. The dead man switch I've got is location oriented. I have to be careful how far I go from here. At the time it seemed an acceptable price to pay for my affairs but now it's a noose around my neck."
"Boss, Boss," said a man coming in. "It's the club on the phone. They say there's a problem and they need you to come and handle it."
"Did they say what it was?"
"No not really just some problem with local officials and that you need to work it out in person."
"The rats are starting to abandon the ship. Okay get my yacht ready we'll leave right away. Let's hope Frost was right when she said that it would take a while before this Juri gets here," said Stavros as he opened his desk drawer and took out a gold coin then left.
"I've never seen the Boss so scared before."
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't you see what he took out of the desk?"
"Some money for the club, why? I don't see the connection."
"He took fare for Charon's ferry."
