Chapter 14 – The Good Ex and the Bad Ex
Sarah woke up to something sweet, juicy and very tasty being brushed back and forth over her lips. She recognized the taste as fresh strawberry and whipped cream and snapped at it, biting something else in the process as well.
"OW!" Sarah, you bit my finger!" Chuck complained.
She opened her eyes and giggled. "It's your fault. You know I love strawberries."
"I brought you breakfast."
"So I noticed. What is it?"
"It's your favorite," he replied. "French toast, fresh strawberries, whipped cream and orange juice."
Sarah sat up in bed and eyed him suspiciously. "Did you talk to my parents?"
"Your sister, actually," he laughed. "What, did she purposely give me wrong information?"
"No, she told you the truth." She paused as he fed her another strawberry. "But it was my favorite breakfast when I was twelve."
"What has changed since then?"
"I need coffee, too."
"Coffee, yeah, I know. Here you go. Coffee with cream and two sugars." He handed her a cup.
"Mmmm, I must have died and gone to heaven."
"Nope, you're still in Echo Park, stuck with me," he jokingly retorted as he set up the folding over bed table for her and deposited the breakfast tray on it. She kissed him and he tasted the sweetness on her lips.
"I love you, Chuck."
"I love you too."
"Do we have plans for today?" Sarah asked as she started digging into her food.
"Frankly, I don't know. There are the dailies, of course, but with Fulcrum's demise Graham and Beckman are too busy overseeing the mopping up to bother us. I don't know what Casey has in store for us, however."
"He'll call if he wants anything, I guess."
"You're probably right." He waited until she finished her breakfast and then took the tray to the kitchen. He returned to the room to find her waiting for him.
"Cuddle with me?"
"Sure." Chuck kicked his shoes off, set the alarm clock and slipped under the covers. Sarah immediately wrapped her arms and legs around him. She was asleep again in seconds.
"You're not much of a morning person," he whispered in her ear, the humor evident in his voice and kissed the top of her head before relaxing and falling asleep himself.
-o-
They were rudely awakened by someone pounding on a glass pane of the Morgan Door. Sarah was up in a flash, snatching her gun from her purse and aiming it at the source of the noise. Chuck also bolted upright, grabbing a shoe, ready to hurl it at the intruder, who turned out to be Casey.
"Dammit, Casey," Sarah complained after Chuck let their partner and mentor in. "You could have called, you know."
"Check your phones. I called you about twenty times. Each."
"Sarah, where is my phone?"
"Huh? I don't know. Have you seen mine?"
*grunt* (Get your shit together) "Allow me." He called Chuck's number. And…
Any way you want it. That's the way you need it. Any way you want it.
"I guess I left it in the living room," Chuck offered lamely.
*grunt* (Moron)
"And I think mine is sitting right next to yours," Sarah added. "What did you want us for anyway, Casey?"
"I needed to ask your boyfriend some things."
"Well, I'm here, go ahead and ask."
"How's the analysis of the Fulcrum Intersect hardware going?"
"I'm making progress."
"And?"
"Huh?"
"Specifics; Graham and Beckman want specifics, idiot."
"Oh. In that case, tell them…"
"No, Bartowski, you'll tell them." Casey had an evil smirk on his face when he told them that. As if on cue, the TV in the room came on and their bosses appeared on it. Sarah instinctively pulled the covers up to her chin and glared daggers at Casey. Chuck huffed in annoyance.
"Is it a bad time?" Graham asked innocently.
"Kind of," Chuck replied, adding his glare to Sarah's.
Even Beckman looked kind of amused. "We'll contact you again in a few minutes, after you get ready."
In the few minutes it took for Graham and Beckman to reappear the room was squared away, Chuck and Sarah were fully dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed while Casey was in Chuck's desk chair.
"Chuck," Graham began, "we'd like you to tell us what you've managed to glean from examining the hardware you obtained the other day."
"They used the latest technology to make them, that's for sure, but the configuration was rendered obsolete by my father's designs."
"But is it workable?"
"I rigged the parts together on a test frame. As a tool for analyzing intel it's somewhat adequate. It would still be slower than the one Orion designed and built for you, but it would do the job, I think."
"Please explain."
"The hardware could work, I verified that, and the files found in the hard drives were comprehensive, but the encoding sucks."
"Continue."
"It all hinges on the quality of the encoding, actually. Theirs taxes the hardware quite a bit, requiring more power and a lot of extra cooling. They had a separate Freon cooling unit just for the core and processors."
"What about uploading it to a human host?" Beckman asked.
"That's where it gets tricky. So far I'm working with special filters on the screens of the Castle computers, to avoid having to wear eye protection. I ran an upload simulation. The results were not encouraging, as the upload speed was fluctuating wildly, no doubt due to the strain on the system. I asked Ellie to take a look at it and she says it's dangerous for humans, even ones with high subliminal image retention abilities."
"Define dangerous."
"According to Ellie, it can potentially cause epilepsy or worse, like driving the hosts insane, turning them into vegetables, or even killing them through cerebral hemorrhaging as the brain strains itself to absorb the download."
"Maybe we should have let Fulcrum upload it to their agents. It would have been cheaper than the airstrike," remarked Graham.
"We didn't know that at the time, but even had we not known about Barstow, it sounds like would have been a major setback for Fulcrum anyway," Beckman said.
"There is one more thing," Chuck said.
"We are listening."
"Even though their Intersect was not up to par, the individual components were well designed and can have manifold uses. The core for example, the one referred to as the Cipher in the original plans, can work well even without the supporting processors. Again, its performance cannot match the latest Orion products, but…"
"What's with the constant advertising, Bartowski?" Casey interrupted.
"Our company is a world leader in advanced computer systems. It's the standard to measure all other comparable products," Chuck replied indignantly.
"He's right, Major," Graham sided with Chuck.
"Bottom line is, you better make sure every Cipher they made is accounted for. In the wrong hands it can do a lot of damage if used to make or improve weapons, like in a missile guidance system or in an aircraft mission computer. There might even be many peaceful uses for it."
"Do you really think…?"
"Ma'am, the Cipher is the single most important component. If I were in their shoes, I'd make damn sure to have a couple of spare cores on hand, just in case. Either way, they and the related design drawings may become a hot commodity on the international arms black market, unless the CIA and the NSA can account for all of them."
"Very well, Chuck, we'll assign a team to look into the matter. Let us know if anything comes to your attention."
"Yes, General."
"As for you, Colonel, take a few days off."
"Excuse me, General?"
"Oh, right, I remembered to tell you only now. Your exceptional performance on the Intersect mission warranted a promotion, which was long overdue anyway. As of now you are a full-bird Colonel."
"Congratulations," Graham said.
Chuck and Sarah looked at their mentor, partner and friend admiringly. She rose and hugged him. "Congratulations, Casey."
Chuck clapped him on the shoulder. "Good job, dude. You finally get a chicken franchise." He turned to Beckman. "It comes with a raise, right?"
"Of course," Beckman smiled.
"See, buddy? It's your lucky assignment."
*grunt* (Spare me the sentimental stuff, but thanks)
"Is this meeting over?" Chuck asked.
"Yes," Graham answered. "We'll talk again when you have news for us or when there is a new assignment for you."
"Come on, Casey," Sarah said, dragging the big man out of the chair. "We are going out."
"Out?"
"Yes, you are going to buy something nice for your wife and your daughter to celebrate your double promotion."
"Yeah, live up to the affectionate nickname Mrs. Casey gave you."
"Bartowski! Grrrr…"
"I know, I know. I'm not allowed to say it or you'll end me."
-o-
A couple of hours later, the shopping done, Chuck, Sarah and Casey were in Castle. The newly minted Colonel busied himself with some paperwork, while Sarah was content to watch her boyfriend tinker with the captured Fulcrum Intersect hardware. Jill and Bryce arrived just before lunchtime.
"Hey guys," Bryce said.
"Do you have anything for us?" Jill asked.
"Only some juicy news," Sarah replied.
"My curiosity is officially piqued."
"Drum roll," Chuck began. Bryce did a fair imitation of a drum roll with a couple of pens on a desk. "Casey got a double promotion today. So, it is my pleasure to present to you… Colonel John Casey!" Chuck announced proudly.
"Way to go, sir," Bryce said and shook Casey's hand.
"Congratulations," Jill added.
"Are you guys up for some lunch?"
"Casey's got plans, buddy. He wants to celebrate with his family, but Sarah and I will be glad to join you, right baby?"
"Of course," Sarah confirmed, looping her arm through Chuck's.
"Have a good time," Casey told the four kids.
"Thanks, we will."
"And be careful. Fulcrum may be history, but Bartowski's still the only Intersect around."
"Don't worry."
"Where you are concerned, worrying comes naturally, Bartowski."
"Yeah, whatever. Give the family our regards."
-o-
"I can't believe I'd never heard of this place until now," Jill gushed. "It's amazing!"
"Morgan discovered it."
"Of course he did," Bryce laughed. The little restaurant where they were having lunch specialized in Continental European cuisine. The food was excellent and the prices very reasonable.
They were still contentedly munching their way through lunch when a petite brunette who happened to be passing outside recognized one of them. She went in and approached their table.
"Chuck?"
"Hannah!" Chuck was surprised to see his ex-girlfriend in town. After all, it had been over a year since he'd last seen her in person. "What are you doing here?"
"I had some business to take care of. Hi Bryce, hi Jill." She also gave a polite nod to Sarah.
"Hannah, allow me to introduce Sarah."
"Hi."
"Hi," Sarah said. "Chuck has told me many good things about you. It's nice to finally meet you."
"Thank you. I'll go out on a limb and say you two are together, am I right, Sarah?"
"We are," she confirmed.
"So, any news from the East Coast? We haven't talked online for a while."
"Dad is fine now," Hannah began. "But he did give us a bad scare."
"I'm so glad to hear it. Give him my best."
"I will. Business is going OK, as are my online classes. I'll be getting my degree soon. And I, um, got engaged."
"Congratulations, Hannah. Who's the lucky guy, do we know him?"
"I don't think so, but he's nice. He's like you in many respects."
"But he's not a nerd," Chuck guessed.
"Not as big a Nerd as you, but he has a nerdy streak." She showed them a photo of her and her fiancé together. "His name is Ryan."
"Bring him over here sometime. Hey, maybe we'll meet him at your graduation."
"Not a bad idea, Chuck. I have to go, as I don't want to be late for an important appointment." She hugged Chuck and gave him a peck on the cheek under Sarah's watchful eye and then hugged Jill and Bryce as well. Even Sarah got a hug. "Take care of Chuck," she simply told the tall blonde.
"I will," Sarah assured her.
-o-
Katie Walker rubbed her tired eyes and got up from her desk to pace around her office a bit. Arranging conventions and symposiums could be tedious sometimes, especially when they required elaborate preparations for presentations and stuff. As she looked out the window, she noticed someone familiar leaving the building across the street. What had her little daughter been doing in the Orion building? Then she saw the way she was holding on to the tall lanky guy who was with her. The conclusion was simple: Sarah's boyfriend worked for Orion.
"Everything OK, honey?" Her husband's voice startled her and she jumped noticeably.
"Uh, yes, everything's fine. Take a look over there."
"What am I supposed to be seeing?"
"You'll know it when you see it."
"I see our baby girl with a guy."
"He's probably her boyfriend."
"I didn't know she had one."
"She's really private about stuff like that, but it seems she and this Chuck boy she once mentioned progressed to beyond being just friends." As if on cue, the Walkers witnessed the young couple kiss. They looked at each other, smiled and kissed lovingly, happy for their daughter.
In fact, Chuck wasn't working for his father – yet. They had dropped by after lunch to say hi to his parents, see if there was anything requiring their attention downstairs in Castle and he also wanted to keep abreast of new developments in the field of computers and software. It was then when his nerdiness was turned full on and Sarah couldn't help but find it adorable. Jill and Bryce had gone home and Casey was with his family, so they had the rest of the day to themselves. And, since they were officially still on vacation, they decided to roam the city and have fun.
They ended up in a small café. A waitress took their order and soon brought them two glasses of cold Greek-style Frappe along with some cookies. The conversation revolved around Awesome's aborted proposal, as Ellie had been invited to a neurology convention in San Francisco and he thus had to postpone it for a few days, plans for the remainder of their vacation time as well as some aspects of their future jobs. He was enthusiastic about writing software for the family business, while she regaled him with her ideas for making the hotel even better.
"In fact, I have been writing code for a game on my own time."
"Really? How's it progressing?"
"Not as fast as I'd like." He leaned conspiratorially close to her. "The whole spy business takes a lot of time. So do you."
She laughed and punched him in the arm. "Would it make me a Nerd if I said that I'd like to play it when it's finished?"
"Let me think… no, not really. But if it did, you'd be the most beautiful, wonderful and badassest Nerd ever."
"You really know how to compliment a lady, Mr. Bartowski."
"Why, thank you, Ms. Walker."
They were about to kiss when Sarah's eyes widened in surprise and she cursed soundly and roundly. "Good-for-nothing son of a bitch!"
"What's wrong, Sarah?"
"See that guy over there?" She pointed to a tall dark haired movie star handsome guy leaving the café.
Chuck turned to look.
A flock of birds
FBI suspect reports about one Daniel Shaw
FBI-assigned case-unique codename Blackbriar
List of criminal activities Shaw was suspected of
Possible accomplices
A flock of birds
"I'll make a wild guess and say that you came across his file at work, because I just flashed on him."
"Well, you're wrong, Chuck. Remember about the disastrous almost-relationship I once mentioned?"
"Yes?" Chuck said tentatively.
"That's him," she said angrily.
Chuck felt his anger rising. He rarely got angry, but in this case he wanted to rip this Shaw character to shreds for the emotional distress he'd caused Sarah. She had told him that she'd almost become Shaw's girlfriend when she was a freshman in college and he was a senior. The only thing he wanted her for was to add another notch in his bedpost. "Don't worry, Sarah," Chuck said. "He's gonna get his. And he's gonna pay big time, since we can initiate a legitimate op against him. According to the Intersect, the CIA and the NSA will find certain ventures of his very interesting."
"Let's follow him," she suggested.
"I'll follow him. You call Casey and let him know what I'm up to."
"Hold on, I don't know anything about Shaw's file. And although you are now more than capable of defending yourself, you shouldn't be chasing after suspects alone. Whatever we do, we'll do it together."
"OK, but hurry before we lose him."
They followed him discreetly to a nearby parking lot where he met a tall beautiful brunette. The matching wedding bands Chuck noticed on their fingers indicated that they were married. He informed Sarah about it and she scoffed, saying that Shaw was probably cheating on his wife big time. He'd probably married her for money anyway. Once a two-timing bastard, always a two-timing bastard, she explained. Chuck and Sarah watched as the other couple got in a Tesla Roadster and drove away. They couldn't follow without a car of their own and there were no cabs in sight, so Chuck merely wrote down the license plate number. They'd have to rely on traffic cameras to track Shaw's movements.
"Casey," Chuck said when the big man answered the phone. "I flashed on a guy… You're in Castle? Good. Listen, I need you to access traffic cameras around Sunset Boulevard. Look for a black Tesla Roadster, license plate number 3JRQ158. It just turned into Sunset from N Orange Drive and is heading west, got it?"
"What did Casey say?" Sarah asked.
"He's on it."
"Let's go get my car. This way we can be there when Casey gets a fix on his location."
"My car is less conspicuous," Chuck countered.
"This is LA, Chuck. My Porsche blends right in."
-o-
"So I guess he lives here," Chuck remarked as they passed a cul-de-sac in the suburbs, where Shaw had driven his car. "Meadow Branch," he read the sign.
"I'll tell Casey," Sarah said simply as she parked the Porsche nearby.
"He's smart. Had we tried to follow him in there we'd stick out like a sore thumb." Then he had an idea. "Ask Casey to run Shaw's and his wife's bank records and credit card statements."
"What are we looking for?"
"A way in his place," he answered cryptically.
"I don't get it."
"Tell him to look for purchases of electronics from a Buy More. If we are lucky, they bought something from there and I can go in on a bogus service call."
"Chuck, you are a genius!" Sarah enthused. "As long as you don't have to get cozy with his wife," she added.
"I'll be sure to let Casey, Graham and Beckman know."
Casey called them after a while to let them know that Evelyn Shaw, nee Nichols, had bought a late model computer from the Buy More. Chuck merely smiled and told Sarah to drive off. The destination, after a stop at home to pick up some things he needed was Castle.
"What are you doing, Bartowski?"
"Since you had the forethought to get me the information I needed on Shaw's ISP and their IP, it's an easy matter to mess up his wife's new computer. In a few minutes it will be attacked by a nasty virus. Back in Stanford we called it the Bartowski Special. She'll call the Nerd Herd to come and fix it, we'll intercept the call and I'll go as the repair guy."
"Taking the opportunity to look for evidence of illegal activities," Casey finished the thought for him. "Smart. Just be careful. She may be involved, too."
"I don't think so," Sarah interjected. "I just ran a background check on her. And based on what I see here, Shaw married her for her money. The prick was always a gold-digger."
"I should sick Bartowski on her, but I have a feeling you won't like it, Walker."
"You got that right, Casey."
-o-
Drrrrriiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnngggg!
"Who is it?"
"Buy More Nerd Herd, I'm here for the computer emergency."
"That was fast. The guy who took my call told me there might be a delay."
"I was on another offsite call nearby. I guess they forgot momentarily. Between you and me, the Beverly Hills branch is not exactly the best. The flashiest yes, but the most efficient, no. You should try the Burbank branch next time." Take that, Barclay, Chuck thought. He could not resist taking a cheap shot at the rival branch.
"Can you fix it today? I really need it."
"No promises, but I'll do my best. It all actually depends on the problem."
"OK. I have to run to the store. I'll be back in twenty minutes tops. Before I go, would you like me to get you anything, like a coffee or a soda?"
"Just some water, please. It's really hot today."
"I hope you didn't give her your charm smile," Sarah said over the comms.
"You know it's reserved for you exclusively," he replied when Evelyn went to the kitchen to get him a glass of cold water.
"Correct answer, Chuck."
"Walker, let him do his job," Casey admonished.
Half an hour later, Chuck left having searched the house for anything useful. On his command, Bryce had fixed the problem with Evelyn's computer remotely from Castle.
"Did you find anything?" Casey asked as Chuck was driving away.
"Not much," he admitted. "But it looks like Shaw has an important appointment today. We should send Bryce and Jill to tail him."
"Just give us the time and place. We'll be there," Jill promised.
"We'll even provide a live feed," Bryce added.
"Good thinking, people," Casey said. "Since the mark knows Walker, you're keeping her away from him so as not to compromise her primary mission. And since we still have time, drop by so we can brief Graham and the General on our progress so far."
-o-
"Any indication as to whether the meeting is about his illegal activities?" Graham asked.
"No sir. We are going to ascertain through surveillance of the mark."
"Can't the FBI handle it?"
Casey scoffed.
"What was that, Colonel?"
"We can do a far better job than the Fumble Bumble and Incompetent."
"Besides," Chuck piped up, "certain, ahem, ventures of his are of interest to national security, such as obtaining advanced technology for sale abroad."
"It also says here that he was briefly employed by the now defunct Roark Instruments," Jill added.
"Does he have a Fulcrum connection?" Graham asked immediately.
"We believe he was operating independently, to steal something and sell it on the black market. Based on his position in the company, I'd say it was about the RIOS."
"RIOS?"
"RI Operating System, the software they never got the chance to release."
"Very well, Chuck, dig deeper and let us know what you uncover."
Beckman spoke for the first time since the briefing began. "I understand that Agent Walker has a past connection with the mark, which maybe we can exploit. I think you should reestablish contact with Shaw, Sarah."
"Ma'am, with all due respect, this is not a cover, it's my life, my real life."
"I concur," Casey said, siding with Sarah. "She's not experienced enough to do it."
"Nevertheless, we'll keep it as an option. Do you understand, Agent Walker?"
"Yes ma'am," she replied gruffly, the displeasure evident in her voice.
"Then we can adjourn the meeting. We'll reconvene when you have something tangible to report."
-o-
"Where did you go?" Sarah asked when Chuck rejoined her in the car. Shaw was in a nearby restaurant waiting for his contact. Bryce and Jill were keeping an eye on him, while Chuck and Sarah were watching the premises and Casey was in the van with Awesome who, having nothing better to do, had volunteered to accompany them.
"I went to get us something to eat. I even got takeout for Casey and Awesome."
"Takeout on a stakeout?" Sarah laughed.
"Sounds catchy, doesn't it?" He rummaged inside his messenger bag. "I also got this."
"What is it?"
He held up a CD. "It's my stakeout mix, so we won't get bored."
"Looks like you have everything planned," she said, opening her salad container.
"I aim to please."
"Someone is approaching the mark," Bryce said. "Are you guys getting video and audio?" Not long ago Shaw had gone to the bathroom and they had taken advantage of it to plant a GLG-20 bug on his table. Jill had the relay transmitter hidden in her purse and Casey was operating the recording equipment in the van. "Yep, he's the contact."
"Bartowski, turn on your laptop. I'm sending you the live feed."
"It's on."
"Are you receiving?"
"Yes." He was looking at the screen as he tried to take a sip of his soda. The next second his drink was spilled all over the front of his crisp white Nerd Herd shirt. "Dammit!"
"Chuck, what happened? You made a mess. Fortunately, you have a spare shirt in your bag."
"Sarah, I flashed. The guy Shaw is seeing is the managing director of the Ring Corporation."
"The Ring Corporation," she echoed. "Sounds familiar."
"On the surface it's just another huge company paying off fat dividends to its stockholders. In reality, they are up to their ears in smuggling, influence peddling, industrial espionage, fraud, you name it, they are doing it. The SEC, the Secret Service, the FBI, not to mention the NSA and the CIA have been trying to find evidence to indict the major players for years."
"Now may be our chance," she said. "Go ahead and change. I'll watch the feed."
-o-
"Daniel, nice to finally meet you in person. You are very elusive."
"You are not easy to set up a meeting with either, sir. Comes with the territory I guess."
"Let's dispense with the pleasantries. Time is money and I don't like wasting either. I believe you have something my customers will find quite tantalizing."
"Indeed," Shaw crowed. "I was very lucky to obtain it."
"What is it?"
"I have the complete engineering drawings, plus a number of parts for a computer system so powerful that four-five of them working in series can conceivably approach the capabilities of a supercomputer."
"Frankly, I'd be more impressed had you succeeded in stealing from Orion, but sometimes one has to settle for second best."
"Orion? Heh, stealing from them is out of the question. They have tighter security than the nuclear missile silos."
"Back to the point; how much do you want for what you're selling?"
"Ten million," Shaw replied without hesitation.
"Your price is rather steep."
"Your company stands to make hundreds of millions from mass-producing and selling the RI processors." He passed the other man an envelope. "Here is a gesture of good will. Inside you'll find parts from the processors and another gadget called the Cipher. I don't know what it's for, though. I also included the number of my offshore account at the Cayman Islands. If you're interested, make a twenty percent deposit. The rest will be paid upon delivery of the goods."
"Anything else you might want? I'm in a generous mood tonight."
"Yes, as a matter of fact there is. I want you to have someone kill my wife, which I'm sure you can arrange easily. She's beginning to have suspicions that I'm not faithful to her."
"Are you?"
"No, but that's beside the point."
"Okay, I'll do it. You just make sure you have an airtight alibi."
"Having an alibi is the reason I asked for your help in the first place. Your people can make it look like a home invasion robbery gone wrong."
-o-
"SHAW HAS PARTS OF THE FULCRUM INTERSECT?" Beckman exploded when the team reported back to her and Graham.
"He doesn't know their original purpose," Chuck remarked casually from the passenger seat of Sarah's Porsche.
"I don't care what he does or does not know! Until the mission is over, don't let him out of your sight!"
"We'll also have to put a protective detail on his wife," Devon added.
"Dr. Woodcomb?"
"Yeah, it's me. I had nothing better to do and decided to keep John here company."
"We'll take care of the protective detail assignment," Graham said. "You just make damn sure the Ring Corporation does not get the goods."
"I'll need a tactical team," Casey said.
"One will be put at your disposal ASAP, Colonel."
"Thank you ma'am."
All the while, Chuck, Sarah, Bryce and Jill kept up the surveillance of the meeting between Shaw and the Ring managing director. It appeared that they were both in a hurry to cinch the deal and go ahead with it. The latter promised to call Shaw the moment his people verified the authenticity of the sample items. Fortunately, the team would be able to know about any future meeting, as Casey had initiated a trace of Shaw's phone. The results were not long in coming. The exchange was arranged and would take place in the Port of Los Angeles just before dawn.
The appropriate plans were drawn up. A tactical team under Casey would arrest the Ring managing director and his people. An LAPD SWAT team was assigned to prevent the murder of Evelyn Shaw. Shaw could be dealt with at leisure, especially since Graham and Beckman would arrange to have his bank accounts frozen and his credit cards canceled.
-o-
Shaw was pleased. He had gotten rid of some very hot merchandise, getting handsomely paid in the process. As he was walking back to his car, he saw a beautiful woman looking at some shipping containers, a sheaf of shipping orders and invoices in her hands. Being a womanizer, he decided to check her out. If all went well, an early morning roll in the hay would top up a productive couple of days very nicely. And, even better, he would soon be a widower. Imagine his surprise when he recognized his prospective new conquest.
"Sarah?"
"Danny, what are you doing here?" Sarah asked. She had decided to give him the cold shoulder.
"I was working. In fact, I just sent a shipment off for my father in law's company."
"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm here to pick up some cargo. If I can find it first, that is."
"Would you like some help? I know the docks pretty well."
"No, thank you. I can manage on my own."
"Come on, just for old times' sake."
"Old times' sake? I caught you in bed with that sophomore slut! Just leave me alone, Danny."
By the way, I prefer to be called Daniel now. It's more distinguished."
"Like I give a shit."
"Playing hard to get, huh?" He placed an arm around her and felt the hard metal of her gun under her business suit jacket.
"Get your hands off of me!"
"Okay, jeez, don't get your panties in a bunch." His mind was racing. To him a gun-toting Sarah meant only one thing: She was a cop and they were on to him. He had to get rid of her and disappear in the maze of the docks before heading out of LA for good. "Okay," he repeated, "Fine. I'll be out of your face." Then he patted her shoulder.
"That's it!" She drew her S&W. "Shaw, you are under arrest for the attempted illegal sale of advanced technology."
"I knew you are a cop. Isn't your gun starting to feel kinda heavy?"
"What?" Then she felt a weakness. A glance at her left shoulder confirmed her fears. A small syringe was stuck there. "What the fuck?"
"It's just a special toxin and it'll only paralyze you for a few hours. Of course, it won't matter, because by the time it wears off you'll be sleeping with the fishes."
Sarah tried to speak, but she couldn't. Her legs could not fully support her weight, either. The gun fell from her hands and clattered on the ground.
"Whatchamatter, babe, cat got your tongue?" He grabbed her and began leading her to the water's edge. "I'm not a monster. The drug will dull the pain. You won't feel a thing."
"FREEZE!"
Shaw whirled around and saw a tall lanky man aiming a gun at him.
"Daniel Shaw, you are under arrest. Let her go and raise your hands above your head."
"I don't think so." Shaw drew his own gun.
"Drop the gun."
The sound of gunfire reached their ears. "I see you two are not alone," Shaw remarked, trying to put up a casual front.
"Your client, the Ring managing director and his goons are being taken care of as we speak. You lose."
"Not as long as I've got her. Take another step and she dies. Better yet, put your gun down."
A passing forklift distracted Shaw long enough for Chuck to flash on martial arts, close the distance between them, disarm his opponent and free Sarah from his grasp with a brutal tackle. With her last remaining strength, Sarah managed to grab on to a mooring bollard and try to keep herself upright. All she could do was watch as her boyfriend and his opponent fought each other. Chuck had the upper hand when he slipped on an oil patch and fell. Shaw grabbed his fallen gun and aimed it at Chuck, who simultaneously picked up Sarah's gun and in turn aimed it at Shaw.
"Think about it, Shaw. You can't kill federal agents and get away with it."
"Yes I can." He raised his Beretta to fire. Chuck was faster. He pulled the trigger twice. He had always been good with firearms, virtual at first and now real as well, so he didn't even need the Intersect to take the shot. Both bullets struck Shaw in the shoulder, the impacts sending him flying backwards. As he was about to topple off the pier and into the black waters of the port, he instinctively tried to grab on to something.
That something turned out to be Sarah. Shaw was dragging her down with him and she was completely powerless to resist.
"Sarah!" Chuck shouted, leapt forward and grabbed her by the waist. "Hang in there, baby," he pleaded. Shaw couldn't hold on to her for much longer, as the pain was getting too intense. He let go and fell into the water with a splash. Casey and his men arrived at that moment, along with Bryce and Jill who had been keeping an eye on Shaw's car.
"Fish the prick out and clap him in irons," Casey commanded. "How is she, Bartowski?"
Chuck looked at Sarah's face as he held her close. Her eyes were closed, but her breathing was even. "She's lost consciousness, but otherwise seems fine. Shaw injected her with a paralytic compound. Devon should take a look at her."
"See to it. By the way, you guys did a good job. Looks like you grew a set, too. Two bullets in the shoulder… I'm not a doctor, but I've seen enough bullet wounds to know you fucked him up good. I doubt if he'll ever regain full range of motion in his shoulder. If he's a southpaw, he won't even be able to jerk off properly any more."
"Very funny, Casey."
"You kids look after Walker and leave the rest to me."
-o-
In the morning Sarah woke up in her and Chuck's bed, wearing one of his shirts, which she'd summarily appropriated for use as sleepwear a few days after moving in.
"Hey," he said cheerfully. "You're awake."
"Um, what happened?"
"Everything is fine now."
"What about Shaw?"
"Not our concern any more."
"I remember… the port… the pier… he was about to kill me and… and… you shot him!"
"I couldn't let him hurt you, Sarah. Besides, his troubles have just begun. I don't think he'll find the Supermax a picnic."
"You saved me."
"Um…"
"Come here." As soon as he was close enough, she grabbed him and planted a big one on him. "I love you, Chuck."
"I love you too. I also pulled the plug on the TV, lest Graham and Beckman disturb you. But now I should call Awesome to give you a check up."
"Chuck?"
"Yes?"
"Shut up and kiss me." And he did, right before she dragged him in bed for a morning romp, which incidentally served to show that she'd fully recovered.
A/N: Couldn't pass up the chance for some Shaw-bashing. Hope you enjoyed it. Until next time.