Chapter 25: déjà vu

The air stifled him. Major John Casey finished off his water bottle and tossed it in the back of his car. He squinted at the immense dome stationed just off the Edwards Air Force Base.

'I know I've seen this place before.' He thought as he drove through the terminal. He flashed his NSA badge to the lone blonde guard stationed out front.

"Everything checks out, Tim."

"I know, Sir. I just have to make a clearance call."

The area was practically deserted, Tim informed him, but the official he needed to speak to was still inside and waiting. Casey held off the other NSA Agents that accompanied him for the raid. He parked his car and strode into the building. On the outside he retained his stalwart form and hardhearted appearance, but his insides trembled in knots. The letter he received yesterday morning was crumpled in his pocket, he read it over five times. That Saturday evening, after comforting Julia and Charlotte and situating them at his home, he had a meeting in the Castle with Chuck and Sarah. A meeting that was sans General Beckman at Chuck's pleading.

They patiently allowed Chuck to tell his whole side of the amazing story. Sarah had trouble wrapping her head around the time travel theory, but Chuck's earnestness forced her to believe him. He never lied to her before. Casey chose not the reveal the letter he received, so he grunted and scoffed in all the appropriate places, but his heart believed otherwise. Had he rescued Chuck that morning, it was exactly as it would have played out, right down to slapping the nerd to his senses and removing the bullet with dirty house tools. Chuck concluded his rescue story by saying that the other Casey looked like a man broken, one that had lost his whole world and had the weight of humanity on his shoulders.

"How Christ like of me…" Casey pondered. "Would I have done all that?"

When he returned to his apartment to tuck his daughter into bed, and lovingly embrace Julia…he had his answer.

-Oo-

Casey stormed down the bright corridor, and into a darkened room softly lit with the glow of data screens and a giant satellite shot of planet earth. A woman sat before the screen with her hands on her face, and barely moved. Casey found the light switch and flicked it on, illuminating the sparsely furnished area. He gaped at the intricate computer systems and mesh of wires and hook-ups. The woman turned around and Casey was struck with an unexpected sensation. She was a beautiful brunette, tanned, short and voluptuous with warm brown eyes that were red rimmed from intense crying. She quickly rubbed them and stood.

"Do…do I know you?" She asked with a glare of recognition.

"Perhaps. I'm Major John Casey of the NSA. Agent Jones, you sent me this long, mind-boggling letter." Casey held it out to her. "Is that your handwriting?"

Rhea approached him cautious, he was a huge, ruggedly attractive man from head to toe. She glanced at the first page.

'Dear John…' It began casually.

"Yes, that is, but I didn't…"

Casey watched as she faltered. She rushed back to the table and sunk into the chair. He came alongside her, and noticed she had a similar letter addressed to 'Dear Rhea…' in the same hand-writing.

Casey swallowed hard. He was here for a specific purpose.

"There's no sense in lying, Agent Jones. I know much about the work that is done at this complex and I'm here with a team of Agents to dismantle it."

Rhea rolled back in her chair sharply and threw out her arms. "Go ahead! Take everything! This satellite system is the bane of my existence…of anyone's existence! I'm so sorry about what happened. If I had known I would have tried to warn you just like…she did…"

Casey heaved a sigh and plunked down in the chair, he rubbed his temples and then glanced at her inquisitively.

"Jones, I need you to tell me everything about this satellite and don't skimp on the details. Washington is gonna want a full report."

Rhea stared hard at him. "I feel like we've been through all this before, Major."

"If all this is true, then we have, but for the present, I need to know what the hell is going on here. We have your boss, Costa, in our custody."

"That's impossible. Costa is out of the country. He gave me the orders to shut down operations sometime around 3:00am this morning and he wouldn't say where he was. It looks like I'm back to waiting tables and giving massages." She said wryly.

Casey glared at her. "No, at 3:00am this morning, Costa was in a cushy holding cell designated by Washington until further notice and I…"

Casey's cell phone jangled. "Hold on, Jones, we're definitely not through."

Casey stepped out of the room to take the call; it was Sarah and she sounded furious.

"Walker, what is it?"

"Casey, its Victor Costa…he's dead. The guards just found him in his cell, he took cyanide pills, dammit!"

Casey stared through the door at the monitor and then at Rhea. Something was definitely wrong with this whole set-up.

"Alright. Bag him and tag him then, he's no use to us now. I have a feeling this isn't over for us, but I have to go, I'm in a meeting. I'll brief you later."

"Looks like it's all through for now then, huh?"

"Sure…looks like."

Casey folded the phone slowly, his brow knitted frustrated. He returned to the room.

"What was that you said about massages? I can sure use one right now. Your boy Costa is dead, he offed himself in our holding cell."

Rhea stood up disgruntled. "That's just great! But it's the wrong Costa! Major, let's stop skirting the issue here. The issue is this satellite and its capabilities. You have a letter, I have a letter, apparently written by me…from a future that no longer exists because your future self went back and changed it!"

Rhea grew bolder and paced around him. "Plus, you have a direct eyewitness in Chuck Bartowski. Don't you think, Major Casey, that if you could have went back in the time machine, then Costa, who helped my husband invent it…might have went back and tried and secure his own future? He knew his future was doomed, so he must have somehow got in touch with himself and that's why this present Costa abandoned ship here!"

Casey narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms lost in thought. Chuck told him about his flash in the Orange Orange and said he saw events that never actually happened. That was only possible if the Costa he saw was the one who succeeded in bombing the Buy More. Casey held his head and growled at the confusing tangle of events.

"I can't believe this! You mean to tell me he's still out there?"

"Yes! He's a very devious man, Major. He's no doubt hiding somewhere half way across the world, restoring his funds and rebuilding his headquarters as we speak! I hate him! I hate everything about him! He murdered my husband!"

She cried out, and then took a deep breath to calm herself. Major Casey was a man of few words, and he didn't seem to appreciate outbursts of emotion from anyone. However, when she glanced up, she saw a glare of sympathy in his eyes. She wanted to kick herself; she was sure she had seen it before. She approached him calmly.

"Okay, call in your troops. Take this sucker apart, but don't forget Costa's satellites are stealth, it's gonna take a while for your team to find them. He most likely changed the coordinates."

"They're not going to stop until they do find the satellites, Jones. You're going to have to go to Washington and testify. Actually, you and anyone else involved in this project. I'll make sure they give you protective custody. If Costa is really alive and finds out you blew the whistle, well…we know he can find you."

"Major, you have to believe that I was not involved in any of his schemes, none of us were! We…I…"

Casey grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. "I believe you. I doubt my future self could have gotten through this whole mess with the time machine alone."

Rhea gazed at him and developed a profound feeling of desire and loss and she knew he sensed it too.

"Major, I keep getting this strange vibe about us."

"I know." Casey whispered, a hairsbreadth away from face. "I guess it's just what they call, déjà vu." He compulsively brushed a tendril of hair from her cheek.

"What is the NSA going to do about all this?" She sighed, her skin tingled from the warmth of his fingertips.

"We'll be keeping tabs for the present, along with the C.I.A. and we will track Costa down. We have our extra special resource handy. Oh…and just a reminder, let's keep the time travel amongst ourselves."

"I kept copies of most of my records and research from my work with Costa. He's going down harder than the twin towers. I have no plans to talk about time travel to the bigwigs in DC, Major."

"Good, because they'll tie us both up in straight jackets, after it's assured that they can have the power to manipulate the time stream continuum."

He picked up his communicator. "Alright guys, come in and make it quick. Agent Jones is not resisting…take care of her, that's an order."

Rhea's eyes watered and she turned away. She stared forlorn at the database for the last time.

"You know, Major, looking at you I somehow can't help feeling like a two-time loser."

Casey remained silent; she didn't refer to her dealings with Costa and satellites. He didn't know what to say to her, but he fully understood. It was made perfectly clear in her letter. The past Rhea Jones had been in love with him…and Casey had somewhat reciprocated.

Rhea let out a stifled laugh and faced him again. "So, what are your plans right now?"

Casey straightened up and took a deep breath. He leaned against the doorway with a crooked smile.

"Honestly? Right now I'm going home to enjoy a steak dinner with my family…and friends."

The End