A/N: Hi All, thanks for all the feedback and comments. Sorry for the delay, works been busy, but should have some time to get back at it this weekend. Again, comments and feedback are welcome.
No Beta this chapter.
I don't own Chuck / Nor have any rights to characters portrayed.
Chapter 9
16 Months Later
October 1, 2010 – Hayes Compound (aka The Compound) – Oahu – 10 am
Chuck has just come down the stairs into Talus, they named their underground base, their version of Castle, Talus, another tribute to Star Wars. Talus was a lot like Castle, they had 2 DU 90 computer systems, monitors and screens, an armory Casey would be proud of, a dojo, locker rooms, holding cells, and a shooting range. Steven Bartowski wasn't thrilled about the weapons, but he understood the spy life and if they were going to do this, they were going to do it right.
When Chuck and his father got back to Steven's cabin after they had finished off Fulcrum, they decided they needed to find a base of operations, somewhere they could work from and stay, preferably without drawing much attention. Chuck had heard from his weekly chats with Ellie that Morgan had moved to Oahu, but knew from tapping into surveillance, he was having trouble flipping the shrimp. He thought, why not live and work in paradise? He liked to surf, you could swim in the water, and they could grow the team. They had agreed they could only bring on people they trusted or could learn to trust, and at the time there weren't many, but Morgan Grimes for all his faults was loyal. Chuck knew he could trust Morgan.
He and Steven began looking at properties in Oahu and they found the perfect place. It had been seized by the IRS for back taxes. It was almost 20 acres, surrounded by ocean, with 5 buildings, a main house, over 25,000 square feet and had 8 bedrooms, 3 guest houses 2 that were 3,000 and 1 that was 4,500 square feet respectively, and a large garage. The best thing about the property, it had over 45,000 square feet of basement. Apparently, it was built after the Japanese bombed pearl harbor as a bomb shelter, and it spread across much of the property. Steven and Chuck, both agreed it could be a great base of operation. They could buy it for cash from the government, ironically, they knew, and then do the upgrades they needed. There would be plenty of space for them, as many teammates they could want or need, and hopefully at some point, Ellie and Devon could join them. The property already had a large 15-foot security fence, and front and back gate that would need to be fortified. It would cost almost $60 million between buying the property and the upgrades, but it would be worth it. They were still getting the money from Steven's patents, and the over $2 billion of Roark's "nest egg" money. Steven had also made sure to set up separate accounts for Chuck and Ellie with $50 million each in case they had to run.
After buying the property, Chuck managed to find a government approved contractor, although he never got much work, his issue was he was too honest when submitting bids, where those that always got the contracts always seemed to go over budget. Chuck hired them to make all the upgrades to the property and work on Talus. There was a hefty bonus involved if they finished early, so with crews working 24 hours a day 7 days a week, Chuck was happy to pay out the bonus.
While they had the Citation, they determined it would be good to have some other planes stashed, another in Oahu, and others on the mainland, although the 'Millennium falcon' as Chuck still called it was their main form of transportation. They had also purchased 2 boats, one a 35-foot power boat, the other an over 200-foot yacht, they decided to rename Constellation. They got the yacht at a DEA auction in San Diego and had it sailed to Oahu. The idea was having a floating base, if need be, and another form of transportation to disappear if necessary.
When Chuck met up with Morgan in Oahu, timing couldn't be better for Morgan, he was really struggling with school. Just couldn't flip the shrimp. He and Anna had broken up, amicably. They realized they were better friends than a couple and were still roommates. Morgan immediately jumped at Chuck's offer to join his team and learned the truth about everything the last 2 years. Morgan felt bad for his friend for having to go through all that, especially Sarah. Like everyone else, he saw the way she looked at him, and couldn't believe anyone was that good an actress. It was decided that Morgan would head logistics, he would also drop out of Benihana school, as his cover was, he met a rich software mogul named Jason Hayes, one of Chuck's new identities, out in Oahu who shared his love of gaming, and decided to hire him as his private chef. This would lend credence to why Morgan was there so often, he would keep his apartment, but for all intents and purposes he would live at 'the compound' as they had come to refer to it. It was also determined they would consider Morgan for training to be of more help to the team. Chuck and Steven had discussed the idea of what they were calling 'micro loads' of the intersect, with very specific skills, it would not include everything Chuck had, but it might allow him to take on extra duties more quickly. While the micro loads were still in the works, Morgan would train with the rest of the team.
After Morgan, the team had been carefully picked, which included intersect and dark web research, as well as the files from the different intelligence agencies. Ziva David had come to join Team Orion as they were calling themselves somewhat by accident. An agent of Mossad, she had been captured on a mission in Afghanistan. Mossad had determined her an acceptable loss, Chuck did not. He rescued her from an al Qaeda compound, taking out dozens of armed men. He got her to safety and helped get her back to health for a month. During that time, they became friends. Chuck told Ziva his story, they shared a bond both being betrayed by people they trusted. Chuck offered her a spot on the team, and to his surprise she accepted. The idea of doing the right thing for the right reasons really warmed her. Ziva was a beautiful woman, 5'7' long dark hair, athletic build, very exotic look. She was not as beautiful as Sarah, but not far behind. And like Sarah she had worked as an assassin, was fluent in multiple languages, and had contacts that could prove useful down the road. Chuck assured her that team Orion did not believe in seduction missions, which was another plus in her view.
Steven and Chuck thought it would be beneficial to have another Hacker, the Lotus was someone who Chuck knew both as a hacker as well as personally. Chuck had always known Anna Wu was a hacker, but she did not know Chuck was the Piranha, when he approached her, she was excited to work with both Piranha and Orion, it was an easy sell. The fact that she and Morgan were on good terms was a great help as well. Her cover was Mr. Hayes IT support.
2 more team members were added. James Collins, Jimmy to his friends, was a former Air Force Pilot. A muscular 6"3" black man, flying, was in Jimmy's blood. He served in the Airforce qualified to fly just about anything for 7 years when he left. His wife Tracy was diagnosed with breast cancer, with 2 kids under 5, Jimmy junior and Ava, Jimmy put family first. A mantra of Team Orion could appreciate you do anything for family. While Tracy was recovering and in remission, Jimmy took a job as a private pilot, flying mostly corporate types around. When the economy started to struggle, he was finding himself working less. When Chuck approached him, the timing was right. Like Ziva, Morgan, and Anna, Chuck shared his story and Jimmy was floored. He liked the idea of doing good, making some substantial money, and being part of a team. Plus living on Oahu wouldn't be bad either, much warmer than the Denver suburb they have been living in. Plus, he believed Chuck when he said the team was a family, something about that Bartowski charm seemed to work on everyone. Jimmy's military training also meant he could help in a pinch, as he knew how to shoot and fight, but Chuck told him his main role would be as the team pilot. Even though Chuck could now fly just about anything he wanted, it would help to have more time to plan and prepare on the way to missions.
The last member of the team was Lincoln Cole, his friends called Link, a 6 foot muscled black man from Tennessee, Link was former Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer who had done some contract work for the CIA in his post teams days. Cole was on point, he had sniper skills, and was the guy you wanted having your back if you got in trouble. Cole had left the Navy and CIA contract work after 8 years. He was trying to be more normal with his wife Heather and their daughter Lisa, but just always seemed restless, never satisfied with whatever job he had. His record was exemplary, and he believed in right and wrong.
The team had been working together for 10 months. Before every mission they would meet as a team and come up with a plan and backup plan. Team Orion believed in being prepared for anything. Ultimately Chuck was the team lead, ironically, he and Ziva were really the only 2 with actual spy experience, but as they all know Chuck didn't think like a regular spy, which made them more unpredictable and more successful. To this point there had not been a mission they had not been successful on. Those include taking down drug cartels, taking down Ring compounds and splinter groups. Anna would search the web and dark web, looking for people to help. They chose what missions they did and did not take, and anyone on the team could make suggestions and the team would decide together. It was a different type of family, but it was a family.
The best part for Chuck was their medical staff, even though with the intersect they might not need one, they did have 2 doctors part of the team, one a neurologist who was working with Steven on intersect upgrades. Dr David & Ellen Williams fit right in. 9 months after Chuck and Steven 'disappeared', Ellie and Devon decided to join Doctors without Borders, while Drs Devon and Ellie Woodcomb were in Africa, Dr David Williams was working part time as part of a specialty group on Oahu. Ellen had decided she would volunteer at the free clinic when she wasn't working on the intersect or helping Team Orion. Like the rest of the team, Ellie and Devon had multiple identities and paperwork to prove they were whomever they claimed to be. Without Chuck, Burbank didn't seem like home anymore, so when Chuck made the suggestion, it was an easy decision for Ellie. Devon had a little more to think about, he still had his parents and brothers, but in the end. He felt more Bartowski than Woodcomb at this point.
The entire team lived on the compound, although Morgan and Anna had their shared apartment, Team Orion purchased another home outside of the compound in case of emergency, the team spent their time there.
Chuck lived in the smallest guest house which happened to be closest to the beach, he had taken to swimming every morning, along with trying to surf or paddle board once a day as well. They had also taken two rescue dogs from the local shelter, Chuck hadn't had a dog since Peaches, or was it Peaches 2. They had adopted 2 lab mixes they renamed Luke and Leigha, they also had a former military working dog, a Belgian Malinois named Rex. Rex had worked with Lincoln's Seal team and had come to suffer from a form of PTSD, Lincoln had offered to take him in, and he fit right in, they also had a mini dachshund mix named Tilly. The dogs had free roam of the compound but seemed to always be near or around Chuck's house when not with the kids. The dogs seemed to know, despite his outward attitude and appearance, Chuck was lonely. He had thrown himself into building the team and work. Sure, he had his family and best friend, and a newer family, but he couldn't fight the loneliness when he went back to his house at night. He was living in paradise but there was an ache. He knew he loved Sarah; he had thought she at least had liked him. But how could you do what she did? Deliberately led him into a trap. He had seen the video of the ambush, Orion had copied it from Castle, he heard Sarah say she loved him while he was unconscious in her arms. He wanted to believe she thought it would keep him safe, but how could she not know Beckman would never let him go. They had been hacked into Castle feeds and systems since he had been betrayed. He knew Bryce was now working with Casey and Sarah, Team LA as Beckman referred to them as. He knew Bryce had the new government version of the intersect, and it was obvious he was struggling with it. A 78 on Fleming's images test apparently didn't quite cut it. He couldn't tell if Sarah and Bryce were together, based on the Castle feeds they seemed to be friendly but professional, although that was how she treated him, so who knows. Some days, Chuck would just watch the camera feed watching Sarah, a longing was there that he didn't know if he would ever get over.
He thought back to his conversation with Carina and Zondra, 5 months after he ran, Carina's words have stuck with him ever since.
August 14, 2009 – Tenjo, Colombia (60 miles outside Bogota) 11:15 pm
The beatings had been going on for 6 days, while her left I was almost swollen shut, her ribs were hurting. Carina didn't know how long she had been there, but every part of her body hurt.
She had taken this mission to try and get some information on her friend and former CAT Squad teammate Zondra Rizzo, Zondra had gone missing trying to infiltrate a Colombian Cartel, per her mission plan, she thought she would be able to get some information to help take down Augusto Gaez and the Gentle Hand. After the accusations of her being a traitor leaking information to Gaez, the CAT Squad had been disbanded, she talks to Amy some, she and Carina were still close, but she and Sarah's friendship did not survive, she was her best friend and no matter what she said she didn't believe her. Zondra was angry and hurt that her best friend wouldn't give her the benefit of the doubt. She even sometimes wondered if it was Sarah who put the transmitter in her boot, but every time that thought came in, she dismissed it. Sarah Walker was a lot like her, and neither of them were traitors.
She had been captured roughly 12 or was it 13 days ago, she had been beaten repeatedly. Someone had let the Cartel she was working know she was a fed. Now that Carina was tied up 15 feet next to her, she knew it wasn't Carina. That left Amy or Sarah, and she knew it wasn't Sarah. She figured that made Amy the traitor, but she didn't see herself getting out of this, so Amy's secret would probably die with her and Carina. Since Carina had arrived the torture and beatings had lessened, but she didn't know how much she had left, the only thing that had not done yet was assault her sexually, but she was pretty sure that was coming.
When Carina had heard her friend and former teammate was missing, she demanded she be sent in. Because of her cover with the DEA, she had contacts within the Cartel she made her way down to Bogota, and before she made it to the safe house, she was grabbed and drugged, she woke up in the same room as Zondra, she was glad her friend and teammate was alive, but just looking at her she knew she had been through hell. Knowing what was coming, her thoughts were holding on till help arrived, by this point she knew the DEA would have known she was missing, but would they know where to find them She had recently visited Sarah not 2 weeks ago. She was surprised to find that she was still working with Casey, but that Bryce had been added to the team. They no longer seemed to work with cute Nerd, which seemed off because every team needs an analyst. She knew there was something under the surface, Sarah did not seem happy Bryce was there, when she tried asking about what happened to Chucky, the non-answer Sarah gave spoke to her. She knew her friend felt something, they had worked together for a while, but she knew when she met him over a year ago her friend liked him, liked him a lot.
She was pulled out of her thoughts as she heard the door unlock, when the door opened it wasn't one of the goons that had been beating them, but a tall man wearing all black, with a black tactical vest, an suppressed MP7, black backpack, wearing a black balaclava. He moved quickly and quietly, sweeping the room. Both Carina and Zondra looked at each other looking at what they assumed was some kind of Operator, probably SEAL or Delta force, a pang of relief flooded in both of them, help was here. The man walked over asking their condition in English and if they could walk, both looked at each other than him, Carina answered first "been beat up pretty bad, she's worse than me" nodding to Zondra, "but we can walk".
"Good," the tall man responded. He proceeded to untie them, and reached for his backpack, handing each of them a Sig SAUER p229 and an extra magazine. Both former CATs checked the weapons, he also handed them each a Gatorade and told them to drink. He didn't need them passing out from dehydration on the way out.
"How big is your team?" Zondra asked?
"It's just me," the operator responded.
"What?" Zondra said, "they have at least 30-40 men here, how the hell did you get in? How are we supposed to get out with just the 3 of us?"
"They had 39 men in the compound actually, down to 23." The operator repeated.
Carina then had to be Carina, "What do you say sailor, we make it out of this, I will let you help me in the shower, despite her injuries, Carina still had her seductive tone.
"Carina, let's not do this again, shall we. Wouldn't want another blemish on your record" the operator said a little sarcastically.
Carina got serious, "What? No one has ever ..."..she stopped, she had only ever been turned down once, but that was a tall cute nerd. Even dressed in black BDU and tactical vest, she could tell this guy was a soldier, tall, solid, muscular. She had to push the Nerd out of the way. As she was going through this in her head, the operator removed his balaclava, and there he was. The curls were gone and a little 5 o'clock shadow, but there before her stood Chuck Bartowski.
"Chuckles?" was all she could say.
"Hi Carina" he said with a goofy grin, mostly at her shock. He then turned to Zondra, "you must be Zondra, Chuck Bartowski, here to get you out".
Zondra didn't know why Carina seemed so shocked, this guy looked the part. There was no time, they had to move. Chuck spoke again, taking command.
"There are approximately 23 guards left, I took out 16 getting in. I'll take point, Carina you cover my right flank, Zondra you watch our six. Any questions?"
Carina still a little flabbergasted that that Nerd from the Buymore was in full tactical gear about to break them out, and apparently by himself.
Zondra could see her friend still thinking too much, "Red snap out of it, copy Chuck you take point."
They began moving through the compound, Zondra and Carina seeing bodies strewn all over. Some with knife wounds, broken necks, some with bullet holes in their head.
As they were approaching the main hallway, gun fire erupted from the right side, all 3 returned fire, when more gunfire from behind, Zondra took out the 2 shooters behind but took a round to the gut and was down. Chuck saw, "Carina cover me", he bent down to check on Zondra, the wound was bad and bleeding steadily. Chuck grabbed some quick clot out of his tactical bag, and a small towel to put pressure on the wound.
Looking at Zondra he spoke, "can you walk", Zondra looked up "I need help, I know it's bad, you should get Carina out of here".
Chuck shook his head "No, we go together, I can stop the bleeding and get the bullet out, but not here."
As the gunfire continued, Chuck told Carina to help Zondra and they were going to take her to the kitchen.
"Chuck, they are shooting at us from the kitchen, how the hell are we supposed to get past them" Carina yelled.
Chuck smirked "Cover Zondra, give me a 10 count, then follow me in."
Chuck took 2 flashbangs from his tactical vest, pulled the pins and threw them both, one after another into the kitchen. After he had thrown the second, he flashed on both marksmanship and kung fu.
After the second flashbang exploded Chuck went in, almost like he was in the matrix, he cut through the 8 goons in no time, making sure they were all dead, he signaled for Carina to bring Zondra into the kitchen. Clearing off the table he had Zondra lie down.
"Carina, I need you to watch the door, by my count there should be 5-6 left, take the MP7". Chuck immediately went to work, searching the cabinets he found what he was looking for.
Carina looked in surprise "Chuck now's not the time for baking, how are you going to stop the bleeding".
"That's the problem with you spies, you don't pay attention to these kinds of things. Sugar has been used to treat battlefield wounds for centuries. If we can slow the bleeding down, I can get the bullet out back at the safe house. We don't have time to do it now."
At this point Zondra had passed out. Chuck packed her bullet wound with sugar, using saran wrap to keep the sugar in place. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Grabbing his sig from his belt.
"Carina take point, we're going straight out the eastern side door, 45 yards you'll see the truck."
Carina nodded and they went off, as they got out and into the truck, Chuck placed Zondra in the back seat, while Carina got in front, as Chuck was getting in the driver seat her pulled out a remote and started pressing buttons, almost immediately several explosions went off in and around the Cartel compound turning the place into an inferno.
"Overwatch", is all Chuck said smirking as Carina looked at him stunned.
August 15, 2009 Villa Sofia, Columbia 1:05 am
They arrived at Chuck's safe house. He got out of the truck to open the gate to the small courtyard/parking area, he had Carina pull the truck in as he closed the gate.
He went to the back of the truck, and gently picked up Zondra and carried her into the Villa.
"Is she going to be ok", Carina asked, concerned for her friend.
Chuck placed her on the table, almost ignoring the question, and began assessing her. There was no exit wound, so the bullet was still in there, maybe near the liver or kidney. Chuck went into the other room and got his med bag. Devon, Ellie, and the Intersect had helped him put together a med kit that could cover just about anything. And with the Intersect, Chuck could perform a surgery, if need be, this seemed to be turning into one of these times.
He came back in the room, Carina was pacing. Chuck started to explain what he was going to do, as he might need Carina's help.
"I am going to remove the sugar wrap, then I will have to make an incision and get the bullet out. I am confident I can get that out quickly and stitch the wound. The big issue is she has lost a lot of blood and I don't have any here".
Chuck knew from reviewing her intersect file that Zondra and he had the same blood type, but a human-to-human blood transfer was dangerous, almost like playing Russian roulette, it could save her or kill her.
"The good news is, Zondra and I are the same blood type, the bad news is, we are going to have to do a live transfer, and that's dangerous."
Carina knew this was not a good situation, but she couldn't think of anything else to do. "Well, it doesn't seem like we have much choice, so do what you have to."
"While I am taking out the bullet, I need you to set up the IV and the kit, once it's out we're going to have to start."
Carina nodded, going through Chuck's med kit and getting out the needles and tubing.
While Carina was doing this, Chuck had already made the incision. He found the bullet in Zondra's liver, he also found an artery had been nicked, most likely where the blood was coming from. With the help of the intersect, Chuck repaired the damage as quickly as he could. Once he was out, using surgical staples, he stapled Zondra's incision shut. He didn't have time to place stitches, she may have a scare but can worry about that later. While Chuck was finishing up, Carina had already placed the IV in Zondra's vein and was waiting on Chuck. Once the stapling was done, he picked Zondra up gently and carried her to one of the bedrooms, he placed her on the bed under the sheet, then pulled an old beat-up rocking chair and sat down. Carina place the IV in his arm and the transfer began. While neither Carina nor Chuck were religious, they were thinking good thoughts.
After a bit of silence, Carina finally spoke. "Thank you".
Chuck was caught a little off guard, his only response being "For what?"
Carina smirked, "how about getting us out of that hell hole, for saving my friend's life."
"Well, we don't know if I saved her life yet or got her killed, so you might want to hold off on the thanks".
Typical Chuck can't take credit. Carina just shook her head, got up, walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek "thank you Chuck". Chuck couldn't help but blush and simply responded, "you're welcome".
After almost an hour, Zondra's coloring was looking better, she was still unconscious, but she was closer to her natural tan color than the pale white sheet she looked like coming in. Carina had gone to clean herself up and get her and Chuck something to eat, he would need to eat after giving blood, not to mention the adrenaline from the rescue had worn off a while ago now. Chuck disconnected and removed he IV from his arm and got up to stretch.
He wandered into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face trying to get his second wind, he walked into the kitchen and Carina handed him a glass of orange juice and just said "drink". Not one to argue Chuck sat at the table and started drinking his juice. He felt like a little kid but didn't say a word.
Carina was making Empanadas and they were almost done. Chuck had no idea Carina could cook, but he was glad Morgan made sure the safe house was well stocked. One thing Chuck made a note of was to make sure they had the locals who Morgan hired to set up their safe houses to in blood, type O, the universal donor type. It was easy to get local help, when you had the money Team Orion had, it made things easier.
Carina finished cooking, enough for the 3 of them, and she and Chuck ate in relative silence. When they finished, Chuck went in to check on Zondra, she was still asleep, but her vitals and color were good, he came back to the living room where Carina was sitting.
"Ok Chuckles, thank you for saving us, I mean it." Chuck just nodded. She continued.
"Who sent you, Beckman? Where are Sarah and Casey, I had heard they were working with Bryce now? That you weren't on the team?" She asked a little befuddled.
"Beckman didn't send me, I don't work for her, or for any agency or faction of the US government. I guess you could say I am an independent contractor".
Carina looked confused, "what do you mean? No offense Chuck, but when I met you were just an Analyst, and now your Jason Bourne, and you look good! She ended with a nod of him up and down.
"Thanks" Chuck responded while blushing. "Carina, we're going to have to lay low for a few days here before Zondra is ready to travel. I will tell you both the whole thing, unlike you spies, I HATE lying, so now I don't. So, I will tell you everything, but you need to be sure you want to hear it. It may get you in trouble when you go back".
Chuck's last statement really piqued her curiosity, now she had to know. "Yes Chuck, I would like to know". Chuck nodded and began, "it all started on my birthday a little over 2 years ago when I got an email from my old college roommate Bryce Larkin".
Chuck spent the better part of 2 days checking on Zondra and telling both Carina and Zondra his story. He would answer any questions that he could. They had both heard of Orion but that it was more folklore than anything. Zondra had heard of the intersect, but thought it was a myth.
"Wait" Carina stopped, "so when I came to snoresville, you had the intersect in your head?"
"Yes," Chuck answered. "I didn't get the skills until about a year afterward. My father had been watching me since before this all started, we just didn't know. He had been working on the update but didn't have a way to get it in my head. After the termination order, and Bryce tricking me into taking an update, my father realized the glasses would work, so he updated them with the skills pack, and here we are. He is continuing researching and making updates. Including a way to get it out."
"And Bryce Larkin now has the intersect as well?" Zondra asked.
"Yea, he downloaded the new government version, its similar but different. The plan had always been for an agent to download it. The modifications my father has made mine more user friendly, I can now access information, skills, whatever I need, I can still be triggered, but it's not solely dependent on a trigger anymore. My understanding is Bryce's is similar, but the government doesn't really care about the side effects."
"What do you mean by side effects?" Carina asked.
"Basically, every time he flashes, he is going to have a headache, the more times he flashes in a day, the worse the headache. Over time, it's going to hurt his brain, eventually he is going to lose his mind or go insane. He either needs to stop flashing or have it removed". Chuck stated plainly.
"Won't the same thing happen to you?" Zondra asked concerned.
"Well yes and no. The modifications to my intersect has made it so it puts less stress on the brain, the other thing we have found is when I flash it puts tremendous strain on my neural network, we came up with this" Chuck said showing is watch.
"A watch?" Carina asked.
"It's not just a watch, we call it the governor, it helps manage my neural network, so when I do flash it helps to lessen the strain. Between that and the modifications, I can work with it a lot longer, maybe the rest of my life."
"Is that what you want Chuck, to be the intersect the rest of your life?" Zondra asked.
"No, I don't. Once the Ring is no longer a threat, I will have it removed or suppressed. The difference between my intersect and Bryce's is mine really is a teaching tool, if I flash enough on something, I learn it. So, when I do have it removed, the kung fu, medical, languages, flying, shooting, if I have used it enough, it will still be there, just as if I had learned how to do it with years of training. Bryce's doesn't work that way, he can flash on the skills, but it doesn't stick."
"Why tell us all this Chuck?" Zondra asked.
"Because you asked, I also needed you to understand because I am going to ask you take something back". Chuck went in the other room and grabbed what looked like a sunglass case.
"What's this, sunglasses?" asked Carina.
"Intersect suppression glasses, it won't work on mine just yet, dad needs to modify for them to work for me, but it will work on Bryce's. I needed someone who I know they trust to bring them back and explain things."
"Why would you want to help Bryce, Chuck? From what you've told us he seems to be someone you would hate?" Carina asked.
"I don't know if I hate anyone, but if I did, it would be Bryce Larkin. We were friends once, and I am certain knowing Beckman, he didn't know the full ramifications of taking the intersect. No one deserves to have their choices taken away". Chuck said, with a distant look in his eyes.
"Why not give him one of those watches, the governor?" Zondra asked.
"We don't trust the government to use the intersect responsibly. Beckman can't be trusted, and with what someone could do with it, No. Our hope is Bryce will suppress the intersect for his own good. I needed someone who I knew could get to Bryce, if they went to Beckman, he wouldn't even know they existed or the danger".
Carina and Zondra looked at each other,
Carina spoke "Ok Chuck, we'll deliver them. I know he is based in Burbank working with Sarah and Casey".
"Yea, the new and improved Intersect team". Chuck said with no feeling. "Another thing", Chuck tossed a flash drive to Zondra "That's the evidence that Amy is the traitor. Wasn't all that hard to find, this should clear you with everyone."
Zondra sat there with a look of shock and relief. "Thank you, Chuck, you saved my life, cleared my name. I don't know how to thank you".
"You just did" Chuck said. "Besides, now you have Bartowski blood in you, so we're family. And Casey can tell you how I feel about family. May take a while, but the nerdiness will come out soon enough." Chuck said with a grin.
"Can't wait," Zondra responded, smiling sarcastically.
Carina got serious for a moment, "Chuck can I video you explaining the dangers of the intersect, we can tell Bryce, but it might mean more coming from you." Chuck thought for a minute, and reluctantly agreed.
Chuck had disabled the iPhone he gave them, so they would not be able to make calls/texts/emails until he was gone. The jammer he had running also ensured they couldn't contact anyone before he was ready. Chuck had told them he was wanted by Beckman, and there may even be a kill order on him, he didn't think Carina and Zondra would turn him in, but they were spies, and if there was one thing Chuck had learned in the 2 years, you can't trust spies.
Carina recorded the message of Chuck speaking of the glasses and the dangers he has with the Intersect. While she was saving the video, she hit the record button, this time on the voice recorder, thought she would fish for some details.
"Chuck, what about Sarah? You said how she and Casey betrayed you, but you must understand, she was following orders, that's what we do. I know you probably hate her for it, but you understand its part of our training, right?"
Chuck was standing at this point; he had been about to leave the room when Carina jumped into a topic he really didn't want to talk about.
"I don't hate her." He said quietly, "I don't think I can ever hate her, I love her, loved her, and I am sure a part of me always will."
He slowed down, trying to catch his thoughts.
"I know she didn't feel the same way, I'm no suave super spy, I know I am not her type. I'm not Bryce Larkin or Cole Barker, I'm Chuck Bartowski, I may use different names now, but I'm a nerd who loves his friends and family, like comic books, music, movies, computers and all the nerdy stuff you can think of. I'm more of a pizza and beer more than fine dining. Jeans and a t- shirt as opposed to Tux and gown.
That was why when you told me about her and Bryce, I should have known then, she wasn't interested. I was just an asset. You know she's good at her job,I thought she felt something for me. As ridiculous as it seemed, I mean talk about out of my league, we weren't even playing the same sport. I knew it was a pipe dream, but I at least thought we were friends. Orders or not, how can you do that to a friend, no warning no heads up. Just lead me straight to jail."
Carina spoke up, "Chuck, I know Sarah, do you remember what I told you, just before I left. I like taking what Sarah wants, and then you said she didn't want you, and what did I say?"
Chuck remembered the moment in the courtyard "she just doesn't know it yet".
"Chuck, I know Sarah, she is my best friend, the only way she would have done that was if she thought it was the only way for you to be safe". Carina said with conviction.
"Carina, you and Zondra are smart spies, Sarah is brilliant, I saw her almost every day for 2 years. She knew handing me over to Beckman heading for a bunker, the only way I ever getting out was in a body bag, I don't believe Sarah Walker is that naïve."
"Chuck, she wouldn't have let that happen, I know you mean a lot to her". Carina said.
Chuck just shook his head "actions speak louder than words, and Sarah Walker was always a woman of action."
He let his last statement sit in the air for a few minutes. Then spoke again, "Doesn't matter anyways, even if she does care about me. I'm wanted by the US government; you know Beckman calls my running Treason?" he chuckled.
"Just because I am not willing to continue to subjugate myself to indentured servitude. To wait around till Diane Beckman decides I have served her purpose and have someone put a bullet in my head. You know her termination order was illegal, as is her bunker order. But what does right and wrong matter to her. All I wanted to do was save my dad, I had done everything they had asked, and this is the thanks I get."
Zondra and Carina looked at each other. Throughout the last couple of days hearing the stories, they couldn't help by be disgusted by the government they swore to protect. Chuck Bartowski was the perfect example of a reason they did what they did, for people like him. He was thrown into this world, through no fault of his own, and this is how they treated him. They didn't know if they wouldn't have done the exact same thing as Sarah did, but they do know, after only a few days, it would have been the hardest choice they ever had to make.
Chuck spoke again, "you know the funny thing?" He said more rhetorically than anything. "When I was working with Casey and Sarah, we were more successful. From what I understand, Bryce Larkin can't process the informational data very well. I heard somewhere in the 65% mission success; we were mid 90%. Beckman picked the wrong super spy, I guess". Chuck said with a shrug.
Zondra asked "How can you know this, Chuck?"
"Before all of this I was one of the top 5 hackers in the world, my father was one of the others, now that we work together, plus we work with another who is in the top 30. Hate to tell you, but there are some gaping holes in Intelligence agencies firewalls. Where do you think we get information to update my intersect?" Chuck was trying not to sound smug, it was the truth, he was a great hacker, he had always wondered if he should have told Sarah and Casey about Piranha, he thought back to the mission with Cole Barker when nobody believed he could do it, but in the end, he was glad he had not told them. The FBI, NSA, and DIA had been looking for him before, no need to gift wrap himself to the CIA and NSA.
Chuck left the room and Carina stopped the audio recording. In her last conversation with Sarah, she could tell her friend was upset about something, now she knew. She wasn't sure if it would help, but she thought Sarah had a right to know.
"Carina" Zondra asked, "was Walker really into Chuck, or was she playing a seduction mission on him to keep him compliant."
"Z, I am not sure I can explain it, you really had to see it. I have never seen Walker act the way she did around a man, not a mark, Bryce, anyone. You could see it in the way she looked at him, almost dreamy when she didn't think anyone was looking. Would it have gone anywhere? I don't know. They introduced him to me as an Analyst, not an Asset, although working with him then, he would have made a great Analyst, but watching him now, even with the intersect, he is top notch agent material. But Walker is always so by the book, but I stand by what I told Chuck, she did want him, she may not have realized it then, but that was 18 months ago, I am willing to bet she knows it now, especially that he's run."
"What are we going to do Carina?"
"Well, once we get out of here and back stateside, we need to get to Burbank. Chuck is right, Bryce deserves to make a choice with all the information You and Walker can kiss and make up. We'll see if she wants to know about Chuck, then we'll have our answer. I can tell you one thing Z, I am not betraying Chuck, poor guy has had enough. If he ever calls and needs my help, I'm going as if you or Walker called." Carina made the statement proudly.
"Red, and you think I'm not. I literally have his blood inside me. Whether he likes it or not he's got a friend in me for life, he needs anything, I'll be there. And I will never betray him".
The CATs made their pledge and went about the rest of the day starting to pack up. Zondra was about a day away from being able to travel. Chuck had told them he would leave first draw away anyone remaining loyal to the cartel, when he did their phones would work and they could call for an extraction. He told them to tell Beckman everything, and to let her know she would never take him alive. The last statement made both Zondra and Carina nervous, as skilled as Chuck was when you have multiple Federal agencies chasing you, your odds of living a long healthy life go down.
After 4 days in the villa, it was time to go. As planned Chuck left first, he had not told Carina or Zondra where he was going or how he was getting out, they had no idea Chuck had a Piper Aerostar hidden at a nearby municipal airport, from there he would fly back to Nevada, and pick up the Citation and head to his new home in Oahu. He hoped the construction was moving along and would be finished soon.
Saying their goodbyes Chuck said, "If either of you ever need me, or backup, just send me a text to that secure number I gave you, if it's urgent, just include the word pineapple, and I will be there as soon as I can". Both Carina and Zondra had told Chuck they wouldn't share the number or try to have it traced, they both figured they would never be able to.
Zondra stepped up first pulling him into a tight hug, "Chuck, Thank you. You saved my life more than once. Be careful, and if you ever need my help, just reach out and I'll be there, no questions asked."
Chuck was touched, he really liked Zondra, he wanted to believe her, but ever since what happened in Castle, he didn't trust people like he did. Although he honestly believed Zondra would be there if he needed her.
Carina was next, "Hey Chuckles, offer still stands, we can go back to my room and have one last romp".
Chuck laughed out loud, "Thanks Carina, but I have to be going. You take care of yourself and be safe, both of you" Chuck said as he pulled Zondra into a 3-way hug.
"Ooh Chuckie didn't know you were into 3 ways, but I could get used to this" Carina snarked and the 3 broke the hug.
As Chuck was walking out the door "You're safe here, they won't find you, you can stay for a while or call for an extraction when you're ready. Be safe." And with that Chuck walked out the door.
Carina and Zondra decided to stay another couple of days to lay low. The Cartel members knew what they looked like, and while they were certain all those that saw them were dead, they thought it was best to take an extra day or 2.
After a couple of days, they called for an extraction from the Villa, Chuck had told them he was never coming back, so it was fine to burn the location.
They had been surprised to hear that a team was already on their way. The DEA still thought they were being held, they had heard about the firefight and explosions and figured it was warring Cartels. Zondra and Carina both realized by the time their agencies had bothered to send help, they were most likely both dead, or wishing they were. They gave their coordinates, so the team coming to get them would know where to meet them.
Just after dark, there was a knock at the door, Carina went to answer still holding one of the MP7 Chuck had left them, when she opened the door, she was stunned to see none other than Sarah Walker.