A/N: Thanks all, sorry for the delay, I will try to update with new chapters on Sunday's going forward. Appreciate the feedback and comments. Still got a long way to go, so hope you enjoy it.
No beta this time, so all errors are my own. Again, feedback is appreciated.
I don't own Chuck / Nor have any rights to characters portrayed.
Chapter 10
August 21, 2009: Team LA Gulf Stream somewhere over Guatemala 11:37pm
The extraction had been straightforward, there were no Cartel members looking for Carina and Zondra, Bryce, Casey and Sarah got them packed, they didn't have much but what Chuck had gotten them and got them back to an out of the way airfield. They boarded Team LAs Gulf Stream, something they got when Larkin joined the team and took off.
Team LA had been sent down to rescue them from the Cartel, but as Zondra and Carina had told them, they would have been days too late.
"Why the hell are they just sending you now?" Carina snapped. "All you would have been doing is recovering our bodies at best".
Casey decided to step in, "Easy Miller, we just got the mission 5 days ago, something about a firefight and explosions. We were trying to figure out where they had moved you to".
"Casey, that firefight was us being rescued, you ass hat. IF they hadn't come in when they did, we would have been killed, or worse". Carina finished. She didn't have to define what "or worse" meant, everyone already knew.
The first thing they did when they got to the plane was handover the flash drive Chuck gave Zondra proving she was not the mole. Sarah had been looking at the drive over and over. It was clear, Amy was the traitor, she had played them all perfectly. She felt such guilt for the way she treated Zondra. She hoped they could talk; Beckman had ordered Team LA to bring Zondra and Carina back to Burbank to debrief and recover and Sarah hoped she could reconnect with both her friends. She hadn't been the same since that night a few months back.
Bryce was next to speak, "wait, the government couldn't pinpoint where you were being held. Who the hell rescued you?" he asked a little harshly, but also a little bewildered.
Carina and Zondra looked at each other, at the same time they both said the same thing.
"CHUCK".
August 16, 2009 Castle 11:15am
General Beckman appears on the main monitor in Castle. Team LA, Sarah, Casey and Bryce, all stand around the conference table.
"Good morning team, we have a mission that has been brought to my attention. Approximately 10 days ago CIA agent Zondra Rizzo went missing in Columbia, she was trying to infiltrate a Cartel with ties to Augusto Gaez and the Gentle Hand. DEA agent Carina Miller went in 5 days ago to get more information and extract Agent Rizzo, unfortunately we have not heard from her since arriving in Columbia."
Sarah had her agent mask in place, but inside she was an emotional mess. First Chuck disappears, and now this. While Zondra had betrayed her, she was worried about Carina. Why she thought Carina would go into help someone who betrayed them, she couldn't fathom. But at the same time, why was Zondra trying to infiltrate a Cartel? If she already was working with Gaez, she was brought back to the present when Casey spoke up."
"Do we have an approximate location General?"
"Not as much as we would like, the Cartel is based in Bogota, but we believe they are outside the city, but we're not so sure how far out. We need your team to be ready to go and extract them, but right now we are still gathering intel. There were reports of explosions in a town called Tenjo, approximately 60 miles outside of Bogota a couple of days ago. We don't know if that has anything to do with our missing agents, or just local turf war. You are to remain on standby for when we have more information, as we will want you to deploy immediately." The General finished.
Sarah spoke next "General, wouldn't it better to head down now and investigate, maybe get a lead. With the intersect down there maybe Agent Larkin can flash on something to give us a lead?"
"We considered that, but Agent Larkin's informational flashes have been incomplete thus far. We do not want to risk putting the intersect in undue danger."
Bryce was surprisingly silent. While the skills portion of the intersect seemed to work fine, seeing as being a trained agent, he had had a lot of training already. The informational flashes he was having a hard time with. So far, he has not been able to correctly analyze all the information to the correct assessment. He was frustrated, and Casey made it clear he was tired of it, as it always seemed to put them in more danger. Sarah had tried to be encouraging, but he could tell she was off. The total lack of interest to get back together stunned him. They had been such a great team professionally and personally, why wouldn't she want to get back where they had been? He knew why, Chuck. He had spent almost 4 years around him, and he just affected people. It was obvious he made an impression on Sarah, but he never would have thought she would be interested in him as more than a friend.
"So we just wait? These are 2 good agents, we should at least get down there to make sure we're close for when we get actionable intel" Sarah almost pleaded, scared for her friend. She had already lost Chuck, she couldn't lose Carina.
"Yes, Agent Walker, you wait until I give the order. Be ready to go on short notice." With that, the General cut the feed.
5 days later Team LA got an urgent briefing from Beckman, they were to launch immediately, as they had received a call from Agent Miller needing extraction for both herself and Agent Rizzo, and were given the coordinates provided by the General.
When Sarah knocked and saw her friend and former teammate, she was relieved. They quickly packed them up and got moving. Both were injured, Zondra more so, but they had been treated and needed to go.
August 21, 2009: Team LA Gulf Stream somewhere over Guatemala 11:45 pm
"CHUCK"
Team LA was still absorbing what they thought both Carina and Zondra said. It was Bryce who spoke first, "Chuck who?"
Carina answered, "Bartowski, you know the analyst who worked with Casey and Sarah when you were supposedly dead.
Casey spoke next "Bartowski got you out? How? We had reports of explosions?"
Carina responded "Yea, it was amazing, he came in alone, no backup, I guess he strategically placed charges in and around the compound, he had a trigger on some type of wrist computer or something, when things started to get sticky, he set them off. Z was in bad shape; she had been shot in the gut and was bleeding pretty bad. Chuck took out some of the cartel muscle and got us to the kitchen where he stopped the bleeding with sugar, no idea how he knew to do that, but it worked. He then had to carry Zondra out, so he set off the bombs then. He was amazing, he had to have gone through 30-40 men to get to us and get us out."
Sarah was sitting in stunned silence, Chuck, her Chuck took out a compound full of Cartel members? Saved her former teammates, friends, saved their lives with medical attention by himself?
Zondra spoke up next "he saved my life, I had lost almost too much blood, he got the bullet out, stitched me up, then he did a donor-to-donor transfer, lucky for me we're the same blood type."
Sarah had a question "that was 5 days ago, the explosions, where have you been, where's Chuck?"
"We've been right where you found us" Carina answered "it was Chuck's safehouse, he had supplies, food, medical, weapons. He ran out to town to get us some clothes and women's products, but otherwise he was well stocked. "
"Why didn't you call for extract sooner?" Bryce wanted to know.
"While Chuck was there, he had some kind of jammer, it didn't matter we didn't have a phone, ours were taken when we were captured. We stayed to let things calm down, and I needed to heal some before traveling" Zondra answered very matter of factly.
"When did Chuck leave?" Sarah asked, trying not to sound desperate.
"A day and half ago, he said he would check and take care of any remaining Cartel members that might still be looking for us. Told us to get some rest and call for extraction. We don't know how he was getting out" Carina responded.
Sarah absorbed the information, this just strengthened the idea that Chuck had gotten an Intersect upgrade with skills, including medical apparently. Based on the reports and what Carina and Zondra were saying, he might be better than Bryce is with the intersect. She already knew he was able to read and process the data better but sounded like he had a better grasp of it than Bryce.
Sarah asked in a low voice "how is he?"
Carina answered in only the Carina way, "he looked hot, our boy Chuckles has put on some muscle. His hair is shorter, but he can handle himself, we watched him cut through Cartel heavies without breaking a sweat. It was impressive".
Casey was next "So you were holding up with Bartowski for a few days, what did he say? You know we're looking for him?"
"He told us something about his team" Zondra emphasized the word team "betraying him and sending him to be locked up to be Beckman's puppet".
Both Sarah and Casey looked down and anyone looking could see the shame they felt about what they had done. Neither thought it was the right decision, but that it would be safe until they neutralized the threat. It wasn't till later where they both seemed to realize, even if the Fulcrum threat was eliminated, Chuck would not be walking out of the bunker anytime soon.
"He also told us EVERYTHING, the intersect, Bryce sending it to him, being forced to work with you 2, Sarah's long-term seduction/honeypot to keep him cooperative, how he really thought there was something, how she asked him to trust her. Told us how it was a real eye-opening experience. Beckman and Graham had already ordered his termination once and were sure would do it again. How Bryce also has the intersect now, so the damn government can leave him alone. They have their perfect trained agent now. "
Bryce snapped somewhat angrily, "That's classified, you have no need to know, he had no right to read you in".
Carina laughed "he doesn't work for the government Bryce, apparently indentured servitude does not make a happy asset. He's on the run from his own government, for doing nothing wrong. He told us about trying to move him to a bunker. You geniuses do realize that it was an illegal order. She cannot ship Chuck to jail for nothing, from what he told us his rights were pretty much ignored, and you two (glaring at Sarah & Casey) just let happen. No wonder he ran, no one in the government can be trusted."
"If he hates the government so much, why did he rescue the 2 of you?" Bryce asked in a condescending tone.
Zondra smirked "he said because it was the right thing to do. He intercepted some of the data and apparently flashed on it and put it together. He doesn't trust the government to do the right thing, I believe the word he heard was us being expendable, and he thought we deserved a chance, so he came to get us out.
It was that simple for him, he just did what he thought was right.
Sarah smiled, that was her Chuck, helping people, doing the right thing even when it was hard.
The flight grew quiet, they would need to brief Beckman when they arrived back at Castle. Both Carina and Zondra did not mention the intersect removal glasses, deciding to wait for the official debrief with Beckman at Castle. Both former CATS kept a keen eye on Sarah, they could see her expression when they were talking about Chuck, first the concern, then relief to know he had gotten them out and that at least when he left, he was safe.
August 22, 2009 Castle 12:00pm
All of team LA as well as Agent Carina Miller and Zondra Rizzo were present in Castle preparing for the debrief with General Beckman. Zondra had been checked out by CIA medical staff, they had been impressed with the bullet removal and stitch up, the doctor had even complimented the surgeon who did this. When he was told it was an agent and not a doctor, he was stunned. "You're saying this wan an agent that removed the bullet and stitched up the liver area" the doctor asked. Zondra replied "honestly, I don't know if he is an agent at all, but he is not a doctor, he saved my life". The doctor shook his head dumbfounded. "From what you tell me with the blood loss and the bullet wound, he absolutely did, you wouldn't have made it another 30 minutes" the doctor said, shaking his head. Zondra just reflected, they hadn't even mentioned the donor-to-donor to transfer Chuck had given her.
They were all gathered around the table in the main room as the screen came to life with General Beckman appearing. "Good afternoon team, good work retrieving Agents Miller and Rizzo, Agent Rizzo I read the doctors report, you are lucky to be alive".
Zondra glared at the General "yes ma'am".
The General continued "Team, based on your report, you found Agents Miller and Rizzo at the coordinates Agent Miller had sent in the extraction call, is that correct?"
Casey stood up to answer "Yes Ma'am, both Agents Miller and Rizzo were at the location, in relatively good shape considering what they had been through. They explained to us that they had been rescued 5 days before from the Cartel compound, where we had received reports of the explosions, and had been brought to the location as a safe house to lay low and recover."
The General took that and then focused on Agent Miller and Rizzo. "Agent Rizzo, Agent Miller as Colonial Casey mentioned, you were found at the safe house, care to enlighten me on what happened?"
Zondra started "yes ma'am. I was undercover with the Cartel trying to get more information to bring down Augusto Gaez and the Gentle hand. Somehow my cover was blown, and they captured me, they had been torturing and interrogating me. I was unsure how long I was there when they brought in Agent Miller as well. I found out she had tried to infiltrate to get me out." Zondra glanced at Carina with a look of appreciation. Carina just smirked and nodded.
Carina then took over, "when I went in General, we must have had a leak because they knew who I was and let me get close enough, then took me into custody as well. Then approximately 6 days ago at night, we were rescued by an operative who was able to infiltrate the Cartel and get us out. In the escape, Agent Rizzo was shot, she would have bled out had it not been for the operative. He was able to stop the bleeding and stabilize till we got her back to the safe house where he removed the bullet and provided lifesaving aid and a direct donor-to-donor transfusion to help save her life."
The General took it all in stride, "Agent Miller and Rizzo, you keep mentioning this operative, who pray tell is this super-agent who was able to rescue you apparently on their own?"
Carina didn't like the condescending tone from the General. "Ma'am, the operative was Chuck Bartowski. I worked with him and Agents Casey and Walker on the Alahi mission a couple of years ago. That's how I recognized him".
The General was in stunned silence, why the hell was Bartowski interfering with Government business. They had not been able to find him, they assumed he was hiding with Orion off the grid someplace, most likely trying to remove the intersect. How did he know Agent Miller was in trouble, why did he go and save them? All these questions popped into the General's thoughts. While she was in thought, Agent Rizzo began to speak.
"General, Chuck also updated us on his situation. We know about what happened to him and the intersect, we know Agent Larkin also has the intersect as well."
With that, Beckman was beyond angry.
"Agents Miller and Rizzo, that information is classified, and you are not in need to know. Charles Bartowski is a former asset who has committed treason and is wanted by the US Government. Why did you not take him into custody immediately"? Beckman barked, trying to regain her composure.
Carina was pissed "General, Chuck told us about all of this. He mentioned you had already ordered his termination and imprisonment in a bunker. Ma'am, I know you know this, but just to remind you, those were illegal orders. Chuck Bartowski did nothing to put himself in this position, just had the bad luck of being friends at some point with Agent Larkin. I don't know Chuck as well as you, but he is not a traitor, he did not commit treason. If anything, he is a hero, he came and saved Zondra and I, as he put it, just because it was the right thing to do. He didn't consider us expendable" Carina sharply retorted.
Beckman not backing down "he is in possession of highly classified intelligence, and he told you about it, those reasons are enough to bring him in for treason".
Zondra chimed in "General, it's not like he can give it back. I have no doubt he would if he could. He said he was working well with Agents Casey and Walker; it was you that decided to break the team up and try to put him in a bunker. I don't know him well, but after only a few days, I have no doubt he would have continued to work as part of a team. The mistreatment he received is pretty glaring. I have handled Assets before, Chuck was so much more than an Asset."
"ENOUGH," Beckman spouted. "Chuck Bartowski is a danger because of the information he has in his head, and apparently the skills he has acquired. My order stands. We will hunt him down and bring him in."
"Ma'am, after telling us about the intersect, he recorded a video message for Agent Larkin and included a pair of sunglasses, the glasses according to Chuck will remove the intersect from Bryce's head. He said the intersect was doing permanent damage. He wanted Bryce to have the option to remove it".
Sarah perked up, a cascade of emotions, Chuck felt betrayed by them, of course he would. She knew his dislike for Bryce after everything, but was still looking out for his former friend, reminding her how special Chuck Bartowski was, and what a monumentally huge mistake she made. She was hoping just for a chance to someday have a chance to correct it.
Carina handed her phone to Casey to play the video for the group. The screen came to life, Sarah couldn't believe it, this was the first time since he escaped, she had seen his face. Carina was right, he looked good, he had obviously put on some muscle, you could see in his shoulders. He had cut off the curls, his hair shorter, more professional, and what looked like a thickening 5 o'clock shadow. He started speaking and everyone was laser focused.
"Hello General Beckman, Colonial Casey, Agent Larkin, Agent Walker. If you're seeing this message, I have asked Carina and Zondra to bring the glasses with them. These are intersect suppression glasses, while they will not remove the intersect, they will suppress it so to no longer be able to be accessed, but also will not let the intersect harm the host going forward.
Agent Larkin, to be clear, as I am sure General Beckman the CIA/NSA staff have not told you the full extent of the damage the intersect can cause. With every flash, you are doing damage to your brain. The brain neural network cannot handle repeated damage done by flashing. The more you flash the more damage done, it doesn't matter if it's an informational or skills flash, with each one you're harming yourself. Eventually you will start to feel severe head pain, you will not be able to tell real from imagined, you will literally lose your mind. Your brain has already been damaged, but if you suppress it now, it may heal if not most, at least some of the damage. I sent the glasses because you deserve the choice. Do with it what you will."
The message ended and Bryce had a bit of a forlorn look. Anyone looking could tell he was appreciative of what his former friend had done. It was Casey's words that brought everyone back to the moment.
"Carina, Bartowski still has the intersect, right?"
Carina nodded.
"Why, if what he said is true, why hasn't he suppressed the intersect?"
Zondra was the one to answer "Chuck explained that for one, his upgraded Intersect has been done with the help of a neurologist to make flashing less harmful to the host, but with that he has a special watch. He calls it the governor, it helps to govern the neural network, so not to overload. He said it provides balance, so when he flashes, he doesn't have the deterioration that Bryce would."
"If that is the case, why did he not send you back with a governor for Agent Larkin. It seems if it works for him, it should work for Agent Larkin?" the General asked in a slightly condescending tone.
"I asked, he was blunt, he doesn't trust you, any of you. Or anyone in the government for that matter. He won't give you a governor to continue using the intersect. If Bryce chooses not to use it, then it dies with him, but he would not give anyone in government a governor. Based on his experience, I can't say I blame him." Zondra answered.
Sarah sat quietly, she understood why Chuck wouldn't give them a governor, she did still wonder why he just didn't have Orion remove it. The more she thought it would make sense for him to keep the intersect at least till the Ring was defeated, even without it though, would the government leave him alone. She didn't think Beckman would, not for the way he embarrassed her by escaping. Oh Chuck, she was going to do whatever she could to get the government to leave him alone.
The entire time Bryce Larkin was sitting there, taking in all the information. He always thought the intersect wasn't benign, it had to be doing damage. Some of the things Chuck mentioned scared him. He was already starting to experience headaches, and there was a noticeable discomfort with each flash. He now had the tool to stop that but should he. He could be the hero they needed, perhaps with the help of the intersect he could win Sarah back. He didn't have to decide now.
General Beckman spoke again "Team, this makes it all the more urgent we locate Charles Bartowski and detain him. We need that governor, and if he will not provide one, I want the one off his wrist. It's important we keep Agent Larkin healthy and functioning."
The room grew silent, no one really knew what to say. It was the General that spoke again, breaking the silence.
"Agents Miller and Rizzo, I am assigning you to join Team LA to help apprehend Bartowski. Once we have him in custody, we can review your status".
Both Carina and Zondra looked at each other. Zondra was first to respond "General I respectfully decline, I am still recovering, I owe Chuck Bartowski my life, I literally have his blood running through my veins. I will not be part of this manhunt if you are just going to hunt him down, take his governor and throw him in a bunker."
"That goes for me as well," Carina chimed in. "While I don't have his blood in me, I would like other things, Chuck saved my life. He doesn't deem people as expendable, I will not be part of this."
Beckman's anger flared again, how dare these agents ignore her orders, taking a breath, she thought maybe they could help them get in contact with the former Asset, if she could talk to him, maybe get him to come in on his own, she would then have 2 intersects at her disposal. As much as she hated to admit it, Bartowski handled the intersect much better than Larkin, and could process the information much faster.
"Agents Miller & Rizzo, as you are both still recovering, I am assigning you to support Team LA as they need from Castle. Your recent contact with Bartowski could prove to be helpful. Perhaps with your help, we can communicate with Bartowski and bring him in. He must realize the Ring is looking for him, he would need help to keep himself and his family safe."
With her orders given and no apparent dissension she dismissed the group. The team decided to break for the rest of the day, while Zondra and Carina would get settled at their hotel, Sarah decided to go back to her room at Maison 23.
August 22, 2009 Sarah's Room – Maison 23 - 7:30pm
After getting back from the briefing in Castle, Sarah had gone home, went for a run, a shower, got something to eat and needed something to do. Idle time was the worst, all she could think of was Chuck. She was stunned when she heard Chuck had saved her best friend and Zondra. Then when she found out he had proved Zondra's innocence and Amy's guilt. She was mad at herself for being played so easily, and proud of Chuck for figuring out what so many others including herself had missed. Then she was just sad, she missed him. She knew she had made a mistake as soon as they tranqed him for the transport team. She really did believe it was for the best and he would be released as soon as they recovered his father and took down Fulcrum. But she realized that was foolish now, Beckman was never going to let him go, he would be stuck in the bunker until he outlived his usefulness, and then like anything obsolete would be disposed of. Her new mission was very personal, she was going to protect Chuck, she hoped she could find him, explain to everything to him, Chuck Bartowski was the most forgiving person in the world, she just wanted a chance to tell him she was trying to protect him, she loved him, she was just hoping for a chance.
While deep in thought she heard a knock at the door, she got up to answer and there stood her to former CAT Squad teammates, she invited them in.
They made their way to the couches, Carina showed the bottle of Tequila in her bag and Sarah got 3 glasses.
"Blondie, how are you?" Carina asked.
Sarah was quiet for a minute, "I should be asking both of you that?"
She continued looking at Zondra, "Z, I am so sorry, I should have trusted you, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions when I found the transmitter".
Zondra could see her former best friend struggling and she knew it was a combination of what she found out about Amy, and probably more so Chuck.
"Walker, I don"t know what happens now, but I get it, I don't like it, but I get it. What do you say we start over, it seems Carina and I might be here for a while, let's start fresh, the past is the past".
Sarah was holding back tears, she reached over and pulled Zondra into a gentle but firm hug. "Thank you" was all she could say.
Carina started, "Sarah, how are you, really?"
Sarah took a sip of her tequila, "honestly, I'm a mess. I made the biggest mistake of my life when I lied to Chuck and let them take him away. The look on his face when he realized Casey and I betrayed him. I kept telling myself it was the best way to protect him, he would be safe in a bunker, we could rescue his dad, take down Fulcrum, then while he may not be free, he would be in far less danger."
Zondra was next, "Did you really think Beckman was just going to let him go once Fulcrum was defeated? He has a lot more information in his head, even if Fulcrum was defeated, there are plenty of others who would do anything to get that information."
"I know, I realized that she wasn't going to let him go after the extraction team left with him. I hoped maybe between Casey and I we could talk her out of it, he had shown his value in the field. If that didn"t work, I…"
"You what?" Carina asked.
"She was going to find a way to get him out and go off grid, weren't you?" Zondra answered.
The look on Sarah's face gave them her answer.
There was silence for a few minutes, then Sarah asked, "How is he? You got to spend time with him, is he ok?" There was a desperation in her tone that both her friends heard, it was a tone neither had heard before from her.
Zondra started, "he was amazing in getting us out, he saved our lives, and to watch him cut through the Cartel members like that."
Sarah snapped "NO, how is he, how is my Chuck?"
Carina had seen them together before all this, so she knew what she was asking, to a sip of her own tequila. "He's ok, he seems to be doing ok. He was different from when I met him before, more guarded, not as open. He still talked a lot. Told us about everything that had happened. Told us how sick of the lying he was. While he can, he wants to help people, and told us a little of his plan to help those that need it.
Sarah, I want you to listen to this. I recorded it after Chuck had done the video explaining the side effects Bryce was heading for, he doesn't know I recorded it, but you need to hear this."
Sarah just nodded as she sat in her seat. Carina started the recording she had saved on her phone.
"Chuck, what about Sarah? You said how she 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?"
"I don't hate her."
"I don't think I can ever hate her, I love her, loved her, and I am sure a part of me will always love her."
"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, 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 pizza and beer 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 the asset. You know she was good at her job, because 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 everyday 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."
Sarah wasn't even trying to hide the tears streaming down her cheek, what had she done? She had betrayed the only man she really loved, she never told him before how she felt. He thought she played him; he was just her "asset". He didn't know how real their "cover" relationship was to her, how would he, she never told him. This was all her fault. She knew he loved her, but to hear him say love in the past tense hurt, but he also did say a part of him would love her for the rest of his life. Was there hope for her to fix this, to prove herself to him.
Sarah Walker had a new mission, she needed to show Chuck Bartowski how she felt about him, to be honest with him, and prove she was worth his love.
October 30, 2010 – Castle – 11:30 am
Team LA was gathered in Castle for a briefing with General Beckman. Carina and Zondra had been added to the team permanently after they recovered, Beckman felt they may be the key to getting Bartowski back or at least to get them closer to getting a governor for Agent Larkin. She felt Bartowski might have some trust with Agents Miller and Rizzo as opposed to the rest of Team LA. Since Bartowski had saved Agents Miller and Rizzo, Agent Larkin had slowly been getting worse with the intersect, he did not use the removal glasses, they were considered an absolute last resort, she did not want to lose her only Intersect Agent. She still held onto hope to bring Bartowski back under NSA/CIA control, of course each day that hope dimmed a little less.
Also since then they had seen the results of what was being called Team Orion, Bartowski had put together his own spy team, and as much as she hated to admit it, they were extremely successful, there wasn't a mission they had taken on that hadn't been successful. Much better than her best team was doing. They were unable to identify the other members of his team, but Bartowski made sure they knew it was him and his people. Beckman had put out a detain notice for Stephen and Charles Bartowski to every agency in the world, in the last year there were 6 different occasion where agents or operatives had an opportunity to grab Charles Bartowski, Stephen Bartowski had not been seen since escaping with his son from the Fulcrum base at Blackrock.
Each of the teams that attempted to grab Chuck all ended up needing medical attention, he made sure to never critical injure all the agents, but broken bones was not uncommon, he seemed to use just enough force to prevent them from going apprehending him. In some cases, like the grab team, he would say and give the agents medical aide before leaving. He would also always send flowers and an edible arrangement, how he knew where the injured agents were was always a question she had, but with Orion on his side, she thought she knew how. She had since removed the grab order, instead modified it to observe and follow and to contact Team LA. She hoped that any of the remaining CAT squad could get him to come in, or at least talk to them.
Sarah was sitting at the conference table, reviewing reports of the last couple of missions. Bryce was becoming a problem; his informational flashes were incomplete, or he was not able to process and interpret the information correctly. He skill flashes were there, but he seemed to be moving slower using those as he had previously, she couldn"t help but compare to the skill flashes she had seen Chuck use in some video surveillance of him and his team, and he seemed to be operating at a higher and faster level than anyone had ever seen, including Bryce. It was obvious to her that he had really mastered and had control of the intersect, he had become what everyone expected Bryce Larkin to become, a super-agent with the intersect. She missed her Nerd, she had thought about him often, hoping for the opportunity to at least talk to him, apologize, explain why and what she was thinking, and to let him know she would never let him down again, if he could give her a chance. She was also grateful, she and Zondra were closer than they had ever been, thanks to Chuck not only saving her, but providing the proof that Amy was the mole. Sarah had a lot of regret about that, but she and Zondra had decided they wanted to move forward and see if they could get back to where they were. They had and from that standpoint things were better, part of it was a mutual respect and care for a certain Nerd who in different ways, saved both their lives.
The monitor in Castle came to life showing General Beckman at her desk, the team gathered. "Team, I have been looking over the last few mission reports and am concerned, even with Agent Larkin not operating at 100%, you are all experienced agents, we need to get things fixed".
Casey was first to speak, "General, the intersect information we are getting from Larkin is incomplete or being interpreted incorrectly, we are acting on the most up to date information from the intersect. We know from the message Bartowski shared with Miller and Rizzo that the host will deteriorate without a Governor, or some way to balance the intersect, has there been any progress on creating some type of governor for Agent Larkin, if we can stop the deterioration, that should give us more accurate intel to complete our missions."
While Casey was partially right, the intersect had been degrading Bryce's brain and he was struggling. It had been obvious to both Casey and Sarah early on that Bryce could not process and analyze the information as well or as fast as Chuck. Chuck was able to see all sides and work through the information exceptionally quickly, while Bryce even early on struggled to analyze the information and come to a conclusion on what it meant, and in a lot of cases, his interpretation was not complete or correct.
General Beckman expected as much,
"Team, our scientists are working on this, but unfortunately we are not close to anything that could work. I did want to discuss another route, we want you to reach out to Chuck, see if we can convince him to provide a governor for Agent Larkin, appeal to his friendship and best interests of the country. If we can establish communication, perhaps we can work with him."
Everyone was surprised when Beckman referred to Chuck by his name, usually it was Bartowski or the Asset. Sarah would love to speak with Chuck, but they had no idea how to get a hold of him. They knew Morgan was in Hawaii, but from the surveillance, he hadn't had contact with Chuck since before he left Burbank. Ellie and Devon were doing doctors without borders, and while she knew he spoke to Ellie the night of his escape, as far as they knew they had not been in contact since. Of course, knowing Chuck, she wouldn't be surprised if he had found a way to get in touch with Ellie.
While in her thoughts, Bryce spoke up "Ma'am, how do you propose we do that? We have been looking for him for over a year, and when a team does get close, they end up in the infirmary."
Before Beckman could speak, Carina spoke up. "General, I may have a way, Chuck left us a way to get a message to him, but I don't know if he'll respond."
"What?" Beckman barked. "Why haven't you mentioned this before Agent Miller?" anger rising in the General.
"Ma'am, we have checked the number, but it cannot be traced. With Chuck's computer abilities and the intersect, he made sure we couldn't track him. He gave this number in case we were in trouble and needed help. We weren't expendable in his eyes, and this was his way to make sure we always had support".
The last bit of that comment was meant for the General, and how she and Zondra had been left out on their own.
Beckman decided to back down, she knew Agents Rizzo and Miller felt a loyalty to Bartowski for what he did in Columbia. She thought leaving them on the team would help her track down Bartowski and bring him in. While she was angry and would worry about this later, this was the only way to open a line of communication with Team Orion.
"Agent Miller, while I am not happy you kept this from us, I need you to send a message to Chuck, ask him if we can meet, or at least see if he will agree to a video conference?"
"General, Zondra and I will need to be present, or Chuck will not agree. He made it clear he was aware of Team LA during our last encounter, and there isn't much good will with the 4 of you and Chuck." Carina finished.
The General exhaled, "I expected as much, reach out to the Asse…Reach out to Chuck and see if you can get him to agree to speak with us. Let me know once you hear back. That will be all." The screen went dark as Beckman ended the meeting.
The room was quiet, Sarah was feeling all sorts of emotions, but to hear Carina had a way to contact Chuck and didn't tell her, she was not happy.
"Carina, you had a way to get in contact with Chuck and didn't tell me?" Sarah barked, the rest of the room turned to look at the fiery Redhead.
"Chuck gave me this number in case we got into trouble. He is one of the few people in this world I trust, he saved my and Zondra's life when no one else was coming. He asked me to keep it to myself, so I respected his wishes''. She barked back.
Casey grunted.
While Bryce seemed to be processing all the information. He really regretted ever sending the intersect to Chuck for a lot of reasons, but mostly and selfishly he lost Sarah. While he thought Chuck was a great guy, he never would have thought she would be interested in Chuck. Even the last year, she has shown no interest in rekindling what they once had, he had thought she would have left with him that Thanksgiving when he came back. As much as he may never admit it out loud, he had lost her to Chuck, and that was his biggest regret for sending the intersect to Chuck.
Carina got to work and sent a long text to the number Chuck had given her, she didn't want him to be surprised, so she actually sent a series of text explaining what General Beckman wanted and to contact them if he agreed to meet and when.
All that was left was to see if he would respond. This was going to be fun.