A/N: Hi All, thanks for all the comments and feedback. A day late sorry, was sick last week and had to make up some work. The journey continues. Again feedback is appreciated.
No Beta, all errors are my own.
I don't own Chuck / Nor have any rights to characters portrayed
Chapter 12
November 8, 2010 – Talus – Hayes Compound – 5:00 pm
Chuck was now standing in the main room of Talus, Team Orion's operations center, around the table was all of Team Orion, Link, Ziva, Jimmy, Morgan, Anna, Ellie, Devon, and Steven. He would update the team on the call with Beckman and Team LA, then they could update their families as they wanted.
"Ok, as you all know I spoke with Beckman and her intersect team, Team LA earlier today. As we expected, they wanted a governor. When I made it clear that we would not provide a governor now or at any time in the future, they didn't expect that. Tried to play off the fact Larkin and I were friends and roommates once."
Link spoke up, "let me guess, next they wanted you to join their team and work with them".
Chuck smirked, "yes, Beckman said I could come back to the team and all my past crimes and transgressions would be 'forgiven'. I declined her offer, reminding her they need us in the fight against the Ring, and the only way I would work with them is if we did as a team, it was all or nothing."
Morgan chimed in, "how did that go over? From what you have said, she doesn't like push back."
Jimmy spoke next "She's a General Morg, and head of the NSA, other than the President and a few select others, not many people tell her No. I wish I could have seen her face."
Chuck hit the remote and, on the screen, Beckman appeared, looking like she had just tasted something incredibly sour.
The team laughed at the site, then got back to business.
Chuck started up again "she wanted us to, as a 'token of good faith', run a mission for her to prove our worth. I reminded her she had plenty of evidence of our worth and we would not. I laid out what we had discussed prior to the call and gave her 48 hours to accept or move on."
Ziva, who had been quiet, was next to speak. "Chuck, we know it won't be that simple, she is the head of the NSA and at some point, an incredibly good spy herself. You know even if she 'accepts' our terms, it won't be that simple."
"I know, I expect her to throw a few wrinkles at us. Her goal is to get a governor from us. Ellie and my father are making adjustments to the governor, basically if it's not me, not my customized version of the intersect, it won't work. My governor can't help Bryce, we would need to build him his own, but it can serve as the blueprint. Beckman and Team LA don't know that part, I didn't mention it to Carina and Zondra or on the call."
With that Ellie took over "Chuck's intersect is an expanded version of the original information only. The update with the skills was done with my input, so the intersect Chuck has has been updated to be more organic, to store information in the proper places in the brain. That is why if Chuck flashes on something enough, he remembers it as though he learned it. With the government intersect that Larkin has, it only stores the information in the short term memory, why Larkin, no matter how many times he might flash on a skill, it won't last. The government didn't bring in a neurologist, their intersect is still built treating the brain more like a computer than an organ, they haven't adjusted it since the first version Chuck uploaded. That's part of the reason Larkin is deteriorating, he needs to remove it or get a governor to control the brain electrical impulses when flashing. Eventually it will cause memory issues, irritability, confusion, pain. IN a worst-case situation, it could cause an aneurysm, and if it bursts, kill him." She finished.
"What about Chuck, if he doesn't have the governor, will he be hurt if he needs to flash?" Anna, who had been quiet at this point, spoke up.
"No," Ellie answered. "Not for a while anyway. A lot of the skills Chuck would have to use, at this point have been imprinted in his brain already, so for those, Chuck isn't really accessing the intersect, but his own memory. If he had to flash on something he hasn't before, there would be slight strain, but it would be while before it would hurt him. Plenty of time for us to get him out if they had taken him." Ellie answered confidently.
Ziva was next, "What do expect Beckman to come back with?"
Chuck again took the lead, "based on my and my father's discussion and experience, we assume she will try to embed Team LA with us, at the very least a couple of Team LA. I will come back requesting it be Zondra and Carina because they feel they owe me from Colombia, and while I won't say I trust them, I don't think they will turn on us. Beckman maybe a lying bitch, but she isn't stupid. She might allow one, but she will insist on another other than Carina or Zondra. That leaves Casey and Walker. I have already told her Bryce is to remain at Castle, with the intersect giving him problems, he will be a determinant in the field, she'll push back, so on he may end up in the van."
Morgan, knowing both Sarah and Casey himself, "what do we do with one of them in the field?"
"If it comes to a need to physically take them down, with the intersect I am not worried. But they have both proven they follow orders, so we need to be cognizant of that. They each will be paired with one of us, so the rest of the team need s to monitor them closely. Depending on the mission, I may require them to be searched for tranqs unless we authorize them to carry them for a mission."
"Do you trust them on a mission Chuck?" Ziva asked.
"Prior to our last? I did, although I suppose I wasn't part of that mission. They will follow our mission parameters, or we'll send them back to the van or Castle with Larkin." Chuck answered.
"The thing we need to be aware of is what orders they have from Beckman, one of my conditions for Beckman to work with them is we plan the missions, and we have the lead. All she gives us is time, target, and desired outcome. We are not planning this with Team LA, its our plan they help execute."
"And she went for that?" Link asked.
"We'll see in about 43 hours or less," Chuck replied.
"Ok, that's all I got for now, let's grab dinner. As we wait for Beckman's answer, please review the files on the team folder on Agents Walker, Larkin, Casey, Miller, and Rizzo. As I said, I don't see us having to worry about Rizzo and Miller, but we should be prepared for the worst case scenario. Larkin I can guarantee will try to insert himself somewhere, he needs to be a hero and show everyone how much better he is than me. Walker and Casey, I'm not sure what they will do, so we need to be prepared. I will let you know when I hear back from Beckman but be ready to fly to LA in a couple of days to prepare for a mission. Morgan, find us a few different options to stay and prep, we will not go to Castle under any circumstances. Let's go and grab some dinner. I heard we're having shrimp tonight and I am starved." Chuck ended the meeting with a smile, and they all dispersed and headed up the stairs.
Steven stayed back thinking to himself. He was impressed with his son's control, or outward appearance of it. When Chuck first suggested this plan after taking down Fulcrum, he was apprehensive, he never wanted his life for his son, or daughter. But Chuck has put the plan into motion and has developed into a great leader. While all of them played a role, despite his constant denial, Chuck was their leader, and they would all follow him to hell and back.
He knew what it was like to love a spy, and while Mary hadn't betrayed him in the same way Sarah did Chuck. Choosing the job over her family was a betrayal all its own. He hasn't been much of a father to Ellie and Chuck, but he vowed to be here for his kids now.
November 8, 2010 – Hayes Compound – 6:00 pm
Dinner was a quiet affair, mostly listening to Jimmy's kids and Link's daughter tell the group about their days. It had become somewhat of a tradition, while not every night, more often than not, when not on mission the entire team and their families would meet in the main dining room of the main house for dinner. Some nights they would grill, others more like tonight were closer to sit down type meals. Everyone helped whether on prepping, cooking, or cleanup. Most nights the main chef was Ellie or Morgan, they both had their specialties and worked well off each other.
Chuck looked around the table, it reminded him somewhat of the dinners at Casa Bartowski, when Sarah and Casey would join them for dinner. This was different though, there were no secrets, everyone was open and communicating, they were in this together.
Ziva was the one who noticed Chuck's far off look in his face.
"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked.
Chuck seemed to come back to reality. "I don't think they're worth that much". He quipped.
"Are you ok? You seem deep in thought", she asked.
"I'll be fine, thanks." Chuck said.
"I'm here if you need anything, or just want someone to talk to." She said, meaning it.
Chuck smiled. He and Ziva had become close, while she was a beautiful woman, she felt more like a sister, not like Ellie, more like an annoying younger sister, but she was always looking out for her 'big brother'.
As dinner ended, the kids were off to play their games and do their homework, the adults cleaned up, and everyone was off to their rooms or guest houses to follow their nightly routine. Chuck had covered everything he wanted to about the call with Beckman and Team LA. They had an idea what she would come back with. They would know how they would respond.
November 10, 2010 – Castle – 12:15 pm
Team LA had been waiting for the update from Beckman on how they were going to proceed with Team Orion. Beckman had told them to be ready, as she took the 48 hours to try and come up with a plan that was better for her.
Beckman's original plan to get Bartowski alone and capture him or the governor was no longer an option. He was determined to use 'his team', that wouldn't work for her. Both Casey and Walker had shown their loyalty when they tranqed him for transport to the bunker. She wasn't so sure Rizzo or Miller would follow orders as well. Bartowski had made it clear he would not work with Larkin like she had hoped. She would have to make sure Walker and Casey got embedded with Bartowski's team to get him back under her control.
Team LA was in Castle, waiting to hear from the General before they had their second video call with Chuck Bartowski. Going over all the files they had, Team Orion was impressive, they couldn't identify the team via video or surveillance, it was thought Orion had something to do with that.
Sarah was looking forward to seeing Chuck again, even if it was just via video. She was hoping they could work something out so she could see him again in person. She wanted to be attached to Chuck's team, she thought that would give her the best chance to talk to Chuck. All she needed was a chance to speak with him alone, she had always been able to make him understand her job, and why she had to do certain things. She was convinced with enough time, she would be able to do that now, she just needed the chance.
November 10, 2010 – Castle – 12:50 pm
The main screen came online, and General Beckman was sitting there with her familiar scowl on her face. "Team, we will be meeting with Bartowski in about 10 minutes, the plan is to get as much of our team embedded with his Team Orion for this next mission. We will have to allow Team Orion to plan the mission, but I want to be sure you have a plan in place when there's fails."
Casey surprisingly was the first to respond "Ma'am, why do you think their plan will fail, from everything we have seen, as much as I may not want to admit it, Bartowski is smart, and his team has been highly effective. Why are you so sure their plan would fail?"
"It's Bartowski, his luck will run out, he is no spy," Beckman snapped back.
Carina spoke up, "General, I think that's been the problem, it seems you have underestimated Chuck from the beginning, maybe if you hadn't, we wouldn't be in the position we are now?"
"Enough" Beckman scolded, "come up with an alternative plan in case Team Orion is not successful, we will provide more details, it will be to capture a suspected Ring operative for interrogation. The party will be Saturday, so you have a little over 2 days to plan."
As Beckman finished barking her orders, a second window popped up on the screen showing Chuck Bartowski, right on time for a change. He was still tan, wearing a Tommy Bahama polo shirt, surprisingly looking relaxed.
"Diane, Agents have we come to a decision on the proposal we discussed". Chuck greeted.
"Mr. Bartowski" the General started; this was her chance to rework his proposal to put her team in control.
"We have reviewed, and I am not sure you have thought this out. Team LA is made up of some of the best agents in the espionage world, I think integrating you into Team LA would be a more beneficial path". Beckman started.
"Diane, if that's how you feel, this meeting is over. Good luck, you're going to need it".
As Chuck was about to press the button to disconnect,
"WAIT" the General shouted.
"Diane, I made it clear, this is not a negotiation. You need Team Orion's help. We are willing to work with you, but under our terms. We lead and plan the mission, its me and my team on point, you will PAY us for our work, and we get the pardons and are allowed to walk away, no questions asked when this is done. I will suppress the intersect in my head, and I WILL NEVER hear from you again."
"Chuck," she started.
"Enough with the Bullshit Diane, you can call me Mr. Bartowski, although in essence you people have killed him, but for our purposes Mr. Bartowski will do." Chuck shot back. He was tired of this spy bullshit, and he was really tired of Diane Beckman.
"Ok, we will meet your stipulations, for any op, we do need at least 2 members of Team LA in on any operation. They are federal agents after all, and you are not."
"You can deputize my team, that will take care of any issue there". Chuck shot back quickly.
"No, Mr. Bartowski, even if we were to do that, I would still stipulate that."
Chuck expected something like this, and he was fine with it. This was like a game of chess, he had anticipated this crap from Beckman, but he knew his people were prepared to handle this.
"Ok, Agents Rizzo and Miller can be embedded with Team Orion for the duration of our working relationship."
Sarah was hurt, she had hoped Chuck would ask for her, that he wanted to spend time with her. She missed just spending time with him, even when he was bantering about some movie or video game.
Beckman shot back "While Agent Miller or Rizzo can be one of the Team LA reps, I would require one of the other agents to be the second. I also want to rotate to see which we can see is the best working fit. While Agent Rizzo or Miller can be one for a particular operation, the other needs to be either Agents Larkin, Walker, or Colonial Casey."
Chuck expected this as well, she wasn't as smart as she thought she was.
"Ok, we will tell which agents are part of each op during our planning phase. You're right, we might need a good bartender for one and Colonial Casey sure can mix a mean martini." Chuck said with a smirk on his face, eliciting an angry grunt from Casey.
Beckman thought this was going well, so she pushed for more. "I would also like Agent Larkin in the field with you, your experience with the intersect and obvious similarities to what your intersect can do could be a great benefit."
Again, not a surprise Beckman was trying to get Bryce in the field. She still thinks her intersect is better than his.
"Larkin can monitor from Castle or in some cases, the van. He is strictly support, he is to stay in the van with whichever member of Team Orion is there, and he will follow my team's orders, or we will tranq him." Chuck finished.
Bryce didn't like that at all, he was the intersect agent. "Chuck," he started.
"Shut the fuck up Larkin, no one is talking to you. You WILL follow orders, or we will have you detained prior to every mission so not to put any of my or your team in jeopardy. You should have used the glasses I sent. You're not reliable, you freelance, you can't process data quickly enough" Chuck was going on when Bryce shot back.
"Aren't you the big bad intersect now Chuck, huh. Look at you, Mr. Big Shot now, you're so tough. I'm an agent, I have years of experience. While you were sitting at the Nerd Herd Desk, helping grandmothers learn how to use a Webcam, Sarah and I were out making a difference, stopping bad people from blowing up other people. I am damn hero, and you're going to treat me like I am Morgan Grimes, we don't need him, you do NEED ME."
Chuck was chuckling. "You know, it's all about you isn't Larkin. You are such a great agent, you save the day. You have had everything handed to you your whole life. You don't know what it's like to have to work for something. You know the difference between you and Morgan, Morgan works hard, Morgan can be counted on, Morgan listens, Morgan won't betray you. I can't say any of that about you or your team."
The temperature felt like it dropped about 50 degrees.
"Bryce you want to compare Intersects, we can do that. I won't hold back, and when you can't walk, we won't have to worry about you being able to leave the van and interfere with a mission. You WILL follow my and my team's orders or you will be placed in a holding cell. Period. And if something you do gets anyone hurt on one of our missions, we'll see just how good you think you are." Chuck finished with venom in his voice.
"Are you threatening me?" Bryce asked, not believing Chuck of all people could do so.
"You bet your ass I am. Now shut the hell up and let the grown-ups finish their discussion. Diane, you really need to get a muzzle for your dog." Chuck ended.
Despite the serious tone of the last back and forth, both Carina and Zondra giggled at the muzzle comment, even Casey grunted in the affirmative.
"Let's get back on track," Beckman interjected. "Agent Larkin, shut up."
"Ok Diane, we will integrate 2 of Team LA into our mission planning each time. However, any of your team does not follow our orders, they will not be used in future missions. And Diane, quit trying to outsmart me, trying to have Larkin, Casey or Walker, what get me alone to tranq me or steal my governor. If any of this bullshit is attempted, my team and I will use appropriate force to subdue whoever tries it and are not responsible for any injuries they may receive. You need my team's help, play these bull shit games, and you will not have it. Do you understand?"
This had turned a direction Beckman did not like, she had managed to get 2 agents embedded for ops, but Larkin's ego threw things into a mess, she didn't have any choice but to agree to Bartowski's terms. She could see a way to get the governor or Bartowski at a later point.
"I understand Bartowski and agree to your terms. We have sent the pardon request to the White House Chief of Staff's office. While those are in process, we do have a mission. This Saturday we need you and your combined team to attend a charity function where we believe a CIA Agent who is also a Ring Operative will be attending. We need you and your team to identify and capture the Ring Operative as well as identify any other possible Ring Associates. The party will be held at the Intercontinental in LA. You and your team can come to LA and work out of Castle." Beckman stated. Getting his team in Castle would give Team LA a home field advantage to try and get Bartowski or the watch.
"Thanks Diane, but I think Castle is a little stuffy. Not so great memories, maybe the lack of windows. My team and I will be in LA by Friday, and we will let Team LA know where and when to meet us to go over the plan."
"Bartowski, Castle is a secure facility, due to the sensitive nature of the mission, I insist you use Castle." This was not going how she thought, of course most of this 'negotiation' hadn't gone as she thought.
"No Diane, we will be secure, but we will tell your team where to meet. We will not be using Castle. I will be in touch in 24-48 hours with a meeting location to go over the preliminary plan for the mission. Bartowski out."
The screen went blank, and in all of the confusion and in Beckman and Larkin's case, angry faces remained. It was Zondra who spoke first, "well, I guess we wait on Chuck."
Sarah was stunned, excited, confused, and a bunch of other emotions. She was going to get to see Chuck in person and be in the same room. Maybe she could get him to talk after the mission brief. She was keeping the good thoughts; she did not know what she would do if he wouldn't talk to her. Hopefully that won't happen.
November 10, 2010 – Talus – The Compound – 2:30pm
All members of Team Orion were gathered around the main conference room. Chuck had shared the results of the meeting with Beckman and Team LA, nothing was a surprise, as they had discussed after the first video call, this was expected.
"So, what are we doing?" Link asked.
"Morgan, we need hotel accommodations, I want you to make reservations at several, including the Intercontinental. I do not want Beckman to figure out where we are staying, so I want options. Also, make sure one of our LA safe houses is available in case we need it."
"On it, Chuck." Morgan replied.
Ziva asked "Where are we going to meet and go over the mission with Team LA. I agree, we shouldn't go to Castle, that will give them an advantage."
"I agree, we can use one of the hotel suites Morgan gets. We can secure it from all electronic communication and do regular sweeps. With Orion's jammer, I am not worried about sensitive information getting out.
Ok, the next part, for this mission Link, Ziva, Morgan, Jimmy, and I. Devon will come along as medical support." Chuck finished.
"CHUCK, you are not leaving me here, I am going with you to let John Casey, Bryce Larkin, and especially SARAH WALKER know how I feel." Ellie said in no uncertain terms.
"El, this is going to be hard enough between completing the mission, and watching our backs with them. You confronting them does us no good. We need to stay calm and focused. Plus, I wouldn't put it past Beckman to try and grab you to use you as leverage. Remember, Devon and Ellie Woodcomb are in Africa doing Doctors without Borders, no need to let them know you're here. Devon will not be known to Team LA unless we need his medical help."
Ellie let out a huff, while she was angry and wanted to let the federal government know what she thought, she understood Chuck's thinking. He had more experience dealing with them.
"El, it's important to keep you and dad as far away from them as possible. We don't know how desperate Beckman feels, she was going to kill me or stash me in a bunker, I am not going to take that risk with any of us, but you or dad especially.
I think you all know this, but I am going to say it anyway. If you are captured, whether it be by our own government or an enemy. Give me up, tell them what they want. I don't want anyone tortured to get to me. Tell them what they want, don't worry about me. Don't be a hero. Also, I want you all to know, if you're taken, I WILL come for you, and won't stop till we get you back.
You're all family, and as El and I like to say, you can't go too far for family."
The room was silent taking in what Chuck had just said.
Ziva broke the silence, "And if they take you Chuck, we will come for you." The rest of the room all nodded all understanding the impact of the promise that was shared with every member of Team Orion.
Bringing everyone back to the moment, Chuck started. " We will meet with Team LA on Friday with the plan, Morgan and Anna, please get all the information you can about the party booked for the ballroom for Saturday night and see if you can find a guest list. Anna, try to get hacked into the hotel surveillance by Friday, then we'll know if we need to add our own micro cameras to cover blind spots.
When we meet with Team LA, Jimmy and Devon you will not be part of that meeting. Devon, as mentioned, I only want you exposed if we need medical help, otherwise they still don't know you and Ellie aren't in Africa."
Devon nodded, understanding the logic.
"Jimmy, you're the backup, if they try to make a move on us, we may need you to come in. We will have both of you close, if need be, but stay out of sight. Please keep in mind, they are spies and the best, so we need to be extra careful. If you need more help, we have a list of contractors or former operators who owe us or freelance, if need be, call them. "
"Copy that, Chuck." Jimmy answered.
"For Link, Ziva, Morgan and I will work and meet directly with Team LA. That will put us outnumbered. Morg, Larkin will be in the van with you. Don't try to fight him if it comes to it. He is an intersect, and even if it isn't working, he is a trained and experienced agent, so keep your head about you. Will have you loaded up with tranq gun and tranq pen, he shouldn't know about the pen, just in case."
"Got it Chuck."
"As for the actual mission, as expected Beckman insisted on at least 2 agents working with us. We're going to surprise her and take 3. I am going to have Casey as bar staff. Ziva, you and Link will be paired together as a couple at the party."
"What about you Chuck?" Link asked.
"For this mission we will use Walker and Zondra. I will be paired with one while the other works the room as a single. We'll have Larkin on comms, and between him and I, we should be able to flash on all Ring agents there. Anna, will feed you and Orion the information to run and save in our systems for any relevant real time information we might need that might not be in the intersect."
"On it Chuck." Anna answered. "Sounds good son." Steven answered.
"Who are you going to be paired with Chuck?" It was Ellie who had the courage to ask the question everyone in the room was thinking.
Chuck was quiet, obviously thinking.
"I don't know yet. It might be time to rip the band aid off, might not, I'll decide before we go to the party, it will not affect the plan, so it doesn't matter."
Everyone knew it did matter, but noone wanted to push it at this point.
November 11, 2010 – Chuck's house – Hayes Compound – 1:00 pm
Chuck had just come in from a swim with Rex. The team was gearing up to take off for LA later this afternoon. Aside from packing his mission bag, all the gear had been assembled and was on its way to the jet. Chuck showered outside and then used the hose to wash all the salt water off of Rex. Making his way inside, he toweled off and saw Ellie sitting on his couch.
"I have got to get better locks." Chuck joked with a smirk seeing his big sister in his house.
"Ha Ha", Ellie replied sarcastically.
"What can I do for you sis?" Chuck asked, having a pretty good idea what she was doing there.
Before she could start, Chuck answered partially for her, "don't worry El, I will do everything I can to keep them from knowing you and Devon are working with us. I will only bring Devon in in an absolute emergency."
"I know you will Chuck, but that's only partially why I'm here and you know it." She stated.
"Are you going to be ok, working with those people, that woman?"
Chuck took a deep breath.
"I have to be, don't I? There not going away, we figured this would happen at some point. At least now they are paying us for doing their job." Chuck joked.
"It's not funny Chuck, every one of those people betrayed you at one point or another. Bryce that asshole, with Stanford and sending you the Intersect. Casey enslaving you to the government. And Sarah, I can't believe she especially betrayed you the way she did. The way she looked at you, I was sure that she cared about you, loved you. How could she do that to someone she cared about. I thought she was my friend. How can you work with them and trust them to not try to take you in."? Ellie finished, obviously upset.
Chuck took a minute, then spoke, "I don't trust them, that's why I am bringing our team with me. They'll watch my back. The sooner we can eliminate the Ring, the sooner I can remove the intersect and move on with my life."
"What about Sarah, Chuck? I know how you felt about her, how are you going to handle it?" Ellie asked concerned.
"What do you want me to say El, I love her, I do, did, I don't know. Look, you know it was a cover, but it was real for me. I thought, there were times I thought it might be real for her too."
Chuck stopped, took a breath.
"I don't know how you can do what she did to a friend, I at least thought we were friends. A part of me will always love her, but I need to get through this, get the intersect out of my head before I can move on from all this."
Ellie felt for her brother, she knew he loved Sarah, she couldn't imagine what she would do in his situation.
"You'll figure it out Chuck, you always do. One thing I will always be grateful to her for, is she reminded you, you could do anything. You lost that after Stanford, I will never always appreciate that.
Be safe Chuck. As much as I might hate it, you're good at this spy thing. I love you." Ellie ended.
With that Ellie got up, gave her little brother a hug and headed out.
"Love you to El, thanks."
November 11, 2010 – Millennium Falcon – Over the pacific in route to LA – 7:00 pm
The traveling Team Orion of Chuck, Link, Ziva, Morgan, and Devon were sitting in the cabin talking. Jimmy was at the controls, Chuck had come back from sitting in the co-pilot seat for takeoff to speak with Jimmy and make sure he was up to speed on everything, and Chuck wanted to do a bit of flying to clear his mind. Even though Jimmy was the pilot for the team, Chuck had really started to love to fly since he learned through the intersect, so whenever he had a chance, he loved to take the controls for a bit. Chuck was reminding the team to focus on the plan and to also familiarize themselves with the files on Team LA, especially Larkin, Casey, and Walker. Chuck was less concerned about Zondra and Carina, but they had put together files on them as well to be thorough. Chuck had warned both Morgan and Devon, even though they knew Casey and Sarah, they never really knew them, so they needed to stay aware if and when they were around them.
The rest of the flight was rather quiet, the teammates either reading up on the Team LA dossiers or just relaxing until they landed. Once on the ground, they would separate into 2 groups, Jimmy and Devon would take one SUV and head to their hotel, while Chuck, Morgan, Ziva, and Link would take the other SUV to a different hotel. Morgan, who ran logistics for the team, did a great job of having hotels and vehicles ready and waiting when needed.
The flight landed at a smaller airfield just outside LA. Morgan had arranged for a ground crew and private hangar to hide the Falcon and make sure it was fueled up and ready to go in case Team Orion had to take off in a hurry. Chuck and his team headed to the Ritz-Carlton while Jimmy and Devon headed to the Four Seasons.
Once at the Ritz Carlton, Chuck checked in under the Carmichael alias, as they 'working' with Team LA, didn't want to blow one of his other cover ids unless he had to. The team was brought to an executive suite with 4 bedrooms, a dining and living room type area, as well as a stocked kitchen. This is where they would meet with Team LA and be based out of, or at least Team LA would think they would be for the duration of their stay in LA.
After they got settled, they ordered a late room service and Chuck shared stories of his experiences working with Casey and Sarah, hoping for them to get a feel for what to expect. The team finished their meals and Chuck decided to head to bed, tomorrow was going to be a long day.
November 12, 2010 – Castle – 12:00 pm
Sarah had been unable to sleep, so she came into Castle to burn off some of her energy. She had a mix of excitement/nervous/terror. At 3 pm today she and the rest of Team LA were going to see Chuck for the first time in over 18 months. She had already spent hours hitting the heavy bag trying to calm her nerves, now she was in the firing range going through hundreds of rounds, but still with that nervous feeling.
Carina came down and saw her friend, she had stopped by her Maison 23 earlier in the day and knew Sarah wasn't there and figured she was here. She knew she still was beating up herself for what she did to Chuck, and quite frankly she could understand why. Spies don't fall in love; they burn and betray assets all the time. But this was different, and Carina knew it. Just the little she knew Chuck, she could see why it bothered Sarah so much, it would bother Carina and she didn't love Chuck, and she knew Sarah did. She knew she did when she first saw them together for the Alahi mission. Carina, Zondra, and Sarah had gotten closer since they had been assigned to Team LA. She was glad they could be there for Sarah, Sarah needed someone to talk to, and she was glad she and Zondra could be there. Bryce still hadn't stopped trying to get into bed, and Casey was, well Casey. She knew Sarah had a tough life growing up, although not the specifics. When she saw Sarah with Chuck, she saw a brightness, happiness in her friend she had never seen before. She understood why Sarah did what she did, if she was honest with herself, before Colombia, she would have done the same thing. But after what Chuck did for them, she knew she couldn't. From what Sarah had told her and Zondra, Chuck had been doing similar things for she and Casey for a couple of years.
She walked down the stairs of Castle and heard the heavy bag being pummeled. She knew Sarah had to be nervous about seeing Chuck again. She knew she regretted what she had done and just wanted to talk to him. Carina also knew from her time with Chuck in Colombia, he still cared for Sarah, would he be able to forgive her enough to give her a chance? She just didn't know.
"Hey blondie, what did that bag ever do to you?" Carina started.
"Hey red, just getting a workout in, what's up?"
"Come on Blondie, we both know it's more than that. You're nervous about seeing Chuckles again. You can try lying to me, but we both know it's true. Remember, Z and I have been here for a while.
You know, it's ok to be nervous, last time you saw each other it didn't go well. I can tell you; he still cares about you; you heard our conversation in Colombia."
Sarah stopped pummeling the bag and looked at her friend. "I did, but he also said he couldn't trust me, and he's right, how can he? If I were him, I wouldn't trust me.
Carina the first night we went out, when I was trying to determine he had the intersect information. We went out, and he wasn't smooth, but he was cute, funny, just a nice guy. The night went on, and he ended up saving all of us by defusing bomb with a porn virus. He left and I followed him to the beach, in Malibu. Here's this nice guy, through no fault of his own, has this thing dumped in his head. He sat there the rest of the night, just looking out at the ocean trying to make sense of all this. When the sun came up I finally went over to him, I wanted to check on him, make sure he was ok or as ok as he could be.
Carina, I asked him to trust me, and even though he had absolutely no reason to, he did. For 2 years he trusted me and as time went on, I wanted to earn and deserve that trust. Then, like it was nothing, I threw his trust away for the greater good."
"Sarah, it's our training, we use assets and throw them away."
"CHUCK IS SO MUCH MORE THAN AN ASSET TO ME." Sarah shouted back with tears streaming down her face. The guilt resurfacing.
Carina gave her a minute and simply said 'I know."
"What do I do C?"
"Sarah, be honest with him. It looks like we are going to be working with him and his team for a while. You need to be patient, and when you have a chance, just be honest."
"But what if he doesn't want to hear it, what if he won't give me another chance?"
"Sarah, I just don't know. If he will or will not forgive you. But you need to think about what's important to you. You didn't choose this life like the rest of us, you were forced.
Graham's dead. It's up to you what you do from here.
The Sarah Walker I know doesn't fail her missions, if you really want Chuck back, make that your mission."
Sarah was listening to her friend, she didn't fail missions, but she didn't want to think of Chuck as a mission. But Carina was right, her future was up to her.
"Ok, go clean up, you and I are going to get some lunch before we go and meet Team Orion." With that Carina through a workout towel at Sarah, who caught it and headed to the women's locker room.
November 12, 2010 – Ritz Carlton Hotel- Suite 1202 – 2:45 pm
Chuck had started the day with a run and room service breakfast with the rest of Team Orion. Most of the morning and early afternoon outwardly seemed fine, but as the clock got closer to 3 pm and the meeting with Team LA, he was getting more uncomfortable, not nervous per se, but uncomfortable. He would be seeing the original Team Bartowski in person for the first time in over 18 months. And of course, that ass hat Bryce Larkin. He was almost hoping Larkin would do something stupid and they could have a battle of the intersects and get it over with. He had a feeling this would be an underlying issue with this partnership with Team LA.
All his teammates had checked on him, both Ziva and Link had mentioned their support, as had Jimmy and Devon via phone calls and text. When he checked in with Team Orion back at Talus they also were encouraging. It was Morgan Grimes, his best friend who pulled him aside earlier. He knew his friend and he knew he was struggling.
"Chuck, how are you doing buddy?" Morgan asked.
"Hey buddy, doing ok, why do you ask?" Chuck answered, trying to play it off like he was fine.
"Really?" was all Morgan asked.
The look on Morgan's face, Chuck couldn't help but grin.
"Ok, I, I don't know how to describe it, not really nervous, but more, I guess, uncomfortable. It's been a long time since I have seen them, Carina and Zondra I am actually looking forward to seeing, making sure they are ok. But Casey, Larkin, and Walker, all 3 at some point have betrayed me in one way or another."
"What about Sarah, buddy?"
"What about her?"
'Really." Morgan asked again, a little more incredulous.
"What do you want me to say? I thought she was perfect, I thought I had found the one, she's smart, beautiful, fun, amazing. And she seemed to like me, Chuck Bartowski.
Then, you find out she was just doing her job. She was paid to get me to fall for her, paid to spend time with me, paid to lie to me. That none of it is real. She asked me to trust her, but she never trusted me. She only told me what I wanted to hear. The only real things I ever found out about her were either by accident or from someone else.
Remember that first game night when it was you, me, Ellie, Devon, and Sarah. You know, afterwards, when I was walking her to her car, I made a comment about how I wished I could use the intersect to learn about her. She said I could just ask her."
"So, what did you ask?" Morgan wondered.
"I asked about what her relationship had been with Bryce. Considering what he did to me at Stanford and sending me the intersect, I thought it was fair to have an idea what their relationship was. You know what she told me.
'Well, we were partners, but not really friends.'
I took that to mean professional partners, but I know now I was just wishing. Of course, she and Bryce were lovers, I may not have known her, but I knew Bryce. No way he wouldn't be able to not sleep with her."
"How did you figure out the truth?"
Chuck didn't want to get into this, knowing the crush Morgan had and might still have on Carina, but he went on.
"The night of our 'double date', Carina called the Nerd Herd after hours support. Saying she had an emergency with her computer. I was the on-call Nerd Herder, so I went to her hotel. Needless to say, she didn't have an issue with the computer, didn't even have one. She was trying to seduce me, apparently she and Sarah have a contest to shag anyone the other might be working or interested in."
"Dude, you banged Carina when you knew how I felt about her?" Morgan asked, not meaning to sound hurt.
"NO! Of course not. One, I would never do that to you, second, I was falling for Sarah and would never have done anything to jeopardize that.' Chuck stated emphatically.
Morgan looked at his friend, "Sorry Chuck, I know you wouldn't. So, what happened with Carina?"
"When she was trying to seduce me, she mentioned Sarah and Bryce, it was when we still thought Bryce was dead, she mentioned he had been her boyfriend.
As you can imagine, I didn't take it well, crushed might be a better word for it.
The next day, I was at the Weinerlicous for a 'briefing' on the Alahi mission later that day. She could tell something was bothering me and was insistent, I mentioned what Carina had said last night. I should have realized when she was getting upset I saw Carina without her. She had just told me you couldn't believe Carina, but when I mentioned Carina had said something about her and Bryce being together, the look on her face confirmed my worst thought. She still didn't admit it, she simply said 'it's complicated'.
You know, after the mission I apologized to her. I had been distracted during the mission, but we got it done in the end. Told her, her and Bryce were none of my business. I just wanted to know 1 true thing about her. Wouldn't even give me that, just sat there in silence, until I went and got the pizza."
Morgan could hear the pain in his friend's voice, he knew today was going to be hard.
Chuck continued, 'She was just doing her job. What kind of person can do that to people? She should be an actress, she fooled me."
"What if she wasn't acting?" Morgan chimed in. "From the short time we have been working together, some of the people we've helped, in talking with Ziva, maybe she wasn't acting, maybe she really was developing feelings for you(?)"
"Morgan"
"Hear me out, we know she has been doing this a long time, and before the CIA she was helping her father, the con artist. That girl has not had 1 minute of normal in her life. Maybe, just maybe you started to show her another life she didn't know existed. Maybe you made her want to want more out of life. I know you've heard me say before Chuck, but the way she would look at you when she thought no one else was watching. I have a hard time believing that was all fake. Remember what Carina said, Carina knows her better than any of us." Morgan finished.
"Let me ask you this Morgan, if what you're saying is remotely true, how could she do what she did, basically send me to jail for the rest of my life. Sarah is one of the smartest people I know, she had to know I would never get out of the bunker." Chuck said.
"I don't know buddy, only she can answer that. Maybe after the mission you talk, just you and her"
"And what if she won't answer or just continues lying to me?"
"Then you'll know for sure and can quit wondering. You can move on. Look Chuck, we all love you and bringing us together doing important things. But you're not happy, we know the dogs spend time with you because you're lonely, because you have these unanswered questions, a lot like Stanford. You need those questions answered so you can move on one way or another.
They should be here shortly, time to get your game face on boss."
With that, Morgan gave his oldest friends a quick hug and left the room.
Chuck was left to think about what his friend said. Maybe he should see if Sarah Walker might answer his questions. He'd have to be careful, wouldn't put anything past her or the rest of Team LA, but maybe she could at least give him a piece of mind so he can move on.
November 12, 2010 – Intercontinental Hotel- Suite 1202 – 3:00 pm
They heard the knock from the door, right on time. Chuck looked around the table in the large living room at Ziva, Link, and Morgan and glanced at the laptop looking at the hotel camera's and others they had set when they arrived, both camera feeds had confirmed Team LA outside the door. He scanned the other feeds, it appeared Team LA was alone, no capture team appeared, while they were outnumbered 5 to 4. He took a breath, "Morgan, why don't you let our guests in, I am going to step outside for a minute to check in with the Team at Talus. Ziva, don't shoot anyone till I get back. He grinned."
Ziva didn't like the idea of working with any of them, but she respected Chuck and if he thought it was best, it probably was. He had given her no reason not to trust him, although she was worried about his emotions, how could this group not affect his emotions. If they messed with her friend, they would get a bullet from her.
Chuck stepped out on the patio for a quick call with Talus, making sure no strike teams were nearby.
Morgan opened the door to see people he never thought he would see again, there stood Carina Miller, Sarah Walker, John Casey, Bryce Larkin, and a woman he had not met yet, but knew from pictures to be Zondra Rizzo.
"Martin," Carina said. Before he could answer Sarah corrected her, "Carina, this is Morgan Grimes, Chuck's best friend." Morgan wasn't sure why, but he appreciated what Sarah had done with the correction.
'Hi Morgan, it's good to see you, you look well." Sarah continued.
"Hi Sarah, why don't you all come in." Morgan stepped aside to allow Team LA to enter.
Team LA started in, Sarah couldn't hide the disappointment that it hadn't been Chuck to answer the door. 18 months later she had waited to see him again in person and they were seconds away, she had butterflies in her stomach for the first time in years.
Team LA entered the living room area and saw around a table, blueprints, a television monitor, laptops and 2 people, black man a little over 6 feet tall who looked military, and an attractive brunette, very exotic looking. Sarah couldn't help but think what is it with Chuck and brunettes. As Bryce came in it was obvious seeing these 2 caused him to flash, but the expression on his face told everyone he was in pain during the flash.
Chuck finished his check in with the team and Talus, blew out a breath and decided now or never.
He walked in off the wrap-around balcony and saw Team LA, formerly part of Team Bartowski. Bryce was in the middle of an uncomfortable flash, good. Chuck thought.
And there she was, still despite everything she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Chuck had to keep his agent mask in place, while part of him wanted to hug her, the logical part knew she wouldn't hesitate to kill him if that was what Beckman had ordered. He gave a nod to the group and stood between Morgan and Ziva.
Bryce had come out of his flash and was wincing.
Before anything started both Carina and Zondra walked over and gave Chuck a hug and kiss on the cheek.
"You look good Chuckles, it's good to see you." Carina said.
"Hi Chuck, you do look good, thanks again." Zondra said.
"You both look a lot better than last time I saw you, glad you're both doing well." Chuck said, meaning it.
The stab of jealousy Sarah felt watching the greeting between her friends and her Chuck bothered her. She knew she had no one to blame but herself, but it still hurt.
"Welcome Team LA, meet Team Orion." Chuck stated.
"You know Morgan, he runs logistics for us among other things, he will be in the surveillance van for this op and be our eyes and ears along with the rest of our team back home. This is Ziva David and Lincoln Cole. I am sure Larkin can fill you in on their backgrounds as I saw he flashed on them."
Chuck wasn't worried about giving out Ziva and Links real names, they had discussed this prior and knew it would come out eventually. Chuck had already set up multiple new identities for them and their families, they would just go by those going forward.
"Ziva, Link, this is Agents Carina Miller, Zondra Miller, Bryce Larkin, and Sarah Walker of the CIA, and Colonial John Casey, NSA."
There were head nods by everyone and grunt by Casey.
"Ok, as you seem to need our help, we have gone over the information Diane shared. This is rather simple, we are not going to grab the CIA Ring operative, instead, our mission is to identify any Ring operatives at the party, she wants us to attach a tracker and clone a phone for this man, Albert Remington." Remington's picture appeared on the flat screen. " He is thought to be a financier of Ring operations and is in contact with the Ring elders. There doesn't seem to be much information on him in the intersect, Agent Larkin, anything?" Chuck asked knowing there wasn't. Chuck's intersect was more up to date, so he knew if he didn't have anything, he knew Bryce wouldn't.
Bryce looked at the photo and just shook his head. "Nothing more than what you have already told us Chuck."
Chuck continued "The party is at the Intercontinental in the grand ballroom. Colonial Casey, you will be working the bar. Link and Ziva will be attending as the Thomas's, Zondra, you're going stag, you can flirt and mingle, no seduction, unless it's for personal reasons after. Agent Walker and I will attend as the Carmichaels, a software developer and his philanthropist wife. Carina, Agent Larkin, and Morgan will be in the surveillance van for support. We will all be wearing cameras along with comms, so Morgan will divvy up the feeds. It's important we identify everyone we can. Agent Larkin can confirm any flashes I have with his own. Any questions?" Chuck finished.
Sarah was ecstatic, she and Chuck were going as a couple, she would have a chance to talk to him, explain to him what happened and beg for another chance.
Bryce spoke up "Chuck?"
Chuck shot back, "Agent Larkin, I would appreciate it if you would call me Bartowski."
That surprised all of Team LA, Chuck was purposefully removing the personal aspect from this briefing. Although Zondra and Carina were being referred to by first names, Chuck had addressed the other 3 members of team LA by last name or title only.
Bryce didn't hide his surprise, "Ok, Bartowski, it makes more sense to have me in the party, I can go in with Zondra, that way, if there are any issues, you have the intersect there ready to go." He stated smugly.
"Agent Larkin, your flashes are causing you pain, your analysis of the data is inconsistent and subpar. And you seem to be forgetting, we will have The Intersect in there. Nothing beats the original." Chuck stated, while all of Team Orion smirked.
Bryce was incredulous, in his mind Chuck had embarrassed him in front of his team.
'Listen Chuck".
"STOP Agent Larkin, don't address me like we are friends. Friends don't do what you continue to do. You're a selfish glory hound. You didn't get me kicked out of Stanford to protect me, you did it so you could be the intersect. Bryce Larkin knows best for everyone. You're spoiled, arrogant, and nothing is ever your fault.
You should have used the glasses Larkin. I gave you a choice, you're only hurting yourself, and you're damn lucky none of your team hasn't gotten hurt with the bad intel you're feeding them.
My Team is in command of this mission, My Team will decide who is in what role. That is the agreement we have with YOUR boss. You can sit in the van and do the job you're assigned, or we can tranq your ass and leave you in Castle.
Let me make this clear, this is a job for my team. We are very good at what we do. If you harm or put any of My Team in danger or get them hurt, you have to deal with me, and I will be more than happy to kick your ass.
Follow orders or get out."
Chuck was seething with anger. He was done with Bryce Larkin. If Bryce didn't shut up and listen, he was going to get people killed. Chuck was almost hoping for Bryce to try and fight him, Chuck was thinking of just breaking his arm or knee, that would keep him on the bench.
Sarah, seeing the explosion that seemed seconds away from happening tried to play peacemaker. Putting a hand on Bryce's shoulder "Bryce, you have your orders. The General wants us to partner with Team Orion, Agent Bartowski is right, they have command control of this operation." Sarah finished.
Chuck saw her put her hand on Bryce and it just made him angry even more, he almost told Walker to take her boyfriend home, but they needed to work together tonight, so instead he decided to keep those thoughts to himself.
"Any other questions? Anyone else not happy with their role?" Chuck asked with venom in his voice.
With no answers all around, he continued
"Party starts at 8, black tie. We should arrive at different levels, Ziva and Link will arrive first just after 8, Zondra, you will arrive approximately 8:15, Agent Walker and I will arrive a little after 8:30. Casey will arrive for his shift at 7, Colonial do a recon of the employee area and try to get as many of the staff on camera as you can. Once we identify Remington, we will spray overwatch spray on him instead of a tracker, the spray works just as well and lasts up to 30 days. The trick will be to get his phone, each team will have this zip drive, just plug it into the phone for 5 seconds it will clone the device and install a virus that will allow us access remotely.
Any questions?"
Bryce was still angry and didn't try to hide it, but no one had any questions.
"Agent Walker, I will pick you up at your hotel at 8pm, be ready." Chuck finished.
Sarah finally spoke to Chuck directly, "I will Chuck, I am really looking forward to working together, it's been too long." She said with her brightest 'Chuck' smile she had.
"Just make sure your boyfriend follows orders." Chuck responded.
That last statement deflated Sarah, did he think she and Bryce were together? No, she would have to explain this. Tonight Sarah Walker had 2 missions, Remington and identifying Ring operatives, and to make sure Chuck Bartowski knew the truth about everything.