Chapter Synopsis: Emily discovers new, vital information about the Orange Orange that requires her to act quickly to salvage her mission.

A/N: So, Here is chapter 3, part one of The Planner!

A/N2: I find it a little hard to do exposition in first person, but, I gave it a try here. We learn a little more about who Emily is, and get some glimpses into her past. Tell me if the exposition flows well, and what you think of the story! Thanks!

Vs The Watcher

Chapter 3: The Planner - Part 1

I sit in my rapidly cooling Toyota, listening to the conversation going on, about 30 yards away, inside the Orange Orange.

"What? What mission? I don't remember a briefing with Beckman." The marks says to Sarah, clearly confused.

Beckman, General, NSA.

"No, Chuck. I'm talking about the date, with Ellie and Devon." Sarah says, slowly, patiently.

"Oh... Yeah, right. Cover maintenance. Almost forgot." The marks says, softly.

I spoon a bit of the pink yogurt into my mouth. It's cold, good.

"We should go down to Castle, later, though, after you get off work, so we can look at those dailies Graham and Beckman compiled."

Graham, Director, CIA. Asshole.

Wait. Castle. Castle... Why does that sound so familiar?

"FUCK!" I say, yell, aloud, in my car.

I feel colder, and wet, on my thighs. I look down and realize I've squeezed my yogurt cup. light pink, sticky yogurt now sits comfortably in my lap. I don't care. I've fucked up. Big.

I place my cup in the holder next to me. It's a Castle, the Orange Orange. It's so obvious. I should have waited. I got impatient and fucked everything up. Again.

I hit my steering wheel, hard. Again. Again. Again.

I scream, through clenched teeth. My hands fisted, tight.

My knuckles are red. I stop. Breathe, deep. The breaths are shuddering for the first few moments. The emotion I am most familiar with, anger, has reared it's head, as white hot, and all consuming as ever. I've grown too familiar with this feeling over the past few years. It feels like home, and I don't like that.

Breathe, again, still deep, smooth now.

I can fix this. I just have to remove the bug, somehow. They have a mission tonight, I can use that info, at least. I can seize that opportunity. On the bright side, at least now I know where their base is. If I had waited longer, watched better, closer, then I wouldn't be trying to clean up my mistakes.

Clean up. I need to go back to my apartment. The Orange Orange is open now, accessible, to the public. They won't do a sweep for bugs until tonight, after their date, or tomorrow. If I don't get it out before that, then the mission will be dead, and I'll be compromised, fuck.

Anger. Breathe.

I see the mark leave the Orange Orange, walking directly towards the Buy More.

Bright California sunlight glints off the windows of the shop, but, I see Sarah grab a towel and meticulously begin wiping down the countertop in front of her. The already pristine counter. Tonight, I'll get in, get it, tonight. I can fix this.

I put my car in gear and pull onto the road.

I live in an apartment about ten minutes away, if I follow the laws of the road, which I have every intention of doing, today.

I can use some equipment I have there, at my apartment, for the break in, tonight. The biggest obstacle will be the camera in the corner of the shop. I should have known. Fuck.

If they talk about missions there, sensitive information, then they'll sweep, no matter what. It didn't have to be a Castle for them to sweep it. I got sloppy, impatient, and now I'm paying for it. I guess if I wanted any real information I'd need to make a risky play like this, but, I should have done it better. Professionally. I'm a professional.

I slow my car for the rapidly approaching red light. I'll snoop a bit when I'm inside the shop, see if I can find more actionable information.

The light turns green and I accelerate, towards my base of operations.

I turn the key that is currently invading the lock on my apartment door. The lock makes a satisfying clicking sound, indicating that it has been disengaged. The same sound I hope to hear later tonight, on the front door of the Orange Orange.

Should I just stage a break in? They're spies. They'll know I was there, somehow. Right?

No. I'm a spy, too. I know what I'm doing, I have the element of surprise. I looked Sarah Fucking Walker in the eyes and lied to her, to her little pseudo-boyfriend, and they had no idea. I can do this.

I found them, after all. I'm the only one who did. Yes, I went AWOL to do it, but, I fucking did it.

It does seem odd that The Ring never even really looked into Chuck. I guess that's what happens when organizations become disorganized. They want to take down the CIA and the NSA, the whole fucking US government, but they fall into the same traps.

Chuck was Bryce's roommate for years. Bryce got Chuck expelled from Stanford, yes, but they were still roommates, friends, the best, by all accounts.

I met a mole, an analyst with very high level clearance, who was stationed in the CIA. He had information about Sarah Walker, Bryce's most recent partner, being assigned to a classified, deep cover operation in Burbank. He also made a connection to Burbank and Chuck Bartowski, a current resident of the city, and former roommate of Bryce Larkin. I was informed, by him, that a couple days after Bryce blew up the Intersect computer the CIA began severing Chuck's connection to Bryce, on paper, and digitally, essentially shredding anything linking them together, as roommates. That's why I'm here. Sarah Walker was sent to protect a new analyst, Chuck, an old friend of Bryce. I want to know where Bryce Larkin is, and they have that information, or at least information on how to get a new, functioning Intersect up and running. I'm sure of it.

The analyst was trying to contact higher ups, in The Ring's hierarchy, but was failing. I was the only one willing to give him the time of day, for some reason, and I put the pieces together. He was reluctant to talk with me, but, I persuaded him.

I shudder at the memory.

He didn't get to enjoy it for long, however. I wanted, want, this for myself. I'll be the one working my way up, back to the top, back to making a difference. not him. I took care of him and hid all the other information I had implicating Chuck. Nobody has to know about that part of the story, though.

I remove my shirt, pants, and underwear.

I turn the knob. Water begins pelting me, cold. I adjust the knob a little more, to the left, warm.

I stand, letting the sensation of water cascading down my face and back envelope me. It feels nice, to relax, like this, even if it's only for a moment.

It wasn't always like this. I had a home. A life. But they took it from me, stole it.

I shake my head. No reason to ponder the past. What's done is done. I can't afford to get distracted, not now, not when I'm so close to being able to make a difference. So close to... Closure.

I grab a bottle of shampoo and start lathering my hair.

Is it wrong that I feel nothing for that analyst? the one I killed. He was a traitor. I'm a traitor, to the ring, and my country. I owe them nothing, I owe nobody anything. I think of myself as a traitor. I'm not delusional. I'm not blind to the heinous acts The Ring has committed, that I've committed on their behalf. I know I'm not on the side of the angels. I'm on no side. Do I deserve closure?

I rinse my hair. Pushing thoughts of purity, righteousness out of my mind. Those questions are better left unasked. I don't want to know the answer, even though I believe I already do.

I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror as I step out of my shower. I see myself, but, not who I used to be. I'm different now, my body feels different, strange sometimes. I'm beautiful. I know that, not just because he used to tell me that, daily. I'm not as tall as Sarah, a few inches shorter, brown hair to my shoulders, naturally curly, bouncy, bubbly. I stare at... Myself, the mirror.

I dress and exit the bathroom. I need to plan my infiltration of the Orange Orange. I need to remove the bug and find out how to access their Castle.

A/N: Good/Bad? Should I continue this story? Leave a review and tell me what you think! Thanks!