A/N: I'd like to thank all of you for your overwhelming encouragement and support...it continues to be hugely appreciated. And if you you like Chapter 3, please let me know by "Reviewing," "Following," or "Favorite-ing."

A/N2: Once again, thanks to Nevr for pre-reading and Beta work...and make sure you check out his latest story "Vamped Up," an awesome read!

A/N3: I still have no idea who owns Chuck, but I am certain I don't make any money from writing this story...though I am having a ball!

XXX

Chapter 3 – Dancing with the Devil:

Monday, July 11th, 2011 – 10:30 Pacific Standard Time (8 months later)
Santa Monica, California – Vacant Commercial Property

Chuck Bartowski was looking at office space to house Orion Cyber Security Systems. He started the company with his best friend and partner Morgan Grimes in February in his apartment in Echo Park, a few months before graduation. The pair immediately managed to sign several contracts with small businesses around the Burbank area and set the money aside to fund their growth. Their earnings, along with the sizable life insurance payment Chuck had received when a drunk driver killed his parents just 18 months ago, meant that they could now easily afford to move into a proper space and grow their business.

Theirs was a good partnership, where each partner brought a different value to their enterprise. Chuck was the real genius behind the technology, but Morgan, the more outgoing of the two, had a knack for people and closing sales. Competent in his own rights on the technology side, Morgan was also very good at organizing things, a huge surprise given that he came across as a total slacker for most of his youth.

"I'm really happy with how it's going," Chuck said to Morgan. "We are growing, starting to make a little money….and our reputation seems to be spreading."

"Indeed, my young Padawan," replied Morgan with a sage face…."I bagged the Buy-More contract this morning, and that will give us even more visibility." The Buy-More contract was something they had been working on for the some-time, and was the largest client in their portfolio so far. They were excited about their prospects, but Morgan could see Chuck was thinking about something else.

"I've seen that far-away look Chuck….what's on your mind," asked Morgan, nudging him with his shoulder.

"You know me, pal…only about 467 things at once. But as a starting point, this old restaurant looks really good to me. We have enough room to hold maybe 20 to 25 employees down here in the dining area, the electrical service has plenty of juice for our needs, the kitchen can easily be converted to our tech build area with room for 4 to 6 more people, and the old walk-in freezer is perfect for keeping the servers we will need nice and cool. And with a little work, the 3 small apartments upstairs will be perfect for the "executive" offices and meeting rooms. But the real winner is that we are just a couple of blocks from the beach and the Santa Monica pier."

"Ok. I call bullshit." Morgan looked sharply at Chuck. "This place is totally awesome….but it's not something that gives you that far-away look. Something is troubling you, and I want to know what it is pal," Morgan said with a slightly concerned expression on his face. "What is eating you, Chuck?"

"Uhm…yeah…well… I've been thing about how to kill a couple of birds with one stone, but it's not without some serious risk." He paused collecting his thoughts before continuing. "I think we can leapfrog all this start-up stuff and go after the biggest clients on the planet, but the key to making all this work is the Piranha. I've been working on something but was waiting to find the right time to discuss this with you as this…well…this can change everything. This has an impossibly huge upside, but an equally dreadful downside…and I'm still struggling with it myself, but I guess now is as good a time as any for us to talk," Chuck said, looking down at his well-worn Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops. He then picked his head up as if he had reached some sort of conclusion and led Morgan to the back of the space where the walk-in freezer was located.

"Step into our "cone of silence" for a moment, Morgan." Chuck's eyes suddenly sparkled with excitement. Chuck closed the door to the walk-in freezer assuring total privacy for the idea he was about to share with his partner.

"You know that I have been very quietly tracking the NSA's Piranha Task Force," Chuck said, "Eight months in, and they are nowhere close to getting anything on the Piranha. I also know my targets are have been implementing a number of the security upgrades I recommended to them. What if I could make a deal with the NSA to accomplish 3 things…1) They hire Orion Cyber Security Systems to provide services and solutions under a long term contract, 2) They grant the Piranha a Presidential pardon for all previous crimes committed…which I would hope is not that big a deal given that we only helped them, and 3) they kill the Piranha, never to be seen again." Chuck was speaking a mile a minute now, and the more he spoke, the more he was sure this was a win-win-win when Morgan jarred him from his excited state.

"Have you lost your marbles, Chuck? What we are doing here is totally legit. This is a good and fast growing business. Are you really willing to put everything we have on the table and roll the dice? I don't get it Chuck….Why?" Morgan was visibly shaking at the thought of approaching the very people expending vast resources to catch the Piranha and put him in a deep dark hole. Not that he thought Chuck would implicate him in any way, but if this went wrong, the dream of running a successful business with his best friend and partner would go up in smoke. This was not a gamble that Morgan liked, and he wanted to make sure his friend knew that.

"Morgan, buddy," said Chuck with a pleading voice. "You need to understand that these people will not give up. I will always live looking over my shoulder….our shoulder. I can't live like that. Besides, I'm now in the best possible position to make this type of deal. Who knows, in a couple of years, new tech might make it easier to track me. Listen, I know this is really risky, but it's the right thing for us to do, and it could be good for our country considering how crappy their defenses were. And…." Chuck was about to make his final point with Morgan when his mobile phone rang.

"Hello?" Chuck replied, noticing that the caller had a blocked number.

"Hello," came a garbled voice on the phone… "can you hear me?"

Chuck realized the walk-in was interfering with the cell reception and stepped out of the freezer, giving Morgan a smile while holding up his finger in the universal "one minute" gesture.

"Hello, this is Chuck Bartowski…can you hear me now?"

"Mr. Bartowski, yes, thank you. I can hear you fine now," said the pleasant female voice on the other end of the line. "Mr. Bartowski, this is Agent Walker with the Central Intelligence Agency, and I was given your name by Professor Flemming at Stanford. He mentioned that you were by far his most gifted Computer science student and thought you might be able to help us with a case we are working on."

Chuck's world went dark for a moment.

"Mr. Bartowski? Are you there?" Sarah spoke into the phone.

"Hi, yes, sorry. I'm looking at office space, and the cell reception is terrible in the building. I might need to disqualify this space for that reason alone." Chuck said with a forced laugh in his voice. "Agent Walker, could we perhaps reschedule this call to a time where I am not looking at office space and have a better signal?" Chuck was now running in and out of the freezer to create the static disruption he needed, while Morgan looked at his partner with a deeply confused look.

"That's fine, Mr. Bartowski. What would work for you? I'd like to have this call sooner than later, but it's not an immediate rush," Sarah offered.

"Thank you, Agent Walker. How about tomorrow evening, at 3:00 pm? Would that be ok?"

"Sorry, Mr. Bartowki…you broke up there for a moment. Did you say 3:00 pm tomorrow? If so, I can make that work. Can you confirm?"

"Yes. Sorry about the lousy connection… 3:00 pm tomorrow. I will look forward to your call."

"Thank you, Mr. Bartowski," and the line clicked off.

Chuck was trying to gather his wits after explaining to Morgan what had just happened. His hands were shaking, and his forehead was showing beads of perspiration. He was momentarily paralyzed with fear.

"Chuck!….Chuck!...CHUCK! Yelled Morgan. "Snap out of it, man….Look, I am not loving this either, but if they had you, they would not be making a long-distance call….and before you interrupt, it was a long-distance because if they were anywhere near here or thought you were a suspect, they would not have called you. And given that they called you long distance, they have no clue who you are. So if you think about this logically, and you wanted to catch the world's foremost hacker, where would you go? Stamford, MIT, Cal-Poly, RPI? You said she got your name from one of your professors, so I'm sure they are calling all the top schools and their experts, asking for help…because they got nothing." Morgan took a deep breath to relax himself and his partner. "In any case, my young Padawan, the force is strong with me, and I was prepared to use my Jedi powers to tell them that you are not the hacker they are looking for…" Morgan added with a smile and a wave of his hand, again nudging his friend and partner before continuing.

"This also makes another decision for us, Chuck…..since I can't have my partner operating properly in a semi catatonic state, I think you need to make that deal with the NSA."

Chuck stared at his partner with a look of genuine appreciation. "Thanks, Morgan. You are right on all counts. I was freaked out because if you suffered due to what I did, I could not live with myself." He gave Morgan a tight hug and offered a reassuring smile. "I'm glad to have such a great friend and partner. I don't think I could do this without you," he added sincerely.

Chuck gathered himself and started to pull together the game plan he had been developing for the last few months. He had about a day and a half to stop a global manhunt, kill the Piranha, and possibly build a safe, secure, and comfortable future for himself and Morgan. To do that, the Piranha would need to swim one last time.

= ! =

Monday, July 11th, 2011 - 16:30 Eastern Standard Time
Fort Meade Maryland, NSA Head Quarters

Diane Beckman sat in her office frustrated with the lack of progress the Piranha task force made. Piranha had been systematically hitting government agencies over the last few months, including the VA, the US Postal Service, and even Amtrak, always with the exact same MO. The egg-heads at Fort Meade were simply unable to find anything really useful about him, though the Task Force did manage to burn some taxpayer money on wild goose chases all over the planet. There was an underground hacking organization in Kowloon. Then, a lead pointed the team to an internet café just outside Tel Aviv. Melbourne. Frankfurt…the list went on and on, and the most intelligent people at the NSA had no idea what to do about it.

She was deep in thought when her monitor lit up. A digital version of a fish with huge jaws snapping flashed on her screen…..The Piranha was calling.

Beckman immediately picked up her phone, and the screen flashed, in bold caps:

PLEASE PUT DOWN THE PHONE, GENERAL.

Beckman blinked for a moment, then did as she was asked and paused.

THANK YOU, GENERAL. I HAVE A PROPOSITION I HOPE YOU WILL CONSIDER. ONE WITH BENEFITS FOR ALL OF US. IF YOU ARE WILLING TO LISTEN

I HAVE ENABLED YOUR KEYBOARD, SO YOU CAN RESPOND DIRECTLY. AND JUST TO BE FULLY TRANSPARENT, THIS CONNECTION CANNOT BE TRACED

Beckman reached for her keyboard and started typing.

WHO AM I COMMUNICATING WITH? Beckman typed cautiously.

I AM THE PIRANHA. YOU KNOW IT'S ME, BUT IF YOU REQUIRE FURTHER EVIDENCE, I CAN GIVE YOU THE EXACT TIME I BREACHED YOUR NETWORK TO THE SECOND.

I'LL GIVE YOU THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL PIRANHA – WHAT DO YOU WANT…WHAT ARE YOU PROPOSING. Beckman was now starting to type furiously.

I WANT THREE THINGS, AND I AM PREPARED TO HEAR WHAT YOU WILL WANT IN EXCHANGE.

1) I WILL REQUIRE A COMPREHENSIVE PRESIDENTIAL PARDON FOR ANY "CRIMES" YOU BELIEVE I MAY HAVE COMMITTED. I APPRECIATE THAT HACKING IS INHERENTLY ILLEGAL, BUT YOU KNOW THAT WHILE I HACKED 37 DIFFERENT AGENCIES, I NEVER CAUSED DAMAGE. I NEVER ACCESSED OR STOLE DATA. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I GAVE EACH AGENCY SPECIFIC STEPS TO TAKE TO FORTIFY ITS DEFENSE AGAINST HACKERS.

2) I WILL NEED YOUR HELP IN PUBLICLY KILLING THE PIRANHA TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE NO FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS OR TASK FORCES SET UP TO FIND ME. THIS, COUPLED WITH POINT 1, IS MY LONG-TERM INSURANCE POLICY.

3) IF POINTS 1 AND 2 ARE ACCEPTABLE TO YOU, I WILL OFFER MY SERVICES TO ALL US GOVERNMENT AGENCIES UNDER LONG TERM CONTRACTS FOR MY PROTECTIVE TECHNOLOGY. THE COST OF IMPLEMENTING MY TECHNOLOGY FOR THE NSA WILL BE US$1.0 MILLION PER YEAR ON A PERPETUAL LICENSE BASIS, AND I WILL CHARGE THE SAME FOR THE FBI AND THE CIA. SMALLER AGENCIES WILL BE PRICED LOWER. I WILL ALSO ADD THAT ONCE THE CONTRACT WITH THE NSA IS SIGNED, I DO NOT REQUIRE THE OTHER AGENCIES TO BUY AND PAY FOR MY TECHNOLOGY. THEIR PARTICIPATION IS WILL BE AT THEIR DISCRETION.

IN EXCHANGE FOR THIS, THE PIRANHA CEASES TO EXIST.

The Piranha had stopped typing, and Beckman was thinking as fast as possible. She saw a real opportunity here but one that needed to be carefully weighed, as there was no small measure of risk to the NSA, not to mention to her career. She needed to buy more time:

I NEED SOME TIME TO CONSIDER YOUR PROPOSAL. AS I'M SURE YOU CAN APPRECIATE, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE DO EVERY DAY. YOU ARE ASKING FOR A LOT AND….

The Piranha interrupted:

GENERAL – I KNOW YOU SPEND HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEAR TO SECURE YOUR NETWORK. IF YOU LIKE, I CAN GIVE THE NUMBER TO THE PENNY ALONG WITH THE PROJECT NAMES, BUT YOU KNOW I KNOW. MOREOVER, YOU ROUTINELY HAND OUT PARDONS FOR ALL KINDS OF THINGS MUCH MORE SEVERE THAN WHAT WE ARE DISCUSSING HERE. AGAIN, I CAN ACCESS THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND PROVIDE YOU WITH 10 EXAMPLES, BUT I WOULD RATHER NOT WASTE TIME.

THIS IS A ONE-TIME OFFER, AND WHEN I CUT THE LINE, I AM GONE. I KNOW IT WILL TAKE TIME TO SET UP THE PARDON AND TO KILL PIRANHA AND THAT THE CONTRACTS WILL COME IN A SECOND STEP, SO AS A SHOW OF GOOD FAITH, I WILL ACCEPT YOUR WORD THAT WE HAVE A DEAL. IF YOU BREACH THAT TRUST, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE PIRANHA IS CAPABLE OF.

The balls on this guy thought Beckman…..

PIRANHA – PLEASE GIVE ME A MOMENT TO CONSIDER THIS. DO NOT CUT THE LINE. I ASSURE YOU I AM ONLY EVALUATING YOUR PROPOSAL AND HAVE NO INTENTION OF BREACHING YOUR TRUST.

THANK YOU, GENERAL - I WILL WAIT FOR A MINUTE OR TWO.

Beckman was thinking through the ramifications of taking such a bold step when an idea struck her. It was something the President had said jokingly in the first briefing session. What if, in addition to these terms, she could get Piranha to work for the NSA as an offensive weapon…this could be a masterstroke in the war against enemies foreign and domestic in the digital battlefield that was becoming increasingly important. 'Go big or go home,' she thought, and she started to type.

PIRANHA, I AM WILLING AGREE TO YOUR PROPOSAL WITH A SINGLE PROVISO. I AM DOING SO BECAUSE I BELIEVE YOU HAVE UNPARALLELED SKILLS AND THAT YOU ARE A TRUE PATRIOT. YOUR ACTIONS, WHILE ILLEGAL – AND OFFENSIVE TO THE PRIDE OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY – WERE DONE IN THE SPIRIT OF MAKING OUR COUNTRY SAFER. SO I WILL AGREE TO YOUR TERMS IF YOU AGREE TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SERVICES, ON-DEMAND, AT A PRE-AGREED PRICE.

Chuck read the message twice and started typing:

WHAT KIND OF ADDITIONAL SERVICES – AND PLEASE BE SPECIFIC.

Beckman looked at the question and thought, 'interesting, he did not ask about the money….'

PIRANHA – WE HAVE ENEMIES EVERYWHERE… TERRORISTS, HUMAN TRAFFICKERS, DRUG CARTELS, FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS. YOUR SKILLSET COULD HELP US PENETRATE THESE ENEMIES OF THE STATE AND PUT US IN A POSITION TO THWART ATTACKS OR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY WHILE MINIMIZING POTENTIAL CASUALTIES. YOU WILL HELP PROTECT OUR COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE.

Now it was Chuck who needed a moment to think. 'This is a way to help, to do good, but how do I do this without getting caught up in a machine I can't control? What is the risk to me…to Morgan and Orion?' Chuck thought for a moment. Then he quickly considered the conditions he would require to make such an arrangement palatable.

GENERAL – YOUR PROPOSAL IS ACCEPTABLE TO ME, BUT ALSO WITH A COUPLE OF PROVISOS.

1) MY ROLE IN SUPPORTING ANY GOVERNMENT ACTION IS TO BE COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO CAN KNOW OF MY INVOLVEMENT ARE YOU AND THE PRESIDENT. IF YOU OR THE PRESIDENT ARE NO LONGER IN AUTHORITY, WE WILL CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS AT THAT TIME.

2) I WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO ANY ACTS OF VIOLENCE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE TARGET IS A FOREIGN OR DOMESTIC ENTITY. MY SCOPE WILL BE LIMITED TO HACKING TO GAIN INTELLIGENCE, PLANTING FALSE INTELLIGENCE, OR CORRUPTING THEIR SYSTEMS.

3) I WILL ALWAYS RETAIN THE ULTIMATE DISCRETION ON MY PARTICIPATION IN ANY GIVEN ACTION WITHOUT EXCEPTION.

Chuck held his breath waiting for Beckman's response, and then the screen flashed.

PIRANHA – THOSE TERMS ARE ACCEPTABLE TO ME. I WILL PUT IN MOTION YOUR FIRST TWO REQUESTS – AND WE CAN DEAL WITH THE REST AFTER YOU ARE SATISFIED THAT I HAVE DELIVERED AS PROMISED. DO WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT?

YES, GENERAL – WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT.

'Gotcha, you little fucker,' Beckman thought to herself, flashing a small "cat who got the canary" smile. Piranha will be our weapon, no, my weapon, and no one can stop me. Beckman's momentary celebration came to a crashing halt as the screen suddenly flashed again.

GENERAL – THANK YOU FOR YOUR AGREEMENT. I LOOK FORWARD TO A LONG AND PRODUCTIVE PARTNERSHIP THAT WILL BENEFIT EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TRUST. I APPRECIATE THAT IN YOUR BUSINESS, TRUST IS DIFFICULT.

TO ENSURE THAT TRUST IS ALWAYS AT THE FOREFRONT OF OUR RELATIONSHIP, THIS ENTIRE COMMUNICATION HAS BEEN RECORDED SHOWING DATE AND TIME STAMP OF YOUR AGREEMENT. IF YOU BREACH MY TRUST, THIS MATERIAL WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO ALL NEWS OUTLETS GLOBALLY. THIS IS TO ENSURE THAT WE ALL DO WHAT WE HAVE AGREED TO DO FOR THE GOOD OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHILE REDUCING THE RISK OF THIS PARTNERSHIP BEING USED FOR THE WRONG REASONS.

I WILL CHECK IN WITH YOU TOMORROW AT 3:00 pm FOR AN UPDATE ON MY FIRST TWO REQUESTS.

'Gotcha,' Chuck thought, with a slightly uncomfortable smile on his face. This partnership would be very tricky if it was going to work as he wanted.

'Fuck!' thought Diane Beckman….