A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows…..Given that this is my first story, I really underestimated how significant your comments would be to me, and I continue to be overwhelmed.
As you know, I have planned to release a chapter every week on Thursday or Friday, but this Thursday I will be on a long haul flight, and given that this is a short chapter and that so many of you have wanted me to accelerate the release schedule….here you go. Chapter 4 is the shortest chapter in the story and the final foundational chapter as all the pieces now fall into place for the main story line. Chapter 5 will hopefully be released this coming weekend.
Again a special thanks to Nevr for pre-reading and Beta-ing Chapter 4. By the way, he dropped a new chapter for "Endings" earlier today….please read it….you will not be disappointed.
As for Chapter 4, I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, please let me know by "Reviewing," "Following," or "Favorite-ing." I love the interaction and make it a priority to respond to every review and private message.
Finally, I'm beginning to think that Ramon Salazaar and the Culiacan Cartel own Chuck, cos I don't…..and I ain't getting paid for any of this.
Chapter 4 – An Unlikely Alliance:
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011 - 14:15 Eastern Standard Time
Fort Meade Maryland, NSA H.Q.
Sarah and Carina were certainly enjoying their partnership and budding friendship but were growing tired of chasing down dead ends, burning jet fuel, money and time with nothing to show for it. There was a real risk that this task force would be a career killer, a thought neither woman cherished. They were discussing their concerns over a late sandwich in the NSA cafeteria when their phones pinged:
URGENT – PIRANHA TASK FORCE UPDATE 14:30 EST
The message specified the meeting room for those in the H.Q. and a secure video/audio line for agents in the field.
Sarah and Carina shared a curious look, pushed their chairs back, grabbed their files and coffee cups, and headed to the conference room for the meeting.
At 14:30 sharp, General Diane Beckman entered and took a seat at the head of the table, waiting for confirmation that the secure audio and video feed was live.
"Team," Beckman started, "our partners in the Mossad have just informed me that they successfully raided an underground hacking facility in Germany. This facility was used by a group of terrorist hackers in some sort of informal confederation to disrupt governments, economies, and large multinational firms for some as yet unclear political motives. On-site, they recovered evidence that one of the casualties of the raid was known as the Piranha. His name was Laszlo Manhovski, an American national and former employee of the CIA who apparently decided to turn on his country by hacking the very institutions intended to protect it. We expect a more detailed report from Mossad in the next 24 to 48 hours. In the meantime, the German authorities will keep the incident from the public. As soon as we receive Mossad's report, each of you will receive a copy for your review. As of this moment, given that the Piranha is dead, the task force will immediately stand down. Over the next week, you will receive your new assignments. I thank you for your excellent work and dedication. That is all. You are dismissed."
Beckman would use the Mossad to plant a story about the raid and the untimely demise of "The Piranha" in a couple of dark web chat rooms. Word would spread like wildfire, ensuring the Piranha's legacy as a cyber-God who died in a hail of gunfire as he took on "The Man…."
Sarah and Carina shared a curious look with each other and quickly huddled as everyone was filing out of the room.
"Ok…does that feel right to you, or do you think there is something odd here," Sarah asked Carina.
"I'm with you, Blondie," the partners had taken to calling each other by their hair color, partly for fun but also to avoid sharing their names when in public. "My Spidey senses are absolutely tingling here, and not in a good way. Beckman's story does not really seem consistent with the facts of the case as we understand them."
"I'm with you, Red," Sarah snickered. "Wanna poke the bear and have a quick talk with Beckman? I enjoy the role and would like to explore a permanent shift to the NSA to support the cyber effort. I think this is where the future will be. All I need is a hot partner, and the computer geeks who want to do bad things won't stand a chance," smiled Sarah.
"And give up a starring role in the in the DEA where my job is seducing narco-traffickers, money launderers, human traffickers, and pretty much the scum of the earth?...Well, only if you ask nicely," chirped the redhead. "Now, let's go see what we can sort out without getting ourselves in too much trouble."
Sarah and Carina chased down General Beckman in the hallway as the diminutive powerhouse steamed at full speed towards her office.
"Walker, Miller, what can I do for you….I'm busy," asked the General in an annoyed tone.
"Ma'am, we were hoping to ask a couple of questions about today's briefing and to discuss the possibility of a role change. Walker and I have been working really well together and are both extremely interested in the opportunities the NSA might represent." Carina stated
"Not here, and not now," snapped Beckman. "Come to my office at 6:00 pm, and we can chat more comfortably."
"Very good, ma'am. Thank you. We will see you at 6:00 pm, ma'am," responded Sarah in her most formal and professional tone.
With that, Beckman turned on her heel and moved quickly towards the elevators to take her to her office. She had to make some calls and had some promises to keep, and it was 2:55 pm. Beckman arrived in her office, closed and locked the door, and waited for the green snapping fish to pop up on her screen, which it did precisely at 3:00.
GOOD AFTERNOON GENERAL – I ENJOYED YOUR BRIEFING TODAY ON THE MOSSAD RAID. SEEMS CREDIBLE. MY GUESS IS THAT YOU WILL NEED THE FINAL REPORT TO HAVE MORE TANGIBLE EVIDENCE, AND I AM HAPPY TO HELP IF YOU NEED IT. I ALSO APPRECIATE THE IMMEDIATE STAND-DOWN ORDER TO THE TASK FORCE, WHICH SATISFIES MY 2ND REQUEST. MAY I ASK WHERE WE ARE ON MY FIRST REQUEST?
PIRANHA, AS YOU HAVE TAPPED INTO OUR SYSTEMS, YOU KNOW THAT I MET WITH THE PRESIDENT THIS MORNING. HE HAS AGREED TO ISSUE THE PARDON IMMEDIATELY. HE HAS AGREED THAT YOUR IDENTITY AND INVOLVEMENT IN ANY FUTURE OPERATIONS ON BEHALF OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT WILL BE CLASSIFIED AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS AND SHARED BEYOND ME AND THE PRESIDENT ON A STRICTLY NEED-TO-KNOW BASIS. PIRANHA, YOU WILL BECOME ONE OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT DEFENSIVE WEAPONS. BECAUSE OF THIS, YOUR IDENTITY WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST CLOSELY GUARDED SECRETS. THE PARDON WILL BE ISSUED IN BLANK FORM, AND YOU CAN ADD YOUR NAME TO THE DOCUMENT. ONCE THAT IS COMPLETED TO YOUR SATISFACTION, WE WILL DISCUSS THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR SECURE COMMUNICATIONS WITH YOU.
GENERAL – THANK YOU. I HAVE ALREADY BUILT THREE HIGHLY SECURE COMMUNICATION DEVICES, ONE FOR YOU, ONE FOR THE PRESIDENT, AND ONE FOR ME. WITH THESE DEVICES, WE CAN COMMUNICATE SECURELY AND WITHOUT BEING TRACKED. AS AN ACT OF GOOD FAITH, I HAVE ALREADY SENT YOU TWO OF THE DEVICES, WHICH YOU SHOULD BE RECEIVING SHORTLY. AFTER THE PARDON IS COMPLETED, WE SHOULD MEET TO DISCUSS THE PATH FORWARD.
And with that, Chuck cut the line, breathed out a sigh of relief, and gave his pal Morgan a big hug. Now to make sure the monster they just unleashed did not kill them all…
XXX
At 6:00 pm on the nose, Diane Beckman's secretary escorted Sarah and Carina into Beckman's office, then turned on her heel to exit, closing the door behind her.
"Sit, ladies," commanded Beckman as Sarah and Carina took their seats in front of Beckman's massive desk. "So, what is on your mind?"
Beckman had watched Sarah and Carina working as a team for some time and had been impressed with their approach to the investigation. The two complemented each other; while Walker was reserved and quiet, Miller was significantly more animated and outgoing, even flirty. The pair made for a perfect good cop/bad cop routine. Their individual backgrounds were similar. Both were high achievers academically and athletically and excelled in their respective training. Miller was estranged from her parents, who divorced when she was old enough to be on her own. She had been involved in many romantic relationships that suggested a very active sexual lifestyle….a potential asset in her line of work. Walker instead seemed to focus on her academic and athletic pursuits, and while she had some romantic relationships, they were few and far between for a woman of her beauty. Walker was wholly estranged from her father, a high-powered international consultant. The latter traveled extensively and used his time away to enter into multiple adulterous relationships, which he seldom sought to hide from his wife. Walker hated that her mother had not fought more fiercely in the divorce resulting in a strained relationship that both women were trying to repair. However, her experience with her father made her wary of men, which probably explained her reluctance to pursue romantic relationships, preferring to focus on her career.
As task force members, they paid attention to detail and followed orders to a "T" but were unafraid to take an unconventional approach to their work. Of all the task force teams, their work not only showed the most promise for the Piranha case but also set up a network of resources for future cases. 'Smart….' thought Beckman, who was also starting to consider the next steps in managing the Piranha. So when Sarah and Carina voiced their interest in staying on with the NSA, it presented an interesting opportunity. After all, they were not NSA employees, and she could ill afford to have a CIA and DEA spy lurking in her house. This would only work if Beckman was confident in their desire to stay and that they were not plants from their parent organizations. So this meeting would play out like an interview of sorts, where Beckman would gauge their individual readiness to really and fully switch teams. As for the second part of what she had in mind, she was confident that Piranha would fall all over himself if these two were "handling" him. "Speak up, ladies, tempus fugit…" added Beckman lightly.
"Ma'am," Sara said respectfully, "we are just slightly taken aback by today's announcement regarding the Piranha. We have read every piece of intelligence we have on him, studied all of his intrusions, and nothing suggests to us that he was operating from foreign soil, in partnership with anyone, nor was he operating with the intent to harm his country. So until more tangible evidence is provided, we recommend continuing to work on the case. We interviewed the most respected professors from the most prestigious computer science universities in the U.S. and spoke with many of their top students. We have also learned quite a bit anecdotally about the hacking community where the Piranha is widely regarded as a God. However, there are purists in the community who see him as solely egotistical for focusing on his achievements without a broader political motive. We are convinced he is located here in the U.S., and we suspect that he might be based on the west coast given the time of each incursion. We've produced a comprehensive report for your review," which Sarah handed to Beckman directly.
Carina jumped in, adding, "As Agent Walker suggested, while we do not have any real leads on the Piranha yet, we have been making some headway in developing his profile by pursuing a very different approach from the rest of the task force, and we are confident that with a little more time, the profile will help us more effectively identify possible targets. I would also add that we have developed an excellent working relationship together and think we make an effective team, which leads to the second topic we wanted to explore with you, ma'am, the potential to transfer to the NSA and work as partners; to support the NSA's mandate."
Beckman paused, looking over the two agents thoughtfully. She fought a smile as she recalled watching the security footage of these two ladies incapacitating two trained CIA agents in the blink of an eye in a parking garage in Georgetown. She then leaned back in her chair, tented her fingers in front of her, and started her "interview."
"So let me get this straight. You two are temporarily assigned here to support the task force. You follow your own instincts to drive your investigation. You not only question but challenge the official message given to you by the Deputy Director of the NSA, and then you go to that same Deputy Director telling her you not only want a job but that you want to be partners?" Beckman paused, staring intently at the two women seated across from her.
"Yes, ma'am," responded Sarah. "Who Dares Wins ma'am…the motto of the British Special Air Service," she added, followed by Carina's less formal, "Yep….that's about right…..ma'am."
Beckman let the silence hang in the air for a moment, then allowed the corners of her mouth to lift, creating a very slight smile. "Who dares wins…..Gotta say, for a couple of lovely ladies, you both have some big shiny brass balls," she chuckled. "So let's talk about you two wanting to move to the NSA. You both understand that we don't do the James Bond-type stuff like seduction missions, infiltration of foreign embassies, etc. We are the global electronic intelligence-gathering arm of the United States. While we have dedicated human intelligence resources and some highly specialized agents, our primary focus is leveraging technology systems to manage the gathering and evaluating of intelligence in scale. How can I be sure you really are interested and committed to what we do here? More importantly, and let me be blunt, how do I know you are not a couple of plants reporting back to your bosses on whatever it is we are doing. You are both spies, after all?"
Carina spoke first. "General, I've not been with the DEA for too long, but I am already finding it increasingly uncomfortable to virtually prostitute myself out to the scum of the earth daily. I appreciate the job is important, but I'm starting to believe that my assignments are based on my looks and my ability to seduce marks rather than use my brains to solve bigger, more complex problems. What I have seen here interests me, and I enjoy working with really smart people."
"What about you, Sarah," asked Beckman. "To be blunt, I am more concerned with your loyalties than Carina's as she is really law enforcement, while you are intelligence. And please do not take this the wrong way, but I do not have a lot of trust in your organization or its leadership. That boy's club over there really irks me sometimes."
Sarah paused to gather her thoughts then jumped in with both feet. "Ma'am, first, thank you for your directness. I appreciate you not pulling any punches. As for my loyalty, that has to be earned, and to be honest, outside of my training at "The Farm," I have worked as a member of this task force for almost as long as I've been with the CIA. I have also discovered, personally, that the boys club you refer to is not only pervasive, but it's also almost encouraged. This is not an environment I want to be in when there are so many other places and ways I can help my country. This was my first major assignment, and I am captivated by all the same reasons Agent Miller articulated….though I have not yet had to prostitute myself to the extent she has so far," Sarah added with a slightly mischievous grin.
Carina turned to Sarah with a momentary flash of daggers in her eyes, then all three of them broke into a hearty laugh.
"Ok, ladies, let me see what I can do, but no promises. I will review your report, but I want you both to stand down in the meantime. You are both very impressive, and I hope we can make something happen, as I think this stogy place could use a few more smart, tough, and capable women. I just feel sorry for all the computer nerds in the basement whose heads will explode every time either of you walks by…should be fun watching this bastion of male egos figure out how to manage the two of you. Now, get out of here, and take tomorrow off. Go get some drinks or go dancing. I'll call you when I am ready to discuss the next steps. Oh, and one more thing….one evening, when we have a couple of drinks in our hands, perhaps you can tell me about what happened in a certain parking garage some time back."
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am." Sarah and Carina said in unison as they stood up and left Beckman's office…at the same time. Both were surprised that Beckman knew about what happened in the Georgetown parking lot and potentially saw it as a strong positive.
At the exact same time, Chuck and Morgan were sitting in Chuck's bedroom, watching the mobile phone sitting on his desk, hoping that Agent Walker would not call…..and she didn't.
If you enjoyed this short installment, how about a review….?