Sarah learns about the Academy.
Chapter 5
When Sarah finally felt together enough to open her eyes she found herself in a bedroom decorated in a tasteful Chinese style. Sitting on the bed on either side of her were her friends Carina and Zondra.
"Hey Blondie," Carina said gently. "How ya doin?"
"Not good," Sarah admitted. "Seeing Chuck again was a lot worse than I expected."
"Asshole," Carina fumed. "I should have given him a swift kick in the balls."
Zondra cocked her head at Carina in disbelief.
"What you don't think I could have taken him?" Carina challenged.
"Bitch, I could take you. Charles could wipe the floor with you with one arm and one leg tied behind his back," Zondra shot back in exasperation.
"C'mon girl, you sparred with him one time and wrestled with him one more. What makes you so sure he's that good?" Carina still wasn't convinced.
"We were sparring in my room while you two were being abducted," Zondra admitted reluctantly. Her friends stared hard at her. "Look I had no idea you guys were even in danger, OK?"
"So were you actually sparring or was it just foreplay?" Carina probed, frowning.
"I was sparring, Charles not so much," Zondra admitted. "We were doing 7/8s again and he gave me evens while he took the 7. I was psyched because I was half landing punches this time around, not sure what was up with that." She trailed off thoughtfully before the light dawned. "Son of a bitch, he was staying close because he was inviting me to take his clothes off."
"Did you?" Sarah was honestly curious.
Zondra nodded slowly, "Yeah, I thought I was dodging his punches until I figured out he was taking MY clothes off. Then I went after his and took off his briefs just before he got my panties. Carina was right, he IS an asshole. He let me win." Zondra was fuming.
"And then?" Carina prompted, grinning in spite of herself.
Zondra rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, and then. It was SUCH a rush taking him still full of the thrill of victory." She trailed off again and smiled. "OK, maybe not an asshole after all. He played me but it was totally worth it."
Sarah felt a completely unreasonable urge to slap her friend. It wasn't so much that she was jealous of Zondra for having sex with Chuck. That ship had sailed for her years ago. It was that she was suffering over the same man her friend was smiling like an idiot over.
"I still can't figure out how the awkward nerdy puppy following Blondie around and wagging his tail every time she glanced in his direction turned into THAT guy," Carina shook her head slowly.
The image of HER Chuck hit Sarah like a sucker punch. Zondra saw her wince and moved quickly to hold her friend, "We're here for you Sarah. We're not leaving until you're OK."
"Could take a while," Sarah whispered brokenly.
"Sorry girlfriend," Carina was genuinely apologetic. She moved in to make it a group hug.
Sarah felt a lot of comfort being sandwiched between her friends. It wasn't something she was used to but something deep inside her was certain that the three of them together could do anything. She savored the feeling until Carina let go and said, "Talk to us, Blondie. Tell us what's going on in that pretty little head of yours."
"When we were training Chuck to be a spy Daniel had one idea of how to do it and I disagreed. I was sure I knew Chuck better than Daniel. It all came down to one final test and it played out the way Daniel said it would. I had agreed to go along with Daniel's plan if he was right and he was so I did," Sarah sighed, remembering how completely cut and dried it had seemed at the time.
"Daniel said I had to let go of Chuck because I was his security blanket and he could never 'grow up' as a spy while I was around. It was tough but I kept telling myself Chuck wasn't the man I thought he was because if he WAS he would have failed his red test. I accepted Daniel's story that my emotions had compromised my judgement and I wasn't able to see the situation clearly. I just let go," Sarah shrugged helplessly.
"Sounds reasonable," Carina nodded. "What else could you have done?"
"I COULD have been there for him when he desperately needed me. I COULD have been worthy of the trust he gave me when I asked for it after our first date. I COULD have been a human being instead of a fucking spy!" Sarah was shouting, her voice filled with more anger than Carina or Zondra had ever heard in her before.
"I know I wouldn't have been able to do that," Zondra admitted quietly. "I would have done the same thing you did."
"I would never have let myself be vulnerable enough to face that kind of choice in the first place," Carina admitted.
Her friends' words gave Sarah some comfort but they didn't change the fact that her failure had cost her the man she loved. "I killed him," she said softly. "That awkward nerdy puppy I loved like I had never loved before and will never love again is gone and it's all my fault." Her tears flowed freely.
"Hey girl," Zondra said as she rubbed Sarah's back. "Charles doesn't blame you for anything that happened. He told us he puts all the blame for what happened to him on Beckman and her bosses."
"Charles can go fuck himself," Sarah said darkly. "MY Chuck would never have just hit me between the eyes with that kind of truth bomb in a million years."
After reassuring Sarah that she was safe with them the women decided that it was time to turn in for the night. Zondra volunteered to stay with Sarah and Carina would be right next door.
Sarah's dreams were troubled but her worries fled back into the shadows when she awoke to a trusted friend beside her.
"Good morning, sleepy head," Zondra said with a smile.
"Good morning," Sarah replied, instantly self-conscious of her breath and careful not to face Zondra directly.
"Don't worry, babe, I'm not trying to recreate our wild night in Amsterdam. You can blow your morning breath into my face if you want," Zondra chuckled.
Sarah did just that and Zondra wrinkled her nose in distaste but said, "Not good, but I've smelled much worse." She wrapped her arms around Sarah and squeezed. The movement brought Sarah's head to her shoulder and her breath safely to Zondra's back.
"I thought you said you weren't trying to recreate our night in Amsterdam," Sarah said with a giggle. She hugged her friend back. For some reason the human contact filled her with a sense of security and well being. She knew Zondra could sense it and was willing to hold her for as long as she needed her to. That knowledge was a hug she could carry with her long after the physical contact.
After five or ten minutes of subtle nonverbal communication Sarah gave her friend a chaste kiss and thanked her, then rolled out of bed. She realized she was wearing a simple linen nightgown although she didn't remember putting it on. She noticed a set of beautiful silk robes in various sizes, selected one and took a shower. When she came out Zondra was ready to take her turn.
"Do you know what happened to my clothes?" Sarah asked.
"They're being laundered, should be back soon," Zondra replied. "They said the robe should be fine for breakfast. Turn right out the door and take the first hallway on the right. breakfast room should be on the left."
Sarah slipped into some generic sandals and was soon choosing her breakfast. She noticed Carina and Vincenzo canoodling at a table and nodded to them. Carina waved her over.
"You too look like you've become much more friendly since last I saw you," Sarah observed. "Can I assume you spent the night together?"
Carina nodded. "Thank heaven for little boys," she said with a wide smile.
"I am fortunate to have crossed paths with such a skillful teacher," Vincenzo's smile was just as wide.
Soon Zondra wandered in and they had a relaxing breakfast.
"Has anyone seen Chuck?" Sarah asked.
"Signore took a commercial flight to Rome last night," Vincenzo said. "His jet will take us to Napoli whenever we're ready. He arranged a three bedroom cottage for you at 'Accademia di Nostra Signora del Gelo Perpetuo'."
"The Camorra Princess Finishing School?" Zondra clarified.
Vincenzo nodded, "I am an instructor there and can attest that the facilities are excellent. The dining services are the most prized benefit for staff. I've never heard of a school whose chefs could compare that wasn't dedicated to the culinary arts." He smiled. "The students are used to fine dining and would probably stage a revolt if Signore tried to set up a cafeteria. The school also hosts receptions for all Galois Media affiliated artists who pass through Napoli."
"Signore has already arranged for Sarah to see a therapist who specializes in helping people cope with life in the Camorra. Signore assures me that the pressures for field agents in your Company are similar."
"So tell me about this school," Sarah said. "Is it really a finishing school for the daughters of Camorra bosses?"
"That's how it got started," Vincenzo acknowledged. "There was a whole gang of them tearing up Napoli and getting into all kinds of trouble. Punishing them was out of the question because of their fathers. Signore had recently come into possession of a nearby country estate and a couple of the capos offered him a lot of money to keep their daughters at the estate and give them exposure to the arts. They were hoping that VIP access to the artists Signore worked with would tempt their daughters to behave. Of course the daughters wanted to sneak off at night and party. The capos expected Signore would punish them for leaving by refusing to allow them back. Instead Signore made a game out of it. He made sure there were ways for the students to sneak past the guards if they were clever or fight through them if they were skilled. He kept limos just outside the gate and if a student could make it to one of them the driver would take them anywhere they liked and pay for their drinks. Some of the students complained that they didn't have the skills and it was unfair that others went clubbing while they were stuck at the estate. Signore added stealth and physical combat training so determined students could learn to escape and the whole thing grew from there."
"So it's a school that teaches art appreciation and combat skills?" Sarah was trying to picture it.
Vincenzo laughed, "Not only those. Signore's religion is creativity. The capos appreciated the additional skills he was teaching their daughters so he is constantly thinking of new ones. He created some live action role playing games, social situations similar to those the young women might see in real life and awarded prizes to those who successfully navigated to a goal. Dance, music, firearms and horseback riding are also popular. He even created a course in intoxicants where students get a systematic review of their behavior under the influence. The curriculum is constantly evolving."
"So is the academy how Charles got in so tight with the Camorra?" Zondra speculated.
"The relationship between Signore and the Camorra is unusual," Vincenzo admitted uncomfortably. "When he first came to Italy, he insulted the families of Napoli by exterminating one of them. They put out a contract on his life for nearly a year. It was a very hard year for assassins in Italy. He somehow managed to negotiate an end to the contract when he purchased the estate."
"What exactly do you mean by 'exterminate'?" Carina asked suspiciously.
"Over the course of a week the capo, his lieutenants, his consiglieres, his lawyer, his accountant and all his soldiers were assassinated. Their offices and warehouses were burned and no one who understood their business was left alive," Vincenzo explained. "I believe the words Signore used to describe it were 'scorched earth'."
"I can't believe The Company would have authorized anything that extreme," Sarah said, shocked.
"The family in question were a key part of the arms network supplying Islamic extremists," Vincenzo explained. "The US was constantly trying to extradite members of that family without success."
"I wonder what it cost Chuckie to get the contract pulled?" Carina said speculatively.
"The price was probably not as high as you might expect," Vincenzo replied. "Sanction in this part of the world is expected to be swift. The fact that Signore was still freely appearing in public for so long was becoming an embarrassment."
"Are you seriously suggesting that the Camorra couldn't touch him?" Carina wasn't buying it.
"Ordinary Camorra methods certainly could not. I'm sure extraordinary methods were considered but those get messy and draw attention," Vincenzo explained. "No one who could legitimately claim vendetta had survived. Also Signore's unusual behavior made the capos nervous."
"What was unusual about his behavior?" Sarah was still trying to understand this guy.
"When an assassin or team of assassins made an attempt on him, he would kill them all and have them embalmed and laid out in very nice coffins. He would send those back to their home parishes with a donation large enough to cover the cost of burial. That kind of respect in response to a sanction for disrespect is unprecedented," Vincenzo said. "It made forgiving him seem like the noble thing to do."
"It would also be a good foundation for mutual respect," Zondra nodded. "Smart play. I've even heard rumors that Charles has greater loyalty to the Camorra than to the CIA."
"Signore himself has assured me that this is true," Vincenzo said solemnly. There was an uncomfortable silence.
"I'm starting to have second thoughts about going to this academy," Sarah admitted uncertainly.
"To be honest, we'd all better hope that his loyalty to the CIA is weaker than his loyalty to you, Blondie," Carina noted. "Don't forget you're still a wanted terrorist in the US."
"Signore DOES have a firm policy that no Camorra business may be transacted or discussed at the estate," Vincenzo assured them.
"So I get to run with the bad girls AND I don't have to do crimes to keep up my street cred? Yes please!" Zondra laughed.
"OK, point taken, we've stayed in less reputable places," Sarah relented.
"Speaking of disreputable, I can't help but wonder how your Signore managed to afford nice caskets and funerals," Carina said suspiciously. "I know the CIA wouldn't authorize that kind of expense."
"Galois Media is an extremely successful business," Vincenzo assured her. "The sponsored events and artists are profitable, but the web design and hosting services are considered truly world class. Technical services are difficult to manage but when they are successful, the profit margins are much higher than any criminal enterprise I've ever heard of."
"It sounds like he's making the billionaire playboy cover a reality," Carina shook her head in confusion. "He's really blurring the lines here."
"That's not the only way he's blurring the lines," Zondra added. "From what I've heard from my station chief, Charles is effectively a rogue agent."
"How can he get away with that?" Sarah was even more puzzled.
"Normally a rogue agent would be burned by The Company but Charles is completely self funded so there are no resource requests to deny. Putting out a kill order on a guy comfortable living in the open in Italy with a Camorra death sentence would be equally ridiculous," Zondra shrugged. "He seems happy to further American interests so it would be crazy to sever all ties with him."
"Wow, and I thought I had freedom as an independent contractor," Carina said enviously.
As the four of them gathered their belongings and headed to the airport, Sarah's feelings were in conflict. She didn't recognize the man Chuck had become and wasn't sure whether she would consider him a good guy or a bad guy. His lack of loyalty to the CIA and its chain of command and his closeness to Italian organized crime were bad. Banning criminal activity at the academy and making a living running a legitimate business were good. Being willing to take assignments to further American interests was also good as was foiling the Ring's attempt to recreate the intersect. Being willing to shelter her and get her therapy even though she was wanted for terrorism in the US? For her personally it was a godsend but on paper sheltering a terrorist was VERY bad. She began to wonder if some of the other things Chuck was doing that seemed bad were like that. Could his willingness to be rogue on paper be hiding a heroic willingness to do the right thing despite the high cost?
Perhaps she was just fooling herself, trying to rationalize away Chuck's sins. Why would she do that? Was it because she wanted to minimize the consequences of her own betrayal? She had to admit that if Chuck HAD become a bad guy she would feel like a lot of it was her fault. Somehow, though, that didn't feel right to her. Was she rationalizing because she still cared about Chuck on some level and WANTED to believe he was a good guy? The ironic thing is that this is something HER Chuck had done constantly. He was always looking for the best in people and for an explanation of their behavior that made them good guys. If she worried about her Chuck getting burned by that tendency, didn't she owe it to herself to protect her from doing the same thing?
In the end Sarah realized she had a lot more questions than answers. She realized figuring out who Chuck really was could wait. She needed to focus on recovering from her own trauma from Daniel's betrayal and on finding a way to clear her name. When she was finally able to get comfortable enough to doze on jet she was happy to give her brain a rest.