Sarah meets Carina outside of the CIA building. As usual, Carina wears something provocative and had a sly smile plastered all over her face. Carina motions towards Sarah for a hug and greets her, "Walker, it's nice to see you." Sarah returns the hug and notices that a man is standing beside Carina but not facing her. "Carina, who's this?"
"Ah, yes, your memory problems, you have met him but I guess just don't remember him. This is Agent Cole Barker, you met him when he was working for MI6. We met in Brazil and have been partners for the last year."
Cole extends his hand, "Sarah, it's a pleasure." He smiles a devilish grin.
Sarah accepts his hand, "Nice to meet you again, I guess." Sarah shifts awkwardly, Cole doesn't seem familiar and she notes the smile. She would have definitely remembered the smile that he carries.
Carina breaks the silence before any tension can result, "No Walker, we are not sleeping together but have a very professional relationship. It's even surprising to me. Let's go inside, Beckman is going to brief us."
The three agents turn towards the building and make their way to General Backman's office. Despite Sarah not having a valid CIA identification on her, she is let into the building given the reputation that she has within the agency. This building feels familiar to her and she starts cursing her head, she thinks to herself, 'how can I remember a building but I cannot remember Chuck?' On the flight to Washington, she tried not to think about him but failed miserably. She didn't remember anything new but she thought about the beach. This memory was a reel, playing over and over in her head. Secretly she liked thinking about Chuck and her on the beach because it was the first real memory of them together. Something she knows to be true. And because she was terrified, if she stopped thinking about it, would it disappear?
The elevator ride was quiet until Cole says, "It's going to be nice to work with you again, Sarah." Sarah doesn't respond but gives a smile to him. He seems pleasant she thought. They reach the General's office and heads inside.
"Good, you are here. Agent Walker, Agent Miller told me that you will be joining them for this mission. I'm glad to see you."
"Thank you, General."
Showing the agents a picture of their target, she informs them, "Okay, this is Sebastian Young. He is a tech expert, he started out as a programmer and then became bored. Now he hacks into the country's intelligence agencies and releases secrets to the public. We can't have this, the information that he releases is not only top secret but causes major panic within the public. We want you to capture him and bring him back here so that we can encourage him to work for the agency."
Carina chuckles, "Easy."
The General continues, "He lives in this compound in South Africa and has a prominent security detail. They follow him everywhere except when he tells them otherwise. He is throwing a party in his home tomorrow night, invitations are for millionaires only. Barker and Walker will pose as a millionaire couple and Carina will pose as a cougar looking for a lover, then get Sebastian alone by any means necessary. You leave now."
X
Sarah and Cole hand their invitations to the security detail and make their way inside. He is in a black tux, classic but never overdone. She has her hair up in a bun and wears a red silk dress. Once they have properly scoped out the areas that they have access to then Carina will join them. Sarah links her arm in Cole's, they need to sell that they are a couple after all. After exchanging glances they head to the bar. "A scotch and martini for the lady."
"I don't drink martinis" Sarah mentions to Cole.
"What was I supposed to say?"
Sarah responds, "I'm just saying that men don't always have to order for women."
"Noted."
They walk around the party, casually creating conversations with the people that are standing around. It was the usual suspects at the party, money launderers, arm's dealers and drug lords. They note the movements of the cameras and the number of guards that are at Sebastian's side, once this information is communicated to Carina, she makes her way into the mansion.
"Care to dance, Sarah?" Cole asks politely as he holds out his hand, waiting for her to take it. They make their way to the middle of the dance floor and because they don't need to be a distraction just yet, they slowly sway in sync with the music. Carina makes contact with Sebastian using not so subtle seduction to intrigue him. Most men find Carina to be irresistible and Sebastian is no exception. To fill the silence while they watch Carina, Cole ventures into the topic of Sarah's lost memories. "How are you holding up, Sarah? I know it must be difficult." Cole asks in a tender way.
"It's hard, I don't know what is real and people expect me to just trust what strangers say is true. I don't trust anyone. Spies don't trust anyone except their partner." Sarah responds.
"So, shouldn't you trust Chuck?" Cole counters.
"I don't remember being his partner. The last partner I remember is Bryce." Sarah wasn't making any attempt to keep the conversion going.
"I met you a couple of years ago, you seduced me to try and get a chip that was hidden in my belt buckle. That mission got a bit hot, making us remove some clothes. A while after that we endured some torture together. Once all of that was over, I wanted you to be my partner. I wanted to leave and go somewhere beautiful with you because…"
"Carina is leaving, we need to follow her." Sarah interrupts. They follow Carina up the stairs to the bedrooms while keeping a safe following distance from the guards. Once they ascertain which room Carina is in, they decide it's time to get rid of the guards. They nod in sequence, walk into the passage way, firing their guns causing the guards to drop like flies. Behind Sarah, another guard approaches her and traps her in a neck lock. The guard uses her as a human shield against all of Cole's potential bullets. Cole immediately turns around to face Sarah and the guard, "Let her go, take me instead."
"Cute, but no." The guard chuckles.
Over the earpiece, Carina updates them, "Guys, the target is smitten. I have tranquilised him and I am ready for extraction." The guard is moving back towards the staircase to call for help. During this movement, Sarah manages to elbow him in the stomach causing him to recoil and Cole manages to shoot him between the eyes. Before the guard drops to the floor, Cole is by Sarah's side, "Are you okay?"
"Yes, thanks for that." He helps her to her feet, and they make their way to Carina.
X
On the flight back home, Sarah settles into her seat and is need of a distraction, so she pops earphones into her ears and opens the music app on her phone. She hits shuffle and listens for a surprise song to hit her ears. The song gives her a feeling of home.
Carina sits down next to Sarah, "I didn't know you liked music, what are you listening to?"
"I never used to listen to music, it must be something new. I'm listening to Nina Simone. I like her."
Changing topic completely, Carina makes a statement "So you want to be a part of our team, we can use your skills."
"I don't know."
"Well, the offer is there, change your mind at any time. I'm going to sleep a bit before we land back in Washington."
There was silence for a while and Sarah was finally sinking deeper into the seat. She was looking out of the window, wondering how people figured out who they needed to be and who they needed to be with. "You didn't leave with me." Cole's voice breaks the silence, referring to the earlier conversation, "You want to know why?"
Sarah had no recollection of what Cole was talking about, but some how she knew the answer. She thought to herself, 'Chuck. It was because of Chuck.'