Happy 2019 y'all!
I actually wrote these next two chapters last spring, during Gina Haspel's confirmation process, when there was a lot of talk in the news cycle about what it means for a CIA agent to drop their cover. This, of course, made me ask the question "what would Sarah Walker do?" (I actually ask myself that a lot, and as long as the question has absolutely nothing to do with love or relationships, it generally serves me well.) I wrote them piecemeal on my phone during my occasional moments of downtime, primarily to amuse myself, and once I thought I might want to finish and post them my betas were all busy having jobs and families and all of that time-consuming stuff, so I decided to let them sit a while. And sit they did. For many, many long months. It was really sad and lonely there in my unfinished fic folder, just waiting for me to decide to organize my files and find them again. So I figured I'd let them out to play, and hopefully you'll show them some love since they've been neglected for so, so long.
I guess this would pick up a year and some change after Chapter One. . .
swalker218 signed on at 19:32:18
ccarmichae007 signed on at 20:03:42
swalker218: Helloooo Sweetie!
ccarmichael007: New computer, who dis?
swalker218: You can't be serious.
ccarmichael007: Well, the screen name says that this is the lovely and indomitable Sarah Walker, but the Doctor Who reference says... well... otherwise.
swalker218: What? I can watch new things.
ccarmichael007: River Song didn't even make her first appearance until midway through season four of the new series. Am I supposed to believe that the ever-in-action-no-tolerance-for-sci-fi-inanities Sarah Walker sat on the couch and binge watched three and a half seasons of Daleks and Cybermen before landing on a catchphrase she found amusing?
ccarmichael007: How ya' doin' Morgan?
swalker218: Morgan? Now I'm insulted. I retract the "Sweetie."
ccarmichael007: If you really were Sarah, that would make me very sad.
swalker218: It really is me, Chuck.
ccarmichael007: Uh huh.
swalker218: (sigh) Napoleon and hedgehogs and coyote circuses, oh my!
swalker218: Happy now?
ccarmichael007: You're not the only one I've shared my dreams of hedgehog stardom with.
swalker218: Fine. Does Morgan know that you're currently in a bunker several hundred feet under the gorilla exhibit at the Omaha Zoo?
ccarmichael007: They put me under gorillas? In Omaha?
swalker218: They figured that another line of security wouldn't hurt in case you decided to try and escape again.
ccarmichael007: Well that explains the smell that wafts in every time my guards have a shift change. I just figured governmental hygiene had gone to hell.
swalker218: Well, that too. But in your case, I think it's mostly the gorillas.
ccarmichael007: Also an apt description for my current cadre of caretakers. These dudes make Casey look both petite and loquacious.
swalker218: I had much the same. I think they breed them in a lab somewhere.
ccarmichael007: They bunkerized you too?
swalker218: Yeah, for a few months. After we played several rounds of "does this interrogation technique violate the Geneva Convention?" and "is she really resistant to all of the truth serums?" By the time we were done, my own bunker and its shelf full of DVDs felt like a vacation.
ccarmichael007: Yeah, these places really do get a bad rap. I'm very sorry you had to go through all that though. I feel responsible.
swalker218: They even stripped me of my Miss CIA title. I never thought I'd miss that sash, yet, somehow, I do.
ccarmichael007: It's all my fault.
swalker218: No Chuck, it really isn't.
ccarmichael007: If I hadn't asked you to escape with me to begin with, you'd still have your life and your career. You'd be out chasing bad guys and overthrowing governments and winning talent competitions...
ccarmichael007: Hey, what was your talent, anyway?
swalker218: As you've said yourself, I have many. And I helped you escape because I wanted to. It's not your fault.
ccarmichael007: Yeah, but I was the genius who thought it would be a good idea to make a run for the border in an actual Taco Bell car. If not for your talent for gun play, that could have been the end of us right there.
ccarmichael007: Was gunplay your competition talent?
swalker218: No, they wouldn't allow us live rounds when they knew there was a high probability of the president showing up unannounced in the dressing rooms.
swalker218: And it's not like I didn't make any mistakes either. It was me who decided to wear a hot pink mini dress and heels while we were trying to inconspicuously board a flight to Argentina.
ccarmichael007: I know that I, for one, could not take my eyes off of you.
swalker218: And neither could Casey and his lab-grown goons, apparently. They spotted me in about three seconds.
ccarmichael007: I could've held off on messing with Casey's accounts until after we had reached a non-extradition country. I not only poked the bear, I wasn't being careful and probably left a digital trail straight to the airport. I really do hope he's enjoying his healing crystal of the month membership though.
swalker218: I heard through the grapevine that he actually went to the meditation retreat you signed him up for.
ccarmichael007: It was a silent retreat and they had Bonsai trimming as an elective. I was only trying to look out for the big guy.
swalker218: After his current assignment, he might need another one.
ccarmichael007: Oh, really?
swalker218: As his "reward" for bringing us in, they assigned him to personally head up the president's security detail.
ccarmichael007: Oh no.
swalker218: He's in a state of permanent internal conflict. On the one hand, the president is a Republican. On the other, he mutters the word "moron" under his breath approximately five times as frequently as he ever did when assigned to you. And he's really gotten creative with the adjectives around the "moron" too.
ccarmichael007: Wow. After me, that's really saying something. Is it weird that I'm actually a little disappointed about losing the title of Moron In Chief?
swalker218: You're asking me if I think you're weird?
ccarmichael007: Touché.
ccarmichael007: I can just picture him in the voting booth though: the red face, the sweat dripping down his brow, his hand trembling as he hovers his pen over the check box, the migraine forming as his head threatens to explode...
swalker218: He's taken to wearing glasses lately. I have a source in the NSA who says they're next-gen Google Glasses programmed to continuously superimpose an image of Reagan over Trump's face. I like to think that he's got earwigs to change the voice too.
ccarmichael007: Whatever gets him through the day...
ccarmichael007: But hey, the fact that you know this must mean that you're back out there on the surface somewhere, right?
swalker218: I'm actually back on active duty.
ccarmichael007: Really? How in the world did that happen? I figured we'd both landed on the FBI's most unwanted list for life.
swalker218: I'm fighting the urge to point out that I now know that's an X-Files reference.
ccarmichael007: Fighting and failing, Sweetie.
ccarmichael007: They should have given you some bunker time before assigning you to me. It would have saved us a whole lot of awkwardness, don't you think?
swalker218: I'm pretty positive it would have been awkward anyway.
ccarmichael007: But just think of all the things you'll have to talk with Morgan about next time you see him!
swalker218: I'm giddy with anticipation.
ccarmichael007: I'm sure. I know I'm looking forward to it immensely.
ccarmichael007: But anyway, active duty?
swalker218: Yes. Long story short, it's just a matter of numbers. Agent retention has been an issue of late, and given the state of… well… the entire world right now, they need every trained field agent they can get. They think they've bought my loyalty by pardoning my father and ensuring the safety of a few other people. In fact, that's why I'm contacting you now.
ccarmichael007: Are they letting me out? Is my unique skill set back in demand?
swalker218: Unfortunately, no. But could you use that skill set now to make sure this connection is secure? I've done the best I can, but...
ccarmichael007: Say no more. Sign off and back on in ten minutes.
swalker218 signed off at 20:37:23
ccarmichael007 signed off at 20:37:35
MulderBelievesInMe signed on at 20:45:13
RiverWalkerSong signed on at 20:47:25
MulderBelievesInMe: The coyotes howl in the moonlight.
RiverWalkerSong: The gorillas go hedgehog bowling.
MulderBelievesInMe: You did well, young Padawan. I've just spruced up the encryption a bit with a little something I've been working on, and routed us through a couple more satellites and some fanfiction sites where this kind of stuff won't raise any alarms.
RiverWalkerSong: Good thinking.
MulderBelievesInMe: So what's up?
RiverWalkerSong: So, to answer your last question: no, they're not letting you out anytime soon. There are very few people left who know about the Intersect project and those who remain are divided as to what to do with you. But most seem to agree that it's vitally important the president and his advisors never find out you exist. That's one of the reasons for Casey's assignment.
MulderBelievesInMe: And the rest of them?
RiverWalkerSong: Let's just say I doubt you'd be a fan of their agenda.
MulderBelievesInMe: So I'm staying a Morlock.
RiverWalkerSong: At least until the end of this administration, yes. That's the current plan.
MulderBelievesInMe: (sigh) Well, as long as they keep the cheese puffs coming. I've only played through Fallout once anyway.
RiverWalkerSong: But...
MulderBelievesInMe: But?
RiverWalkerSong: I may be able to change that.
MulderBelievesInMe: Really? You could get me out? After all this time? How?
RiverWalkerSong: I've been offered a promotion.
MulderBelievesInMe: A promotion?
RiverWalkerSong: The deputy directorship, actually.
MulderBelievesInMe: You who was just recently Morlocked herself?
RiverWalkerSong: If you keep asking questions, this is going to take a lot longer.
MulderBelievesInMe: Sorry, but you've got me on a bit of an emotional roller coaster here.
RiverWalkerSong: Good to know I've still got it ;)
MulderBelievesInMe: Har har har. You never lost it and you know it.
RiverWalkerSong: :)
RiverWalkerSong: Like I said, it's a numbers game. Nearly everybody with seniority over me has been promoted and then fired already. We've been going through a director a month on average and my number's up. If I take this position, I'll probably be out of a job by the end of the summer.
MulderBelievesInMe: He really does like firing people, doesn't he?
RiverWalkerSong: You have no idea. And I wouldn't necessarily be sad to leave it all behind, but that means no retirement, no benefits and slim to no future employment prospects. I might end up serving hot dogs for real. I've heard the last director just had to move back in with his parents.
MulderBelievesInMe: Those darn millennials...
RiverWalkerSong: He's 53.
MulderBelievesInMe: So don't take it. Keep your head down amongst the rank and file and ride it out. No administration lasts forever.
RiverWalkerSong: We can hope. And if I do that and manage to keep my job, I can also keep an eye on you.
MulderBelievesInMe: Still protecting me after all these years.
RiverWalkerSong: It's my job.
MulderBelievesInMe: Not anymore. And I sense a "but" coming.
RiverWalkerSong: A big one.
MulderBelievesInMe: Really? I never thought it was that big. I mean it's not flat or anything, but I wouldn't necessarily say "big." It does look great in a slinky dress. Toned, maybe. Yeah, toned is a good word for it. I mean, with all that kicking of things that you do, and...
RiverWalkerSong: Chuck, you're spiraling.
MulderBelievesInMe: Leave me alone, it's a happy spiral.
RiverWalkerSong: Focus.
RiverWalkerSong: Breathe.
MulderBelievesInMe: Fine, I'm breathing now. The but?
RiverWalkerSong: You just giggled, didn't you?
MulderBelievesInMe: I admit to nothing.
RiverWalkerSong: Sure, sure.
RiverWalkerSong: As I was saying... if I do take the promotion, I'd have the highest possible security clearance and much, much, more power than I do now. I'd eventually have jurisdiction over all of the CIA's projects. Even ones nearly everybody has forgotten about by now.
MulderBelievesInMe: You mean projects like the Intersect.
RiverWalkerSong: Now you're seeing it.
MulderBelievesInMe: So you could let me go?
RiverWalkerSong: Not only could I let you go, I could make it so the Intersect never officially existed. I could wipe out every last byte of data we have on the Intersect, and on you. You, and your family, could start completely over again like it never happened.
MulderBelievesInMe: Yes, yes! Do it! Make the call now, I'll go pack!
RiverWalkerSong: Is that really what you want?
MulderBelievesInMe: How could I not? I could see the sun! I could meet Ellie's kids! I could finish college for real! Morgan and I could finally figure out who the best companion for the Doctor is! And, just think of what this means for us!
RiverWalkerSong: What do you think it means for us?
MulderBelievesInMe: We could finally be together for real. No covers, no lies, no mad dashes for international waters...
MulderBelievesInMe: Sarah?
MulderBelievesInMe: Sarah?
MulderBelievesInMe: Sarah, you want that too. Right?
RiverWalkerSong: ;ljk;lkj
MulderBelievesInMe: I... don't know what that means.
RiverWalkerSong: Sorry, I was just tapping my fingers on the keyboard. I didn't mean to send that.
MulderBelievesInMe: Don't you still want to be with me? I know I messed things up last time we tried to escape, but I thought you still felt the same way I do. I mean, that last kiss...
RiverWalkerSong: No Chuck, I still feel the same.
MulderBelievesInMe: So what's the problem? Let's do it.
RiverWalkerSong: If I take a directorship position, I have to drop my cover. All my covers. I'd never be Sarah Walker again. I'd be a public figure with my real name and real information out there for the world to see. There'd be televised congressional hearings, reporters digging up whatever they can find about me, and cameras in my face every time I leave my house. The people I love could be leveraged against me. And even if the job only lasts a couple of months, the attention will be on me for the rest of my life.
MulderBelievesInMe: Oh.
RiverWalkerSong: And, you're not the only person I'm protecting.
MulderBelievesInMe: That makes sense.
RiverWalkerSong: Really?
MulderBelievesInMe: Yeah. You're you. I never really thought about it before, but it doesn't surprise me that I'm not the only unfortunate soul you've taken under your wing.
RiverWalkerSong: That's sweet.
MulderBelievesInMe: I'm sure they're not all as devastatingly handsome and charming as I am though.
RiverWalkerSong: Oh, not even remotely.
MulderBelievesInMe: :)
RiverWalkerSong: But even without my cover, I think I can arrange things so they'll be safe.
MulderBelievesInMe: So what's the catch?
RiverWalkerSong: You. You're the catch.
MulderBelievesInMe: I knew you'd see that someday.
RiverWalkerSong: I saw that almost immediately.
MulderBelievesInMe: Aww, I'm blushing here.
RiverWalkerSong: :)
MulderBelievesInMe: But?
RiverWalkerSong: But, even if I can manage to delete all official knowledge of the Intersect, there are still people out there who know about you. People who no longer have government jobs but do have new resentments and axes to grind over how they've been ousted. For all I know, there could be other Intersects running around out there now, and I can't know where they are or who they are unless I take the job. If I become a public figure, and if I'm ever seen with you...
MulderBelievesInMe: All it takes is one person to blow a whistle...
RiverWalkerSong: Or contact a foreign aggressor.
MulderBelievesInMe: That could be... problematic.
RiverWalkerSong: Yeah.
MulderBelievesInMe: Yeah. :(
MulderBelievesInMe: Speaking of people who know about me, what's our favorite diminutive General up to these days?
RiverWalkerSong: Chuck, you're deflecting.
MulderBelievesInMe: I 100% am. Humor me anyways.
RiverWalkerSong: Well, she's not a general anymore. She took early retirement and is doing the Broadway thing now.
MulderBelievesInMe: What Broadway thing? I never pictured her as a theater aficionado. I can't even picture her nodding her head along to a musical. I doubt she has a rhythmic bone in her body.
RiverWalkerSong: Oh no, she's not attending plays. She's performing in them. Musicals even.
MulderBelievesInMe: !
RiverWalkerSong: Come on, it's not that unbelievable.
MulderBelievesInMe: I….. I'm speechless.
RiverWalkerSong: That would be a first.
MulderBelievesInMe: Alternative facts!
MulderBelievesInMe: This demands proof.
RiverWalkerSong: Hang on….
RiverWalkerSong sent file Wicked04052018. mp4 at 21:18:41
MulderBelievesInMe opened Wicked04052018. mp4 at 21:18:45
MulderBelievesInMe: :-O :-O :-O
MulderBelievesInMe: That little lady has a huge set of pipes!
RiverWalkerSong: And that surprises you? After all the yelling? I've always found it a little too appropriate that that she's playing Elphaba.
MulderBelievesInMe: I'm watching this again. In fact, I'm putting it on a loop. And it's going straight to the top of every playlist I own.
RiverWalkerSong: You and Beckman can defy gravity all day long now.
MulderBelievesInMe: So have you ever thought about what you want to do once you're done with the government? If Beckman can tread the boards six shows a week, you could do just about anything.
RiverWalkerSong: Oh, I've already decided.
MulderBelievesInMe: Do tell.
RiverWalkerSong: I want to be a vampire slayer.
MulderBelievesInMe: That is... amazingly perfect for you.
RiverWalkerSong: There is most definitely a Hellmouth underneath Washington D.C., and I want to close it.
MulderBelievesInMe: I think I could pull together a respectable Scooby Team to help you with that.
RiverWalkerSong: I'll consider Morgan, but anybody you met at the Buy More is strictly off limits.
MulderBelievesInMe: But just think of the potential for comic relief!
RiverWalkerSong: I am not giving any of those idiots access to ancient wisdoms or magic weapons.
MulderBelievesInMe: Fine. Fair enough. But I get to pick the British guy.
RiverWalkerSong: Or woman. Women can be Watchers too.
MulderBelievesInMe: Person then. British person.
RiverWalkerSong: Agreed.
MulderBelievesInMe: And may I just say that I'm loving this new side of you? I should have locked you in a room with my DVD collection a long time ago.
RiverWalkerSong: What can I say? You ruined me.
MulderBelievesInMe: Or vastly improved you. Tomato, tohmato. I just wish there was some way I could see it in person. Ever.
RiverWalkerSong: There's a small chance.
MulderBelievesInMe: Pretty minuscule.
RiverWalkerSong: So what do you think?
MulderBelievesInMe: Let me make sure I've got this all straight.
MulderBelievesInMe: Option 1: You don't accept the position. You spend the next two to six years playing it safe and hoping you hang onto your job while I stay in the bunker racking up miles on the treadmill and taking increasingly large amounts of Vitamin D supplements. And that's provided that nobody pulls me out to try and further some nefarious agenda. Occasionally we get to chat about whatever show I've just binged that you probably haven't had time to watch.
RiverWalkerSong: I'll try to make sure you stay current. I'll even give you my Hulu login if you can get away with streaming it. I highly recommend The Handmaid's Tale.
MulderBelievesInMe: I appreciate that. As long as you promise not to judge me for my viewing history. And the whole time we hope that things change with the next administration instead of continuing on in the same vein.
RiverWalkerSong: Sounds about right.
MulderBelievesInMe: Option 2: You take the job, and for an unknown but likely brief period of time become one of the most powerful people in the intelligence community. You can arrange it so that I'm finally free and safe, but that comes at the price of your personal freedom, your future prospects, and possibly puts other people you care about in danger. And we can never see each other again without risking not only our own safety, but potentially that of the nation.
RiverWalkerSong: That pretty much sums it up.
MulderBelievesInMe: Do you see an option 3?
RiverWalkerSong: Well, the bombs could start flying any minute. In that case, I'm making a run for your bunker.
MulderBelievesInMe: Say hi to the gorillas on the way down.
RiverWalkerSong: I'll have to remember to put some industrial strength tranq darts in my bug-out bag.
MulderBelievesInMe: What if I get massive amounts of plastic surgery? Switch faces with Nicholas Cage or something?
RiverWalkerSong: I've actually considered that. Well, not the Nicholas Cage part, but the rest. It might work for a while, but unless there's something classified way above my level, I don't think there's any way to permanently change the other biometrics like fingerprints or retinas, much less DNA. If someone looks close enough, I don't know if it'd hold up. Especially if that person is an Intersect. And there's no time to do that research before I give my answer. It's a lot to ask of you for what's at best a long shot.
MulderBelievesInMe: Plus I don't have thousands and thousands of dollars laying around to pay an unscrupulous surgeon with. You?
RiverWalkerSong: Sorry, no. Though I do know this guy Lichtenstein...
MulderBelievesInMe: I don't think you can be both a high-ranking government official and a con artist.
RiverWalkerSong: You obviously haven't had access to the news lately.
MulderBelievesInMe: So it's maybe possible?
RiverWalkerSong: You'd really be willing to go through the pain of multiple operations and change how you look forever, just for me?
MulderBelievesInMe: There isn't much I wouldn't do for you. What's a little more pain?
RiverWalkerSong: You'd also wait in the bunker for God only knows how long when you know there's another option?
MulderBelievesInMe: Minus those few weeks with you, I've been in one bunker or another for almost 10 years already, and, until today, had no hope of getting out anytime soon. I am thoroughly bunkerized. What's a few more years?
RiverWalkerSong: You're not making this any easier for me.
MulderBelievesInMe: It's not an easy choice.
RiverWalkerSong: You still haven't told me what you think.
MulderBelievesInMe: I think it's your decision.
RiverWalkerSong: But it's not. This involves you too. You need to have a voice in this.
MulderBelievesInMe: I haven't had my own voice since the day I got that email from Bryce. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you asking for my input, but I can't decide this for you.
RiverWalkerSong: The only thing I've decided is that I can't decide until I know what you want. What you really want.
MulderBelievesInMe: When is your answer due?
RiverWalkerSong: Less than 48 hours now.
MulderBelievesInMe: In that case, I think I need to sleep on it.
RiverWalkerSong: That sounds fair. I'll check back in with you this time tomorrow?
MulderBelievesInMe: I'll try and fit you in.
RiverWalkerSong: Why thank you. I appreciate it.
MulderBelievesInMe: For you, any time.
RiverWalkerSong: :)
MulderBelievesInMe: :)
MulderBelievesInMe: Well... goodnight.
RiverWalkerSong: Night.
RiverWalkerSong: Chuck, you still there?
MulderBelievesInMe: Yes.
RiverWalkerSong: I
RiverWalkerSong: ...
RiverWalkerSong: Sweet dreams.
MulderBelievesInMe: You too.
RiverWalkerSong signed off at 21:56:51
MulderBelievesInMe signed off at 22:24:32