Don't own Chuck
Sitting in an interrogation room was a middle-aged woman with short blond hair with middle-Eastern facial features with deep blue eyes. It was easy to see that in her younger years the woman would've been quite… well very healthy. She smiled as the Major walked in and sat down on the other side of the table. She could lay on as much righteous indignation as she wanted but he wasn't going to let it get in his way of finding the truth.
"I hope you have a good reason for getting me out of bed because as soon as I notify my people you're going to have some explaining to do dollink."
"Well Natasha… darling, I think I have a good one. How about espionage," said the Major as he laid out photos of her going into and coming out of the restroom.
"I could comment on what poor taste you have or how creepy these photos are but I assume there is some point to this?" said Natasha as she looked him without batting an eye.
"Are you going to tell me you had to drive all the way to the airport to use the bathroom? What was the matter at the consulate too much borscht… the sewers backed up or something?"
"Funny! You should be on television. I was going to catch a flight but I got recalled before I could board. I don't hardly think I have to justify my travel plans to you."
"Oh, but you do. However, let's forget about that now. How about this," said the Major as he laid out photos of Marta going into the same bathroom before."
"Are you some sort of pervert… a nogoodnik? You don't have anything better to do all day but watch women come and go from the restroom and I hope it ends just at the door. You know you need some professional help."
"Now you're trying to be funny. Are you going to say you don't recognize this woman? She was your spy here for a long time and when I say yours I'm not just talking about her being Russian but about you being her handler or at least you were."
"Dollink, now I know you're off your meds. You've seen too many spy films. I bet you used to like watching all those 007 flicks. Who was your favorite Bond? Mine was Sean Connery even if I could only understand only about half of what he said. But I have to admit I also liked Daniel Craig too.
"And I liked Rockie and Bullwinkle too. But you're avoiding answering my questions and I understand what's going on that's what you were trained to do. However, it dawned on me that maybe your people back in Lubyanka might not know everything you've been up to..."
"I don't know what you're talking about… Lubyanka," said Natasha as she interrupted him. "I work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Smolenskaya Square not Lubyanka."
"Really, you're going to stick with that. Well then you won't mind if I invite someone else to sit in on our talk if only virtually." The Major got up pecked on the two-way mirror then motioned for someone on the other side to come in.
"Who did you invite to come? I hope it's my lawyer because I'm about due one, don't you think and I'd like that one phone call."
"Terrorists don't have those options but I can arrange for a flight to vacation site in Cuba," said the Major as the door opened up and a large monitor was wheeled inside. "If he's ready can you bring him up and make sure the webcam is working so he can see."
The screen came on and at first it was filled with static but then an out of focused image came on. Then shortly after that it sharpened and there sitting behind his desk in Moscow was Director Igor Trotski.
"Director, I'm glad you agreed to this meeting on such short notice," said the Major. "I apologize for the hour but it couldn't be helped. I realize this is highly unorthodox but…"
"Yeah, yeah, can we get on with this? I was sound asleep in my bed when my people came to get me. You know Ms. Fatale has diplomatic immunity so she shouldn't even be there with you. I can promise you I'll be taking this up with our Ministry of Foreign Affairs as soon as we're done here…"
"Why? She's working for you and please don't insult my intelligence by denying it. It will only make you look bad. Director, we found a coded message that Marta left in the restroom at the air terminal and we decoded it," said the Major as he held up photos of numbers for the Director to see then placed them in front of Natasha.
"I don't know what you're talking about. What message?" said Igor as he squinted to see better. "Can I see that code again?" The Major looked at Natasha who was looking away.
"Just as I thought. Director, you don't know what your operative has been up to. Well let me tell you what… no I can do better I'll send you a copy of this. Natasha has been busy. You see when Fry told Marta he wanted to talk once he got back from Saint Thomas she panicked and called her old handler, Natasha…"
"That's old news. I know all about Marta but don't get me wrong I'm not saying Ms Fatale was involved in anyway. However, I received a report across my desk from the parties who were acting on the intel and well… things got out of hand."
"Maybe or maybe they just wanted you to think that. There was another message sent from your consulate to Saint Thomas just before General Beckman and Roan went there on vacation. We suspect it was Natasha who sent it. Both Beckman and Roan are currently missing and it is assumed they've been taken by the same people who orchestrated General Fry's assassination..."
"Beckman is missing? I was unaware of this but I don't understand what do all these people have in common or how you can think we're responsible for their abduction. All you have is supposition and I think you might be making too much out of nothing."
"Director, if anything happens to General Beckman then… well the unofficial agreement not to go after the directors of our respective agencies is off the board or don't you realize this?"
"Are you threatening me?" said Igor as he leaned into the camera. The Major could see the veins in his neck pop out. "I don't like threats especially from underlings like you."
"I mean no disrespect but I'm trying to make you understand what's at risk here. Believe me when I tell you there are some who would like things to go back to the way they used to be. You take one of ours and we take one of yours. I think you remember that quite well," said the Major ignoring Igor's remark and trying to make him see what was at risk.
"I hear you talking but still don't see how all these people are linked together. You say Ms Fatale sent message out to Saint Thomas. But you can't know it was her who sent the messages. The consulate is in contact with lots of people all around the world and they send out thousands of messages every day. I will admit the timing is a little odd but that's still no proof and they certainly can't be linked to Ms Fatale directly."
"Director, the one thing that Fry, Beckman, and Roan have in common is an op that was executed against the people's liberation front in Honduras. If you don't remember who they were I think Ms Fatale can give you a quick update."
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Natasha as she looked away from the monitor. Igor caught it and signaled an agent to come over. He whispered something in the man's ear then sent him off before turning back to face the monitor.
"You don't?" said the Major as he kept on working Natasha. "You just happened to be in Honduras working out of your embassy there when General Fry, and Roan were there. It has been documented that the rebels were flown to Cuba where they were trained then funneled back into their respective countries to take up arms."
"So what if freedom fighters were trained in Cuba? That doesn't mean anything. The Cubans were our brothers in arms then. However, I fail to see what that has to do with me. I'm just a lowly civil employee and back then I worked as a secretary in immigrations and visas."
"What did you call these people? Freedom fighter? They can hardly be called that now. Since the amnesty and ending of hostilities most of them have become productive members of their society. However, some have found becoming a part of society a rough path to follow and have put their training to criminal use."
"If you say so but I think once a person picks a cause they should stick with it or else they risk losing everything which includes what they fought for."
"When did you become a spy for the People's Liberation Front?" said the Major. Igor's attention suddenly piqued. "I bet you rationalized it in the beginning that there was no difference between the PLF and the KGB. You both had the same goals spreading the revolution."
"I don't know what you're talking about. You need to get some rest because now you are talking crazy. As I said before I'm a humble civil servant."
"Who spent time in the jungles of Honduras," said the Major as he dropped other photos of her on the table. "We kept an eye of your embassy and where you people went when you left your compounds. Are you going to tell me you went on picnics in the jungle carrying an AK 47?"
"A girl never can be too careful, dollink," said Natasha as she pushed the photos back at him. "The jungles back then were teaming with dangerous creatures and some of them were animals."
"Well, I'm done with you. Since we've been talking here everything I told you has been presented to the Secretary of State and he's pulled your credentials. You've been declared persona non-grata and will be placed on the next flight to Russia. You will remain here until you can be escorted to next available plane and you'd better use the bathroom here before your leave or be able to hold it until you're on the plane. There will be no stops this time. Director, she's all yours."
"I look forward to having a conversation with Ms. Fatale as soon as she arrives and as a token of good faith. I was told a communique was sent out earlier this afternoon from our consulate to an address in Saint Thomas. I've instructed my people to give you that address. I assume that code you broke is the message that was transmitted."
"No, you can't… they're our brothers. We're fighting these capitalist pigs together. We can't just turn our backs on them because the wind has changed direction."
"Yes, Ms Fatale, I can see we're going to have to have a nice long talk when you return. I will forward you the information I promised and make sure Diane is told I didn't know anything about this."
"Sharrup you mouth, you old bastard," said Natasha as she spat at the monitor. "You're selling out our people."
"When you say 'our people' which people are you referring to? I think you've gotten asset and agent confused but we'll have time to discuss that."
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[Back on the pirate boat]
"Mom, what are you doing?" said Luiz as he walked into the cabin where they were holding Roan and Beckman only to find Donna Rosenda, his mother, pointing a Tokarev at Roan's head. "This is what you want to do? We grab them so you can go and cap them. I thought you wanted to take your time with them?"
"You're right I do," said Donna Rosenda as she tucked her weapon back into her belt. "I just let my anger get the best of me," she said but she wasn't so sure it was anger.
"I came down here to tell you that we got a message from the villa. Our friend in the States sent another message. Pablito's shooter is on his way here. Remember we were looking for that Lieutenant Alex Coburn…"
"How's that possible?" said his mother cutting him off. "There's a mistake it can't be Coburn… Coburn was killed in Honduras… that's what the official records said. I even saw his autopsy report."
"Then whoever told you lied and the documents were falsified. Coburn changed his name to Casey… John Casey and he's a part of the people the CIA team sent to investigate their disappearance," said Luiz as he pointed at Roan and the General.
"This is good news. We can put them all on trial for war crimes and broadcast their execution live over the internet. Can we slip out of this cove safely then head home? We need to get back to lay a trap… yes, yes we need to grab him too."
"I agree but we need to think about this. First of all, I don't think we should take them back with us. The island will be crawling with agents and we can't risk them finding them or us. We'll pull into our hideaway on Saint John then take a chopper over. Once we grab this other guy then we can have the boat come and pick us up. After that we make a run across the Caribbean to Honduras and head for the jungle like we planned."
"Good… yes it's a good plan go make it happen," said Donna Rosenda as she looked back into the cabin at Roan and Beckman lying across the bed. "I've waited a long time for this and now I get this extra bonus. It has to be a sign of some sort. Your father is looking down on us and smiling. I can feel it."
"A sign? Look, what I said before about them lying and the false records… that was just a logical conclusion on my part. How do we know we can trust the source of this intel? I mean if we jump on this and they're waiting everything is over and we'll never see the light of day again."
"That's easy because the person feeding us this intel was a friend of Pablito's… an intimate friend, very intimate, who like me wants his death avenged."
"Wait a minute you got mad at me when I asked you if he had… well other women. Now you're telling me there were other women. I don't understand?"
He couldn't believe his ears. His head was spinning as he looked at his mother in dismay. Could it be that his mother was admitting she'd lied to him and that the man… saint he'd been brought up to revere wasn't the man he thought he'd been?"
"I'm going to need some explanation Mom."
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On the Annabel Lee another interrogation was taking place as Agent Marley tried to interview the crew to discover who was the mole before they got into port. However, given everything that had happened it was clear the pirates had to have had help from onboard. Marley went through all the deckhands as the boat was being towed back and somewhere just before dawn he was wrapping up with the last ones. The only ones left were the Skipper, Spud and Spike.
"I hope you're satisfied," said the Skipper. He'd dropped in to see how things were progressing and to make sure his men were getting a fair shake. "I hope you've determined that none of my men were involved."
"On the contrary, I'm almost sure someone was in on it," said Marley. He could tell by the Skipper's look that he didn't agree. "Look, if we set aside the obvious which is your broken beacon, radar and radio there's still the problem of your course heading."
"Then you agree things break which is in their nature at the most inopportune time but I don't understand. What does our course have to do with anything? We just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think that's clear. These people grab our passengers not because they knew who they were but to ask for a ransom."
"I don't hardly think so. You ask about the course… well think about it. You deviated off your heading you had originally charted. Had you stuck to it you wouldn't have come near to where you were boarded."
"I guess that was just some bad luck. You know at sea things happen and they aren't always planned. You have to roll with the punches and think on your feet."
"That may be but in this case someone deliberately informed the pirates about your course change and that was how they knew where to board you. They knew the weather conditions and took advantage of it," said Marley but he could still see doubt in the Skipper's face. "It all boils down to Occam's razor."
"Occam's what? I'm a Gillette man myself."
"Not that kind of razor… Occam's razor says that the simplest answers are preferable to more complex ones because they are more often the right ones. I'm afraid you do have a mole onboard but I'm not done with me interviews yet. I still need to talk to Spike and Spud as well as yourself to interrogate."
"So, I'm a suspect too? And this is an interrogation? I thought you said you just wanted to talk to my men?"
"What is an interrogation but a chat that yields intel. Let's not argue over semantics. Everyone is a suspect until I rule them out and even then that doesn't mean anything because as soon as we pull in there will be other people waiting who will be questioning you and your people too."
"Well, you need to talk to Spike right away if you're going to talk to him before we pull in. I'm going to need him with me when we pull into port. This boat doesn't moor itself and speaking of that I really need to go."
"I understand but one quick question for you if you don't mind. You were rounded up with the crew and shoved in the engine room that's what I've been told."
"Yes, we all were shoved in there then they locked us inside. We started smelling the smoke and were trying to free ourselves when the Coast Guard arrived."
"But if they shoved you all in the engine room when did they foul the engine? It doesn't seem as if they'd have time before they shoved your people inside. Yet, when you came out you noticed the engine didn't work."
"We discovered that after the fires were put out and we were told by the Coast Guard to follow them back to Saint Thomas."
"So, if the Coast Guard cutter hadn't had to give you a tow then they could've pursued the pirates. Their radars were fully functional… I mean hypothetically speaking that is of course."
"I guess they could've but you need to speak to their Skipper about why he didn't give pursuit. Radars aren't fully effective in dense fog. The water moisture hanging in the air can be difficult for it to cut through. Sometimes readings just come back like a big blob. But that's just me guessing and like I said you really need to talk to their skipper."
"Which would also be true of the pirate's vessel following your line of reasoning. That means they were where they were because they knew you'd be there or am I missing something?"
"No… no I guess you're not and said like that it would seem that they were waiting for us. But as you already know we changed our course so we could dip down to the Lower Antilles then come back up."
"So now you can understand why I think you've got a mole. I know you need to go but one last question who on board knew about this change of course?"
"Well, the passengers did… you don't think they could've been in on this? I mean I've heard of this sort of thing happening when people want to disappear."
"I don't hardly think so. Again, I need to know who among you knew about this course change," said Marley as he pressed the Skipper.
"Well, Spike, as my first mate, helped plot the course and I guess anyone who walked by the charts. They were lying out on the table so anyone could've seen them. It's not like I was trying to hide anything from my men and just about everyone took their turn up on the bridge at one time or another on watch. This isn't a huge ship with a large crew compliment so everyone needs to know how to do everyone else's job."
"I'll take that into consideration. Could you have Spike come down so I can talk with him? I'll be quick I know you said you needed him to pull into port," said Marley. The skipper nodded then he waited for him to leave before he pulled out his tablet and began writing in his journal. Marley noted the skipper's reluctance to name names when he pressed him about who knew about the course change.
"The Skipper may have been reluctant to answer out of a sense of responsibility or loyalty towards his men. He could be thinking that if there is a mole he is responsible for bringing the man onboard but if there isn't then he needs to be loyal and not ruin anyone's life with false and frivolous accusations. But I highly doubt that," wrote Marley then he hit send.