Don't own Chuck
Luiz and Donna Rosenda landed at helicopter pad in the Cyril E. King International Airport. There waiting for them were two black Ford Explorers. Roan was tossed into one and they climbed in the back of another then they left the airport heading towards their compound in the villa. However, on their way out they had a near miss as they almost ran into another black Ford SUV coming into the airport.
"Where did you get your driver's license? How many box tops did you have to mail in," yelled the driver at the other vehicle then he punctuate his sentiment with a hand gesture.
"Calm down up there," said Luiz. "We didn't have an accident so keep on driving. Do I have to remind you that we can't afford to draw attention and we certainly can't stop not with the cargo we have in the other vehicle."
"Sorry but these tourists they come her and think they own everything… even the road. Did you see that?"
"I hate to tell you but you took that curve wide and you invaded his lane when you came out of the airport," said the man riding shotgun.
"What? No, you need to be with me on this man. You're my partner and you're supposed to be with me not throw me under the bus. If I wanted that I'd get married."
"I'm just calling it like I see it or I saw it… well whatever. You did swerve over in that's guy's way even for just a moment."
"You know what I think… I think you need your eyes examined like that tourist. I didn't do any swerving. I dance Salsa and I should know what swerving is and that wasn't it back there."
"If you two old ladies are done yapping I need to know what's been going on. Did we get Spud?" asked Luiz but neither the driver or the man riding shotgun answered. They'd been badgering each other before but now nothing. "I take it from your silence that things didn't go as planned. What happened and how many did we lose?"
"A few Sir," said the man in the passenger's seat. "We heard over the radio that Federal Agents showed up and there was a gunfight. Our people had to retreat."
"With or without Spud? What happened to him? Don't tell me they got him?" said Luiz. This wasn't good. If Spud talked the Feds would know everything and their plans were finished before they started.
"I don't know but we switched over to the police band and caught that they called for an ambulance to transport someone to the hospital who was unconscious with a possible concussion."
"We need to go to the hospital and make sure he doesn't talk," said Luiz. He was about to order the driver to change direction when his mother put her hand on his shoulder.
"No, we need to grab this Casey first. We need to focus on the target. Don't you see all this other is just getting us side-tracked from our objective."
"We can grab him tonight from his bungalow but we need to make sure Spud doesn't talk first. If he does then we'll have to run and you can say good bye to John Casey and the rest of your plan for vengeance."
"No, we're too close now but I don't want to wait until tonight to grab him. Think about it, a man like this John Casey will be expecting us and taking him in his house is… well no fault of yours an idiot's move. He'll be there waiting for you with all his men. No, we need to catch him with his pants down."
"You want to grab him in the bathroom? Can't we wait until he pulls them up," said the driver as he looked up in the rearview.
"No, it's an expression… you've never heard that before?" said Luiz as he looked at the man next to the driver who just shrugged his shoulders.
"This is your fault for shooting the last driver," said Donna Rosenda. "Take us to the hospital so we can check up on Spud."
"Wait a minute when I came up with the same idea just a few minutes ago you stopped me but now you want to do the same thing? And you called me an idiot. Mother, you're not making me feel good about you. Do you feel all right or has all of this gotten to you?"
"What are you talking about? I could've called you a moron. But we don't live in a white house. We might be headed for the same location but I've got a different plan. If Spud is really at the hospital who do you think will be there too?"
"You think they'll be using this John Casey there? As what? a guard. I think that's a little below his paygrade to stand outside of doors."
"You need to get your eyes checked Luiz. You seem to be a little short sighted lately. Of course not silly he won't be guarding Spud, but he'll be in the hospital just the same. He might be there as an interrogator or just there but mark my words he will be there."
"So, your plan is to do what? You want to grab him from right under their noses?" said Luiz. "As intriguing as your plan might be, you know there are a hundred different ways this could go wrong?"
"Yes, but it just might succeed also and it has a better possibility of success then grabbing him where they expect it."
"We're going to need supplies to pull this off," said Luiz as he started thinking what they'd need in his head and putting a list together. "I don't know if we can get everything together in such a short time."
"Nonsense, that's your myopia kicking in again. This is a hospital it will have everything we need in it. We'll need to grab a sedative to make him more cooperative, a gurney to wheel him around on and a sheet to cover him. If we go in through the basement in the morgue we can get in undetected and use it as our escape route to getaway afterwards. This will be as easy as a piece of pie."
"Mom, you mean as easy as a piece of cake or as easy as making apple pie. That's the way that idiom goes. Didn't I tell you this before?"
"Apple pie isn't that easy to make, if you want it to turn out good and I don't like cake. I prefer a nice fruit filled pie. You know I sometimes think we wasted our money sending you to that American university. You could've gone to a better one is Cuba."
"They have better than Harvard in Havana?"
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On a chartered Lear jet halfway to Saint Thomas somewhere in the middle of nowhere, General Thomas sat in his seat looking out the window at the ocean below listening to the drumming sound of the engines. But he neither noticed the ocean below or the sound of the engines instead he sat there playing different scenarios out in his head. Each a different reaction about what to do depending on how Mary answered his questions. There was definitely something wrong that he was sure of and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. The monitor on the back of the seat in front of him began to flicker then a familiar face appeared on the screen.
"Mr. Secretary," said the General looking up the Secretary of State. He'd thought he'd been discreet when he left but evidently not as discreet as he thought he'd been. "I didn't expect you to call me. What can I do for you?"
"I heard through the grapevine you were heading down to Saint Thomas to get down to the bottom of what's going on there. I've been in touch with the Director of Homeland and he's concerned about what Beckman's people are doing with his Coast Guard there. They work for him not the Acting Director of Clandestine services."
"He's already voiced his concerns to me when we talked earlier," said Tank as he tried to remember if he'd mentioned to the director his intent to fly down to Saint Thomas. He always thought the man had a big mouth and now his assumption was being confirmed.
"I know you did. He mentioned to me that you two had talked," said the Secretary. "I'm calling because I'd appreciate it if you can keep me in the loop too while you're there. I've been calling and leaving messages over at Langley but no one over there so far has bothered to call me back, if you can believe that."
"They stonewalled me too so I went over to Langley and cornered the Major myself," said Tank but he could see why they'd blow off calling the Secretary back. He was a whiner especially when he didn't get his way.
"I guess I should've done that. Maybe I would've gotten some straight answers then," said the Secretary but they both knew to do that he'd have to grow a spine.
"Well, I didn't get any answers from him if that's an consolation but I wasn't looking for any either. What I did was I told him I was on my way down Saint Thomas. I'm sure by now he's called ahead but I'm not going to leave there until I know what's what."
"Good, I'd expect nothing less from you. Take the bull by the horns and charge right down there. Make her tell you what's going on…"
"So, Secretary when I talk with the Acting Director can tell her that you are also concerned about what's going on and that you don't like being kept in the dark either?" said Tank. He knew that was going to fly like a lead balloon but he wanted to hear him squirm.
"Well, I'd like to say go ahead but that seems a little harsh and beside she might… yes, she might feel she's being ganged up on so you can deal with her and I'll join in later if need be."
"I see. Okay, I'll deal with this on my own," said Tank. "Oh, look what time it is. I need to get off the line so I can contact my office for a briefing. I'm sure you understand it's hard to keep in touch when you're on the go all the time."
"Yes, I know exactly how you feel. I'll get off the line for now just remember to keep me in the loop. I want to know what you find out. You know I never liked the idea of letting that Bartowski woman become the Acting Director. She spent too much time working with Volkoff on his evil plans. We'll never be sure where her loyalties lie."
"Well, I'm not worried about her. She'd better be at the airport to meet me when I get in or I'll be looking at replacements."
"But naturally only after you've consulted with Diane. She was the person who put this Bartowski woman in charge in her absence."
"Naturally. Well I've got to run," said Tank as he reached up to cut the feed. The Secretary blurted out his last words to try to get them in.
"Like I said keep me in the loop," said the Secretary before the monitor went blank. Tank leaned back in his chair settling back in as he looked at the monitor.
"Yes, there had better be a Bartowski in the airport or there will be holy heck to pay when I get in," said Thomas as he closed his eyes. But just as he closed his eyes the fasten seat belt sign came on along with the audio warning.
"Sorry sir," announced the pilot. "It seems we're going to have to fly through a bad patch. There are some turbulences we can't go around. Please remain in your seat buckled up until I switch the seat belt sign off. Thank you."
"Let's hope this isn't a preview of things to come," said Tank as he looked out of the window. Looking at his watch and calculating in his head he figured he had enough time for a quick nap before they landed.
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Chuck and Sarah picked up Bunny then took one of the SUVs before heading to the airport. Neither were happy to be side-lined like this but those were their orders and there didn't seem to be any way around it. Arriving at the airport they almost had an accident with two Ford Explorers as they pulled out in front of them.
"Hey Buddy watch where you're going," yelled Chuck as he swerved to miss them. But the driver just gave Chuck the finger and kept on driving. "Did you see that? I thought people her were supposed to be laid back down here. I didn't fly all the way here to be a victim of road rage."
"Do I have to point out that the only one who's upset, is you? He didn't think twice about you and just drove off after he flipped you off. You and I know what's the matter and it's not the way that guy was driving. We've got plenty of time so let's find a coffee shop and kill some it there. I'm going to need to feed Bunny soon anyway.
"You're right. I don't like this," said Chuck as he pulled into the parking garage. "This isn't fair. Mom should be here to greet the General not us. I mean really what are we supposed to say to him? Welcome to Saint Thomas General. My mother said to say hi but she's too busy to meet with you right now so come with me? He's going to have a fit and I wouldn't blame him."
"I would too if you told me that. But I'm more concerned about what we're supposed to do with him. There's a spot over there," said Sarah as she pointed to a vacant parking spot. Chuck smiled back at her as he pulled in. "What? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he said smiling like the cat who ate the canary. "You realize you picked this spot because it has the best vantage point and has multiple egress routes in case of any type of emergency."
"It's call covering your… our behinds and no, I didn't pick it consciously. Some things are just ingrained I guess but getting back to the General, I wish there were someplace we could take him and leave him. I don't suppose we could tranq him until this is all over."
"Don't tempt me. General Thomas isn't my favourite person and when he sees it's me here to greet him he's going to say something especially when he sees Bunny. I can hear him now, 'what's this bring your kid to work week,'" said Chuck as he imitated the General's voice. "You know the idea of tranqing him for the duration is starting to look better and better."
"Come on, he's not that bad besides there are worse. Although I've been wondering if maybe he's gunning for Beckman's job. He's the first logical choice if anyone wants to pick someone outside the agency."
"Please don't mention that we're not there yet. I never thought I'd say this but I miss Beckman. You know with her I knew where I stood and where I stood wasn't in an airport coffee shop drinking coffee to kill time."
"I hear you on that and you don't know how much I agree. Going from one director to another isn't easy. You have to learn and unlearn a lot," said Sarah as she looked down into her coffee.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought this up. This has got to make you think about when we lost Langston Graham. You know he wasn't my favorite person either, but I know you liked him…"
"I wouldn't say 'liked' maybe 'respected' even if I knew he was all about the job. I owed him a lot. He was the one who recruited me and looked over me and if I had to be honest he saved me from myself..."
"And why I will always be grateful to him," said Chuck as he reached over and took her hand. She smiled back at him.
"I guess he was the closest thing I had to a mentor. At least he went the way he always wanted to go in the line of duty," she said as she heaved a sigh. "But that is neither here nor now. The question at hand is what do we do with General Thomas when he arrives."
"In the line of duty you say," said Chuck as he smiled at Sarah. She could see the cogs turning inside his head turning and she wasn't sure if she liked the look he had.
"In the line of duty? Yes that's what I said but you know we can't take him out. No matter how much you'd like to we can't whack him here," said Sarah as she looked around. "Well at least not in the airport but I guess he could have an accident once we're out of here. However, we'd have to be careful how we staged it… you know to make it look like an accident. Like the way you were cut off when we drove in something like that would work. Yes, we could make it work."
"What? No, no I don't want to whack him even if it would make my life simpler. Where did you come up with an idea like that? Never mind I don't want to know. I'm probably better off. No, we're not going to whack him we're going to take him on a mission."
"Mission? Isn't that like asking for trouble? And what mission can we take him on without your mother getting all bent out of shape. I'm just stating this for the record but that would make my day. However,… well you know she is the Acting Director and..."
"Believe me I haven't forgotten," said Chuck as he gave her a look then leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "Just for the record hum, yeah okay. Well first things first, I'm going to need to find the control tower and make some calls. I suggest in the meantime, you try to find a babysitter for Bunny and Sam? Call that nice woman at Sam's school… I think Roxy was her name. There was that other kid Sam wanted to stay with. Her grandmother was coming by to pick her up…"
"Yes, I remember because her mother had just delivered a baby. They won't want to look after our kids too… not with everything that's going on with them."
"Well then I'm going alone it looks like. I'll be gone for a couple of days. The Coast Guard are looking around Saint John's and I was thinking that might be a good place to take the General. We can ride the Mohawk and help them look for their missing ranger as well as searching for our pirates."
"Hold on there a minute buster you aren't going anywhere without me. Especially if it means I'll have to stay here with your mother. You know I was just thinking maybe we could offer to cover their hospital expenses. Hospitals these days aren't cheap and we could put the grandmother up in the Waldron to watch the kids. The mother can stay in the hospital with the peace of mind knowing her children are being taken care of."
"And so are ours. You know the husband could catch his breath to get ready for the storm that's going to blow in when they bring the baby home. By then we'll be back or Mom can help out. She wanted me to keep General Thomas occupied so she can pitch in too and it serves her right for stealing my idea and running with it."
"Speaking about that, do you have any idea how she plans to use Casey as bait? I know John is a big boy and he'd be the first to tell us he can take care of himself but..."
"I know what you mean but no, I don't know what she's got in mind and I'm a little concerned. I really don't like breaking the team up. I've just gotten use to listen to Casey's rantings. Well, he took care of himself before he met us and right now I need to go call the Mohawk and arrange for a chopper to take us out."
"I'll get childcare lined up," said Sarah then she leaned over and kissed him. "But that doesn't mean we can't worry a little about John too."
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Casey sat in the hospital cafeteria with Morgan and Alex as Mary went with Marley to arrange for security around their perp's room. They were drinking what seems motor oil while they were waiting to be assigned new tasks.
"Why is it that hospital coffee is always the worst," said Alex as she pushed hers away. "Dad, I don't see how you can drink that stuff."
"You get used to it after a while and you drink it for the caffeine not for the taste. It helps you keep sharp and mentally alert. If you don't drink it you become like Grimes here."
"What? How did I get drawn into his conversation? I'm happy and content they had my grape soda. I could've used more ice but you have to learn to be content with the little things. Hey, speaking of being content I don't think Chuck and Sarah are very content with their new assignment."
"I don't expect they are but better them then me. I'm not much into babysitting. Putting up with you is a full-time job," said John as he looked over at Morgan. "But you know what they say rank has its privileges and like or not Mary's in charge."
"Keep it down here she comes now," said Alex as she pointed to Mary coming through the doors. She walked straight over to them.
"Okay Marley's got the floor our perp is on secured. Now let's talk about getting you taken Colonel. I was thinking we set up something in your bungalow but before we get into that I'd like you to walk through the hospital and see what you think of Marley's set up."
"What's this a second opinion?"
"Something like that."