A/N No your eyes are not deceiving you. But I'm not going to make any excuses. It's been 9 months since an update to this story and I just hope folks are still interested. But I did need to find the story in my head again. It is plotted out and will be finished.
I want to thank everyone who has messaged me or reviewed hoping to see an update. Those were like blowing on the embers to get the flame back. I just hope it doesn't disappoint.
Still don't own Chuck and still miss my late, great, pre-reader Esardi a lot.
Chapter 34
The Pose
Olympia London
West Kensington
2:58 pm BST
Yuri Sheshenko and Irena Vasilyev had passed through the security checkpoint without any complications. At the last minute Chuck had decided to drop the idea of going with a cane as part of his disguise. If he couldn't pull off the Russian accent it didn't matter whether he looked the part of an aging Russian bureaucrat. Plus event Security might see it as a possible weapon and it might have led to a tighter check of his credentials by convention personnel. He had spent the better part of an hour this morning working on his limp while Sarah was on the treadmill at the hotel gym. But it proved to be too much of a distraction and the idea was canned before they even put on their disguises. So he and Sarah focused on his accent and getting it just right. Russian was in the Intersect but speaking English with a Russian accent was not. Chuck remembered his attempt to speak English with a German accent when he worked the Lichtenstein con with Sarah's father and didn't want a repeat of that rather weak performance. Sarah however had always been a natural with accents. Not even a lifelong Moscovite could tell that her accent wasn't genuine. So if push came to shove Sarah would do most of the talking.
The disguises they chose to wear would hopefully allow them to blend into the masses of politicians, transportation business executives and security personnel. Chuck's was easy. A simple black suit, grey beard and wig along with rather thick glasses that also would serve to hide his flashes if he had any and bam, he was thirty to thirty-five years older. Once Sarah had placed the prosthetic nose and wrinkles around his eyes in place he didn't even recognize himself in the mirror. But Sarah was more of a challenge. How do you make one of the world's most beautiful women, who happens to be model height even in flats, not stand out in a crowd? Most times during a mission she wanted to draw attention to herself. The distraction her incredible beauty caused was one of the most powerful weapons in her arsenal. But here she needed to not be noticed. So she dressed in a conservative black knee length dress, plain black flats, and a mousy brunette wig. She also applied virtually no makeup except for a few wrinkles here and there. She fully looked that part of the middle aged, eastern European assistant.
The couple had spent the last two hours walking the convention floor and Chuck had to force himself to not let his inner nerd come jumping out of his skin at some of the latest technology that was on display. Tiny lightweight cameras with full 4K Ultra HD resolution that could be digitally enhanced to give the user the ability to read a newspaper over 5 kilometers away. Portable satellite uplinks the size of a pack of cigarettes. Holographic projections systems that gave a rail yard command center the ability to see exactly where every train and every bus was in a three dimensional virtual display. Thereby allowing them to run simulations of projected congestion and possible collision avoidance scenarios. It was a tech nerd's wet dream and they hadn't even got to the security hardware and software booths.
A few times Sarah had to give her "elderly" partner a gentle tug to remind him they had a mission to focus on. A part of her felt bad because she knew his childlike wonder at everything that was on display had to be pushed back down inside if he was to keep himself inconspicuous.
"Any sign of Hutcheson or Andrea?"
"Not yet but his booth is at the back of the hall near the conference rooms and demonstration halls. I expect he is probably there or getting prepared for his presentation."
"How are you doing with all the flashes? So far I've counted at least eight."
"Ok so far. I've only got a mild headache from that last few."
"Good, remind me to apply some of my special stress relieving talents when we get back to our room tonight." She said as seductively as she could without giving herself away.
Chuck gulped, "Oh you can count on it." He said with a small wink only Sarah could see with his rather large glasses.
"Come on let's head to the back I want to see if we can find Andrea before we go inside for Hutcheson's presentation. I want to test this short range transmitter to her implant."
"Good idea. I'll keep an eye out for her Ring tails."
Chuck and Sarah found their way to the presentation area where David Hutcheson was going to be giving his much anticipated "Future of Global Surveillance and Networking" speech. His earlier talks had been about what his company was currently offering but this was about their vision of the future. It was expected to draw the largest crowd of the conference.
"Sarah, I've spotted her. Left side, tenth row, third seat in from the aisle."
"Got her." Sarah then made a scan of the crowd and quickly found two suspected Ring agents in textbook surveillance position in front and to her left along the wall and to her right, five rows back.
Chuck found two empty seats within the 10 meter limited range of the transmitter that was linked to his phone. It was designed to connect to the implant much the same way a Blutooth device connected to a cell phone. Short bursts of data would be transmitted thereby making them virtually undetectable by conventional scanners.
Chuck opened up the Implant app on his phone and began typing. To anyone watching it looked like a simple text messaging application. But the encryption and spread spectrum burst transmission technology made it sound to the implanted agent like someone was speaking to them from inside their head. They then simply activated the implant and thought their reply.
Chuck wrote, AS - CC - Ack
Chuck glanced over towards where Saunders was sitting as he pressed send. He noticed the slight twitch of the agents neck followed by her placing an errant lock of hair behind her right ear, a signal they had worked out before she left for London.
Sarah glanced at Chuck's left hand and saw that he tapped his baby finger twice on the arm of his seat. Andrea had heard him. He began typing again.
Barker your contact but only when necessary to protect cover.
Understood. Came the reply back. The two-way communication with the implant was working.
Update?
Nothing on Director's plan. Dinner with Hutcheson tonight.
Good. Any sign of any large, heavy containers?
No, why do you ask?
Reason to believe Ring has obtained nuclear material. May be here.
Shit.
Just as Chuck was closing the application and deleting the text, the lights dimmed a bit and a spotlight focused on the podium. A man in his mid forties that Chuck and Sarah recognized as David Hutcheson stepped out from behind the curtain. The voices in the room stilled and all eyes were now focused on the man who everyone had some to see.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is David Hutcheson and welcome to the new era of surveillance technology." The room filled with loud applause. "Imagine being able to enter in an image of a wanted felon or terrorist and know their last visible location anywhere on the planet. Being able to scan any location anywhere in the world that has surveillance cameras with newly developed facial recognition software and know within minutes what ATM machine an arms dealer walked past, what Starbucks a murderer last ordered a latte, what toll booth a drug dealer last drove through. Being able to monitor an organized crime families own camera systems. Every IP based camera anywhere in the world all at your fingertips. Millions of eyes worldwide with a constantly updating location on whatever nefarious individual you are tracking at the moment. That idea is no longer science fiction. That technology is within our grasp today"
DNI
Washington DC
10:36 am EST
Carina Miller rarely got nervous. Whether staring down a drug cartel kingpin or taking on an Al Queda splinter group funneling drug monies to insurgents in Iraq. She was cool, confident and yes sometimes a little reckless. But sitting outside the conference room that she knew held the Director of the NSA, the Secretary of Homeland Security and the President of the United States was just a little unnerving even for her. It wasn't necessarily the individuals involved, well maybe a little, but the subject they were discussing. The Ring was suspected as having nuclear material on American soil. This was no time for her tendency to go off mission and improvise.
She looked over at her partner on the mission in Costa Gravis Marc Rossi. a career DEA Agent and a good one and she could tell by the slight bouncing of his left knee that he was concerned as well. This was something they never expected to encounter as DEA Agents. Cocaine, heroin, opium, those were things they were trained for, not this. But once Carina was brought onto Team Bartowski and read in to the secrets that a curly haired nerd held inside his brain, she knew things would never be the same. She really was the tip of the spear now and only the most important and dangerous missions would come their way. She just wished this one was a little less ahhh... end of the world kind of stuff.
She and Marc were aroused from their thoughts when the phone on the assistants desk rang. "Yes Mr. President?... Yes, they both are here... As you wish... Thank you sir." Looking up from her computer the distinguished brunette addressed the two agents seated before her.
"Agent Miller, Agent Rossi, you may go in now."
"Thank you, Claire." Carina replied, her voice belying her inner thoughts. Both agents stood up, took a deep breath and headed into what was probably the most important meeting of their careers.
"Agents please come in and have a seat. I expect you know everyone here."
"Yes, thank you Mr. President."
"First of all, I want to thank you both for your work in Costa Gravis. You've exposed a great threat to our nation and its people. The idea of a rogue organization like the Ring having nuclear material is the greatest threat to this nation since 9/11."
"Yes sir, we were just doing our job."
"Agent Miller, I've been aware of your reassignment to our "special" little team in Burbank and approved your clearance being raised so that you could be read into what makes that team our most important weapon in the fight against these rogue organizations." The President's voice warm and congratulatory still.
"Yes sir, thank you sir." Carina nodded humbly.
Turning to her partner he continued. "Agent Rossi. It's been brought to my attention that you work well with Agent Miller and your performance in Costa Gravis illustrates that point. I had asked General Beckman to have you thoroughly vetted before giving you your next assignment. With the other members of Agent's Miller's team on assignment following the first shipment you discovered headed to London, I need you and Agent Miller to head to Los Angeles and coordinate our efforts there. You will have whatever resources you need to locate and capture the material before the Ring has time to distribute it to whatever they plan to threaten."
"Yes sir, thank you sir."
"From the descriptions and data you two collected in Costa Gravis we believe that the Ring has enough material to make one small tactical nuclear weapon in the 10 kiloton range. But we feel that is not their plan of action. We suspect they will attempt to divide that material into as many as 20 smaller "dirty bombs" that could be sent to major economic and population centers across the country. One such dirty bomb could make all of Wall Street and the financial hub of the entire free world uninhabitable for decades. One bomb detonated here in this building could wipe out tens of thousands of our goverment's best and brightest."
General Beckman leaned forward and the President nodded for her to take over. "Agents, we also believe that the Ring wants to use the other bombs as leverage for their agenda. The threat to detonate such a weapon in a particularly sensitive area could make many a government bow to their wishes. That is why we have to stop them. I don't mean to overstate this but the safety of the entire globe economic and political structure is at stake here."
Carina was trying valiantly to hold her calm Agent's face as she listened. But her heart was pounding in her chest. She glanced over at Marc a few times and saw the same pensive look on his face she had seen in the past. He was focused and determined and it made her confidence grow knowing she would have him beside her. Sometimes in the past their off mission relationship got a little messy but on mission he was the best partner she had ever had. It had only been her desire to work solo for a time after her assignment to the Cat Squad with Sarah that had caused them to drift apart.
The President spoke again. "Agent Rossi, once you leave here there are some top secret documents you will need to view and then sign. These documents and the intelligence in them are classified at the highest possible level. Only the people seated in this room and the other members of Agent Miller's team are aware of what's in them. That is how serious we take this threat and it also shows the confidence we have in you to protect this country."
"Thank you sir, I won't let you down."
"I trust you won't." The President smiled that broad smile that made others so comfortable in his presence.
"Agents, there is an NSA jet waiting for you at Langley to take you to Los Angeles. Once you arrive I want you to head directly to Castle and set up a secure link with Agent's Carmichael, Walker and Colonel Casey. We need to coordinate your effort with theirs. Plus utilize Agent Carmichaels special skills and mission planning to figure out anything else you might need."
"Yes, ma'am." Both agents replied.
The President stood up followed by the others present and extended his hand to both the Agents, shaking each firmly and sincerely. "Agents, thank you again for your service to our nation and know that you have the full weight and support of my office in your efforts. Anything you need, you'll have."
"Thank you sir."
Carina smiled proudly as she shook the President's hand. She, the unruly force of nature had just been given a mission directly from the President himself. She couldn't wait to rub Walker's nose in that one.
The Five Fields
Sloan Square, London
7:25 BST
David Hutcheson escorted his companion to the small table near the front window. The natural colors and tiled walls added to the dining experience. This was Hutcheson's favorite restaurant in this part of London and when Elise said she was staying at the Rubens it seemed like good choice not being far out of her way at all.
David, ever the gentleman pulled the chair out for his date(?), client(?) he wasn't really sure and to be honest didn't want to know. The idea of a date was just... well it was just easier to think he was having dinner with a prospective client.
"Thank you David. Chivalry still exists I see."
"Well, this is England."
"Thank you for that. It's been a long time since someone treated me as a lady. In fact I can't remember the last time."
"Well I'm sorry to hear that Elise. Your ex must have been..., " Catching himself, he winced slightly. "I'm sorry that's none of my business. I apologize." He dropped his head in embarrassment as he sat down across from her.
Reaching over and placing her hand gently on top of his, she smiled a surprisingly genuine smile at her handsome escort. "Please David, you have nothing to apologize for. You are a kind man and I know you weren't prying. I've made some mistakes in my life and ex-husband was one of them. But I've learned a few things from those mistakes and one of those is how to spot a good and decent man when I see one. I just hope you don't think less of me because of those mistakes." 'if he only knew just how many mistakes I've actually made'.
David looked at the soft delicate hand that was gently sitting on top of his. It was the first time another woman had done such a simple but multi-layered gesture since his wife passed. Looking up he saw the soft smile and the beautiful eyes of his companion looking kindly back at his. "I'm sorry it's just this is the first time in a long time I've been out to dinner with such a beautiful woman and I'm afraid..."
Just at that moment the waiter arrived at their table to take their drink order and tell them of the specials tonight. Andrea pulled her hand back and smiled to herself. In other circumstances she would have been angry at the timing of the waiter but in this case, on this night, with this man it actually was perfect. David Hutcheson was not just a simple mark. He wasn't someone that a few touches here, a few glimpses down her blouse, and a few suggestive comments was going to get her access to anything she wanted him to tell her. She had played that role far too many times and knew he would never respond to that kind of seduction. He was a man with a broken heart. Someone who had suffered an insufferable loss. He was a good and decent man and she didn't want to take advantage of that. Even if it made her mission easier.
But she did have that mission to accomplish. Not the mission Simon had given her but the one Carmichael had. She needed to get him to feel comfortable with her and open up to her to find out what the Director was after and how they could use that knowledge to thwart what he was planning. The information Charles had given her over the implant had taken this mission to a much higher level. If she could accomplish her task and be a part of taking down the Ring and saving potentially millions of lives, maybe then she could bury the past and visit her grandfather's grave once more honoring his memory with her actions.
After the waiter left she turned back to the distinguished gentleman sitting across from her and gave him an honest smile. It surprised her how good it felt. If only... Andrea shook herself from those thoughts to focus back on what she needed to do this evening.
"David, I must admit that your presentation today went over extremely well. Everyone in the audience around me was buzzing about what a breakthrough you have accomplished. I could see hundreds of cell phones pulled from pockets with potential clients calling their home office, or political leaders, or in some cases I'm sure their crime bosses about what a quantum leap this is for Homeland Security."
"Thank you Elise. Part of my job beyond just the technological level is the marketing of our new technologies. Though I disliked his style immensely and ultimately his criminal agenda, one of the good things Ted Roark did was take great technology and make his clients realize how much better and more productive their lives could be if they bought his products. We can make technology but if we can't convince the clients that it is worth it to push through all the political and economic challenges to implement our technology, our company would be out of business and the world would be a lot less safe."
"Well you are a master of it and personally I must say I am much more impressed with a handsome man in well tailored business suit that an arrogant blowhard in a Tommy Bahama shirt."
Hutcheson was blushing before he even knew it. Maybe this wasn't a date but it was nice to spend time in the company of a beautiful woman once again. It had been such a long time. But in that moment a sudden rush of guilt took over. He closed his eyes and Andrea could see his guilt. She knew she had blown it, pushed a bit too far, too fast. She needed to rally to save the evening.
"David please forgive me. I didn't mean to embarrass you. It's just I haven't been to dinner with a kind, handsome, respectful man in a long time either. Yes, I've been on a few dates since my divorce but it was clear to me early on that they just thought I was an easy lay. The wronged woman whose husband cheated on her out for revenge by screwing any guy she could find. I could tell you were not that kind of man the moment I met you. I'm sorry if I came across as flirting with you."
After a small pause David surprised her by reaching out for her hand this time. "Don't be." He said quietly. "I... It's just you're the first woman since my wife passed..."
"David, it's ok. I have a confession to make." His eyes looked up from their joined hands into hers. Taking a breath she continued. "I was flirting with you. It's hard for me not to here in this romantic restaurant with such a handsome man. But I was being insensitive. I know this is probably the last thing you want in your life right now. I can't imagine the loss you must feel. For that I'm truly sorry."
"Elise please. This isn't your fault. I'm incredibly flattered that a beautiful woman like you would flirt with me. In fact I liked it. I just didn't know how to react and then I thought about how long it's been and the fact that the last woman I enjoyed flirting with like that was my late wife and it just hit me. I..."
"Ssssh, please David. It's ok Let's just enjoy our meal and I'll try to fight off that devastating English Gentleman's charm. Ok?" She smiled at him in a way a woman hadn't looked at him in a very long time.
He chuckled a bit as he returned a smile of his own. "Ok."
Both of them picked up their menus and began to decide what they were going to have for dinner. A mild crisis avoided, Andrea thought. "So what's good here David?"
"The Yorkshire Lamb or the English Rose Veal are my favorites. But The Old Spot Pig I hear is good as well."
Andrea looked up from her menu aghast. "Old spotted pig? Who the hell eats an old pig?" The honest look of shock on her face was priceless.
David did something he hadn't done in a very long time, he laughed out loud. After a few seconds to control himself, he just shrugged his shoulders at his companion.
"I think I'll have the veal then." Andrea said shaking her head.
"Elise?"
"Yes, David?" She looked up a bit hesitantly wondering if she had insulted the chef and maybe her date.
"Thank you. I haven't laughed in far too long." He said with an honest smile. A smile that looked good on him, very good.
Andrea smiled back at him before answering. "My pleasure."
Corinthia Hotel
Room 628
London
1:39am BST
Chuck and Sarah were lying comfortably snuggled into each other under the duvet in their hotel room. After dinner they had returned to their room for a video conference with General Beckman. She had told them about the meeting that had taken place earlier that day with Carina, Marc and the President. The redhead and her partner were scheduled to land at Edwards Air force Base about twenty minutes ago. Once landed they were told to expect a conference to coordinate the missions.
Sarah finally broke the comfortable silence of the post love making bliss. "You know she's going to try and rub this in my face don't you?"
"What? a huh?" Chuck replied breaking his daydreaming of reliving the events of the past hour.
"Chuck, this is Carina we are talking about. She can't wait to brag about how she got a personal meeting and assignment from the President himself." Sarah shook her head thinking about the huge smirk she would see on the redhead's face.
"But wait Sarah, I thought you spent a year on the President's detail with the Secret Service? How can she rub that in your face?"
"I did, but I was a young agent back then, barely out of the Farm. I mostly was assigned to site and threat assessments or guarding the President's family. The actual protection details for the President himself was always composed of the most trusted and senior agents. I would see him certainly and be part of the advance party but our only communication was just a few greetings here and there. I never actually was in a meeting with him or received my orders directly from the President."
"I see."
"And when I left the Secret Service I worked on a few missions with Carina and a couple of other female spies and she knew I had only limited contact with him."
"Wait, you and Carina were teamed up with some other female spies? Was your handler named Charlie by any chance?"
"Chuuuuck Really?" Sarah groaned. She thought she had heard every possible joke about her time with the Cats.
"Ohh and I bet you got your orders through some disembodied voice on a speaker phone." He couldn't help himself, this was just too good.
"Yea yea yea. Like we all haven't heard that one before."
"Awww come on Sarah. Do you know what a huge childhood fantasy I'm living out right now? I'm lying in bed naked having just made love to a real life Charlie's Angel. How freaking cool is that?"
"Fine. But if you ever bring that up with Carina around it will be the last time you live out that fantasy."
"Awww come on really?" He gave her those adorable puppy dog eyes but she wasn't budging. "Fine I promise to never bring it up when she is around on one condition."
"Chuuuck?" Sarah said apprehensively.
"I'll promise but I want to see you do the pose totally naked." The grin on Chuck's face was bigger than Tower Bridge outside their window. God he was such a guy she thought.
"Really Chuck?"
"Yup, if you'd do that for me I'd be crowned King of the Nerds for all eternity."
"Too bad they will never know." She said with a smirk.
His face fell and he tried desperately to look sincerely hurt.
"Ok your Majesty. You know I'm only doing this because I'm so stupidly in love with you don't you?"
"Yep, but you're still gonna do it aren't you?" He said this time with a full faced smirk.
Sarah pulled back the duvet and headed over by the window. Thankfully the curtains were drawn. No need for all of London to see her best Jill Monroe imitation. This was for "Chuck's eyes only".
Chuck propped the pillows up and sat up in the bed. The look on his face was priceless. He was in nerd heaven.
"Ok I'm ready."
"I can't believe I'm doing this."
"Come on Sarah. It 'ill be fun." He gave her his best puppy dog look again. The one this time she was totally powerless to fight.
"Ok, but you better not be fantasizing about a naked Carina and Zondra standing next to me."
"Zondra?" Sarah realized she said too much as soon as it left her mouth.
"Not important. Just someone else I worked with." Chuck noticed a tiny frown appear for a second on Sarah's face. He barely saw it but would file that name for later.
Sarah's smile returned and she positioned her feet just so. "You ready cause I'm only going to do this once?"
"Totally ready!"
Sarah shook her head and the childlike wonder on her boyfriends face. Only Chuck could get her to do this, and only Chuck could make it be totally fun and not pervy in the least. Ok maybe just a tiny bit pervy. She was totally naked afterall.
Sarah put her hands together and held out her two forefingers to simulate the barrel of a gun. She shook her long blonde hair just before she raised her hands in the air and put the perfect Charlie's Angels pout on her face and turned to look at the love of her life who was grinning so big she thought his face might break.
After about five seconds she lowered her hands and shook her head and burst laughing almost uncontrollably.
"Holy crap Sarah, that was perfect! God could take me right now, my life can never get any better than this moment right here."
"You are such a nerd."
"Yep and proud of it." Chuck got up and walked over to the love of his life and put his arms round her gently. "I love you, Sarah Walker."
"I love you too, Chuck Bartowski."
Sarah lifted herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him tenderly. If she had to admit it, this was a pretty damn good moment in her life too.
Castle
Burbank
6:09 pm PST
"Wow, look at this place. I can't believe the CIA has an entire substation below a yogurt shop." Marc looked around and marveled at the high tech servers, monitors and weapons Team Carmichael has at their disposal.
"Pretty cool isn't it. Not like the drab, government facilities the DEA has."
"So all of this is just for a three person team of Walker, Casey and Carmichael?"
"You forgot the best part."
Rossi looked at the redhead slightly confused.
"Me you idiot."
"Oh, sorry. I forgot you have been 'reassigned' to the CIA." Carina could sense something in how Marc said his last word.
"What was that all about?"
"Nothing, I just can't get used to the idea that you left the DEA to go work with the spooks. I mean I know you've done missions with them before but I just thought you were more into ridding the country of drugs and the scum that profits from it."
"I was but priorities change."
"And I thought you were kind of a loner or liked being partnered with just one other agent."
"Like you?"
"Yea, why not? I liked working with just you again. You're unpredictable as all hell and you drive the living shit out of me but we work well together and I thought..."
"Marc, I like working with you too. The missions are fun, and the after-missions even better.", she said with a smirk. "Well most of the time." Neither one wanted to remember the disaster that happened in the hot tub in Nice. "But General Beckman specifically asked for me because of my familiarity with the team. This is probably the biggest and most important mission of my career and I'm happy to be assigned to them. And remember Marc, I asked for you because of your knowledge of Central America and I trust you. If this mission is a success there might be a well deserved promotion in it for you too. Aren't you about ready to give up working out of a dump in Bogota or the jungles of Thailand and into some nice digs here in LA?"
"I don't know. I've been doing this for so long but I've never been involved an anything like this. I just..." Marc shook his head and plopped himself down in a chair at the end of the conference table.
"You're just surprised the President has so much faith in this team and that so much is riding on this mission." Carina said as she sat on the edge of the table next to him.
"Exactly. I mean I'm used to the idea that what I do helps protect thousands of kids across this country from the ravages of drugs, but we are talking an entirely different threat here. Nukes? Dirty bombs? and stopping that is all on us? Damn..."
Carina reached out and gently took his forearm and stroked her thumb over the strong muscles of her partner. "I know. But it's not just us two, it's our team. I just wish the other half of it wasn't 5000 miles away. Casey, Sarah they are the best agents I've ever worked with." Marc looked up feigning hurt. "Sorry, Marc, no offense but they are. And Chuck is... well Chuck is unlike any agent I've ever worked with. He may come off as a bit of a bumbling geek but he is the smartest man I've ever met. And if anyone can figure out what the hell the Ring is planning, it's him."
Rossi smiled at his partner. Her confidence in this team was infectious. He knew Carina wasn't someone who said things like that well... ever. If she said it she believed it.
Carina hopped up off the table and sauntered off to the computer terminal punching in a few codes. "Come on it's time to check in, let's see if we can catch Chuck and Sarah with their pants down... literally." She said with a smirk.
Corinthia Hotel
Room 628
London
2:21am BST
"Hello Carina." Chuck and Sarah both said with a chuckle seeing the disappointment on the redhead's face when she found them fully clothed sitting at the table in their hotel room.
"So Chuckie, Walker tired of you already?"
"Disappointed are you Carina?" a shit eating grin on his face. "Nope, as a matter of fact if you had called a few..." Sarah smacked him on the arm. What happened just a few minutes earlier was private, very private. If Carina found out what she had just done she would either never let her live it down or when the next time she saw them asked for a reenactment with her in the Kelly role. Totally naked again of course.
Sarah took over. "No Carina not in the least. We just know you too well."
"Yea well I just wanted to see if I could get a look at that cute butt of Chuckie's finally. I mean you keep raaaaving about it." Her eyes rolling.
"Sorry but the view of that butt, and it is spectacular, is exclusively mine." Sarah folded her arms under her breasts with pride. Chuck however had turned as red as a Stanford sweatshirt.
"Yea yea. But we have something you've never got." This time it was Carina filling with pride as she had finally one upped her old teammate.
"And what might that be?"
"Ours orders."
"Carina, I hzte to tell you but we all have orders."
"Yea but these orders came directly from the President." Carina nodded her head in defiance.
Scoffing, Sarah replied. "Carina we get orders from the President all the time."
"Well you see the part you are missing is the "directly" part. As in across the table, directly out of his mouth, in the same room, speaking our names to us personally, directly"
"What? You mean?"
"Yea, that's exactly what I mean."
Sarah was envious. She may have already know about it but the idea of getting orders directly from the President was any agent's dream. It meant you had reached the top of your profession and were trusted enough to get such an important mission that only the President himself could deliver it. So she decided to let her redheaded friend have her moment.
"Damn, Carina. that's ahhhh... yea."
"Not bad huh blondie?"
"Congratulations. I guess that makes you the new Jack Bauer." Chuck said with a smile. Even though he was an agent now, his feelings of pride for his team were more that he still had that kind of childlike reverence for the office of the President. He understood how Sarah and Carina saw it as an honor for an agent but damn this was the leader of the free world and he met with them personally to deliver their orders.
"A much better looking one however." Carina said with her usual smartassed tone.
Sarah realizing the importance of the mission decided to get back on track. "So I guess this means those were nuclear materials that came through Long Beach."
"Afraid so. The President believes the Ring isn't planning a single nuclear blast but diving the material into smaller "dirty bombs" that could be used on multiple targets across the country. "
Chuck thought for a second and nodded his head. His mind was going a million miles an hour.
Sarah seeing his apprehension and realizing he was applying that bit of info to their own mission, replied. "Makes sense. Why destroy one city with no further possible targets when you can make a number of them uninhabitable while still having the threat to detonate more if the government doesn't comply."
Chuck got up from his seat and walked around the room for a few seconds. Not only did the Ring have nuclear material here in England, they also had nuclear material in his home town, Ellie's home town, Morgan's home town and was planning to make dirty bombs to kill thousands and poison massive areas of his city for centuries.
Sarah looked over at her boyfriend. It was so like Chuck to try to carry this burden. He didn't just look at casualties as numbers. He saw their faces, their kids faces. He saw families, mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, babies and the elderly. He saw them all.
"Chuck, I know what you're going through. But we need to focus on the mission so we can stop these madmen."
"I know, it's just... I know the people of London are in danger but this is my city, our city, our families city. Morgan's city, Ellie's city, Sarah. Ellie! It just hit home a little harder."
"I know. But we will stop them. I know we will."
Carina saw what was going on in London and knew how Chuck would take this. It's why he was unlike any agent she had ever known. An agent was trained that the faceless people they protected or sometimes lost when they failed were just that, faceless. It's how they were taught to cope. But for Chuck he could never see them as faceless. For him it was the exact opposite. He saw every single one of their faces as clear as his own.
"Chuck, the President said we would have whatever we needed. Anything and everything, all we need to do is ask."
Marc watched the two women, one in front of him and one 5000 miles away and saw how much they respected and cared for the tall nerd. In Sarah's case it was pure love and adoration. She loved that man deeply and it was something he had never seen in an agent. A team where two of the partners were clearly in love but it hadn't affected their sucess rate. In fact it probably amplified it. It was unique and something very special.
In Carina's case it wasn't love but respect. He knew what it took to earn Carina's respect and how much it was to be valued. She respected Chuck and cared for him as one of the few great men she had probably ever met.
Chuck took a deep breath and held his shoulders back. It was time to focus. Those innocent people needed him, his team. He couldn't let them down. Turning back to the computer, he took Sarah's hand and gave her a small smile. A smile she knew meant he was going to be ok. They would come up with a plan, the right plan and he and they would prevail. He sat down next to her and smiled confidently at his partners back in Burbank. Marc and Carina both sighed a bit in relief.
"Carina, forward me the intel the President provided us. We'll take a look at it in the morning. We'll set up another meeting with everyone once we have all reviewed it. We've got two more days till the end of the conference here. My guess this is going to be a coordinated attack. Whatever it is the Ring is after here probably is needed in LA as well. That means we have forty-eight hours to find out what they are after and deal with it before they get their hands on it."
"Ok Chuck. You and Sarah get some rest."
"Thanks."
"And Chuckie?"
"Yea Carina"
"It really is a cute butt!" She smirked and the screen went blank.
Sarah turned and picked up her lover's hands and stroked them gently. "You ok?"
"Yea, it just got to me when I thought about all of those bombs going off all over LA. The horrible deaths those people who were exposed would have."
"Chuck, I know you see those faces and the horror they would endure but you have to put them off to the side so you can focus and come up with a plan. They need you to do that. I need you to do that."
"I know. It's just hard. No matter how much Andrea and the rest of my trainers in Zuoz tried to get me to think that way, I just couldn't. I'm not wired like that. They said it made me weak."
"I know, but they were wrong. Its one of the things that make you great." She said with complete and total conviction.
"Thanks, I love you." He pulled her in close and held her tightly as she snuggled into his shoulder.
"I love you too."
The couple stayed like that for a few minutes, relishing the comfort each other gave.
Sarah then noticing herself start to nod off, stood up and tried to pull Chuck back to bed. She knew he probably wouldn't get too much sleep but she wanted him at least lying down next to her instead of sitting up all night thinking.
"Come on Chuck. You need some rest. We both do. We'll look at the new intel in the morning."
Sarah saw the wheels churning in Chuck's head. She knew his mind was already working on the plan. She pulled his arm and he looked up at her with a small smile. He'd thought of something. She just knew it. It was one of the many things that amazed her about him.
"Well, you big brainiac, spill." She said smiling back.
"Sarah, we need to find my dad."
