Don't own Chuck
Everyone was at the airport to see Sarah and General Beckman off. Margo sent one of her agents with a pilot's license to help fly but Sarah wanted to do all the tricky maneuvers like refueling as well as taking off and landing . It was hard for her to board without Chuck and she kept wondering if she was doing was the right thing but once the hatch was closed there was no turning back. However, she had Sam to worry about and Sarah didn't know what Sam understood but she hoped she understood she was loved. Sarah buckled Sam into her FAA approved car seat facing General Beckman then she kissed her.
"I have to go forward but Momma will be right back to her Sam," said Sarah. "General as soon as we take off I'll turn the controls over and come back."
"Why don't you leave the curtain open and the door to the cockpit too that way she can see you. It might make her feel better."
"Thanks but what will make her feel better is to have her father back. I was hoping Igor would've called by now with news from Tbilisi."
"Don't worry, he'll call soon I'm sure now let's get in the air," said Beckman. She realized Sarah was stalling but the longer she waited the harder it would be to take off.
Sarah kissed Sam once again then went forward. She climbed into the pilot's seat the agent next to her had already run through the pre-flights so she gave thrust to the turbos and began rolling out onto the runway then took off. She felt a knot in her stomach when the plane lifted off. Part of her was still down there somewhere and she didn't know how she was going to get it back.
"Momma," said Sam as she put out her arms when Sarah walked back into the cabin. She had just turned over the controls to her co-pilot. Sarah unbuckled her then held her in her arms while she sat down next to the General.
"I'm sorry General but I'm not going to be very good company on this trip. I know I just asked but is there any way we could call Igor and find out what's taking so long?"
"Agent Carmichael… Sarah if we hound them that can only be counterproductive. I'm sure they're doing everything they can. They're probably waiting the same as we are for someone to contact them from there."
"You're probably right… It's… well it's I feel I ought to be doing something and sitting on this plane isn't helping."
"But you are doing something; you're taking care of your daughter," said the General. "That's your mission now. Concentrate on that it might help."
Sam had her arms wrapped tightly around Sarah's neck with Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit it each hand. She wasn't about to let go of anything. Sarah caressed Sam rocking her until finally she dozed off then Sarah put her back in her chair and tucked her blanket around her with Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit.
"I need to go back up we're about due for our first refueling. We've got an appointment with a KC-135 out of Ramstein. If she wakes up just tell her I'll be right back."
"After babysitting agents my whole career I think I can handle a pint size one for a half an hour," said Beckman. Sarah smiled then went forward, the General waited and as soon as Sarah disappeared she called Roan. "Listen I have about a half an hour can you tell anything about what's going on. That plane should've already touched down in Tbilisi."
Roan gave her the rundown on everything that the Major had passed on to them. She'd half expected that Igor would let Chuck run with it. It was a win-win for him. He'd get what he wanted at not risk to any of his people in the field but she also realized the mission was both dangerous and long.
"Call here in about an hour and brief Sarah by then we'll be far enough across the Atlantic that she won't try to turn around and come back. Stay on Igor we both realize he's a SOB and he's using Chuck to solve his problems. Beckman out."
"Chuck," said Sam looking over the top of her blanket staring at the General. "Chuck Sam shook, Chuck no here," she said as she started to look around.
"I'm afraid you father isn't here and he won't be coming home soon," said the General as she reached over to touch Sam's hand. But Sam pulled it back.
"No, no good," said Sam as she pulled away.
"No Sam, don't be like that," said Sarah as she came back. "The General is trying to help." Sarah unbuckled Sam and held her close. But Sam kept Beckman under careful watch. Diane couldn't help but wonder how much the kid actually understood.
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Chuck was standing with his back to the man posing as the ticket collector. He knew he had little time and that he had to act quickly. He saw the man in the chrome finish reach inside his jacket so Chuck took a mouthful of vodka then turned like he was going to offer him some. But as he turned the man started to pull out a gun. Chuck spit the vodka on the man's face then pulled the lighter lighting it he tossed it at the man.
"Augh" screamed the man as his face caught fire. The man tried to speak but as he tried to speak the flames went into his throat. Chuck kicked the door closed locking he man in the corridor out then grabbed the burning man throwing him out the window.
Chuck didn't have time to relax, the second man kicked the door in charging with his suppressed pistol drawn firing twice but both shots went out the open window. Chuck disarmed him by brushing blocking the pistol hand then crashing down on it with the bottle of vodka. The man's hand made a loud cracking sound as Chuck shattered a number of the small bones. The man dropped the gun in pain then Chuck did a spinning back kick catching the man from behind sending him out the window too. Chuck recovered the man's pistol he dropped before he took in the fresh air. There was another knock at his door.
"Excuse me, this is the train conductor I need to come in," said a man outside. But as he knocked the door swung open and the conductor stood there in the same Georgian railway uniform at first surprised because the door was broken. While the man looked at the door Chuck quickly tucked the pistol behind his back.
"Yes is something wrong," said Chuck as he sat down on the bed recovering the bottle of vodka holding it in his hand.
"Your neighbors reported smelling smoke and loud noises," said the conductor as he bent down and picked up Chuck's lighter. "There is no smoking in this section of the train. If you want to smoke there are smoking cars to the rear."
"I'm sorry but I'm trying to quit but when I drink I get the urge. It won't happen again," said Chuck but he noticed the look on the conductors face. He saw Chuck's shoulder holster and pistol. "Oh I can explain that."
"No need to, I didn't see anything. I don't need to know anything just if you get the urge…" said the conductor as he tried to extract himself as quickly as possible but Chuck couldn't risk him bringing back reinforcements.
"No," said Chuck as he held up his FSB badge and identification. "I'm here in the region for work so I'd appreciate it if you'd keep my presence here to yourself. We never met."
"Met who? I can have someone come and look at that door for you if you want and send you anything else you might need."
"We're only about an hour out of the station," said Chuck. He saw the signs and knew where they were. He approximated the train's speed by timing how long it took to pass from one sign to another so he did the math in his head."
"Yes, I don't remember seeing you on this train before and I have a good memory when it comes to passengers. Oh I get it you were probably in disguise… I see and that's why…" Chuck gave the man a look. "Right we never saw each other." The man quickly disappeared. Chuck got what little he had then moved forward on the train to be at the head of the track when they pulled in.
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General Thomas prepared himself for this call he knew it wouldn't be pleasant. Checking the time it was early afternoon DC so the possibility that the Admiral had already gone home was slim to none. His only hope was if it snowed then government offices closed early and she might be gone. But he had no idea what the weather was like back there but from what his Major told him there was a strong sirocco blowing in from the pentagon.
"Well it's about time you got back to me," said the Admiral. "I don't want to have to track you down you should be reporting in to me regularly."
"Agnes as my predecessor underlined before I don't work for you so I don't have to report anything to you. I send a courtesy copy of what I do to you but I report directly to the president."
"I'm starting to wonder if we selected the right person for your job," said the Admiral. "Beckman was a bad influence on you."
"Again you might have nominated me but the president selected me over other candidates and personally I don't know what I did to deserve this job but I must've done something to piss him off. If you're done sparing would you get to the point? I've got things going on that I need to take care of."
"Like finding your lost agent? What I heard was you lost Agent Carmichael and rumor has it he defected to the Russians. As a traitor all his assets can be seized starting with Castle as well as his financial holdings."
"It has yet to be determined why and even if Agent Carmichael left Montenegro. No one has positively identified him."
"That's not what I heard. I heard he was seen in capital of Armenia working as a Kolonel in the FSB by the name Juri Sheshenkov."
"You mind sharing where you're getting your intel from. Seems like it's awfully Chuck specific much more than what we're getting here."
"Sorry I can't divulge my sources, they're confidential but they're also reliable. So is it true Chuck's in Yerevan?"
"You know as much as I do but as soon as I have confirmation you can read it in my report to the White house."
"I hope you suspended his wife. She has to be a part of the plot too, there's no way he could've pulled his defection off without her knowing. If she says she doesn't know that she's either an idiot or a liar either way she shouldn't be working for us," said the Admiral. "Tell me you posted a guard on her."
"General Beckman is with her and I asked Diane to watch over the operations at Castle for the duration."
"She was the same one asleep in her office when all of that crap went down in Pasadena and now you've got her doing what at Castle? She's retired. She ought to be put out to pasture."
"Agnes. Listen up, first Pasadena wasn't a part of our purview and you know it. Secondly, how I use the resources I have available is my own business and lastly flag officers don't really retire do we? We go inactive which means we can be recalled at any time. I think you've wasted enough of my time I've got things to do here and try to salvage a little bit of this year's intel conference. Thomas out." The General had Mike pull the plug on the Admiral. Roan walked in as the General finished.
"You've got a mole somewhere or the Russians do. That information she had about Chuck was too specific to not have come from an inside source."
"I know but I don't want to be paranoid either. For now we just have to assume she's looking over our shoulders but sooner or later her mole will betray himself. However, right now I've got a poker game to play with Sir Reginald and the head of Canadian Intelligence."
"So you really are going to go ahead with the conference. Good for you, I think everything considered it's the best thing to do. I think I'll go try my hand at that new Italian game seven and a half. I like Italians, they invented the Martini."
"I hate to contradict you Roan but the Martini developed from a cocktail called the Martinez some say from San Francisco others say from New York but as a cocktail it's American."
"Too bad you can't play trivial pursuit instead of poker you'd knock them dead."
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Chuck's train pulled into the futuristic Tbilisi central station. The first station was built in 1872, with trains to the black sea. In the 1940 the building was demolished and replaced with a building in the style of the Stalinist architecture. In the early 1980s the 1940s building was demolished and replaced by a building in the style of the Brutalist architecture. In 2010 the station was remodeled and transformed into a combined railway station and shopping mall. Like much of everything thing else the old was torn down to make way for the new. New didn't always mean improved. Chuck quickly got off the train and headed straight for the adjacent shopping center. There were some things he needed before going to meet his guide.
Igor was sitting at his deck looking over reports signing off on some others would have to be sent back. Juri's wasn't the only mission he had going then Anatoly and Stefan came barging in running past Igor's secretary.
"You need to hear this" said Stefan as he placed his phone in the middle of Igor's desk with speaker on. "You can talk the Director is listening."
"Who is this? What is this all about you can't just barge in here like this," said the Director looking at Anatoly and Stefan. But the looks on their face said that this was important.
"Sir this is Vladimir Antipov I'm the Chief here in Tbilisi. I was reporting in to your people that we've been monitoring the trains from Yerevan. My men talked to the conductor from the train that arrived a short time ago and he said he met Kolonel Sheshenkov on board. The Kolonel's in town and from my colleagues in Yerevan he's supposed to meet a guide to take him the upper Svaneti and through the Jvari pass. He's supposed to meet a guide at the orbeliani baths…"
"Smart move on our Kolonel's part, you can't hide anything on you in a public bathhouse. I would've done the same thing."
"Sir the problem is the police found the body of the guide this morning with his throat slit floating in the river. We think Nikolai must know he's there too and he's trying to eliminate the Kolonel before he can be a problem for him."
"Get men over to the baths and make sure nothing happens to the Kolonel. I want you to be ready to intervene if necessary but don't do anything if it's not necessary. Keep me posted," said Igor as he hung up.
"Director what are you doing? You can't be serious," said Anatoly. "Chuck's cover's been blown we need to get him out of there. Our people should be bringing him in not standing around. He needs an extraction plan."
"Sir, Anatoly's right," said Stefan, "our men could be too late. What will the Americans think if we let Chuck get killed?"
"You two sound like old women. You don't think Chuck hasn't figured out that this is a trap. Why did he pick the baths to begin with? Everyone has to come in and get undressed. Kind of hard to hide a weapon like that wouldn't you agree?"
"Then they send a guy in to identify Chuck and grab him afterwards or kill him outside in the moedani."
"Some reason I think your friend has this all planned out already. We need to have faith in the Kolonel. If he keeps this up I may even have to pay him a regular salary."
"Sir," said the Director's secretary as he stuck his head in the office. "There's an Agent Vladimir Antipov on the line for you. He said he just talked with you and he has more to report."
"Patch him through," said Igor. "Chief you're on speaker go ahead and tell me what you have to report."
"We intercepted a message from the Georgian railway police saying they found two bodies about an hour out of Tbilisi by the train tracks. One was disfigured by fire but both broke their necks probably from being thrown from a speeding train. I didn't say anything before because I didn't have anything to tie them to the Kolonel but I sent men to the morgue and they just called back with finger print recognition. They were both lieutenants in the New PLA working directly for Czar Nikolai."
"I don't want anyone calling that lunatic Czar. I see. So our Kolonel has had his first run in with Nikolai. Thanks you did right calling me directly. Keep it up," said Igor as he hung up.
"Chuck's cover isn't blown. Nikolai thinks he really is FSB and he's out after him that's why he tried to take him out on the train. He'll send in a substitute at the baths because they don't know what Juri looks like they need someone to put eyes on him first."
"But Chuck doesn't know them either. It's the blind looking for the blind and they are feeling around in the dark."
"This is great," said Igor as both Anatoly and Stefan looked at him as if he were crazy. "No think about what this is doing to Nikolai. It's got to be eating him up inside. There's an unknown person after you, you're already a little off to begin with now there's this dark figure after you. You send men after him and they turn up dead or missing. You think you're a reincarnation why can't this other person be one too. Who could he be?"
"How about Rasputin the mad monk?" said Stefan as they laughed.
"You know that's not a bad idea. Add a line in the Kolonel's life history tying him to Rasputin. The son of a son of a son born out of one of his many affairs and then have it circulated around the area there. If Nikolai is mentally unstable this will really tick him off."
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In the mountain hideout of Izad and his two turncoat scientists they were overseeing the final assembly of the first shipment of chips. The Hammer of Thor was about to go commercial and as predicted sinister agencies had lined up at Hydra's doorsteps wanting a piece of the action. They were willing to pay whatever price that was asked to be the first on their evil block to own one.
"Dr. Ryder, why are the workers standing around? We've got orders to fill and Hydra is yelling at me to speed up production."
"I can't do anything about it. You chose this location in the armpit of nowhere. We're about done with the first order but we can't get started on the next until that silicon shipment gets here and it's sitting in containers in Poti on the Black Sea waiting to be delivered."
"I know where Poti is but why am I only hearing about this now? What's the hold up? Who's responsible for this?"
"Ask the Czar," said Holter as he walked in with a clipboard. "I just got done with the quality check some are going to have to be redone. Your work force is made up of illiterate shepherds and it's taking time to train them to micro weld."
"Where is Nikolai anyway? I haven't seen him all day I'll get this taken care of right away," said Izad as he went off looking for their new czar. He found him at the entrance to the tunnel with a group of men in chains.
"There you are," said Izad but one of Nikolai's men stopped him. "Out of my way I need to talk to your boss. It's important." But as he was about to push by the man Nikolai pulled out a pistol and executed every one of the people in chains.
"You wanted to talk to me," said Nikolai as he handed one of his men his pistol. "Just a small problem with discipline, if you're wondering."
"Frankly I could care less. My people have to stop production because you haven't been able to deliver the shipment of silicon we need from Poti. I've got Hydra breathing down my neck wanting product and I don't have any to deliver."
"You're about to finish the first run so you do have something to show. Tell them if they don't like it then they can organize the convoys. I've been waiting for you to finish this batch then I will deliver it to Poti then I'll have the silicon picked up and brought back. Trucks are worth their weight in gold up here and we don't make trips unless we can assure there's cargo both ways."
"Well we're about ready to ship so you can also pick up. Speaking about product my people say they're having a hard time with your workers. They are making mistakes with is causing faulty chips."
"Sounds to me like you've got a discipline problem," said Nikolai. He took his pistol back from his man then handed it to Izad. "You saw how I handled mine."