Don't own Chuck
Chuck stood looking out the flap of the tent at the Camp with his back to Casey. People were running around in an orderly chaos. The clouds had passed for now and a pale sun hung in the sky but all that could change in minutes. At these altitudes it never got warm and that's why they needed the fires even if they were a part of Chuck's plan. He felt sorry for these people-city dwellers forced to forage off the land. If it weren't for people like Borz to help and organize them they wouldn't have made it this far.
"John, these people are running out of hope and if hope dies, they die. That's why I have to do something."
But Casey really wasn't paying any attention to Chuck. He took the knife off the fruit and cheese plate then started to come up behind him. Quietly like a large cat stalking its prey. If he came up behind him thought Casey he wouldn't have to look at Chuck that would make it easier. Quick and painless no pain no suffering maybe it was better like this.
"John, if you're wondering what to do with that knife I can give you some suggestions but if you kill me Sarah won't be happy with you. For that matter I can't say I'd be too pleased either. But the one you have to look out for is Sam, uncle Casey."
"Chuck it is you. What the hell you've got everyone worried and Sarah is beside herself. You know I was ordered to terminate you if I thought you'd gone over. I ought to kill you for making me think I was going to have to kill you."
"You think this has been easy for me. These people follow me because they think I'm Juri Sheshenkov Kolonel of the FSB. I can assure you if they knew the truth I'd be dead by now like you almost were if it weren't for me."
"But why? Why do you need these people? What reason do we have to get mixed up in their internal affairs? You're doing Igor a favor aren't you? You are working for the commies."
"Let's just say we're a river with two streams that have joined together for now. John this is the diagram of Nikolai's hide out," said Chuck as he pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket. When he did another fell out it was the note Sarah wrote to him with a heart written in lipstick.
"You know you've got some serious explaining when we get back," said Casey as he handed him back the note.
"I know, believe me I know... Here look are this, this is the stronghold where Izad is mass producing those chips. It's too far underground and has too many guards for me to go alone. I needed Borz to help draw him out and even up the odds."
"This is all contingent on you not getting yourself killed. Do you really think he's just going to march right in here?"
"I found his mole in Borz camp and sent a false message to him that all the remaining old guard would be meeting here and that I was in the camp recovering. He won't be able to resist that much bait. I'm taking a few men and offer token resistance when they come in. We hit them and then fall back…"
"They start shooting and think you're retreating. They get overly confident then jump head first in the trap then you cut it off. Borz is going to swing in from the sides to out flank I assume."
"Yes at that point if they're smart they'll surrender. If you look at the terrain they have nowhere to go. Resistance is…"
"Don't say it, that Borg quote is corny but you also know people are stupid too. I don't want to say anything but you've got one big flaw in your plan. These people are also pissed and they've lost a lot of family as well as friends they cared about then you hand them their enemy. You might as well wave a red flag in front of a bull what do you think is going to happen. These people are not disciplined troops they're going to go for vengeance. They're going to go for the throat. Chuck, I just want you to realize that as much as it looks nice and pretty on paper when bullets fly it's going to get messy fast. All that bottled up hatred will come out and... well thousands of years of civilization will go out the window."
"I realize that but I'm hoping it won't. If I can keep them talking maybe I can avoid this useless bloodshed. Maybe we can break this circle of hatred. That's why I need to be, why I have to be Kolonel Sheshenkov."
"Kolonel or not, Chuck, you've never seen anything like this before but you're going to have to hold it together. The illusion of civilization will come off and the animal side will take over. I've seen this before and you're not ready for this, no one ever is. Remember these aren't your people and this isn't your fight. Whatever they do is on them not you. You might have given these poor bastards a fighting chance to live but what they do, they do not you."
"Casey, I hear what you're saying but it's the only way I have of containing Nikolai and giving me a way in to Izad and the doctors."
"What's your plan? How do you want to extract them?"
"There'll be no extraction. Remember what you said about being pissed off and the veil of civilization coming off. John, I'm going to terminate them then destroy the plant. It's that simple."
"What are you going to do? You're not crazy enough to just going to walk up to the front door and knock then ask them politely to let you in?"
"Well yes something like that but first I'd like to know who put the kill order out on me? I'm willing to bet it was the Admiral."
"Yes, if that makes any difference. You realize that people like the Admiral will drag you in front of a military tribunal then probably in federal court."
"It does and I'm hoping the Admiral does. Did Beckman go to Pasadena? Do you know if she went back to the labs?"
"Yes, how do you know? She went there the day I flew out. Chuck, she took Sarah to see Dr. Dreyfus they ambushed her to be seen." Chuck was silent looking down at the floor of the tent.
"I know I hurt her but it was the only way to keep her and Sam safe. If people, the wrong people, knew I was… well me then they would've thrown everything they had at her and Sam to make me stop. Don't you see I had to stay away?"
"You know who you sound like Chuck. You sound like your father and his reasoning for abandoning you and Ellie. I'm the last one who should say anything. Alex Coburn gave up everything remember." Just then Borz walked in he gave an odd look at Casey standing next to Chuck with the knife.
"Nikolai's men are on the move but he's not leading them. He sent Emin instead but he's committed most of his troop and vehicles," said Borz he caught Chuck's look. "I promise whatever I have to do to Emin it will wait until afterwards."
"Good, I want you to give the Colonel here back his weapons. John, pick out a sniper nest up on this ridge behind us. You can cover us as I bring my men out after we draw Emin's in."
"But can we trust him" said Borz. "No disrespect or anything but he's not one of us. You want to trust your life to an American spy."
"Borz, of everyone here I trust him the most you should too..." said Chuck as he paused and cleared his voice. "But you don't wait once I give the signal you start shelling and you don't stop. One last thing I need a few minutes alone in the comms tent. I need to report in you understand."
"I just talked with Igor and he's happy. If this goes the way we hope he'll be hosting a reconciliation council meeting in Grozny with all of us. Juri, we may be able to go home and this will be also thanks to you."
"Well, we're not there yet so eyes on the prize. Emin is the first step then we go from there but with any luck, soon you'll be sitting in front of your fireplaces drinking jasmine tea. Now I need to report in take care of the Colonel for me please."
"Follow me you lousy American spy."
"Lead the way you stinking commie." They both laughed Borz slapped Casey hard on the back then Casey returned the slap almost knocking Borz's lungs out his throat. They laughed even harder.
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General Beckman walked in the living room. She had a look that Sarah didn't like she walked past Alex and Morgan leaving them playing with Sam as she went into the kitchen. Sarah handed her a cup of coffee but from the way she was acting she probably could've used something with a little more kick to it.
"Just tell us the way it is and don't try to candy coat it," said Sarah. "I think we all can tell things didn't go the way you people planned."
"We lost contact with Colonel Casey shortly after he landed. We know he landed safely because he radioed when he touched down to the aircrew then well Casey was taken. We think Chuck…"
"You mean Juri," corrected Sarah. Kat reached over and took her hand.
"Yes, the Director was contacted by Igor irate because we sent him in telling Tank, I mean General Thomas, that Borz Maribek took John."
"Who's that," asked Kat, "and what does he have to do with Chuck and this whole mess." But as she was talking Sarah flashed grabbing the table. Sarah had visions of the first and second Chechen wars then one of the council of clans with Borz, the wolf, sitting on it representing his people.
"He's one of the last of the council members left alive and a good friend of Igor's from the war. That SOB Igor is doing like I thought he was he's using Chuck to solve his problem in the region."
"I don't want to say anything but it could easily be the other way around. It seems from the reports we're getting out of the region that Chuck or Juri has taken over Borz's forces. He's effectively their field marshal and people in Washington are not happy."
"I don't care what the people think back there. I want Chuck back and it's their fault he had to go to begin with."
"They don't see it that way. They see him as being insubordinate refusing to follow orders and now being a mercenary leading a foreign army for his own personal gains. There is talk about a military tribunal when he gets back."
"Over my dead body! I bet I know who's championing that a certain Admiral who's the chair for the JOC. The same one who got you fired and has been trying to rein in Chuck since this whole thing started. I swear, she and my friends Smith and Wesson need to have a chat."
"Agent Carmichael as much as I agree with you Agnes is still powerful and if we take her on we need to be smart on how we do it and not go running off halfcocked. General Thomas might not be as willing as I was to tolerate your outbursts."
"Mine won't be an outburst they'll be a weapons flash followed by the outburst of her brains as they pour out of the holes I put in her head with my nine," said Sarah as the General gave her a look. "Okay I hear you but talking about it makes me feel better… and doing it would make me feel even better."
"Whatever, Roan is on his way Moscow to talk with Igor. Igor asked for a face to face after some sort of misunderstanding happened in D.C. and Roan was the only person Igor trusted to relay some sort of information but that's on the down low. No one knows he's going not even the Director. I only know because Roan called me from Montenegro wanting someone outside of the power circle to know what was going on."
"Why? What do you mean by power circle?" said Sarah as she looked at the General. "You think we've got a mole. Chuck thought the same thing. General be careful when Chuck started asking questions crap started falling on us."
"What do you think happened to us at Twentynine Palms? We're all in the crosshairs now and we've got to be extremely cautious."
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Emin advanced his forces from their mountain hideout driving down the twisting mountain path to the valley below. He was more than a little shocked when Nikolai called him in and then when he gave him the generalship, to take command it was just amazing. He was happy that he was finally getting the recognition he deserved but at the same time he was nervous not wanting to mess it up. However with three T-80s and four BTR-70s taken during the Chechen war he felt safe and secure.
"Sir, we're here," said the convoy commander as he pulled off the path and the tanks deployed right and left with BTRs in between the T-80s in a straight line blocking the valley.
"Why are we stopping," yelled Emin. "We should be charging into the valley and wiping out everyone. Why aren't we advancing?"
"Because you brought us down from the mountain too fast, you left our ground support miles back so now we've got to wait for them to catch up. We can't launch a ground assault if we don't have infantry support a few well-placed RPGs and we're dead. I don't think you want that. You'd have to go back to the Czar and explain how you lost all his armor then let everyone escape the bottle neck."
"No… No, I don't. Good thinking. So call them on the radio and tell them to get a move on it we don't have all day.
"Yes Sir and oh by the way I've got the Czar on the radio for you. He wants to know our status. I told him we were waiting for the infantry to catch up but since you're in charge he wanted to hear that from you."
"Thanks for having my back," said Emin realizing there was definitely some jealousy going on through the ranks with his promotion. They probably though he slept his way to the top. But if they were about to deal a crushing defeat to their enemy it was also thanks to him.
"I heard you were stopped and that you out ran your infantry. That's a novice's mistake. Don't make me think I've put my trust in the wrong person."
"No Czar Nikolai," said Emin. "This was strategy. You see… well you see… It was like this, yes you see I wanted to seal the valley off as fast as possible."
"Okay you wanted to the secure the mouth to the valley but now you can't advance until your infantry gets there."
"True but they can't escape either. You see with this much armor coming down from the mountain a sneak attack would've been impossible so like this I have them bottled up stewing in their own broth until I drop the hammer on them."
"Diabolical and smart, good I knew you were the right man for this job. Call me when you start moving in on the valley."
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Casey watched the woman running around camp with their children. They'd already been warned that tanks and armored personnel carriers had been sighted coming down from the mountains so it was time for them to evacuate. Casey took out his range finder then got a can of spray paint. He started going around writing numbers on the tents and flag stones that had been placed in the muck. Borz and the Doctor watch him for a while thinking he'd gone crazy.
"Colonel," asked Borz, "why are you writing numbers? Is this some sort of good luck charm or something? My Doctor thinks you're mad."
"That may be true," said Casey as he continued looking through the view finder then writing numbers. "Here take this and look," said Casey as he pointed to the ridge up above them. "What do you see?"
"I see a group of trees and I guess the number below is the distance to those trees, so you're saying all these numbers are what? The distance to the top of that ridge but why?"
"The reasons well the first I'm going to be sitting up there in my nest. This gives me the distance I need to make my shoot I'll check the flames for wind direction. These flat stones well these are killing stones. People have a natural tendency not to want to get their feet dirty so Nikolai's men will be trying to walk on them. That's for me. Your spotters for your artillery can use them to call in fire."
"Sounds like this battle's already won," said Borz as he smiled thinking what he was going to do with Emin once the battle was over.
"Borz, your Kolonel is counting on you to control your people. The Kolonel is a little naïve to true human nature. We're all animals at heart and before you go trying to spout off any doctrine I'm just saying you need to control your people. You look like a guy who's seen a few firefights so you know how things can get. What I'm trying to say is if the guy has his hands up and wants to surrender don't put a bullet in his head."
"You're asking a lot from me. You have no idea what we've gone through here and what they've done to us and our families."
"You're right I don't but they kill you, you kill them then they kill you and you kill them. It's a chain that's gone on here for… well as long as people have lived here. Don't you think it's about time this ends?"
"You know that's exactly the words Igor told me. I never thought I'd hear something like that from a lousy American spy."
"I never thought I'd be telling it to a stinking commie despot."
They laughed together but this time Borz refrained from slapping Casey on the back. His back was still sore from the last time.
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Morgan and Sam were coloring in the living room with Sarah and Chuck rabbits watching from the sofa. Alex went over to see what was going on she had opened the door for the General then they talked for a bit in the kitchen she heard them mention her father after that they went to the bedroom. Alex guessed that was so Sam wouldn't over hear or maybe it was for her.
"Kiddo you and I have a lot in common right now," said Alex as she kissed Sam on the cheek. "I'm worried about my Dad too. Morgan, watch Sam while I go see what's going on in the powwow. I'll be right back."
"I got her. So what color do you want to use for the cow," asked Morgan as Sam grabbed purple. "I never saw a purple cow, I never hope to see one, but I can tell you any how I'd rather see one than be one." Sam started giggling and laughing.
"Where did that come from?" asked Alex. She looked back at him with a puzzled expression as she started to leave the living room.
"Third grade, I was the 'Purple Cow' for our class play. I'll never forget I kept tripping over my udder," said Morgan. "Afterwards I found out that boy cows don't have them. I hated elementary school. Come to think of it school in general."
"Oh my poor Morgan," said Alex as she walked back gave him a kiss then headed off to the back bedroom. Sam laughed and hid her eyes.
"What are you laughing at," said Morgan as he tickled Sam which made her laugh even more rolling up in a ball. "And why are you hiding your eyes Miss? Your parents do it all the time."
Alex didn't think anything about the laughter she heard over her shoulder as she walked down the hall. She was almost at the door when she heard them saying something about Casey being missing. Alex knocked on the door frame before entering.
"Listen if need be I'm ready I'll go bring them back. If Dad is missing I'll go get him… I'll get them both. I may not be able to speak the language but we can rig something… A sat link back here so Sarah can translate for me. I can be on the next plane out of here. Mom, don't say a word I know the risks I just got Dad back I'm not going to lose him again."
"Agent McHugh, I appreciate your offer but you're out of your league here. Agent Carmichael can tell you that this is a mission even a seasoned operative would have a problem with."
"Alex, the General's right but you only heard part of the story. John is no longer in contact with us but we know where he is…"
"Good that will make it easy to get an extraction plan together to get him and Chuck out, right?" She said as she looked at them but there was no answer.
"Chuck's holding him or the group Chuck is with is holding him. The Russians have notified us and Langley is doing everything it can to ensure his safe return."
"I don't understand?" said Alex. Sarah put her arm around her then Kat did too.
"We don't understand either."
"Chuck, Chuck" yelled Sam materializing out of nowhere pointing down the hall to the living room. "Chuck," she yelled again then waved for them to come.
"Morgan, did you take Sam's rabbit again?" yelled Alex as she dried her eyes. "You were supposed to be watching her." She said as they all started down the hall.