Don't own Chuck
It was still dark out when Casey brought them in. He aligned the nose with the runway then brought in the Lear. It vibrated a little when the wheels made contact but for the most part the landing was perfect. There was a marshaller with safety batons that immediately took control directing them over to an open hangar. As soon as Casey rolled in the man signaled him to cut engines. As Casey was shutting down and the internal lighting was switching over to auxiliary power he noticed the hangar bay doors being closed behind them. Before Casey could warn Roan the hatch was yanked open and four men with badges boarded the plane with weapons drawn. Casey and Roan drew theirs.
"Stand down we have a warrant to take agent Carmichael into custody," said the lead officer. "Where is he? We know he's on this plane so hand him over. If you assist him in any way you'll be held as accessories. Do you want that?"
"No but accessories to what? Chuck isn't here. Look as much as you like," said Casey as he waved them on board."
"What? That can't be. We were told he was seen boarding this plane. You're lying. Come on watch them and let's search." The men began ripping the plane apart.
"You might want to go easy there maybe even hold up or the owner might get upset and I don't think you want that," said Casey as he smiled looking at Roan who smiled back. They had them.
"What we've got a house warrant issued by congress that says we can. I'd like to see your agency top that. I don't think they can so boy…"
"Hold up there Chief. Well we might not but didn't you look at the flag on the tail before you boarded? This plane is owned by the Russian Federation and this was registered as a diplomatic flight so you've just violated Russian sovereign territory. I think they have something to say about this and that piece of paper you have isn't worth… well we know what it's not worth," said Casey as two SUVs of Russian Spetsnaz pulled into the hangar. "Just so happens we were doing some counterterrorist training with them."
The Russians deployed around the agents disarming them then escorted them all on board and had them all take a seat.
"You're all under arrest for damaging Russian property and offending the nation by your vulgar presence," said a Russian officer in perfect English winking at Casey. The vulgar thought Casey was a little over the top but it was working.
"If you let me call my boss this can all be worked out I'm sure and maybe we can kick something in to smoothen things over."
"What is he doing? Are you trying to bribe me? Who do you think we are? You Americans can just come up here tear up our homeland then what you just pay us off to look the other way. Now I'm adding attempted bribery. Maybe you'd like to run your mouth some more and we can add resisting arrest and offending a uniformed official. Boris, confiscate their phones there'll be no phone calls until after the arraignment."
"Good call your Embassy just let me talk to them they need to know what Federal court we need to be arraigned in."
"No you don't understand," said the Russian laughing. "You're coming with us to Moscow and you're to be arraigned in a Russian Federal court. You're on Russian soil right now so you have to be tried there. We have jurisdiction and we have you."
"Colonel Casey come on, you can't let this happen we're officers of the court. We were only doing our job. I'm sure you can understand that. You're a marine right. Leave no man behind and all that Semper fido."
"Okay underdog, you know I'd like to do something but I can't. You told us to stand down or you'd charge us with being accessories. The way I see it we'd risk the same thing if we helped you. I hope you like cold borsch. If the Major will tell what gulag they ship you guys off to I'll mail you a supply of soap on a rope. If you don't speak Russian now don't worry by the time you get out you might even forget English. Dasvidaniya and enjoy the inflight movie I think it's 'Midnight Express'," said Casey as he disembarked.
"You can't do this," Casey heard as he walked out in the hangar.
"John, you're enjoying this too much," said Roan. "The Generals are waiting outside the hangar. What are we really going to do with them?"
"Do you really care?"
"No, not really."
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A few hours before Casey was flying down the Atlantic seaboard following the altitude and speed assigned. Chuck had some harebrained ideas before but this he thought took the cake. Chuck borrowed an Iranian parachute before they left then when they were close to the coordinates he had Casey call in with a problem of cabin pressurization so Tower Control assigned them a lower altitude. He still was risking being sucked into the turbos but theirs was a twin engine.
"John, you can do this. All you have to do is cut the engine on the side I jump from them start it up again. By the time you power it back up I'll be clear."
"And if it doesn't and the engine comes back on too soon or you don't get clear in time, I suck you in and we have ground Chuck."
"Don't worry it won't happen and I can't land with you guys. I know there'll be a welcoming party for me. They'll put me in holding then an accident will happen. No this is the only way to get into country. I'll rendezvous with you guys tomorrow. I've got a lot to do and a short time to get it done if this is going to work."
"Roger that. I love flushing out moles almost as much as I do stomping on them after I've flushed them out."
"Rather vivid there John. I think I could've done without the analogy."
"What's going on with you?" asked John. "You sure you're okay. You were rolling back there in your sleep and gagging like you couldn't breathe."
"Nothing just a nightmare."
"Next time before you go to sleep I'll make you some hot milk then tuck you in that will scare away the boogeyman. Well if you're going to make this jump you need to get ready."
"Gez thanks Casey I can always count on you to make me feel better," said Chuck. He went into the cabin and began to suit up.
"Chuck, don't pay any attention to Casey after what you've been through and seen a few nightmares are to be expected."
"Roan," said Chuck as he paused. "You don't understand. Casey got part of my dream there was a boogeyman but… I was him, I was the baba yaga. It's from a Russian nursery lullaby. I dreamt I was the little grey wolf that will come and drag bad children off into the woods.
"You might want to set some time aside for Dr. Dreyfus when this is all done," said Roan as he checked Chuck's straps. "Then again if this doesn't open you won't have to worry about it."
"Thanks Roan. You've been around Casey too long. After I'm gone why don't you go sit with him and keep him company in the cockpit."
"Girls, heads up back there were approaching the target site. Chuck you need to climb down in the wheel well." A few minutes later Chuck was out.
The night air was cold as he descended. He knew the altitude of the plane when he jumped so he was counting in his head to keep track of when to pop the chute. This was so he could make sure he would come in undetected and off the radar which meant waiting until he was inside the envelope to pull the cord. However, being a night jump it was easy to miscalculate distance especially when he entered the Dark Zone.
The Dark Zone once you get close to the ground ambient light is lost so the lower you get, the darker the ground looks. At about 100 feet and below it might seem as if you're landing in a black hole. Suddenly everything becomes very dark, and you hit ground soon afterwards.
Chuck hit the ground and immediately punched out. Then he quickly recovered his chute not wanting it to be found. With an entrenching tool he dug a hole and buried the chute then made his way to where he told Sarah to have the vehicle waiting for him. It was there a black Escalade he circled once on the edge of the field to make sure everything was clear then he approached hoping in passenger's side with his Makarov at the ready.
"Gez, you trying to scare me to death or something," said Morgan. "Can you put that thing away before you sneeze and I get lead poisoning?"
"Sorry," said Chuck as he put it away then he looked in the back but the vehicle was empty. "So you're alone."
"Yeah, Chuck you got to understand you taking off like that… Sarah was a mess she's going to need some time."
"I know," said Chuck as he sank in the seat, "and General Beckman I asked for her to be here. Where's she?"
"We're to go to Langley. She and the new guy are waiting for a debriefing."
"Well their going to have to wait. Morgan drive me to Washington. You can drop me off on Pennsylvania Avenue."
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Diane and Tank were sitting around his desk drinking coffee and sharing war stories. It felt strange for her to be sitting on the other side of what had been her desk. She felt exposed, but at the same time relieved that she wasn't in the hot seat although it looked like they still hadn't replaced her chair.
"I see you eyeing the chair. Yes, it's still yours, I keep asking for a replacement but I keep getting told budget cuts. If this keeps up I swear I'm going to take the Major's from his office."
"Sir, you want what from my office," said the Major as he walked in. "I just got word from Casey and Roan. As Chuck thought the plane was boarded by Federal agents sent to arrest him. It took a little arm twisting… Oh I don't mean that literally but anyway it seems a group of them were supposed to make sure Chuck didn't arrive for holding."
"A wet team, Gez here in DC but it shouldn't surprise me. Well, it sounds like at least some of them are talking. Do we know who sent them?
"Yes sir. Colonel Casey and Roan are on their way with our team to bring her in."
"So it was Agnes behind his," said Tank. "I wish I could be there but we got her at…"
"I'm sorry Sir," said the Major interrupting the General. "But when I said her I didn't mean her as the Admiral I meant her as in her secretary, Ms Bloom. We don't have any other information other than she organized the wet team that went to pick Chuck up at the airport."
"It makes sense," said Diane digesting the information. "Think about it, Hydra had that secretary in Pasadena in the Director's office. My God it's ingenious, we have them in just about every office, they walk around among us and we never notice them. They're usually underpaid and overworked the ideal target to be turned if Hydra can't plant their own agents. I bet it was her who programmed the drone strike."
"What? She's some sort of puppet in the hands of her handler who's pulling the strings? They got sloppy when they took out their own hitman."
"No not the puppet but the master… Don't you see, she's pulling the strings on someone else... Someone Hydra wants helped and groomed for a position of authority and power. The drone strike was one hand not telling the other what it was doing. Speaking of one hand not knowing why hasn't Grimes called in? He should have Chuck by now."
"I'll call him," said the Major as he stepped out to the outer office. After he left the General's phone started ringing.
"That's the White house line," said Tank as he answered the phone. "Mr. President it's awfully early I wasn't… yes Sir she's here with me…. Oh speaker now…. Go ahead Mr. President the General is sitting across from me."
"I just had an interesting conversation with one of your men," said the President. Tank looked over at Diane they both knew only one person would have the guts to go straight to the top. "Agent Carmichael has some interesting theories and after our talk I believe he's right. I've given him my approval and as unorthodox as this may be you're to give him your complete support. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Sir absolutely we stand by to assist."
"Good, if what he says is true and I believe it to be then I've been made a fool of and I won't tolerate that out of anyone. General Beckman, I understand you're there."
"Yes, sir how can I help you?" said Diane as she looked over surprised at Tank. He just shrugged his shoulders.
"It's not what you can do for me but well… the first thing I need to do is to apologize. I believe I've done you a grave disservice and for that I'm sorry. Agent Carmichael is carrying letters from me for the both of you. You'll understand more once you've read them but until tomorrow I'm to pretend my meeting with him and this conversation never took place. Good hunting."
"Thank you Sir," they said in unison almost like they rehearsed it. The line dropped then went dead as he was hanging up the Major walked back in.
"I just got off the phone with Agent Grimes. He dropped Chuck off on Pennsylvania Avenue not far from the White House. You don't think…"
"Major we don't think we know. The President just called."
"The President of the United States?" asked the Major dumbfounded.
"No, the President of the Rotary Club called asking us if we'd make a speech of course POTUS. Gez this place is an asylum I'm sure of it now and what's worse the inmates are running the place. Now I'm working for a subordinate?"
"You heard the President we're all working with Chuck on this." She wanted to say welcome to my world but it was now his.
"Does anyone know where Chuck is? Major when you talked with Agent Grimes did he tell you if he knew where Chuck was headed."
"Agent Grimes told me that I was to give you two the things Chuck asked for then you were to go down and wait. Grimes would be by to pick you both up."
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Casey and Roan took a Tac team into a townhouse located near the Potomac. Records showed Bloom had recently purchased the home. For Casey he smelt a rat as soon as they pulled up. How could a secretary afford a four million dollar home? Even with the current buyer's market she'd need a few rich uncles to kick off or at least one good lottery ticket.
"On me," yelled Casey as he kicked in the door, "Federal agents." The team moved in rapidly clearing room after room.
"Colonel, the house has been cleared but there's no one here. Sir look around there's nothing here. I'm not talking about her grabbing everything there never was anything the place is empty. There isn't even a bed or mattress."
"Crap this is isn't her place. I need public records ASAP find out if anyone bought another apartment in this neighborhood at the same time when she bought this one. But first put out a bolo on her make sure it gets to all the airports, bus and train stations," said Casey as he noticed a collection of cat statues on a shelf looking down at them.
"You know she's on the run now, right? This place was set up as some sort of warning system in case someone came looking for her and we tripped the alarm when we came in."
"I know the cats on the shelf and nothing else in here but them why? Like that secretary in Pasadena with her cat photos on her desk but these are different," said Casey as he grabbed one. "Got you, see here's a micro camera probably connected to a wireless Wi-Fi server. She's close by watching us."
"We should cordon the area off no one in and no one out."
"We will but don't hold your breath," said John. "Hey make sure she's on the no fly list. Roan, this woman has had this in the works since the day Pasadena went south. You can bet she's got an extraction plan."
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Morgan picked up the Generals then drove around the Capitol beltway making one complete loop before heading into the city. Close to Arlington Morgan received a message over the vehicles GPS to take a right then drive into a parking garage. He was given a parking slot number then they were told to change vehicles. Parked next to them was a dark Chrysler sedan with tinted windows and Virginia plates. Pulling out the GPS guided them to a townhouse in Georgetown. The garage door opened as Morgan pulled up a message flash for him to drive in and kill the engine.
"Looks like we're here," said Morgan as he parked. Then he got out opening the door for General Beckman as Tank let himself out.
"This way," said Chuck as he stuck his head into the garage from the house. They looked at each other then followed him inside. "I'm sorry but I didn't cook anything. The fridge is rather bleak I'm afraid but I did put a pot of coffee on. Did you bring what I asked for?"
"Yes the Major put everything together before we left. Do you mind telling us what's going on? Casey went to arrest Admiral Greene's secretary. She's the one who sent a wet team to greet you."
"I wish he hadn't now things will be harder. Generals we're Admiral hunting and we have to be careful because being a senator now she's powerful and if we're not careful everything I've done won't mount to anything. Actually it'll blow up in my face."
"I understand POTUS gave you envelopes for us, can we see them now? Or do we have to ask permission?" said Tank. His anger towards Chuck was showing through.
"I'll give you them after we're done. Believe me it's for everyone's best interest. General Thomas, I know you mad at me and I can't blame you but if this goes to crap you may lose your job but I'll go to jail and not to just any they'll ship me to Supermax then throw away the key. So while you might be mad at me for my insubordination I've got more on the line than you. If I haven't already lost something I was trying to save."
"So what is it you need for us to do," said Diane as the air started to get heavy and she wanted to defuse the situation. "Do you want us to dance around with rings on our fingers and bells on our toes?" Chuck and Morgan laughed.
"You will be notified today that your deposition on Capitol Hill has been moved up to tomorrow. I know because I arranged it with the Chairman of the Sub-committee. Agnes might think the sub-committee is hers but she's not the chairperson. I had the President call him in this morning and we all talked together."
"So you've got their backing," said Diane. "That's good in case things go south. We'll need someone to watch our backs."
"Not exactly, they agreed to let me play out my hand but that's it. This is mission impossible and they want plausible deniability."
"Your mission Chuck, should you decide to accept it," said Morgan as he quoted the taped message from Mission Impossible. "As always, should you or any of your team be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This disc will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Chuck."
"Thanks Morgan, I was missing that but this is real life. I realize you need to get things ready for tomorrow you can take the keys. Don't come back here as it was you were followed when you left Langley but I got them off your tail in the parking garage. I'll meet both of you tomorrow on Capitol Hill."
"But you haven't told us what we're to do?"
"You just follow my lead. You're welcome to stay as long as you like or go. I just want to shower and get cleaned up then get some sleep. Morgan, can take care of me."
With that they all separated Chuck went upstairs to the master bedroom where he stripped off his clothes. Then he walked into the shower and ran the water as hot as his body could tolerate. He hadn't felt this warm in a long time. As he showered over his shoulder he saw the bottle of shampoo hanging from the shower head and for a second he thought he saw a man hanging instead.
"Oh my God," he screamed as he turned around slipping in the stall he fell making a loud noise. Morgan came running.
"Hey Buddy you okay," yelled Morgan as he came into the bedroom then bath. "Are you all right in there?"
"Yeah… yeah I just slipped. I guess it's going to take time to get used to the modern convenience of running water and shower stalls. Can you pass me a towel, please?"
"Sure," said Morgan. He took one off the rack and handed it to him. Chuck toweled down then wrapped it around him and stepped out. "Gez I didn't notice that scar on your forehead before. Did you get that falling from the balcony?"
"No Paul hit me with a vase and the glass cut me. Is it that noticeable?" asked Chuck as he looked in the mirror. "I guess there goes my second career as America's new top model." They both laughed.
"Chuck, you just have to give her time," said Morgan addressing the elephant in the room. "Everything will work out in the end I know it will. She won't stay mad forever. Chuck you really scared her."
"Morgan, I know I did but what else was I supposed to do. No one was in that room with me. No one heard Izad as he taunted me about killing Sarah and Sam. I did what I had to do. We don't let the bad guys get away. I'm tired I need to sleep. You know I can't remember the last time slept so I'm going lay down."
"When do you want me to wake you up or should I just let you sleep?"
"No there's too much to plan out. Roan and Casey are supposed to come over after lunch. If I'm not up by then you can wake me but if Sarah calls…."
"I'll come and get you, but Buddy don't count on it for right now. Like I said just give her time."