Don't own Chuck
Most of the day was lost in transporting the cargo to the boat landing and loading the ferry for the transit across the lake. They followed the plan they had pre-arranged which was Gertrude organized the loading of the ferry while Sarah rode it with the cargo to the site. Chuck supervised the off-loading and installation while remaining at the site to acclimatize the team members. Everyone on the team was surprised and amazed to see how Chuck seemed to know where each part went and since he was able to speak directly to the locals they quickly got the set up ahead of schedule. He so fast was that he was now at the pier waiting on the ferry to bring over the last load.
"Well this is it," said Gertrude as she boarded the last ferry run for the site. "You can radio Chuck and tell him we're about to shove off."
"Good, he just called saying everything was assembled and that he was waiting on us to bring him this last load. I guess being a witch doctor has its advantages. When you tell someone to do something they do it. However, your man doesn't seem to appreciate it."
"What? Oh Adama, well he likes being useful and you're taking his job away from him. You can't expect him to like it. I'm mean think about it, how would you like going from the A-team to the B."
"I see your point," said Sarah remembering how she felt. "Okay, I'll have Chuck dial it back a notch and we'll try and bring Adama into the loop. If nothing else it should make him feel better about us."
"Well speaking about being in the loop what was all that back on the plane. Don't tell me it was nothing because I know better. I'm starting to feel like a mushroom here and I don't like it. Is there something going on that I need to know about?"
"I can tell you something is going on but 'the what' and 'the who' is still unclear. I suppose you heard about the accident on the flight over," said Sarah. Gertrude nodded her head.
"I heard one of the eggheads got scrambled. But joking aside I saw the blood stain on the pallets. You don't walk away from something like that.
"Well Chuck and I don't think it was an accident. Actually, we're almost sure it was a homicide but we won't be able to prove it until there's an autopsy in Ramstein."
"Do you have any idea who the killer is or do you have a list of suspects," said Gertrude as she tried to picture all the doctors to figure out if any of them stood out as a possible murderer but no none did.
"Like I said we won't know anything until the autopsy comes back but no we haven't got a clue and it's too early for speculation. It could've been anyone on that flight but for now you need to keep this under your hat. If there's a killer loose we don't want to spook them into doing something rash like trying to kill someone else. So Gertrude is there something you want to tell me?"
"Buy Savings Bond? Other than that, no, nothing else… you know I should go forward and find Adama. I ought to give him a hand he was making sure everything was tied down properly."
"Really, nothing else? It's funny you should mention Adama, Chuck was telling me he heard a rumor about him and you. There was something going around about you having a very close working relationship. You know if you want to talk…"
"Oh no, we're not doing this. We're not going there," said Gertrude. I don't need to talk to anyone about my… well my life and I certainly don't need advice from June Cleaver. How is the beaver? Is he still dating that girl? Why didn't you bring them along? He'd be loads of fun here."
"Are you talking about Morgan? And if you're talking about Alex, Casey's daughter, yes and as a matter of fact they're engaged and are living together. But you know this."
"I must've forgotten. How'd John take that?" said Gertrude as she eased into where she wanted to go and started asking about Casey. That was where she wanted to take the conversation from the very beginning. "How long did the beaver spend in the hospital? I bet John had a heart attack. Now that would've been worth seeing."
"No I don't think John really liked it. However, I think maybe he's come to accept it. John will never admit it but I think he's actually come to appreciate that Morgan might be the one for Alex. Isn't there a question you want to ask me?"
"A question I want to ask? No, I don't think so I'd like to know the winning numbers to the lottery, but you're no fortune teller and I've got enough insurance."
"Oh really, you don't want to ask me anything about Kat and Casey? If they're together and how things are going between them."
"Well since you brought it up sure tell me about them," said Gertrude as she tried to play indifferent and acted disinterested. But the more she denied it the more she showed her hand.
"I'm sorry for you but I think they've recaptured something they both thought was lost. I don't know if either of them knows where this is going or if there's an actual plan. They're playing it day by day seeing where it leads them."
"I hope John gets everything he deserves. He's sacrificed a lot for this life and somehow if he could get something back… well he deserves it." Sarah could see that Verbanski really meant what she said. She felt a little sad for her and she wished there was something she could do but there wasn't anything other than try to understand her. Sarah realized she could've easily become Verbanski if Chuck had chosen Jill which made her feel even sadder for Gertrude.
"Gertrude, I wish there was something I could tell you or something I could do. But I don't know what to say other than I'm truly sorry."
"I guess the best thing to do in these cases is to say nothing and put a rock on it. I was going to check on Adama," said Gertrude. Sarah watched her walk away and it looked like she wiped her face.
"Sarah, I see you coming into the bay now," radioed Chuck. "I've got men standing by to offload. Oh, I see Adama up on the fo'c's'le but I don't see Gertrude you didn't throw her overboard, did you?"
"No Sweetie I didn't but we need to talk when we get in about…" But Sarah was interrupted by the ferry's whistle. It blew three long blasts then she felt the boat make an abrupt maneuver. "What's going on?"
"Sarah, it's Adama, he just fell overboard," radioed Chuck. Sarah took off running forward on the weather deck as the ferry turn hard to port to avoid pulling him under in its wake.
"Gertrude stop," yelled Sarah as she grabbed her before she could jump. They saw Adama in the water and then they saw the crocodile. Sarah flashed.
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Casey and Alex were pulling off the I-5 and heading down Burbank Boulevard. Things looked like they were going to come to a head before they could get there. Alex had the Tac team on the phone but they were even farther out than they were. The only thing they could hope for was that Morgan would keep stringing the man along. Alex felt her heart skip a beat every time the man raised his weapon. John had to give it to Morgan, so far he'd remained calm and had manage to work his way into the assailant's head at least enough to throw the man off balance to gain time. However, it was what was going on outside the office that worried Casey most of all.
"What are those morons doing," said Casey. "Don't those idiots know they're going to get someone killed and most likely it's going to be themselves?"
In the Buy More…
"Okay men we can do this," said Big Mike. "Just think of this like one of your video games. You know like one of those first-person shooter games you guys play on company time all the time."
"But in our FSP games we don't really get shot back at well at least not for real and when it says 'Game Over' we can restart. There is no pause button once we go through that door."
"Well I'm going through with or without you. Do you want to spend the rest of your days thinking what a bunch of chickens you are?"
"At least we'd have the rest of our days to live besides I can't help you," said Skip looking serious. "I've got allergies that will act up."
"What kind of allergies do you have," asked Big Mike. "I know you've got an allergy to work. What else are you allergic to?
"No I'm not joking I have an allergy to base metals. I feel like I can't breathe and my hands shake," said Skip. "I break out in a sweat too."
"I'm sorry to hear that but what kind of base metals are you allergic to? Zinc or nickel, I hear nickel is a common one."
"No I'm allergic to lead, especially the kind that comes out of a pistol and puts holes in you. If you want I can get a note from my mother."
"A note from your mother? Will you give me a frickin break. You're all a bunch of yellow cowards well that boy is family so look out Big Mike is coming through," he said as he grabbed hold of the door knob but it was locked.
"Wait," said Fernando, "you can't just go running in like that. The man could shoot Morgan and you on the spot then start executing the rest of us because we saw his face. They do that you know, I saw it on television. Skip, like it or not we're going to have to be Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John-117 we know too much." Big Mike felt like contradicting him but Fernando was on a roll.
"That's right and you know what happens to people who know too much," said Big Mike as Skip started vacillating.
"They go into WITSEC and the government gives them new identities until the mob finds them. Then it's over. They get whacked, everyone in the house gets whacked, the neighbors get whacked and the dog gets whacked. Even the goldfish gets whacked."
"I'll whack you right now. I don't know what kind of shows you boys watch but you really ought to lay off. I think television is frying your brains… if you had any to begin with," said Big Mike as he grabbed the door knob again and tried it. "Crap it's locked. I need to get my spare key."
"Wait up a moment and let's think this out," said Fernando. "You're just going to unlock the door and walk in? You don't think he's going to hear you unlock the door. What do you think he's going to do just invite you in?"
"That's it, that's exactly what we need to do," said Big Mike as Skip and Fernando looked at each other thinking the stress had been too much for Big Mike and now he was going crazy. "No don't you get it what we need is for the guy inside to open the door then we pounce on him like the wounded gazelle and Morgan's saved."
"And how do you propose to get him to do that?" said Skip as he eased back grabbing Fernando with him. When Big Mike called through the door he didn't want to in the line of fire.
"Chickens," said Big Mike as he shook his head.
"Better a live chicken than a dead duck," replied Skip as the moved farther back.
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General Beckman was sitting at her desk in Langley looking over the report that Tank dropped off. She'd sent a copy to Chuck and Sarah so they'd be brought up to date. She looked at it one more time and remembered what Agent McHugh reported to her. Now she was having second thoughts if she had brushed off what Alex had told her and whether a deeper investigation was needed. There was a bad taste in her mouth looking at the report. Dr. Beech hadn't been completely honest with her. Then a thought occurred to her.
"Crap, what if he never saw this report," she said out loud reading it again. "It wouldn't be difficult to stifle the report on the incident and move the blame somewhere else. Beech wasn't that great a manager and… No… No that's not I would do. Crap," said the General as she pushed the button to call for her secretary.
"Yes, ma'am what can I do for you," asked Connie. As she was standing in the doorway the General's aide came up and Beckman waved for him to come in.
"I need to talk with Colonel Casey and Agent McHugh Immediately," said the General. Connie turned and started to leave. "Major do we have the autopsy report back from Ramstein yet?"
"No ma'am not yet. But Connie hold on that request," said the Major. "General, we have a situation. Neither Colonel Casey nor Agent McHugh are available at the moment. The intrusion alarm just went off in Castle and that man who escaped from the sting operation in Tecate is in the Buy More holding Agent Grimes hostage. The Colonel and Agent McHugh are on their way and a Tac team was dispatched from downtown."
"Has he made any demands yet? Do we know why he took Agent Grimes?" General Beckman couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't all related to Pasadena. "I want to be kept informed and someone tell Colonel Casey that this one should still have a pulse when we bring him in. I have some questions I need answered and it's hard for them to talk when they're dead."
"Roger that General with your permission I'd like to go down to the situation room to stay on top of this. I'll keep you posted."
"Go, I expect you to and as soon as this situation is contained I need to talk to Agent McHugh and the Colonel. I have a mission for them." As the General was finishing the Major's phone rang. She waited for him to take it and hang up.
"That was from the situation room. It seems the man goes by the name Mr. Brown, obviously false," he said. The General gave him a look that said hurry up but instead he paused.
"Major you're wasting my time. Please get on with it."
"Right, well Mr. Brown hasn't taken Agent Grimes because he's an Agent." The General raised her eyebrow on that. "No, he's taken him as the manager of the Buy More. The man wants Agent Grimes to deliver the Colonel and Agent McHugh. It seems he was friends with Casper and is out for revenge. He wants the Colonel and Alex's blood."
"Well the only blood he's going to shed on my watch is his own. I want our Tac team in there now and what I said about taking him alive. That's no longer necessary, I think I've got a good idea what's going on. The man's gone rogue and like any mad dog needs to be put down."
"There's another development. The civilian employees seem to think Mr. Brown is a criminal and are organizing an incursion of their own."
"I don't know if they're heroes or idiots, probably both."
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Sarah and Gertrud both drew weapons and fired at the crocodiles while men from the ferry tried the throw Adama a line. But the hide on the crocodile was as tough as Kevlar and their rounds seem to just bounce off. But that didn't stop them from trying. Sarah fired a full clip, dropped the empty, and reloaded. It looked like Adama was going to be the crocodile's lunch when the animal's head exploded blood and animal matter sprayed the people trying to rescue Adama.
"What the…" said Gertrude as she looked over at the shore. Chuck was on the launch with her Dragunov sniper rifle. "Your husband has been through my things."
"And thank God he did," said Sarah as they tried to pull Adama on board. "Let's get your boyfriend on board."
"I told you he isn't my boyfriend," sapped Verbanski as she oversaw the recovery. "He's just a friend who happens to be a boy. You're my girlfriend but that doesn't mean we have a relationship, does it?"
"Gertrude first of all I'm happily married and second of all you're not my type," but as they were going back and forth the unthinkable happened, a crocodile swam under the ferry. The ferry had stopped and was drifting to rescue Adama and as they were hauling him on board it jumped out of the water and bit his leg. Chuck fired two quick rounds but the damage was done.
"Lay him on deck," yelled Sarah and Verbanski cleared the crowd around him. The crocodile took off everything below the right knee. Sarah was desperately looking for some way to stop the hemorrhaging before he bled out.
"Do something," yelled Verbanski as she stood over Adama. His eyes had rolled back up in his head and he was completely unresponsive.
"Chuck, he's going to bleed out if I don't do something," radioed Sarah but as she talked to Chuck she flashed. "A flare, I need a flare right now." Somewhere from the crowd someone handed her one.
"What are you going to do with that?" asked Gertrude. She had an idea but she wanted Sarah to tell her.
"The only way to stop the bleeding is to cauterize the wound. I need some big men to hold him down," said Sarah as she picked men out of the crowd. "Okay, hold him down." Sarah lite the flare then used it to burn the wound. There was a putrid sweet smell of burnt flesh and as she predicted he tried to get up but she got the bleeding to stop.
"Thank you," said Verbanski as she knelt down next to Adama beside Sarah.
"Gertrude, he needs to get to a hospital. To ferry him back then fly him will take too long I've got Chuck contacting the embassy to get a chopper up here to medivac him back the capital. You should go with him."
"But I can't we've got work here to do."
"Chuck and I can handle everything here. You need to be on that chopper. I insist and if you want me to make it easier you're fired so there's no reason for you to stay."
"I can't believe this is the first time I'm happy to be sacked."
Ashore…
Chuck still had Verbanski's Dragunov slung over his shoulder when he ran to the comms room. There he worked the radio calling the embassy to arrange for a chopper and medivac for Adama. He had just gotten off the horn when Dr. Ryder came in upset and angry.
"What's the hold up? Why isn't the ferry moving? Every minute that we're standing around is a minute lost. We need to get to work or don't you people remember why we're here."
"Listen I know exactly why we're here. We're here to baby sit you guys so you don't get yourselves killed like what happened to Ross on the plane. For your information a man just fell off the ferry and was attacked by a crocodile that amputated part of his leg. I just got done organizing a medivac to get him proper medical attention. The ferry is probably already pulling in as we speak but I'm going to be a little busy right now so your people, if they can remember why they're here, can supervise the offloading of the ferry and install the last parts."
"We aren't responsible for the locals that might get injured so before someone thinks they're going to get a free meal out of this…" Chuck cut him off.
"You did understand what I just told you? The man lost half his leg in a country where a scratch can cause a life threatening infection." Chuck couldn't believe how dense Dr. Ryder was being. He hadn't seemed this way back in Pasadena but back there he was in his environment. Here he was a fish out of water and had no idea how to cope.
"I've got my marching orders is all and a mission I need to complete. I can't worry about anything else. You're going to have to see to that."
"Whatever," said Chuck as he pushed past him. "Oh one last thing if I were you I'd stay away from Verbanski. If you said half of what you just said to me to her you'd be picking yourself up from the ground."
"Well I never."
"And never have I but that's some friendly advice take it for what it's worth. Personally, I hope you don't take it and go shooting your mouth off. But that's just on me. Oh and there's one thing I'd like to know on the plane coming over when Ross was killed. What were the seating arrangements?"
"Me, Dr. Shepherd, Ross then Stan and Herman but they slept the whole trip over. I've never seen anything like it, dead to the world."
"I'm sure they were. But neither Holter nor you tried to stop Ross from going and undoing the straps on the pallets."
"First of all there was no stopping Ross when he got something in his head and second Holter wasn't sitting next to me when Ross left. I even asked Ross to find him for me I had some ideas on how we could tune our system to obtain better effects. But what's with all these questions? Ross is gone and we're still not collecting data. Life needs to go on."
"Yes it does," said Chuck as he left to go down to the ferry landing.