Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own nor am I involved with the production of Chuck. On the plus side, I work cheap so if Chris or Josh is reading this - call me.
Synopsis: Sarah had been chasing Chuck for the last two and a half years with no luck. Suddenly a lead turns up and she finds herself talking to old friends, family, and wondering if the Chuck she's searching for is still the man she loves.
A/N: Adult language and situations apply.
Chuck versus Topeka - Chapter Two – Her Infected Heart
Sand formed small piles between her toes as she wriggled them mindlessly, with her arms wrapped around her knees. A bitter wind was blowing in from the sea, and the foamy caps of the waves gleamed like silver in the light of the moon. Her hands rubbed the gooseflesh on her arms and a shiver ran through her body when she realized she was truly alone. A downward glance to her side where he should have been and all that she saw was the impression his body left in the sand. Her head jerked up and she cast her eyes about wildly, but he was nowhere, no sign of him, he had vanished. Yet when her head fell she could still smell him on her, the fresh scent of clean linen and bath soap. She screamed into the night sky giving voice to her grief...
An incessant chirping forced her from her dreams. Not that she minded, they hadn't been particularly pleasant lately and she'd nightmares enough to deal with when she was awake. She flailed about until her hand connected with the smooth hard surface of the nightstand and then felt about for her phone. Finding the alternately vibrating and chirping phone without removing her sleep mask gave her the briefest smile, it was her first small victory of the day. 'Small victories Sarah, that's how we get through the hard times.' That's what he told her, and she always believed what he told her. She peeked under her mask and looked at the phone, so much for small victories. 'God not her.'
"Walker, Secure."
"Agent Walker?"
"Astrid, we've been over this – when I say Walker Secure you don't need to confirm that it's me."
"I'm sorry Ma'am, it's just, there's been a new development in the Asset."
"Shit. What time is it?" Sarah pushed up her sleep mask and cast a bloodshot eye toward the clock radio. "3:59?! Jeezus Astrid this better be good."
"It is Ma'am, we've got word that the FBI is holding an associate of the Asset's at the Eagleton Federal building in St Louis, Missouri. Local PD picked the guy up on unrelated charges and he mentioned "Charlie Bartowski" said he'd only talk to you."
"Right, that is good. Anything else, like who this associate is?"
"No Ma'am, the FBI won't release that information at this time, but I do know that Lt Colonel Casey tried to take over the interrogation and the FBI field agent in charge wouldn't let him near the guy. Said he'd hold him until you got there."
"Okay, good." Her mind raced. "I want the Lear ready for takeoff from Sea-Tac by oh-four-forty, and send the driver to my hotel. I'll be ready in fifteen."
"Yes Ma'am, already done and I've got reservations for you in St Louis, plus there'll be a driver waiting for you at the airport."
"Good Job. Who's the FBI Agent in charge?"
"Special Agent Edward Arlette Ma'am."
"Wrap things up here and join me out there as soon as you can."
"Yes Ma'am."
"And Astrid? Stop saying 'Ma'am'. I'm not that old."
"Yes Ma'am Agent Walker."
Sarah wasted no time getting ready. Following a quick rinse in the shower, she shook out her hair and after running a quick comb through it pulled the still damp tresses into a loose ponytail. Less than five minutes later she was heading through the lobby where, she noted with some satisfaction, that despite having on little makeup and being simply put together, every man in the room, a dozen in all, was watching her leave. It had been a long time since she cared if any man looked at her the way these men did. In fact in the last three years there'd only been one man who could make her heart skip a beat, or make her feel like a school girl with just a smile or a look, and if she was lucky she'd find him again before too long.
Groaning from exhaustion she climbed into the government issue Suburban, Sarah nodded to the driver who smiled back before pulling into traffic and heading toward the airport. She reached into her purse and retrieved her Blackberry, fired it up and began going over the latest intelligence extracts on the asset. A small frown worked its' way across her lips and furrowed her brow. There was nothing here but the same useless dead end leads they'd been getting for months now. In fact Chuck hadn't been on the radar in almost six months. Not since the fiasco in Atlanta when they thought they had him cornered in an abandoned Bell South relay office and ran into a Fulcrum cell instead. There were still questions about the cover fire they'd received from a sniper that couldn't be accounted for, but Sarah knew who it was, even if she couldn't prove it.
She closed the extract and went into her personal file folder. She started flipping through pictures and text messages until she found the one she was looking for. It simply said "For My Sarah" and there was a picture of the two of them at a small restaurant eating dinner. It was the second to last night they were together. She recalled that moment, smiling into the camera as the waiter took their picture. She looked at it now and her fingers traced the outline of his face on the screen – their hands were together, fingers intertwined, and while she was looking into the camera he was looking at her, adoring her, loving her with every fiber of his being. She closed her eyes tightly to hold back the tears.
*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*
It was just after noon in St Louis. Sarah had taken the time to change into a fresh charcoal colored skirt suit, style her hair into an upswept bun, and re-apply her makeup. She calculated her look to be what Chuck had always called 'sexy librarian'. She knew the effect it had on him and since she hadn't received any information on the suspect she wanted to keep all of her options open. Sarah walked down the corridors of the Eagleton Federal Building not entirely oblivious to the heads she turned, male and female, and a faint smile appeared as she entered the FBI's offices.
She took a quick look around. It was a typical office setup, a number of low walled cubicles took up half the room, a conference table and white board dominated one end, and a small number of offices were located along an exterior wall. Sarah scanned the office and noticed one man who stood out of the pack, he was lean and muscular, with sandy brown hair, penetrating grey eyes, and rough, chiseled features that made him quite handsome. She was sure she knew him from somewhere, but she wasn't sure until he walked forward to greet her.
"Agent Walker? It's a pleasure to meet you. Again." His smile was forced.
"Good to meet you too Agent Arlette" Sarah's smile broadened, as she pointedly ignored his comment. "Can we talk in your office?"
"Actually I don't have an office here, I'm on temporary assignment, but we can use your office."
"My office?" Sarah cocked an eyebrow at him, and followed him toward what turned out to be a small, windowless office.
"Yes, your office. We received explicit instructions to provide you with an office and any assistance you required." Eddie closed the door after her and leaned against it. "This was where I worked until this morning, so as a courtesy I think now would be a good time to tell me just what the hell is going on Agent Walker, assuming that is your real name."
"I'm not sure I understand what you're asking Special Agent Arlette, and you can check my credentials, you'll find them in order." Sarah turned up the charm just a notch.
"Oh I will, 'Agent Walker'. And what this is about is this person of interest that was turfed to us form the St Louis Metro PD, he mentioned this guy, Charlie Bartowski, and wouldn't you know it, I know that name." Eddie cocked his head to one side.
"You, um, have an excellent memory Agent Arlette." She smiled sweetly, turning up the charm a notch.
"Please, call me Eddie. You know what I remember about that name Agent Walker? He was the subject of a missing persons investigation back in Los Angeles about two and a half years ago."
"Special Agent Arlette..."
"Eddie."
"Eddie..."
"An investigation by the way, that I recall you initiated, an investigation I was heading up, an investigation that was shut down by order of the Director of the FBI," his voice registered just a touch of frustration that was more noticeable with each mention of the word investigation "And that ended up with my entire team being transferred, and myself relocated from sunny LA to St Louis. Not that I don't love it here, but it's February. Enjoying the weather Agent Walker? It's fifteen freakin' degrees outside. What's the temperature in LA? Any idea?"
"Look, if you'd just..." Sarah touched his arm, but he shrugged her hand off.
"Seventy-Eight. Again, not that I'm complaining but I am curious how you fit into all of this. See, no sooner do I run a this joker through IAFIS than the record gets flagged and I've got a two hundred pound gorilla from the NSA beating down my door to get a crack at him, but then the person of interest freaks out at 'Cop Face' and begs me not to leave them alone. Just as I'm about to walk out door he shows me this" Eddie pulls a snapshot out of his jacket pocket and pushes it into Sarah's Face. It's a picture of Sarah sitting on the lap of a handsome older man. "And he tells me his daughter works for the FBI. Now I ask you Agent Walker, if you were me wouldn't you be a little curious?" His tone and demeanor indicated that there was only one correct answer.
"Special Agent Arlette, Eddie, I can understand you're being curious but this is a matter of National Security."
"That's what 'Cop Face' said, and I'm sorry, but I'm just not buying it. I want to know what the deal is with Charles Irving Bartowski, Jack Burton, and you, whoever you are."
"Look 'Eddie' you have orders to provide me with any assistance I require, right?"
"True, but assistance can have so many, many different meanings. For example, you might require assistance during interrogation..." the implication hung in the air.
"Okay, I'll tell you what I can, but believe me when I tell you there are some things you cannot know."
"Right, who are you really?"
"You have my credentials right there, I'm Sarah Walker, and I'm a field officer for the CIA." Sarah took a breath. "And to answer your next question, the person of interest, the man in this photo, is my father. Jack Burton."
"Actually my next question was going to be who is Charlie Bartowski to you really, and why are the NSA and CIA interested in him?"
"Chuck Bartowski" She corrects him. "is my boyfriend, and he was an analyst working for the CIA. That's why I filed the missing person's report two and a half years ago." Sarah's voice is quiet and serious.
"So what happened, why was the investigation killed?" Eddie's hands are on his hips, he's leaning forward now.
"I can't tell you anything else except to say that the CIA considers this an internal matter and while I appreciate your assistance we have to keep this in house."
"And the NSA? What's Lt Colonel Casey's reason for being here?"
"I want Chuck back alive, he's important to me...and the CIA. The NSA just wants to find him." Sarah leaves the statement hanging.
"Okay, I think I get it. I don't like it, but I get it." He relaxes, leaning back on his heals. "You're not really going to try and keep this in house are you?"
"What makes you say that Agent Arlette?"
"Eddie. What makes me say that is you." He puffed up his cheeks and blew out a breath for effect. "See Agent Walker, what makes me good at my job, and by the way, I am very good at my job, is that I can read people, and you were telling me a story that just didn't jibe with this whole National Security shtick right up until you mentioned Chuck. Now I'm sure your bosses want him bad, because I've seen more spooks in this place today than I have since I've been here, but I know that you want him worse. You really are in love with him aren't you?"
"Yes, I am." She sighed.
"Tough relationship to maintain? I mean we've got pretty stiff rules about fraternization between agents, I can only imagine what the CIA has. I'm guessing your bosses didn't know about you two?"
"The CIA tolerates relationships between agents, but developing a relationship between an agent and an analyst is frowned upon." Sarah looked at him warily.
"And between a handler and an asset is probably forbidden, right?" He cocked his eyebrow and smiled.
"Y-Yes it is." Sarah was shocked that she'd let her control slip, but was impressed with Agent Arlette's insight.
"Yeah, it's the same for us. To emotional, to many potential problems." Eddie leaned forward, putting one hand on the desk. "Tell me something, do you think he's still in love with you?"
"Why do you think it matters?" She cocked an eye at him.
"Just curious really" Eddie smiled at her, "If it helps I'm betting he is, you don't strike me as someone who's easy to get over." He rapped the top of the desk. "Listen, when my original investigation was cut short all my files were taken by your people, get me all the information on Chuck you think I can have and I'll see what I can do to help you find him."
Sarah stared at the enigma before her, she thought about turning on the charm but something about him told her this was not the kind of man to play with. Instead she went for honesty. "Eddie it's not that I'm unappreciative, but you're offering to go above and beyond for me and you have to know there's a limit to what I or the CIA can do to protect you when the NSA comes knocking." Sarah cleared her throat nervously. "So, I have to ask, why are you doing all of this for me?"
He walked to the other side of the desk, reached into the center drawer and extracted a thin manila folder that he tossed at her. "I went to the academy straight out of high school, eight years with the NYPD, three years on loan to Scotland Yard, one year at Interpol, and it'll be five years with the FBI this April...that file contains the only unsolved case of my career."
She opened the file and gasped, it was Chuck's picture. "Chuck is your only unsolved case?"
"You think I'm doing this for you, but I'm not. I'm doing this for him." He leaned forward. "I've spent two and a half years thinking about this case. The Chuck Bartowski in that file is a nice guy, he has a sister that loves him, friends that miss him, and a girl friend who's crazy about him. I want to find this guy, and I want to get him back home to them. Good enough Agent Walker?"
Sarah couldn't say anything, she was afraid her voice would betray her, instead she just stared at him as he walked toward the door. He put his hand on the doorknob to leave, then turned back suddenly facing her. "Agent Walker, you'll get our complete assistance, and if there's anything you need, you let me know."
"Thank you Eddie."
Sarah watched as the figure of Special Agent Eddie Arlette walked out of her office. She let go of a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Arlette was a far, far better investigator than she was used to dealing with when it came to the FBI. If he was to be believed he could be a genuine asset in looking for Chuck, but that would mean engaging him off the books. Sarah fished her phone out of her purse.
"Astrid, put together a file on the asset for Special Agent Arlette, redacted to G5 clearance." She sat down and quietly contemplated her next move. It was a risky move but Eddie Arlette seemed like the kind of man who kept his word and she was ready to start taking risks.
*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*
Sarah looked through the window into the interrogation room. Her father, Jack Burton, was sitting patiently nursing a cup of coffee and absent mindedly strumming his fingers. Thoughts raced through her mind, starting with what in the hell was Chuck be doing with her father, and how'd he even manage to track him down? The FBI and half the police departments in the country were looking for Jack Burton, how could Chuck have found him? She grimaced at the thought of the interrogation, but it had to be done. Steeling herself she stepped into the room.
"Angel! How's daddy's little girl!" Jack Burton went immediately to his daughter and hugged her then whispered in her ear. "Honey you've got to get me out of here."
Sarah reached into her pocket and pulled out what looked like a slightly modified iPhone, turned it on and set it down in front of her. "Dad, I need you to sit down and listen to me."
Jack Burton gave his daughter a concerned look, "What is it Angel? Charlie said that if I got into trouble to use his name and demand to talk to you, well, you as Sarah Walker. You're a cop aren't you? FBI?"
"No dad, I'm not FBI, and I'm not sure what I can do to help you, but you need to help me now. I need to talk to you about Chuck."
"Charlie? He's a good kid honey." Jack leaned in, capturing her hands and giving them a fatherly squeeze. "Hey, what happened between you two? Last I saw him he's giving up ten million just to be with you, and then bam! There he is with me in Miami, and the entire time you were all he talked about, so what in the hell could have happened to chase him away?"
"It's complicated Dad, and that's not what's important right now. What's important right now is Chuck, what were you two doing together."
"He needed some money in a big way, I needed some help for a few projects I was working on. We came to an accommodation."
"You and Chuck were on the grift together?" Sarah could barely conceal her disbelief.
"Angel, he's a natural. It's that face, the kid's got the perfect face for this. Open and honest, seriously people can't wait to trust him. Every job we did it was like people were throwing money at us." Jack sighed happily. "Of course he had some bad habits."
"Bad habits?"
"Yeah, he was awfully particular about the jobs we took. No old people, no sick people, no one that couldn't afford to lose their money, yada yada yada. I tried to tell him, I said 'Charlie, when it comes to the job you take what God gives you.' But he wouldn't hear of it. Good thing the kid had a knack. I'm telling you he's a natural."
"Dad, I need you to focus. What did he need the money for?"
"Not a clue, I asked but he'd just change the subject, and you know me, I'm not one to pry..."
"Dad, I know that look. You're holding out on me."
"It's nothing"
"DAD!"
"Okay, okay, there was something, one night he was having one of his nightmares and he started calling out someone's name." Jack Burton was conflicted by what he had to say, "It wasn't your name honey, it was someone named Kaley."
Sarah swallowed hard, "Okay, did he ever mention this 'Kaley' or say anything about her?"
"No baby, just that one time. I remember it because the other times he was shouting out your name."
"The other times? How often did this happen?"
"Pretty often I guess, maybe once per night. He'd have some sort of nightmare, and start calling out your name begging you not to leave him. I just figured you'd, you know, moved on." Jack gave his daughter's arm a squeeze.
Sarah patted her Father's hand, "Right, so how much did he have on him when he left?"
"See, that's the thing. He took it all, every penny we made except for a little seed money I had stashed away. That's how they caught me, I followed him here trying to get the money back."
"Dad, how much?"
"About four hundred and ninety thousand, give or take a few grand."
"He has almost half a million dollars?" The blood drained from Sarah's face, that kind of money would make locating him next to impossible if he got out of the country. "You followed him this far, where was he heading, how was he getting there?"
"West, by car. He might be headed to Denver, that's all I know. Look, I followed him here from Charlotte, he's maybe a day ahead of me and he's been heading west since he ditched me." Jack put his hand reassuringly on his daughter's, "He's in trouble Angel, I mean real trouble, not like what I'm used to."
"Why?"
"I didn't want to say anything before, but he's not the same happy Charlie the schnook I remembered. He's gotten...hard. One of the projects I was talking about, it was a land deal, fleecing investors, you know. Charlie liked the idea but he wanted to do it big, so he lined up some fish with a lot of expendable cash. These are not nice people Honey. The reason I want the money back is because they want their money back. And Charlie? He had this look in his eyes, I've seen that look before...he's desperate. Be careful Angel."
"Dad, Chuck wouldn't ever hurt me."
"No, I know Charlie would never do anything to hurt you but whoever is after him might. Just promise me you'll be careful."
"I will." She smiled at him lovingly. "Dad, when you said Chuck was hard, what did you mean?"
"Just that. I mean, he's not 'Cop Face', I don't think he'll ever be like him, but there were some instances where we had some dissatisfied customers and he convinced them to, shall we say, re-think their complaints." He sees the look of confusion on his daughter's face. "Look, if you were to tell me Charlie could pull a gun and stare down a mob enforcer I'd have to call you crazy if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. The man's gotten some serious stones since I last saw him."
Sarah said nothing for several minutes, taking in everything her father had told her about the Chuck he'd worked with. It seemed that Chuck had learned to work the con, knowing Chuck and her father, he'd learned more than just how to swindle people in land deals. Then there was the money, he had a reason for wanting that kind of money. So far he'd followed a random pattern, never staying in any one city too long, no rhyme or reason to his travel patterns, and yet now he was moving west in a straight line, he was running from something or to something, or maybe someone. Was he running from her, or running to Kaley? Who was she? Sarah frowned. She'd no right to expect Chuck to remain faithful to her for the last two and a half years, but she'd just assumed he had. It didn't matter anyway, she had to find him. That fact didn't change.
*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*
Sarah left her father sitting in the interrogation room with a fresh cup of coffee and the menu to a nearby restaurant. As much as he'd helped her the only thing she was prepared to do for him now was make sure he got a decent meal before going to jail. Special Agent Arlette was waiting for her as she got out of interrogation.
"Did Jack give up anything useful?" Eddie gave her an appraising look.
"There was a man here from the NSA earlier." Sarah continued without breaking stride or turning to look at him. "I'm sure you were told to render him every assistance, just as you were me."
"Yes, yes we were, and like I said assistance can have so many different meanings."
"He's still waiting to talk to Mr Burton then?"
"Yeah, I told him I'm make sure he got second crack at Jack." Eddie grabbed her arm and pulled her around to look at him. "Listen if that's a problem we could always accidentally send him back to the local PD for the night, then he wouldn't be able to talk to him until tomorrow. Is that enough time for you?"
Sarah stared at him again. "Eddie, either you have psychic abilities our you managed to bug the interrogation room."
"It's bugged but funny thing – they all went dead just after you walked in there." He grinned.
"So you're psychic?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.
"No, but I can read lips." He smiled at her. "So lose your old man after he gets some food in him?"
"Please."
"No problem." Eddie started to walk away, then turned in mid step and started walking backwards. "Hey, and for what it's worth – I still think he's in love with you."
Sarah watched him turn around and continue down the hall. He was at once the most insightful and maddening man she'd ever met, and if she didn't know she'd swear he was sent by some higher power to help her get Chuck.
*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*
The conference room was just a tad too small for the dozen or so people sitting within it and the atmosphere was convivial, the sort of relaxed professionalism that wouldn't be out of place at any large corporation or government agency. Coffee and donuts scattered around the room added to the atmosphere of normalcy, and conversations between people grouped in twos and threes could be heard if one was intent on listening. Astrid Crabbe was so inclined and she cringed inwardly at the snippets of conversation that came to her.
"...She's the one from Atlanta? That was the largest Fulcrum cell..."
"...and I hear she went rogue..."
"...the Sarah Walker? I mean at the Farm she's like a legend..."
"...supposedly she was screwing him the entire time..."
"...She disabled an entire NSA cleaner team by herself..."
Astrid could concede the fact that office gossip was to be expected among the junior ranks in the CIA, but the worst offenders weren't juniors at all, but older CIA personnel. Worse, they hadn't been invited to attend, but had taken it upon themselves to show up. Some times, in certain situations, that would be understandable but this was not one of those times and Astrid Crabbe knew that things would go down hill quickly once her boss arrived. She decided to take pre-emptive action.
"Excuse me." when no one responded Astrid increased the volume of her voice to what her boss comically referred to as 'squeak range' "Excuse me, may I have your attention?" Better but not great. A few people, older people mostly, still stood at the back engaged in quiet conversation, pointedly ignoring her. "I want to thank you all for coming, but Agent Walker was very specific as to who she wanted to attend this meeting. So if we could have only those people specifically invited to be here remain here, I think things will..."
"Listen Miss..."
"Agent Crabbe" Astrid looked vexed. It was an older gentleman, late forties with distinguished looking hair and not much else notable about him.
"Listen Miss Crabbe, these are my people and no one is going to co-opt them and then tell me I can't attend a meeting with them in it."
"I understand your frustration Agent..."
"Agent Winston, and I'm the senior supervising agent here, so let me just tell you that no CHUMINT hump from NCS who's vacationing in country is going to convince me to allow my people to engage in illegal activity."
"Agent Winston, Agent Walker has the full backing and support of DDCIA Traynor, and we were assured you were made aware of that. Now if you'd please..."
"Listen Miss Crabbe..." he was stabbing the air with his finger while emphasizing every word.
"That's Agent Crabbe, Mr Winston." Sarah's voice was just menacing enough that it cut through the room like a scythe. A thin smile pasted itself on her lips as every head turned toward her, and her eyes went from face to face in the room, looking for recognition in the eyes of those present.
"Agent Winston" He corrected her automatically, his cheeks and neck flushed crimson with growing anger.
"I wouldn't be too secure in your status right now Mr Winston, I feel it's about to change." Sarah picked up her phone and speed dialed. "Director Traynor, we have a problem."
*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*
The conference room was deathly still following Agent Winston's untimely departure. Sarah hadn't wanted to call Deputy Director Traynor but she had a brief window of opportunity here to actually make progress toward finding Chuck and she wasn't going to let a twenty year paper pusher get in her way now. With Winston gone the other uninvited guests had left of their own accord and now she was in a room with a seven people, mixture of analysts and agents, none of whom was over twenty four years of age.
"Okay, I know you all know who I am, and I'm sure by now you are thinking that the rumors about me are true." She took a breath, "Let me assure you that most of them probably are." Sarah flashed a warm smile to the room and noticed that almost all of them immediately relaxed and a few even chuckled. "Now this will not be your normal mission briefing, because this is not a normal mission."
"E-excuse me, Agent Walker? Um, some of us aren't Field Agents so I'm not sure why we're here unless you need this much support for the operation."
"There's a reason you were all selected, and it will become clear to you momentarily." She smiled reassuringly at the nervous analyst then motioned toward Astrid. "Astrid, if you'd please."
Astrid activated the plasma screen and a picture of Chuck in his Buy More uniform popped up. "This is the target of our mission." The chorus was almost instantaneous.
"This geek?" "Shouldn't be to hard..." "What a loser..." "He's kinda cute."
Sarah nodded at Astrid again and a slide show began. A series of images flashed on the screen, a modified iPhone with an accompanying exploded diagram, a page of indecipherable script, a small plastic bottle duct taped to a cell phone.
"Who can tell me what these are?"
"The first one's a B-series improvised counter surveillance jamming device." shouted out one analyst.
"Umm, that looks like multi-part cryptographic shorthand?" Shouted out another.
"An improvised incendiary device with a remote detonator." Commented an Agent in the front.
"Good. Now does anyone know what these items have in common?"
"They're all taught in the third year at the Farm?" Offered one of the agents.
"Good, anyone else? No? They were all designed by the same man." She smiled as to herself as she noticed the look of surprise on everyone's face when the picture of Chuck returned to the screen. Sarah noted the look of disbelief now and she nodded, they were reacting as expected.
"Ma'am, you have to be kidding me, this geek created the B-series and everything else?"
"Nerd, not geek." She saw the questions forming. "He prefers to be called a nerd, and yes, he invented these items as well devising a number of improvements for our existing surveillance technologies. The first part of this slide show was meant to impress on you how intelligent he is, this part" she nodded to Astrid, "is going to disabuse you of the notion that he's somehow harmless."
A series of images showing a number of dead bodies, most killed by being stabbed or shot, a few looked a bit charred, others had been garroted, went by the screen. With each image there was the name of a city, a date, and the identity of the individuals killed.
"The Asset's name is Charles Irving Bartowski, he prefers Chuck. He has a number of known aliases but the ones he uses most commonly are Charles Carmichael, Charles Walker, and John Casey." Sarah always smiled at the thought of Chuck masquerading as Casey. "This man is smart people, genius level intellect. He is quite capable at improvisation, adaptive thinking, and he has amazing cognitive skills. He is also an extremely competent killer. To the best of our knowledge he has killed twenty-eight people. Most of these have been Fulcrum or Triumvirate operatives but that doesn't mean he won't kill us to defend himself, he must be approached with extreme caution. For our purposes he should be considered an accomplished deep cover operative skill level five." She noted the unease around the room.
"Um, Agent Walker, the highest skill rating any of us has is level four."
"You won't be facing him, I will." Her smile was gone now. "And I'm rated level six." Sarah let out a breath. "I want...need him alive, the CIA needs him alive. If he thinks you work for the company and you are perceived as a threat he will defend himself. In all likelihood you will be killed."
"Ma'am, how are we supposed to bring him in alive then, for that matter how are you?"
"I served as Chuck's handler for fourteen months, he's been off the grid for the last thirty months and I've been tracking him ever since. This nerd, people, is currently the most sought after intelligence asset in the United States. Failure is not an option on this mission. Any questions?"
"Yes Ma'am, if this is as important as you say, why aren't more experienced analysts and agents involved? Most of us have only just graduated the Farm. I'm the senior person here and I've been an analyst less than two years."
"Excellent question." A grim smile crossed Sarah's face, now to explain the Intersect without explaining the Intersect. "In addition to his other skills, Chuck has a near photographic memory and the ability to interpret large amounts of visual data quickly and accurately – he has almost certainly memorized the identity of every non CHUMINT asset we have, including most of our deep cover operatives. That's how he's been able to avoid a three agency, one hundred person manhunt for the last thirty months – he can spot our people before they even know he's there."
"Jeezus, there's no way..."
"People please, this will work." 'It has to' she thought. "You are all too young to have been in the system when he was last active. He won't recognize any of you as a threat if you don't present yourself as one, and he won't attack me directly. I'll be the bait to set the trap, you'll be the net that catches the fish." Sarah hoped she was half as confident as she sounded. "Now we've got a lot of ground to cover before we leave for Denver. We depart at twenty-three hundred hours tonight, that's in seven hours. Astrid will handle the briefing from here and I'll be available on the flight out for follow-ups. Let's get to work people."
Sarah watched with satisfaction as the people turned to Astrid. Agent Crabbe had come a long way in the last eighteen months, she could have given the whole briefing herself if Sarah had wanted her to, and she was glad for that because she had one last distasteful duty to execute. She had to talk to Lt Colonel John Casey, and put him off Chuck's trail.
*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*
Sarah looked up as Casey walked into the small office she'd been given. She took in the sight of her old partner and gave him a wan smile. His hair had a touch of gray to it, there were worry lines creasing his face, and his eyes were tired. He looked old. Not that he wasn't still a powerful physical specimen. No, John Casey may have added a few pounds to his frame but he was still in better shape than most men half his age. But he was definitely tired and she knew that it was because of Chuck, her Chuck. He'd put every gray hair, every crease, every wrinkle, every worry line on that face of Casey's. She smiled at her former partner, it was not the most pleasant of smiles.
"So what can I do for you John?" Sarah's voice dripped acid. He hated being called John, so of course it was her favorite form of address for him.
"You know what I want Walker, I want access to Jack Burton."
"Not gonna happen John, not today anyway."
"Shit Walker, I've got a job to do and you know it. Don't make me call General Beckman."
"I don't answer to Beckman, you know that. Besides Beckman's days at the NSA are numbered, so why should I care if you want to call? She's too busy trying to cover her ass in Senate Intelligence hearings to worry about me."
"I don't know about that Walker, after all Bartowski made this personal for her."
"I think you've got that the wrong way around John, she made it personal for him." Sarah countered icily. "He told her to leave the families out of it or he'd reciprocate. She should have listened and left Ellie and Devon alone."
"God damn it Walker, he seduced her daughter then left her a note with pictures of them together. I thought you loved this jackass, doesn't the fact that he became a sleazy little creep piss you off even a little?"
Sarah swallowed hard, her professional mask remained in place. She did love Chuck, she always would, but she had to admit this was one of those things he'd done that made her question how far he'd fallen, or if he would ever be the man she loved again. Still, she wouldn't let Casey see that. "Actually I'm rather proud of him." She smiled as she saw the revulsion in his face. "Going after a mark like that, and right under Beckman's nose? I always said you underestimated him John. Chuck has balls, you got to at least give him that."
"Balls sure, but it was stupid Walker." Casey shook his head. "She'd have dropped the sanction by now if he hadn't made it personal."
"No she wouldn't have John, be honest with yourself." She saw that he genuinely believed what he was saying. "You didn't know did you?"
"Know what?" His curiosity was piqued.
"A few months ago one of our operatives uncovered orders pertaining to the sanction. Six months after he'd gone off the grid General Beckman contracted out to some independents to finish the job we were deemed 'incapable' of doing. She was going to have us reassigned and once we were both safely away the mercs would clean up her mess. That was almost eight months before Chuck seduced Deanna Beckman. If it hadn't been for the Philadelphia attack she'd have followed through with the plan, but after Philly using mercs became a bit unfashionable."
"Why? Why would she do that?"
"She considered us both compromised."
"Okay, you I can get. You were compromised within a month of meeting him." Casey managed a sneer. "But why me?"
"Because I didn't know about the termination order and since it went to you directly from Beckman there was only one way he could have found out." Sarah smiled knowingly.
Casey said nothing for several seconds then finally dropped his eyes to the desk. "The kid deserved to know." He said matter of factly. "He'd earned that right."
"Casey, have I ever told you how special you are to me?" His sudden vulnerability inspired her.
"Oh Jeezus Walker, save that crap for Bartowski." He made a big show of grimacing disapprovingly.
"Seriously Casey, why enforce the sanction? The CIA wants him alive, let us have him. Work with me again, for Chuck's sake, because you owe him that much if nothing else."
"For Chuck's sake? You gotta be kidding me Walker. Listen, you keep telling yourself that he's the same guy he's always been, that the last two and a half years haven't changed him. Me, I'm dealing in reality." Casey's voice was steady and cold. "Chuck Bartowski is dangerous. He's not just a threat to national security with that Intersect in his head, he's a dangerous man period. How many men has he killed, twenty-five, thirty? He's not your Chuck anymore Sarah. You've got to accept that." Casey's voice softened as he spoke those last words.
"He's done what he's done because he was forced to Casey, we forced him to." Sarah was standing now, leaning forward with her fists on the desk supporting her weight. "If Chuck's changed it's our fault. Besides, you know we wouldn't be here if it weren't for him."
"Moab."
Sarah relaxed, falling back in her chair. "and Atlanta..."
"Trenton" Casey said flatly.
"Trenton? What happened in Trenton?"
"It was just after the July 4th attacks in Philadelphia, we'd received word of a second SWORD cell in the Trenton area. We spent a week crawling all over the place looking for it and had dick to show for it. The night before we're supposed to leave for the next target location a bike messenger comes up to me with a package from Bartowski." Casey sees the look of wonder in Sarah's face and nods. "He'd flashed on a collection of former and current SpecOps personnel loitering in an industrial park, and you know Bartowski." Casey sighed. "Curiosity got the better of him and he did a little recon. Damned near got himself killed in the process, but then again with Bartowski that's par for the course."
"That's how you uncovered the Trenton cell?"
"Yeah, we 'uncovered' it because he lead us right to it."
"Wait, you said almost killed?" the concern in Sarah's voice was evident.
"We don't know the details, but when we moved in on their position we found two of their men in a dumpster with their throats cut. One was a clean kill, the other managed to fight back - his knife and clothes were covered in Chuck's blood."
"Oh Chuck, you idiot." Sarah's eyes grew watery.
"I know." Casey shook his head slowly and his voice thickened with admiration. "Say what you want about the guy, but he never betrayed us. Not like we betrayed him."
"No, it takes a special kind of patriot to betray someone as good as Chuck Bartowski. Beckman, that bitch."
"Say what you want about her judgment but General Beckman is no traitor."
"Really Casey? Well she's not much of a patriot either. I mean how stupid was she to create, train, and arm a domestic terrorist organization - SWORD?" Sarah snorted derisively. "Seriously who's genius idea was it to recruit every marginal psych profile from SpecOps..."
"They were supposed to be easier to adapt to training."
"Send them through a modified Farm Program..."
"To tweak their skill set."
"And turn them into a ghost company to terrorize American soil?"
"They were going to be an elite special response unit." Casey had suddenly become quite interested in the tops of his shoes. "It sounded good on paper."
"Shit Casey it doesn't even sound good in theory."
"I know." He looked up at Sarah with total conviction. "I told them it was the stupidest damned idea I'd ever heard, I tried to convince Beckman not to do it but she wouldn't listen to me. After Philadelphia she stopped taking my calls. I'd be out on my ass right now if Bartowski hadn't given me Trenton."
Sarah stared at Casey, her eyes burning holes through the man. "And yet you still plan on killing him don't you? After everything he's done you're going to carry out Beckman's sanction?"
"I follow my orders Walker. Regardless of how much I disagree with them, or how stupid I think my CO is being, I follow my orders."
"That's were we don't agree John." Chuck smiled fiercely at him. "Chuck taught me to follow my heart and it hasn't been wrong yet."
The two old partners stared at one another for several seconds with not a word passing between them. Finally Sarah's cell phone rang and the song 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' by Cindy Lauper was playing. She answered it, grateful for the distraction.
"Hey, Ellie! No it's not a bad time...She told you that? I'm sorry, I would have said something it's just I didn't want to get your hopes up...I understand Ellie, you know I understand...I can't, I have company...Yes, it's him...I know...Okay, oh and you tell Morgan for me that I'm sorry I won't be there for his birthday, or the Call Of Duty challenge against Large Mart...I don't know what to tell him, but I'm really sorry...Ellie, I've got to get going but before I hang up, is Jack there? Okay, well just let him know I miss him and tell him I love him, and I'll be home soon...Thanks El, you know I love you and Devon, and give my best to the gang...Bye."
Silence descended on the office and Casey shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "How's Ellie doing?"
"Good. Tired of being pregnant and worried like hell about her baby brother, but good. Oh, she told me to tell you she hopes your well and that the massive coronary all uptight assholes like you get takes you out cleanly, and doesn't leave you paralyzed from the neck up for the rest of your life."
"Really?"
"That's the way I interpreted it."
"Still hasn't forgiven me huh?"
"What did you expect, you're trying to kill her brother."
"I still can't believe you told her everything."
"Not everything John, but enough. I was given permission to tell her what I thought she needed to know to secure her cooperation." Sarah's eyes flared. "We lied to her for so long, we forced Chuck to lie to her, I thought she needed, no, deserved to know the truth, so I told her what she needed to know. I won't lie to Ellie again, ever."
Casey shook his head and reached for the door to leave. "I can't get over how much you changed Walker. Compromising yourself with Bartowski was one thing, but his entire family? You've stepped into his life and made it your own. Is there any part of you that's still an Agent?"
"I haven't worked deep cover in over two years John, but I'm still an agent. I'm just a little more human than you're used to. Chuck made me this way, Chuck and Jack. They made me see what life could be like, and gave me a reason to take the risk and live it."
Sarah watched the big man walk out into the hallway, shoulders slumped as he went. Casey was tired of this, she knew, he was just as tired as she was. They were coming up on the end game, she could feel it and if she could she knew Casey was planning something. This was a race to the finish, and she wouldn't let Chuck down. She'd win this one for him. As he reached for the door to leave he stopped, straightened up to a near rigid posture.
With a voice that was soft and filled with sadness he said his goodbyes. "Good luck Walker, I hope you get to him first. I really do." The door closed solidly behind him.
Casey was gone but his presence lingered in the office. Part of her knew he was right, she hadn't just compromised herself with Chuck, she'd tried to hold onto him by integrating herself with his family and friends. The thing was, she didn't care. She loved the extended family she had now, they meant as much to her and Jack as Chuck did. She'd loved more, lived better, in the last two and half years than she had since her mother died, and it was all Chuck's fault. Before him she'd walled off her heart, compartmentalized her feelings, kept everything in check. He was like no one she'd ever known, he was a disease, he infected her with his warmth, his compassion, his goofy good natured grin. There was no defense for it, he'd infected her heart and there was no hope for recovery, only hope and love.
*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*
It was twenty-three-thirty and the Lear Jet was fifteen minutes out of St Louis heading toward Denver. The mixed group of agents and analysts on board were relaxing. Some were reading files on the Asset, others were talking amiably to one another. Sarah was daydreaming about the first time she and Chuck had declared their love for one another, it was the Christmas Day after Fulcrum had attempted to kidnap him. Their feelings for one another, always so close to the surface broke through that day and she never tried to deny them after that. Smiling wistfully she became vaguely aware that she had company. Looking up she saw one of the young analysts and an agent before her.
"Can I help you?"
"Agent Walker, we were just wondering, if its out of line just say so and we won't bring it up again..." The analyst was shaking, her hands clenched and unclenched. "There's a rumor that you were romantically involved with the Asset, is that true?"
Sarah looked at them both levelly. The young analyst was pretty enough; brunette, slim, pleasant features. The agent was an equally attractive young man, dark hair, dark eyes, olive complexion, pleasant smile. The two sat so that their knees were touching even though there was enough room for them to have a seat between them. She watched them a second longer, the tension building up and when her nerves threatened to overwhelm the Analyst, the Agent put his hand lightly on hers – just enough so their fingers were touching – and she calmed down immediately. Sarah smiled at them both.
"What are your names?"
"Br-Brenda, Brenda Dixon"
"Agent Ben Grossman, Ma'am"
Sarah couldn't help but stifle a chuckle. "And you want to know about Chuck and me because you two are in love, and you're wondering how to make it work?" the question implied there was only one real answer.
"H-How did you...?"
"Please, I can read people, and what I read when I see you two is love." Sarah smiled. "That and I've been there myself."
"So it's true?"
"Probably not everything, but I'll share what I can, so ask away."
"How long... I mean, when did you two realize you were in love?" Brenda leaned in with her elbows on her knees.
"I was his handler for fourteen months, and I'd like to say I fell in love with him the first day I met him," Sarah pursed her lips. "But that'd be a lie. Honestly they were going to relocate him and I suddenly found myself wanting to stop them from taking him away from me. That's when I realized I was compromised."
"Compromised but not in love?" Ben leaned back in his seat. Sarah regarded him coolly, he had an agent's perspective alright.
"Exactly. Of course I came to realize later on that what I was feeling was love, it's just that the longer you're an agent the harder it is to separate real emotions from the ones that form your cover. It took me another six months to reconcile what I was feeling with who I was and admit I was in love with him. Once I did my whole world changed."
"Were you reassigned?" Ben again, only this time he was ramrod straight, his voice held an edge of concern.
"I should have been, but we worked to keep it a secret from my superiors, and my partner helped us hide it from them." She smiled at them both as she saw the look of concern in their eyes. "Don't let the job come between you, if you both truly love one another it's worth the risk."
The two young lovers moved to the other side of the plane away from the rest of the team where only Sarah had a clear view of them. They held hands and whispered to one another, she picked up her blackberry and added their names to a list in her personal directory. 'Young kids, just starting out.' She thought, 'They'll need all the help they can get.' The kind she'd have wanted three years ago. As she watched them she started to think about Chuck again, and when they finally acted on their feelings.
He'd driven her home from the hospital so of course she'd told him to stay. It was her fault really, what happened afterward. All she had was a mild concussion and some bruised ribs. She'd had far worse injuries before an never needed taking care of, but that was pre-Chuck. He was there when she woke up in the hospital and he was so insistent that he stay by her side. When he announced he'd be spending the next week taking care of her, what could she do? She never could resist it when he tried to take care of her, maybe because he was the only man who'd ever really done so. Her father loved her but he never really took care of her. He made sure she had clothes to wear and food to eat, saw to her education both normal and otherwise, but when she needed someone to listen to her problems or to hold her when she was frightened - Jack Burton was never there. 'You can't trust anyone kiddo, remember that.' He'd say it and smile, then usually he'd point his finger at her and say, 'Trust me angel, I know what I'm talking about.' It wasn't until she joined the CIA that she understood just what he was telling her, trust no one, not even him, not even her father. Then she met Chuck.
Chuck was the exception to the rule. He cared about her, who she was, how she felt, he cared about the person inside. It unnerved her. He was persistent, sweet, charming, loveable, laughable, good natured, kind, but above all persistent. In time she learned that he could be trusted, not only trusted, he could be depended on. He was there for her when she needed him. He was even there when she didn't know she needed him. When she was hurting he could sense it and he always knew instinctively how to fix her. She laughed to herself, until she'd met Chuck she didn't even know she was broken but then she met him and her whole world changed. So when he insisted on taking her home and staying with her until she was 'all better', she couldn't refuse him, she didn't even think about trying. Of course she knew what it would lead to, what it was leading to all along, but by then she'd stopped caring about what might happen if someone found out. What mattered to her was him, them, and she wanted him.
It was after midnight and the Lear Jet was heading due west. In the front sat two young lovers gently caressing and whispering sweet nothings to one another, and not far from them a tired Agent who was dreaming wistfully about the man she loved, and the love they'd shared. None of them could foresee the storm on the horizon or the threats that it held for them.
A/N: Some definitions for you all
IAFIS - Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System
CHUMINT – Clandestine Human Intelligence (a.k.a. a Spy)
NCS – National Clandestine Service – A semi-independent organization within the CIA that deals with CHUMINT.
In Country – The CIA has no legal jurisdiction within US territory except under special circumstances.