A/N: In this chapter we learn the final truths about Gabriel's team. Guess what? I still don't own Chuck or STV. On a technical note, there were some issues when I entered this in word from open office. There were extra breaks put in all over the place and some breaks got left out, so if it looks ragged I tried to catch them all but may have missed some. Don't blame my Beta BDaddyDL for them, he did a great job fixing my garbled mess. Also please read the A/N 2 and 3 at the bottom. If I put the info here it may ruin the chapter for you! Please enjoy. One last thing, the mansion in this chapter is real and is located on the mainline just outside of Philadelphia.
The day finally arrived for Sarah and Chuck to leave Burbank behind and head east to their new home. Sarah was almost in tears as her beloved Porsche was being prepared for shipping. She made it perfectly clear that if they put one scratch on her car, she would come back to seek revenge on the person who did the damage. Once the inanimate love of her life was safely loaded in the semi that would eventually transport it to their new home, Sarah was finally able to relax. As the couple made their way to the ticket counter to check their bags and get their seat assignments, they were approached by a pair of men that Chuck flashed on as being part of General Beckman's personal security detail.
"Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael, we've been sent to escort you to your transportation. Would you please follow us?" one of the agents asked.
A short while later they arrived at a small private hanger where they found General Beckman and Jennifer waiting for them. "Good afternoon Chuck and Sarah. Welcome to Carmichael Air. Please board the plane and take you seats." Jennifer said with a small chuckle after noticing the surprised looks on the couple's faces. It only took a few minutes to board the plane and stow their bags. As the plane was preparing for departure General Beckman took the time to explain what was going on.
"In short time you have been working with Gabriel; we've been able to freeze several hundred million dollars in assets that were headed to terrorist groups and Fulcrum itself. Between the information we got from Well's computer, and the leads from the CFCB charity, we have been able to put a major dent in some of the smaller groups. It seems to be having a trickle up effect as well. Some of the larger groups are starting to get nervous. We've been getting a small amount of Fulcrum agents that were identified by Chuck to roll over." Beckman pauses to allow her agents to process the information she has just provided them.
"This plane was seized after the arrest of a major contributor who's arrest came after we analyzed the intelligence we gathered from Well's computer. We figured it would integrate nicely as part of Chuck's cover of wealthy businessman. Since it won't cost us any money except maintenance and fuel, we decided to use it. You will have a fully staffed flight crew at your disposal twenty four hours a day."
"Thank you General. Is something important going on that you came out here to see us?" asked Sarah.
"Not at all Sarah, I took some leave time and since Jen has never been to Disneyland, I decided to bring her out here. I got the call a couple days ago that we seized this plane and decided to use it for our operation. We're just going to fly back with you since private planes are so much better than commercial ones. We will be dropped off in DC, and then you will continue on to Philadelphia. I've taken the liberty of having your limo standing by at the airport waiting for your arrival."
They spent the part of the trip discussing some upcoming missions but for the most part they just relaxed and talked about mundane things. "We're about half way there guys. Have either of you been to Philadelphia?" asked Jen.
"I've never been past the Mississippi, so it will be really different for me. The good thing is, I'll get to see lots of things I have never seen," answered Chuck.
"Despite the numerous missions I was involved in I never spent any time in Philly. The closest I ever got was New York. I think the highlight for me will be able to do and so many new things with Chuck for the first time."
"Diane has been telling me a bit about where you two will be living. I really think you guys will be amazed at the house Gabriel's team got for you. Do you know what the best part of your moving to the main line is? You can go watch the World Series Champions play!" Jen said loudly enough to wake Beckman from her nap.
"Oh please Jen the only reason they won was because the umps missed all those calls" whined Beckman.
"Oh here we go! Back to blaming the umpires again are we? Why can't you just accept the fact that we were the better team, and we whooped your team's ass," Jens voice was starting to get louder as she rose from her seat to face Beckman.
Beckman never one to back down, immediately rose to accept her girlfriends challenge and got right in her face, "You know damn right well that it was a bad call at third and he was safe!"
Chuck and Sarah were starting to get nervous thinking that the heated argument would lead to blows.
"Yeah but they tried to give you the game when they let you tie the score before they postponed it because of rain!" Jen yelled back at Beckman.
Just as Beckman was preparing her counter attack she glanced over and saw the panicked look her two agents' faces and she started to laugh. "Jen, check out Chuck and Sarah!"
Jen turned to look and a smile crossed her face as well. "Sorry about that display guys. You need to understand Diane and I are both die hard baseball fans. I am a huge Philadelphia Phillies fan and Diane is a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays. If you think that was bad, you should have seen us during the World Series."
"God, it was horrible. We fought so bad I thought we might break up over it. We slept in separate rooms until the series ended. So that little outburst was nothing," Beckman added.
"From the sounds of it, our house should have plenty of room, so you can stay with us when you come to check on the missions." offered Chuck.
The heated debate over, they decided to put in a movie, and relax for the rest of the trip. Several hours later they were met at the airport by Gabriel, Sirella and Casey. From there they were taken to the waiting limo and shuttled off. A short drive later, everyone arrived at their new home. As they approached the house, they saw it was surrounded by a large brick wall that stood at least ten feet tall. The entrance way was guarded by a large iron gate that was being opened by a guard that had been stationed there. They entered the drive passing through the gate which was promptly closed by the guard. The view was spectacular. The long driveway turned into a circular one that would allow cars to drive up to the front door of the mansion, drop off its passengers and continue on around and exit on the main drive. Inside the circular drive was a fountain centered in a large garden.
Chuck was stunned at the size of the mansion and the beauty of it. Sarah was also taken by surprise by the mansion. Sirella started to explain a little about the house as they approached the front door.
"This house is one of the last remaining grand country estates on the Main Line. The Main Line got its name from where it was built. The Pennsylvania Railroad's main line ran through this area and the towns were built along its route. Many of the wealthiest Philadelphia families built their estates in these towns. To this day it remains home to most of the areas wealthy families. This property is a gated private enclave resting on 6 acres surrounded by a ten foot high brick wall. I felt this would allow us to provide better security for Chuck and Sarah. As we continue walking around you'll notice there are several charming courtyards and walkways."
"Gabriel and I have already taken in viewing some of the beautiful Terraces that are located around the property. When you entered the property you saw one of the many majestic fountains that are located on the grounds."
"Wow" was all Chuck could say.
"I have been in some very nice mansions in my career but I have never been around one like this. From what I can tell it has a French flair to it. Chuck's right, it's just wow" Sarah added.
"I'm glad you like it so far," Sirella smiled brightly and continued, "And you're right about the French flair. It's a Horace Trumbauer designed French Chateau. The residence encompasses over 22,000 Square Feet and has been meticulously restored to its original splendor, while including all of today's modern conveniences. I'll go into more details on the house itself after we finish the tour of the outside. As head of security the wall was a big selling point for me until I toured the grounds and house."
After a few minutes of walking Sirella began talking again "In a minute or so you'll see a reflecting pond. You'll notice all around the ground the numerous stately mature trees and the enchanting gardens that were designed by the Olmstead Brothers. A little further along we will come to the swimming pool and open air Pavilion."
"Granted you will only get five months use out of it but it came with the estate. We added a few new items to the property that will come in handy. We had a helicopter pad built in case we need to evacuate you quickly or need to be somewhere on short notice. We made sure it cannot be seen from the residence or the grounds close to it. I knew you would be tired and hungry after the long flight so I had some hoagies delivered to the pavilion. Take your time and enjoy the food. Meet me in the foyer in about an hour and we'll show you around the residence."
Sarah, Chuck and Casey were sitting around the table eating while enjoying the view and just chatting in general. Casey was slightly annoyed that the Government had spent such a large amount on the residence. He claimed it was a waste of money. Chuck countered his point by saying that they would just sell it when the mission was over and the net cost to the Government would be nothing. Sarah just sat back and watched the two men engage in the argument. Sarah was really excited to be in such a place with no dangerous missions on the horizon. When they finished eating and chatting they headed back to the residence.
Sirella and Gabriel were waiting for the trio as they returned from the pavilion. "So are you ready to see your new place?"
Sirella began the tour starting with the foyer. "The main rooms you will be using on a daily basis will be the Family Room, Dining Room, and Breakfast Room. When you entertain your clients and friends there are a number of rooms available for use. There is the Grand Reception Hall, Ballroom, Library, and even a Billiard Room. The last of the major rooms are the Gourmet Kitchen and Conservatory."
While Sirella was going over the main rooms of the residence, Gabriel was watching Chuck. He couldn't decide if Chuck looked more like a dead fish, or a dear that had been hit by a car and left on the side of the road. He was just standing there with his mouth open, and his tongue hanging uselessly out of the side of his mouth. His eyes were large as saucers and his face had gone slightly pale. He looks like he's going to pass out from all this excitement. I'm going to have to get the Doc to help him calm down.
"The first thing I would like you take notice of is the grandly proportioned rooms. They are attractive and impressive being richly colorful with highly crafted architectural details. We took great care to get you furniture fit in with the opulence of the house. The residence includes 14 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms 3 powder rooms and a Wine cellar. Gabriel and I debated for a long time on which of the bed rooms to convert into secure offices. We decided on the two closest bedrooms to the master suite. We converted another bedroom into a training room. Casey really liked what we did to the wine cellar. It contains a medium sized armory that is fully loaded. There is also a range where you can keep up with weapons training."
The tour of the residence took several hours. Chuck and Sarah wanted to take their time and learn as much about the history of the house. They knew it would be good for their cover to know as much about the residence as possible. When the tour was complete, the group settled in the family room to settle any last minute issues.
Chuck had finally started to get over the shock of where he was going to be living for the foreseeable future, and a question came to him that he needed an answer to. "We're all set with the house but what do we do about clothes?"
"That's the big question you have after seeing our new house?" Sarah said the disbelief clear in her voice.
"Well yeah, I mean everything in here is done, and we didn't bring that much with us."
"Don't worry Chuck we have taken care of that as well. You'll be taking trips to the fashion capitols of the world to get your wardrobe. You already have fittings scheduled in New York, Paris, Milan, Barcelona and Sydney. With your wife being a former fashion model, it would be out of place for her not to be up on and wearing the latest fashion. The same goes for you Chuck. This next part is going to be hard on you. From this day forward you cannot be seen outside of the residence with those things on your feet." Sirella looked down pointing at his ever present Chucks "You come from money" Sirella answered.
"I never thought being a spy would require so much sacrifice" He said with a huff. This got a laugh out of almost everyone in the room and a nudge from Sarah. "I guess the one good thing to come out of this is I can see a lot of places I have never seen before. Maybe you can show me around Sarah."
"That's probably not going to work so well Chuck. I may have been in some of these cities before but it was never for very long. Like my mission in France. We landed in Paris then left right away to do the mission. It was well away from Paris. So I can actually see it for the first time with you."
"That works for me. One more question before we head to bed. How long till Sarah's Porsche gets here, and where is my Viper?"
"I knew I forget something when I was showing you around. There is an attached garage that has a private drive and gate. Your car is in there and Sarah's car should be here in a few days. The gate will not be manned like the front gate but has a security panel you use to open the gate."
Gabriel got up from the chair he was sitting in and helped his wife up. He moved so he was facing Sarah and Chuck who were ensconced on the large couch. "Before we go I have one final thing for Chuck and Sarah." He handed them a legal folder that contained quite a bit of paperwork. "Please take a moment to review these papers before we leave. You'll need to keep them somewhere safe."
They took the folder and began looking at the paperwork and found the title to Chucks car, the deed to the house and signed contracts for every for aspect of caring for the residence paid up for the next ten years.
Sarah was the first to speak up "You guys thought of everything for the cover. I will give you credit you guys are good."
Sirella started to giggle and pulled Gabriel into a hug. "You need to take closer look at the names on the paperwork. The names on the titles and deeds are your names. The CIA and NSA were not involved in the purchase of the property or anything else. They are a wedding present from us to you."
There was no way for Gabriel or Sirella to describe the looks that were on the newlyweds faces. It was later described to them as a cross between disbelief, shock, and utter happiness. For Chuck and Sarah, Alice's falling down the rabbit hole was nothing compared to what the couple is feeling. I am just getting used to the fact that I am married to Chuck and my boss approves. The only house I wanted for a long time is the one I could share with Chuck. Now I own a palatial estate with the man I love. For the first time since, well maybe the first time in my life I can see myself with children.
Chuck reached a new level of amazement at how his life was turning out. Just over a year ago my life was a mess. I was still wallowing in self pity and doubt, working in a dead end job. Then I got the Intersect stuck in my head. Sarah entered my life and fell hopelessly in love. My life got much better when I was allowed to date her. When I married her, I thought my life was as good as it was going to get. Now I have the woman of my dreams and a house I never thought I could ever have. Only children could make my life better than it is today.
Neither one could figure out what to say about the magnitude of the gift they had just received today, or several months ago, by the man they knew as Gabriel. They just hugged the two people who they could now call friends.
"I'm official confused. How can you give us something the government owns?"
"They didn't buy it for you, we did. Everything we just gave you, the residence, the plane and the services were bought by Gabriel and I. Gabriel told you we are independent contractors. We are currently working with the government, but are in no way associated with it. No government money was spent. We financed the items ourselves."
Chuck and Sarah decided they wanted to keep this little tidbit to themselves for a while and surprise his sister if she came out for a visit.
Several weeks had gone by, and it was nearing Christmas. Sarah and Chuck had spent the last several weeks traveling between the European fashion capitols getting fitted with all the latest fashions. Chuck was impressed by the service they received at each stop. Soon they had a collection from the new winter a spring collections. They attend a few of the Galas there were taking place during their trip. The General knew it was a good way for them to start integrating into the upper levels of society. They managed to make several contacts in the business world. Unfortunately for the team, they did not turn up any information they could use. It did however allow Chuck to increase his business opportunities.
The one thing that was never forgotten while they were away was Chucks training. As Sarah told Chuck, no matter where we are you can always run, do sit ups and pushups. Sarah kept him on track with his martial arts training. If they could not find a local business that would allow them to train, they would practice katas in the room. Chuck was surprised how fast some places would allow you just walk in use it if the price was right. Beckman had been informed prior to their departure what the itinerary for the couple would be. She made arrangements with either the local law enforcement agencies or the military for the use of their facilities. Beckman was adamant that Chuck's training not suffer while he was "out gallivanting the globe" as she put it. Chuck was progressing at a rate that was moderately ahead of the schedule that was set up when he started his training.
Sarah noticed about a month into his training that he was starting to bulk up and shed what little fat he had. His reflexes were getting faster, and his stamina had also improved. During his fifth week of training, he was still having trouble hitting Sarah as he when he sparred with her. Sirella decided to take matters into her own hands. She stormed into the training room in the residence and proceeded to beat the snot out of Chuck. Before he could get to badly injured Gabriel ran into the room and tossed Sirella off Chuck. That seemed to set her off, and as quick as a flash they two were locked in a heated battle. The fight didn't last long. Not because one of them got knocked out, but because they end up lip locked on the floor. As they hurried to the door Sarah asked them "what just happened" and Sirella yelled back "foreplay". Sarah used that event to prove to Chuck that he could land punches when they sparred. This was a turning point for Chuck.
The worst training Chuck and Sarah had to undertake was the etiquette lessons. They had to act the part of the rich and famous, not just look it. Sirella squelched any thoughts of their protesting by telling Sarah the CIA did train her but not near enough. She was given just enough to get by as arm candy, but not enough to pull off someone who has been living the stuffy rich lifestyle for the past number of years. Chuck was at a complete loss because he never even dreamed of living a life like he was now. He needed all the help he could get.
At the end of the second month the difference was clearly noticeable. He now had six pack abs, and well defined muscles. He could easily run seven miles a day, but they limited those long runs to once a week. He ran three miles on two days, and five on the fifth day. On his two mile days they incorporated sprints into the distance. Devon suggested this to aid in his quickness. He would hit the weight room several days a week. His goal was not to bulk up, but to develop strength and muscle mass. With his ever increasing strength and quickness, combined with his now formidable fighting skills, they were forced to use protective gear when they trained. So far in his training Chuck refused to use the help from the intersect. He wanted to as much on his own as he could.
Sarah had moved Chuck up from fighting against her, to them fighting against Sirella and Gabriel. Gabriel had suggested this to Sarah after watching them spar. His reasoning was simple. By just sparring with her he would eventually learn all her moves and be able to anticipate and defend against them. If he ever got into a fight with someone other than Sarah, he would not have any practice fighting someone with different moves and skills. Plus, by fighting as a team they would be able to anticipate each other's moves. All the practice would make them a very formidable and dangerous team. When the time came the plan was to have them fight against four to six opponents.
Casey was also impressed with Chuck ability to handle and master weapons. Though he was a bit slow at first, he quickly caught on and was proficient at several types of pistols. In the assault weapons class he had mastered the M-16/M4 family, the M-40A3 Marine Corp sniper rifle, and the various crew served weapons used by the US Military. Casey also included limited training on the AK-47 and most of the weapons used in NATO. Casey had explained to Chuck that he did not have to master these weapons, just be very familiar with them in case he ever needed to use one.
With Christmas just around the corner other plans had to be made. With Ellie and Devon preparing to move east to start at Johns Hopkins right after the New Year it was decided that Christmas would be celebrated at the Bartowski residence. Chuck scheduled his jet to pick them up on the twenty third of December. They had just finished eating when Sarah's phone rang "Bartowski secure"
"Beckman Secure, we have a mission for you in Burbank. I want a video conference in thirty minutes."
"Ma'am can we push it to the right by half an hour? Chuck and Casey are on a run and will return in about thirty minutes."
"Fine, I'll contact you in an hour. Beckman out."
An hour later almost to the second the communications equipment came to life and the face of General Beckman appeared. "We have a situation back in Burbank. A former CIA agent was arrested yesterday wandering around the streets of Los Angles. From the reports we have he was babbling like an idiot and drooling. The officer that brought him described him as 'bat shit crazy'. He kept mumbling down load bad over and over. We believe he may have ties with Fulcrum. He lives in the suburbs of Burbank. He may have picked his location to be close to other members or near the cell itself we're not sure. I have sent you an email with all the information we have. Are there any questions?" slight pause "Good luck then, Beckman out."
"Looks like you're going to the suburbs" states Casey.
"Hate to tell you big guy, but I don't think we can more suburban than this" Quips Chuck.
"Casey can you arrange for the plane to be ready in a couple hours? We are going to need time to pack." Sarah asks as she heads out of the room.
"How long can it take you to love birds to pack? Your CIA for cripes sake"
She stops and turn to face him with a look of disbelief on her face, "Think about it Casey. Since we got here we only wear top end designer clothes. We can't show up in that neighborhood wearing Vera Wang dresses and top end Armani suits. We need to unpack some of our old stuff. We may even need to go shopping to meet what's in our cover files. Why are you smiling Chuck?"
"I get to break out my Chuck's!"
"You're such a dork."
"Nerd actually but you put up with me anyway. We can also visit Ellie while we're there and if the mission goes well we can just have them fly back with us. We haven't told her about the plane or the palatial estate we own. It seems weird to say that."
"Sounds good to me now let's go. You can call Ellie on the way to the airport and let her know we're on the way and we'll see her tonight. Also ask if we can stay there until our cover house is ready instead of finding a hotel. "
"I'm sure they won't mind it's been a while since they saw us."
Gabriel's headquarters east
"Gabriel, we have a big problem," Gary said as he entered the conference room where the rest of the team was going over some old mission reports.
"Don't keep me waiting Gary you know I hate that," Gabriel said.
"We just got word from the Queen that Chuck and Sarah are going to die in three hours."
Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose. "And how was this small fact overlooked?" snapped Gabriel, as he stood up from his chair and began pacing around the room. "How did this small yet very important fact get over looked? And what are we going to fix this mess?"
"There is nothing we can do without affecting the future. They need to die in three hours."
"We reviewed all the relevant information on the Bartowski's and there was nothing in their future that suggested they were going to die so soon."
"That's true but the Bartowski's die in the plane crash that will happen within the next three hours; we are currently looking into the future of Ellie and Devon. Something the Gallian's did must have slightly altered the time line. Casey is the wild card in the equation. He has faked his death in the past so when we researched him and his trail ended we just assumed he did it again. The plane they just boarded was not the one they were originally scheduled to take, that flight arrives on time." Gary paused to take a deep breath and calm down, "They normally travel under their cover names while on missions, but because their jet is undergoing it's thousand hour maintenance check they had to fly commercial. They used their real names to buy their tickets. The NSA allowed their real names to be placed on the death certificates. The Bartowski's' will die on the plane that's headed to LAX."
"Damn it! We need options people and we need them fast," stated Gabriel. "We have less than three hours to come up with a plan."
"We can pull an Echo for them," suggested Liz.
"That won't work babe," countered Cameron. "These two are going to be on a plane that crashes, there's no way to get them off while they are in mid air. Plus their bodies have to be found to match the names on the manifest."
"I GOT IT" shouted Sam as she hurriedly entered the room. "Sorry, I was listening to the brief from the arms room. We can do an Echo we just need to modify the plans."
"Let's hear what you got Sam," Sirella urged.
"Compared to us, the way the conduct forensics is archaic at best. We can hack into any system they use including DNA data bases. We get two Jane Does from a morgue, get the DNA sample we need, and switch the information. We know Chuck and Sarah are on the plane that's in route to LAX, and just before it crashes, we beam them out and beam the bodies in. Two of our people do the autopsies on the bodies."
"That's all well and good Sam, but if we go that route, then we have to explain the ramifications to them," added Sirella.
"We did it for Echo didn't we? We just tell them the truth, like we did Echo," Sam countered.
"True, but what if they don't want to give up what they have?" Sirella proposed.
"Then we continue on without their help," Gabriel added. The members of Gabe's teams just looked at each other and understood the consequences if their mission failed and knew what that would mean for Chuck and Sarah.
"Get on it people, find two bodies that match the approximate height and weight of Chuck and Sarah. Sam, make sure that their bio sensors are working at peak efficiency, we can't afford a screw up on this. We need to beam them out just prior to impact, and beam in the bodies. We only get one shot at this lets make this count," Gabriel concluded and left the room.
United flight 245
Chuck and Sarah were idly chatting when they heard a loud bang, and the plane pitched hard to the left and began to drop. It forced them hard against the seat belts that were restraining them. Screams and cries of panic erupted from the other passengers in the plane. The oxygen masks deployed just after the plane began its unaided decent. The sudden shift in weight of the bags stored in the over head bins forced many of the doors on the bins open. Carryon bags from the overhead bins fell out of the overhead compartments striking any passenger unlucky enough to be seated under them. Several passengers that failed to heed the warnings about being belted at all time found their heads and other body parts violently striking the over head bins and other parts of the aircraft. Most of the flight attendants were also tossed about the cabin like rag dolls. The loud creaking from the plane's fuselage as it strained against the new forces being applied could barely be heard over the screaming passengers. The plane was literally coming apart at the seams. Cracks were forming in the interior walls of the plane.
Ghost's HQ
"On your toes people," barked Gabriel "we only have one shot at this. Gary what's the transporter status?"
"We have a good lock on them. Once I get the signal from the Doc, I'll beam them out."
"Doc, it's in your hands now. Don't fuck it up." Gabriel snapped.
"So far vitals are stable. Adrenals just spiked, heart rate and respiration just elevated, oxygen levels dropping fast. Gary, get them out now!"
"Transporter lock good, beaming them out now."
United flight 245
Chuck and Sarah were barely being held in their seats as the plane continued its rapid descent to the ground. They were smashed together several times before they could link their hands together. Chuck and Sarah looked into each other's and squeezed their hands tighter; both knew they were going to die and despite their impending deaths there was no where they would rather be than with the love of their life, staring lovingly into each other's eyes when unconsciousness began to overtake them. Each noticed a green hue forming around them, and felt a strange tingling sensation throughout their bodies.
Gabriel's HQ
Soon after they beamed into the HQ Chuck and Sarah became more alert as the effects of their first transportation started to wear off. The first thing they both noticed was that they were no longer in a crashing plane, but back in Gabriel's headquarters and most of the team was standing around them with smiles on their faces
*"'el maj tuq Chuck and Sarah," spoke Sirella.
"chaH legh vIp," added Sam
"chaH qIp Hegh," finished the Doc. "tIq qIp 'ach tlhuH QIt"
"What the heck are you saying?" snapped Sarah "How did we get here?"
"tlhIngan, Klingon Sarah," answered Gabriel.
"Not any Klingon I have ever heard before," mumbled Chuck.
"That is true Chuck, because you have never heard real tlhIngan before." Gabriel raised his hands in the universal hold on motion. "Allow us to explain. You and Bryce speak what you two believe is Klingon. Think of it this way, you want to learn how to speak Italian, but you have never heard it before. So you make up some words that sound like a language. Then when you meet someone that actually speaks Italian, it sounds nothing like what you made up. That's what you're going through now. What you hear today, you will have a hard time accepting, but trust me when I tell you it's all true." Gabriel gave them the cliff notes version of who they really were and why they were here.
"That was a nice story Gabriel, but you can't expect us to believe that you don't live on this planet?" asked Sarah.
"Doc, please stand in front of Sarah. Sarah, when I tell you, I want you to use a spinning heel kick to the Doc's head. Doc decrease your matrix by fifty percent, now Sarah, attack the doc with intent to kill," stated Gabriel.
Sarah went into attack mode and unleashed a vicious kick aimed at the Doc's head. If Doc was human, he would have been on his butt from the assault. His decreased matrix allowed Sarah's kick to pass through, and she was the one who ended up on her butt. She jumped to her feet stunned that she had missed her intended target. She fired off a straight right hand to the Doc's head, which again failed to land. She watched as her arm passed through the Doc's head, she cautiously extended her hand and began to feel the Doc. No matter what she did she could not touch him, her hands just passed on through as if he were a ghost.
Chuck was standing there slack jawed at what he was seeing.
"Doc, return your matrix to normal" Gabriel commanded. The doc merely shrugged and did as he was asked. He seemed to flicker a bit, before he nodded indicating he was back to normal. "Now touch him again Sarah."
Sarah reached out and put her hand on the Doc, and this time unlike the other times her hand met a solid body. She pulled her hand back as she had just touched a plate that came out of an oven.
"Really Sarah, there is no reason to act like that," huffed the Doc.
"What the hell are you!"
"I'm a sentient Hologram of course," the Doc replied all the while puffing out his chest, and standing taller than he had been before.
Chuck strolled over to Doc and started randomly poking him in the shoulder. The doc just let out a huff and rolled his eyes.
Gabriel chuckled before starting again. "Sirella is Klingon, I am human and Borg, the rest of my team is human. I know what you are thinking Chuck, 'how can fictional beings you have seen on television be real?' Many people have said the truth is stranger than fiction, or lesser know quotes along the same lines. The fact is, there are many races of beings out there in space. In a universe as vast as ours the possibilities are limitless. Truth is other beings including the Borg have been through this sector of space and have made contact, planting the seeds and ideas that stories have been based on."
"I understand most of this, but Borg. You look completely human." Chuck asked.
"Watch this Chuck." Gabriel placed his right hand on the table that was used for briefings and curled his fingers forcing them into the table. His fingers made short work of the table top and he pulled a chunk out of it and held it up to the stunned couple. He released the piece of table and curled his hand into a fist and extended the assimilation tubules, and let them wiggle like two small snakes searching for something to strike.
"Now for the Piece de résistance, ever been to Paris? Soon you will have. Gary four to beam to the base of the Eiffel Tower, engage."
Seconds later Sarah, Chuck, Gabriel and Sirella were surrounded by the same green glow that engulfed them on the plane and the found themselves standing at the base of the Eiffel Tower.
"Well does that put a rest to your questions Chuck?" quipped Sirella. "Feel free to walk around for a bit. I know you must be shaken from the plane crash and everything you have heard so far."
Chuck and Sarah were holding on to each other for dear life, the feel of each other's bodies was the only thing that felt real about the entire day so far. They looked around to take it all in when Chuck noticed a TV through the window of a small café. It was showing the ground scene of a plane crash with a scroll underneath displaying United Flight 245. After Chuck pointed it out to Sarah the realization finally hit that the plane they were on earlier did indeed crash in a field in Kansas.
"Can we go back now?" Chuck asked in a shaky voice. With a nod of his head, Gabriel tapped his chest and seconds later they were back at HQ.
"Chuck and Sarah you now know all about us, but there is one more thing you need to know. As of this minute you two are dead, and have been since the plane crash. In order to save you we replaced your bodies and changed you DNA in the system. The Bartowski's will be declared dead. You now have a couple choices you can make, the first being to continue to work with us as the Carmichaels' and leave everything and everyone you know behind, letting them believe you did die in the crash. When the mission is over you return with us when we return to our time. The second is similar to the first, but we let a few people you know in on some of what you know and they come along as well. The third is the least favorable outcome for both of you. You reject our first two offers, and you do indeed die today. We cannot have you running around knowing what you know. If this knowledge got out it could be devastating to the future we know. There is a fourth option we are currently working on but it will take a while for us to figure out if it will work."
"Bullshit!" screamed Chuck and moved to advance on Gabriel his anger overcoming his common sense. Gabriel wasted no time in grabbing Chuck buy the neck and driving him backwards into the wall. Sarah jumped up and rushed to assist her husband. Before she could get close to Gabriel, she was grabbed from behind by a strong female hand and held back. She wheeled around to face her opponent and found herself staring into the face of a very enraged Sirella.
"Stand down Walker," Sirella growled out and applied enough pressure on Sarah's shoulder to force her to the ground.
By now Chuck was starting to fade into unconsciousness and Gabriel loosened his grip from around Chuck's throat. He got right in Chucks face and began to speak in a low deadly voice,
"We saved your ass today. The plane you were on did crash and everyone on it did die. Use your head Chuck! You were supposed to die today! You're not supposed to be here at all. So grow the fuck up, and quite whining. You got a gift no one has ever gotten before, so embrace this gift for now, and figure out what you want to do. Know this; I will kill you and Sarah if I have too. Why we are here goes way beyond normal. I explained why we are here, there untold worlds that will be affected by what happens here today. Your two lives are meaningless in the scope of things to come. Before you leave here today we need your answers. I'm going to rule out option three, I trust you really want to live."
"We need a few minutes to talk about this. We'll go into the training area for some privacy," Sarah informed the group, as she led Chuck out of the main conference room. Once they were alone Sarah took a deep breath and spoke to her husband, "Wow can this get any more crazy than it was before? I think we should take option one. We can make up a story that we had to fake our deaths for some reason and we now go by the name Carmichael. If we play it right, we may have to be the only ones to leave. We don't really have much of a choice."
"I understand that but I would hate to never see Ellie, Devon, and our other friends again."
"You saw the wreckage of the plane we were on, which reminds me, we better give them our answer quickly because your sister knows what flight we were supposed to be on. She is probably mourning our death right now. The longer we wait the harder it's going to be on her and Devon."
"Crap! Sarah your right about Ellie, I'm sure we can work out the details later and let Beckman know what's going on, well, as much as we can. Plus we need to get on another flight out to LAX."
"So we take option two for now, and see what happens. Let's head out and let them know what we decided. Let's go Chuck." They returned to the main conference room and were greeted by Gabriel's team.
"We're going to go for option number two for now, but reserve right to call on option number four if we need to. But first I need to call my sister she knows I was on the plane that crashed, she probably thinks I'm dead."
"Don't worry about your sister Chuck; we will take care of calling Ellie for you. With everything that has happened to you and Sarah today I think it's best if you don't speak to her until you have time to process everything. Now we have a plane to get you on."
A/N 2: For those readers that are questioning the possible change in the future I'll explain my position. This story is based on the STV time line which happens after the original Star Trek timeline. In Star Trek IV: A Voyage Home the crew goes back in time to bring whales back with them to save earth. By completing the mission and saving Earth didn't they change the Future? If earth was destroyed along with most of the Federation leadership the timelines that followed would have been different, so the precedent was set to allow the future to be altered to save the present.
A/N 3: There are very few places to locate English to Klingon translations and most phrases don't translate well so excuse the broken English!
'el maj tuq = enter our house
chaH legh vIp = they look afraid
chaH qIp Hegh = they beat death
tIq qIp 'ach = breath slowly
tlhuH QIt = heart beat even