Chapter 25: Déjà Vu

The air stifled him. Major John Casey finished off his water bottle and tossed it in the back of his car. He squinted at the immense dome stationed just off the Edwards Air Force Base.

'I know I've seen this place before.' He thought as he passed the terminal. He flashed his NSA badge to the lone blonde-haired guard stationed out front.

"Everything checks out … Officer Tim."

"I know, Sir. I just have to make a clearance call."

The area was practically deserted, but the official he needed to speak to was inside and waiting for him. Casey held off the other NSA Agents that accompanied him for the raid. He parked his car and strode into the building alone.

He put on a hardhearted display, but his insides trembled in knots. The letter he'd received yesterday morning was crumpled in his pocket and he'd read it over five times. That Saturday evening, after comforting Julia and Charlotte and settling them at his apartment, he held a Castle meeting with Chuck and Sarah. A meeting without General Beckman at Chuck's pleading.

They patiently allowed Chuck to tell his whole side of the amazing story. Sarah had trouble wrapping her head around the time-travel theory, but Chuck's earnestness won her over. He'd never lied to her before and he showed definite proof. Casey's old blood from the bandages tested a positive match with the present Casey.

Casey, on the other hand, chose not the reveal the letter he received, so he grunted and scoffed in all the appropriate places, but his heart believed otherwise. Had he rescued Chuck that morning, it would've played out the same, right down to slapping the nerd to his senses and removing the bullet with dirty house tools. The blood test forced him to acknowledge the truth.

Chuck concluded his story by saying the other Casey looked like a broken man, one that had lost his whole world and had the weight of humanity on his shoulders.

"How Christ-like of me …" Casey pondered. "Would I have done all that?"

When he returned to his apartment to tuck his daughter into bed and lovingly embrace Julia … he had his answer.

~Oo~

Casey stormed down the bright corridor, and into a dark room softly lit with the glow of data screens and a giant satellite shot of planet earth. A woman sat before the screen with her hands on her face and barely moved. The scene felt so familiar.

Casey flicked on the light switch, illuminating the sparsely furnished area. He gasped at the intricate computer systems and mesh of wires and hookups. The woman turned and Casey was struck with an unexpected warm sensation. She was a beautiful brunette, tanned, short and voluptuous with deep brown eyes that were red-rimmed from intense crying. She quickly wiped them and stood.

"Do … do I know you?" She asked with a glare of recognition.

"Perhaps. I'm Major John Casey of the NSA. Agent Jones, you sent me this long, mind-boggling letter." Casey held it out to her. "Is that your handwriting?"

Rhea approached him carefully, he was a huge, ruggedly attractive man from head to toe. She glanced at the first page.

'Dear John ' It began casually.

"Yes, that is, but I didn't … "

Casey watched her falter. She rushed back to the table and sunk into the chair. He came alongside the desk and noticed she had a similar letter addressed to 'Dear Rhea' in the same handwriting.

Casey swallowed hard. He came here for a specific purpose.

"There's no sense in lying, Agent Jones. I know about the work that's done at this complex and I'm here with a team of Agents to dismantle it."

Rhea rolled back her chair sharply and threw out her arms. "Go ahead! Take everything! This satellite system is the bane of my existence … of anyone's existence! I'm sorry about what happened. If I'd known I would've tried to warn you just like she did."

Casey sighed and plunked down in the chair and rubbed his temples. "Jones, I need you to tell me everything about this satellite and don't skimp on the details. Washington will want a full report."

Rhea stared hard at him. "I feel like we've been through all this before, Major."

"If all this is true, then somewhere in time we have, but for the present, I need to know what the hell's going on here. We have your boss, Costa, in our custody."

"That's impossible. Costa's out of the country. He gave me the orders to shut down operations sometime around 3:00 am this morning and he wouldn't say where he was. It looks like I'm back to waiting tables and giving massages." She said wryly.

Casey glared at her. "No, at 3:00 am this morning, Costa was in a cushy holding cell designated by Washington until further notice and …"

Casey's cell phone jangled. "Hold on, Jones, we're not through."

Casey stepped out of the room to take the call. Sarah sounded furious.

"Walker, what is it?"

"Casey, its Victor Costa … he's dead! The guards found him in his cell. He took cyanide pills, dammit!"

Casey stared up at the monitor and then at Rhea. Something was definitely wrong with this whole set-up.

"Okay. Bag him and tag him, he's no use to us now. I have a feeling this isn't over, but I have to go, I'm in a meeting. I'll brief you later. Whatever you do Walker, don't let anything happen to that body or anyone near it until I see him."

"Got it. Looks like it's all through for now then, huh?"

"Sure … looks like."

Casey folded the phone slowly, his brow knitted frustrated. He returned to the room.

"What was that you said about massages? I need one right now. Your boy Costa's dead, he offed himself in our holding cell."

Rhea stood up disgruntled. "That's just great! But it's the wrong Costa! Major, let's stop skirting the issue here. The issue is this satellite and its capabilities. You have a letter, and I have a letter, apparently written by me … from a future that no longer exists because your future self went back and changed it!"

Rhea boldly paced around him. "Plus, you have a direct eyewitness in Chuck Bartowski. The Intersect."

Casey bristled. "How do you know about that?"

How do you think, Major? I discovered he was Costa's target. Major Casey, imagine. If you went back in the time machine, then that Costa, who helped my husband invent it … went back and tried to secure his own future. He knew his future was doomed, so he somehow got in touch with himself and that's why the present Costa abandoned the project and fled the country!"

Casey narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. Chuck told him about his flash in the Orange Orange and said he saw events that never actually happened. That was only possible if the Costa he saw was the one who succeeded in bombing the Buy More. Casey held his head and groaned over the confusing tangle of events.

"Damn. I can't believe this! You mean to tell me he's still out there?"

"Yes! He's a cunning, devious man, Major. He's hiding somewhere half-way across the world, restoring his funds and rebuilding his headquarters as we speak! I hate him! I hate everything about him! He murdered my husband! He's murdered thousands!"

She cried a little more and took a deep breath to calm herself. Major Casey was a man of few words, and he didn't seem to appreciate outbursts of emotion. However, she saw a sympathetic glare in his eyes. She wanted to kick herself; she was sure she'd seen it before. Rhea approached him calmly.

"Okay, call in your troops. Take this sucker apart, but don't forget Costa's satellites are stealth, it's gonna take a while for your team to locate them. He most likely changed the coordinates."

"They won't stop until they find them, Jones. You'll have to go to Washington and testify. Actually, you and anyone else involved with this project. I'll make sure you all get protective custody. If Costa's really alive and finds out you blew the whistle, well … we know he can find you."

"Major, you have to believe that I wasn't involved in any of his schemes, none of us were! We … I …"

Casey grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. "I believe you. I doubt my future self could have gotten through this whole mess with the time-machine alone."

Rhea gazed at him and developed a profound feeling of desire and loss and knew he sensed it too.

"Major, I keep getting a strange vibe about us."

"I know," Casey whispered a hair's breadth away from her. "I guess it's what they call, déjà vu." He compulsively brushed a tendril of hair from her cheek.

"What will the NSA do about all this?" She sighed, her skin tingled from the warmth of his fingertips.

"We'll keep tabs for the present, along with the C.I.A., and track Costa down. We have our extra special resource handy. Oh … and a firm reminder, let's keep the time-travel amongst ourselves."

"I kept copies of my records and research from my work with Costa. He'll go down harder than the Twin-Towers. I have no plans to discuss time-travel with the bigwigs in DC, Major."

"Good, because they'll tie us both up in straight jackets after it's assured that they can have the power to manipulate the time-stream continuum. I'll be in touch."

He picked his communicator. "Alright guys, come in and make it neat and quick. Agent Jones is not resisting. Take care of her, that's an order."

Rhea's eyes watered and she turned away.

"You know, Major, looking at you I somehow can't help feeling like a two-time loser."

Casey remained silent; she wasn't referring to her dealings with Costa and satellites. He didn't know what to say to her, but he understood. It was made perfectly clear in her letter. The past Rhea Jones had fallen in love with him … and he'd somewhat reciprocated.

Rhea let out a stifled laugh and faced him again. "So, what are your plans?"

Casey straightened up and took a deep breath. He leaned against the doorjamb with a crooked smile.

"Right now? I'm going home to enjoy a steak dinner with my family … and friends."

The End.