Chapter 17. Defusing a Tense Situation

February 24, 1977, 9:30 PM, the White House

Senator James Felix watched the motorcade pull up Pennsylvania Avenue. The line of black vans and limousines was impressive but expected, given that this was an important meeting with many attendees. One that required the presence of Senators and Congressmen from both Parties, the Joint Chiefs, the Cabinet, and the Vice President. All of them here to meet the President at the White House for this emergency, late night summit. It was about national security, after all.

Which it was, of course. Just not in the way that they thought. Due to the top-secret nature of the meeting, most of the White House staff had been asked to clear away, giving the ability to move about without hindrance to those in attendance. Which gave Felix the perfect opportunity to plant the Agent, and set the timer to program the release of the gas. The timer wouldn't go off until 10:15, to make sure any late-comers would be assembled and ready to meet their doom. He'd have to be sure to excuse himself just before, of course. It would be foolish of him to let SPIRITE down by being among the casualties. Not when they had such big plans for him.

He glanced at his watch. There was still a good half hour until the meeting would start. And there was nothing left for him to do; every part of the plan had been checked and re-checked. If there was one thing that SPIRITE believed in, it was the importance of quality control in hatching world domination plans.

Actually, there was one thing left, Felix thought to himself with a smile. He'd been asked to brief the President in the Oval Office just before the meeting began. The Senator made his way down the hall though the usually off-limits part of the White House. He waved at the guards standing outside, who nodded in recognition. They were among the unfortunate few that would be in the building when the Agent was released, but he couldn't very well tell them that.

A moment later he greeted the President's secretary. "Senator, he's waiting for you," she said in response. He actually felt bad out her remaining in the building. He had always liked her; she'd been quite friendly the few times he'd attended meetings there. But what was done was done, and it was hardly the time for sentiment. Another guard opened the door to the Oval Office and he entered.

The President's chair was faced away from the door, so Felix decided to look around the room while he had the chance. It was impressive to be sure, but the décor would require some work. After all, if he was going to be spending so much time here, he would need to feel comfortable.

Finally, he cleared his throat. "You sent for me, Mr. President?"

"I trust you've finished taking the measurements, Senator," responded a voice clearly lacking in Georgia twang. "But I wouldn't make too many remodeling plans just yet." The chair turned, revealing Agent Roan Montgomery, a gun in hand pointed at Felix.

The Senator turned around to see that the three guards had entered the room behind him, and were also armed and ready.

"Sorry to spoil everything," Montgomery said. "But the meeting has been postponed. So I'm afraid you're just going to have to tell me where the Agent is."

Senator Felix glanced around the room. In addition to Montgomery and the guards, a female agent had appeared in the room. From the description he'd remembered hearing, he guessed that this was the Agent Beckman who had been keeping watch on Romanova. He could see why the Russian had humored her for so long. Unfortunately, she was as armed as everyone else. Other than him. He was trapped, and had no chance of escape. He gave the office one last wistful glance, knowing what he had to do.

"That's not really an option, I'm afraid." He reached into his pocket, wincing slightly at the sound of cocked firearms that movement produced. He stared at the pill he removed for a moment, then plopped it into his mouth.

February 24, 1977, 10:00 PM, the White House

"Well that's going to be a problem," Roan commented as he looked at the dead body on the floor. Senator Felix had gone into convulsions a few seconds after swallowing the pill, and had stopped breathing about a minute later. "I guess his fear of what would happen if he talked trumped his own ambition."

"SPIRITE must be pretty far-reaching," Agent Beckman commented. "He must have known he wouldn't have lived long if he did talk. But that leaves us with a big problem. How do we find the Klebichok?"

"I guess we'll have to resort to Plan B." Roan looked around the office for a phone. After fighting off the brief temptation to grab the red one on the desk, he found a second one on the wall and quickly dialed out. "Send them in," he said, then hung up.

Roan quickly left the office, followed by Agent Beckman. Once they'd reached the front entrance, they found Bartowski and Agent Gunter waiting for them. "You have it?" Roan asked.

"Yeah," Bartowski waved the sensor in his hand. "Amazing how quick they can ship things when it's a national emergency."

"Well, it's a good thing you had another one."

"I always pilot test my projects," Bartowski explained. "Not sure this one works as well as the other, but I guess we couldn't very well find the shark that ate the first one."

It would be the one with Romanova on its breath, Roan thought, but they hadn't exactly had time to sniff shark snouts.

"We need to hurry and start searching," Agent Beckman said, all business. "We don't know when the Agent is going to be released. Or where it will come from."

"Well, I've been thinking about that," Agent Gunter announced. "We know that when released, the Agent would have to still be at full strength when it reaches the conference room. That should narrow down our search perimeter. We don't know how lethal this Agent is, but we know that Felix wouldn't want to risk it dissipating without taking out his targets."

"That makes sense."

"So, I managed to get a hold of the White House schematics," Mary pulled out a folded-up parchment out from her pants pocket.

"How'd you get that?" Bartowski asked her.

"I have my sources," Mary replied coyly.

Roan tried to ignore the admiring look the techie was giving Agent Gunter, and looked over at the floor plan. "From what I can see," Mary stated, "there are four prime candidates." She ticked each one off on the map, and Roan could see that they all seemed to have access to the air vent Felix would have been targeting.

"Then we check each one," Roan stated.

"Not much point to splitting up," Bartowski added. "We'll need the sensor, since we don't know exactly what Felix hid the Agent in. It's probably attached to a timer, but the whole thing could be hidden out of plain sight."

They moved as quickly as they could through the building. The sensor barely registered a blip in the first three rooms, until they finally hit their last destination – the Lincoln Bedroom. "Pretty nice," Roan commented when they entered.

"Nothing so far," Bartowski said, staring at the sensor. He moved around the room, opening drawers and closets as he searched. "I hope they don't mind us making a mess," he commented.

"I'd rather be messy than dead," Agent Beckman replied. "We can clean up after we find this thing."

"Yeah, I guess – hold on! It's found something." Bartowski ducked under the bed, and looked underneath. "Yup, I think it's down here."

"Can you bring it out?"

"Um, I'd rather not." Bartowski peeked back up at Roan. "I slip up, and we're all in big trouble."

"Actually, I think we already are," Beckman said, after she'd taken a look herself. "You're right about the box is attached to a timer. Five minutes, counting down."

"That's not enough time to clear the building," Agent Gunter said. "We're going to have to do something." She turned to Bartowski. "You're going to have to disarm it. You're the only one who knows how."

Roan glanced over to Agent Beckman. "Help me push this bed over." She looked uncertain, but finally relented. They each grabbed a side of the bed and moved it up on its end. It was an antique four-poster bed, probably extremely valuable. Any new nicks on the frame could now be part of a great story for future commanders-in-chief, he guessed. Or part of a really sad story, if Bartowski couldn't do his thing.

The techie was already kneeling down, studying what had been beneath the bed. The timer looked like an old alarm clock, with the second hand ticking steadily. The timer was attached to an ornately-carved wooden box, about one foot long and eight inches wide, with the lid partially open. Inside the box, Roan could see several gears, connected by two thin metal rods. One rod connected to the timer, while the other connected to the lid of a small vial at the bottom of the box. Roan had no doubt that the vial contained the Klebichok agent.

"Can you disarm this?" Agent Beckman asked Bartowski, though the doubt registered clearly in her voice.

"I don't know," Steve admitted, his voice somewhat shaky. "It would seem like the easiest solution would be to stick something in the gears to get them to stop moving. But there may be a failsafe so I don't want to try that unless I'm sure it's not going to trigger anything." He quietly studied the box for a moment, before looking up at Agent Gunter. "We should try to get as many people out of the building as possible. You should go."

"I'm not going to desert you now," Mary protested. "You may need my help!"

Bartowski shook his head. "No, please go. I'm not going to be able to…concentrate if I don't know you're safe."

Roan nodded to Mary and she relented. Once she'd disappeared, Steve said, "Now, I need a way of seeing behind these gears." He looked up at Agent Beckman. "Do you have a compact?"

Diane nodded and removed a small mirror from her purse. Steve handed it to Roan, who held it up and away from the box. Then he leaned in, staring down at the box. "Yup. I see it. Another small wire down there. Crafty. I'll have to see if I can get it out." He took a pair of tweezers, and slowly worked his way down.

"You know," Steve said, keeping his eye on the tweezers. "You guys do some really exciting stuff, and it's been a lot of fun getting to tag along. But the stress, the always looking over your shoulder, the doubt about who to trust and who not to. I've been working with you for a few days, and I can barely take it. I think I'll stick to freelancing."

At the moment, Bartowski's future plans were the least of Roan's interests, though he supposed it was comforting at the moment to know that he had some. Still, the minute hand on the timer had inched closer to the twelve, meaning they were down to barely more than a minute.

"It's no wonder you all are so dependent on the booze, and the philandering." Steve snuck a brief glance up at Roan before returning to his work. "Seems like you need somebody to keep you grounded. Part of the real world. Without that, I think you'd lose yourself completely. I know I would."

"Mister Bartowski!" Agent Beckman hissed. "Would you please focus on defusing that thing?" Roan glanced over at the timer again. The second hand continued to tick, and the minute hand was very close to the 12. They had only a few seconds left.

"You see what I mean?" Steve asked. "Stress. At least you should find some hobbies. Play golf, write poetry. Go to the movies. I hear there's a space movie coming out in a few months that's supposed to be pretty good. Ah, gotcha!" Steve removed the small red wire. He then grabbed a pen, and stuck it between the gears. "So. Now what?"

February 24, 1977, 11:00 PM, the White House

"Then they were able to hold the meeting?" Agent Gunter asked the Director. They were walking down a White House hallway, an hour after the Agent had been found and the timer disconnected.

"Yes, though the topic ended up being quite a bit different from what we'd planned."

"And what happened in Moscow?" Bartowski asked, a few steps behind the others.

The Director appeared to grimace slightly. "No fatalities. It seems that even though they weren't interested in listening to us, they listened to someone they saw as being a bit more neutral."

"They you did contact Hamilton in London," Agent Gunter said. "And he acted as an intermediary."

The Director nodded. "What became of the Klebichok that was going to be released there, and the SPIRITE agent who planned on releasing it, we don't know. We can only hope both were destroyed."

"And what of the Agent we just recovered ourselves?"

The Director turned a weary eye towards Bartowski. "It's safe. Agent Beckman retrieved it, and brought it to the proper authorities. I assure you, Mister Bartowski, we will keep it safe."

Steve seemed unsure about this, but he glanced up at Mary, who nodded.

"In any event," the Director said, "you both did fine work, and our President would like to thank you personally." The two Agents stopped walking when the Director did, and were shocked to find themselves face-to-face with the Commander-in-Chief waiting outside the Oval Office himself.

"Ah, so this must be some of our heroes," the President grinned, shaking their hands. "Great to meet you both. Why don't you come on in to the office." He turned to the Director. "I understand there were more of them."

"Yes, Agents Montgomery and Beckman," the Director replied as they reached the office door. "I'm sure they're around someplace, and would just love to- Oh my God!"

Roan looked up from the sofa, and grabbed a quilt to cover himself and Agent Beckman. The President just stood there, shocked. Finally, he said, softly, "That quilt was woven by Dolly Madison."

"Agent Montgomery," the Director said between clenched teeth. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Just a post mission debrief, sir."

The Director gritted his teeth and turned away.

"Well," the President said, "I suppose this isn't the first time something like this has happened in here. Probably won't be the last either. And I guess after a tough mission you gotta let off some steam. Still, I'd just as soon you two put some clothes on before Amy walks in and sees this."

Agent Beckman, looking a bit more embarrassed than Roan, gratefully took the clothes that Mary handed her, and quickly vanished into the bathroom, taking the quilt with her. Because that left Roan uncovered, the President looked back at the other two.

"I owe you folks a great debt of gratitude, for saving my life, and the lives of many others. If there is anything I can ever do, please feel free to ask."

Steve looked like he was about to speak, but Roan beat him to it. "Actually sir," he spoke up as he put on his shirt. "There is one thing. There was an MI-5 Agent, Banginton, who was killed while working with us."

"I see."

"If you could perhaps let the British Prime Minister know how valuable she was, I think it would be important to her family."

"Of course. Now, I'd love to talk with you good folks more, but I'm afraid I have a lot of work to do after the meeting, and I'm sure you are all exhausted. Some more than others," he said looking at Roan.

Once they had left the Oval Office, Steve turned to Mary. "Well, I guess you're no longer stuck with being my bodyguard."

Mary shrugged. "Wasn't all bad."

Bartowski smiled. "Well, the President was right about me being tired. But I'm also a bit hungry." He looked down shyly for a moment. "I don't suppose you'd care to accompany me for a late dinner?"

"To be honest, I could do with a snack myself. But is there anyplace open?"

"Actually, there's this little place in Chinatown I like. Serves the best sizzling shrimp." Steve offered his arm to Mary, and they headed off to the exit.

February 6, 2011. 10:45 PM, Los Alamitos, CA

Chuck blinked as the flash subsided. The two men now lying on the ground had leapt out from the shadows of the warehouse, triggering his automated defense mechanism. While he had been fighting them off, Sarah had gone on ahead in search of Deloski. Even if she hadn't found him, the ex-KGB agent must certainly know they were here now.

The area was dark, so Chuck could barely see around him. The warehouse was also quiet, which made him feel quite uncomfortable. It could mean that Sarah had already taken care of Deloski. Or it could be the other way around.

He got the answer to his question when he nearly tripped over a prone figure on the ground. "Sarah!" he said as he dropped to the floor.

"Don't move!" a harsh voice said behind him.

Chuck looked behind him and held his hands over his head. Deloski was standing over him, pointing a gun at his chest. Despite the imminent danger of the situation, one thought jumped to the Chuck's mind. "You talk?" he blurted out.

The Russian blinked. "Of course I can. Why would you think I can't talk?" His voice was deep, but barely accented.

Another thing his father's notebook had wrong, Chuck thought to himself. At least he had the fez part right. "We've come for the Klebichok agent," he said.

"Then you should have brought cash."

Out of the corner of his eye, Chuck saw Sarah begin to stir. Deloski had his back turned to her, and didn't see any of this. Chuck decided he would have to stall. "You'll never get away with this," he said.

Deloski shook his head. "Never say never."

"Even if you get away from here," Chuck said, stalling further. "There's no way you can sell that weapon. The CIA is tracking your every move, and we're never going to let it out of our sight."

Deloski chuckled. "Again, never say never." He moved slowly toward Chuck. "For too long, I've been the faithful servant, helping others achieve their own riches. Now it's my turn." He reached into his pocket, and removed a small vial. "This is my ticket."

Chuck kept eye contact firmly on Deloski, making sure to betray the fact that Sarah was right behind him. So the Russian didn't realize the female CIA Agent was there until she kicked his legs out from underneath him. "Sarah! The vial!" he yelled, running up to try to take it from him.

Deloski got back to his feet and tried to barrel into Sarah, but she easily evaded him. She knocked him down again, sending him hurtling to the ground. As he fell, he released his grip on the vial, sending it flying.

Chuck ran to try to catch the vial, but it hit the ground before he could reach it, releasing the deadly Agent into the air.

I've got one more short chapter left, which should be going up tomorrow. We're almost there!