ChuckParis7
A/N: Just found out I won't be able to get home this weekend so you'll have to read this depressing crap. Enjoy and review or face your own abandonment issues...bwahaha - I'll post again tomorrow if - if - if - the meter hits 40. So all you lurkers out there better make yourselves known or...it'll be Tuesday as usual. APR
Chapter 8 – Chuck Defects, the Old School Blues and Building Bridges
Jacques Dubois knew immediately that his daughter and her young beau had become more than friends. Part of him was disturbed but he quickly squelched it. He had no right to such feelings. He'd only become a father to her in the past few days.
"So, Agent Bartowski, you wished to speak with me?" He wondered what the young American agent had to 'discuss'.
"I'm no longer an agent, Mr. Dubois. I am, however, the Combine's Frankenstein, the intersect host."
Dubois would have dropped his coffee cup in shock if had been in his hand. The intersect host here, in his office. Marvelous!
"And what is an 'intersect host', Agent Bartowski? I'm not familiar with the term. It sounds…distasteful. Like a man living with a parasite in his body." It did strike him as distasteful. How could anyone allow such a thing to happen?
"On my 26th birthday I answered an email from an old college friend, well, not exactly friend, we'd grown apart over the years and he betrayed me with…never mind. I apologize. I ramble when I'm nervous and I'm definitely nervous."
"Why? I have not threatened you. I've given you a safe haven, you and my daughter."
"Yeah, about that. I had no intention of dragging Hannah into this. All I was looking for was a week in Paris and I couldn't turn down her offer to show me her Paris. I'm sorry for involving her. I had no idea the surveillance on me was so…"
"Murderous? Obviously they were gunning for you, Agent, or I would be dead. But why are you nervous? We got off the subject – again – due to your ramblings."
"You sound like a nicer version of my boss, General Beckman. I'm nervous because I'm about to commit treason against the country I love. Wouldn't that make you feel disgusted with yourself?"
"Indeed. But surely the 'secrets' you have are only about this intersect. Of what interest would they be to the Ring?" He couldn't believe his ears. 'What interest…indeed'.
"Pick a folder at random from those on your desk. Pick a name, a place, an operative, anything."
"Alright, someone you have already met then. Hugo Panzer."
Chuck felt the tug.
"Hugo Panzer, born in the US in 1974. A former collegiate wrestling champion and later a Rhodes Scholar to Cambridge and soon worked for the State Department's Protective Division. Recruited by Fulcrum in 1998 as a 'strong arm' but quickly advanced him through the ranks to 'special duties'. In 2003, he…"
"Enough about Mr. Panzer. What facilities do we operate in Calais?"
"None."
"Berne?"
"A suspected intel node with facilities to launch cyber attacks against financial institutions and countries. There was an attempt to 'crash' the Paris stock exchange in 2007 but it was interrupted without explanation and there have been no further visible attempts anywhere."
'Yes, and I warned them against any action in La Belle France and they defied me! Well, the 'node' in no more nor are it's managers.'
"Excellent. Now, the CIA 'Chateau' 20km northwest of Paris."
"It must be an 'off the books' operation. There's nothing about any 'Chateau' in the files. Perhaps under another name?"
"What about 'off the books' prison facilities in Iceland?"
"Ah, the infamous Hole aka Cold Storage, actually a dormant volcano caldera with steam vents and hot and fresh water springs. There are currently, as of September, 61 'guests'. It's considered the ultimate in security since the walls are sheer cliffs and the 'guests' are lightly clothed since the steam vents that warm their 'quarters' do not require that the residents wear heavy clothing. Escape would mean an agonizing death by freezing. There are currently 6 Fulcrum and 9 Ring guests as of the latest update in September. It is open for use to more than 40 countries."
"Barbaric!"
"No more than France's Devil's Island although parole and pardon were possible for the inmates on the island."
"True, true, but still, in this 'enlightened' age, you'd think we'd rise above such needs."
"In this 'enlightened' age, you'd think we'd not have cause to create such places. There are terrorists, political assassins, rogue agents from several services who were incapable of being rehabilitated, you name it. The Fulcrum and Ring agents were all traitors to their countries. The alternative would have been death."
Hannah had been silent, taking it all in. Her man was not a monster. Surely he would not have been involved in such things? He was gentle and loving and had scruples and a conscience. She'd seen it and had benefited from it.
"Chuck, have you ever…killed a person?" She had to know.
"Yes. I had no choice. He was going to shoot my partner and I shot him. I can still see his face and I still have the occasional nightmare, but yes, Hannah, I've killed."
She got up and walked out without another word.
Chuck sighed and wiped his eyes with his fingers. So much for soul mates. Well, perhaps it was better this way. She'd leave and be out of danger. Things had a way of working out.
"Agent Bartowski, she is young. She does not understand the business we're in. Give her time. Don't shut her out. She needs to acclimate herself to this new 'revelation' about you. She will be back."
"Maybe it's for the best, sir. I have a bull's eye painted on my back and doubtless the Combine has a price on my head. I don't want to put her in danger. It's as you said that night, you would not bring harm to your loved ones by keeping them close."
"And do you love her? You've only just met."
"I don't know. The attraction, the 'awareness' we have of each other, it's like nothing I've ever experienced. Already I feel…less. But that's my problem."
"As her papa, it is my problem, too. Let's see what we can do together to bring you two back together. If that's what you want, of course." He was watching for any sign of deception.
"My mind says to let her go but my heart says to run to her and beg her to understand. I don't want her hurt because she knows me. There are people who would not hesitate to take her as bait to trap me and when she was no longer useful, they'd kill her. No. It's better this way."
His eyes betrayed him. Jacques could see the pain and anguish in them. He was taking the moral high road and had accepted the loss of his…
"So. Any more questions, Mr. Dubois? I came to ask you for help or advice on getting out of France and losing myself somewhere else. The 3rd world is probably the best place. They will be searching for me and I don't want you or Hannah involved, for obvious reasons. I don't want to repay your kindness by bringing trouble to you."
"You never told me about how you came to be this 'host'. You rambled and we both got off the track."
"I opened an email from Bryce Larkin and I awoke several hours later with a massive headache. Later, I was approached by my 'handlers' and the rest is history. My father, he's dead now, I think, he got it out of my head but then we got word that Fulcrum had another and we ran a last mission and I uploaded it again. It…cost me a lot to do that. It was devastating to my personal life but that's no longer important. I'm here now."
"Henri, coffee, please. I think the light Turkish blend. All this talking is making my throat dry."
"Now, Charles, we may have a place for you. We would need evidence of your willingness to support our cause. I propose a test."
"What kind of test? I already told you I'm not an assassin."
"No. But this test is just…destroying something physical. The CIA interrogation Chateau I asked you about. We've already made one rescue but we did not have the manpower to effect the release of others being held and 'interrogated' by the operators of the chateau. There are no Americans there. The job is 'outsourced' to Algerians living in France so there is no test of your oath to your mother country."
"Tell me more."
"Yes, but first, coffee. Although unusual, I think a toast is appropriate so raise your cup, Agent Bartowski, and drink to our Hannah and your success."
"So, the mission is simple. Using your skills, infiltrate a team into the Chateau, free all the prisoners and then destroy the Chateau with explosives your team will carry. Are you willing to do it?"
"Yes. When?" He was feeling strange. His arms seemed to weigh hundreds of pounds and he couldn't keep his head up. He'd been…
"When you wake up and after you've reconciled with my daughter." He motioned for Henri to have his guards carry Agent Bartowski back to the carriage house and to tell his daughter he'd 'relapsed'. He was not above meddling in the affairs of his daughter. He smiled at the play on words.
'I missed her growing up but perhaps I'll get to watch my grandchildren instead.'
He woke up and feigned sleep in order to assess the damages. The wily old bastard had drugged him with a 'light blend' of Turkish coffee. He'd given him a Mickey Finn. Old school to the end. At least he didn't have the 'something crapped in my mouth' taste or the pounding headache a trank dart left.
Chuck cracked one eye and saw Hannah standing before an easel painting. She must be really wired now. Fooling around with a murderer. She was probably painting his death mask. He told himself it was for the best. He'd survived losing Jill and being crushed by Walker's rejections. He could handle losing Hannah. He was sure of it.
She turned to glance at him and he saw what she was painting.
"Chuck, sleeping people don't blush. I was beginning to worry. Henri told me the drops would only last an hour at the most and it's been nearly two hours since you were brought back here. How are you feeling, sweetheart?"
"Beh…beh…"
"Henri said you'd have horrible 'cotton mouth'. Here. Drink. Then you and I are going to have a long talk and you're going to fill in the blanks left in your 'California fairy tale'. I'm sorry I left. I should have stayed by your side. Telling it must have dredged up horrible memories for you. Here I am, telling you on one hand 'I'm tough' while on the other I run like a little girl scared by thunder. I'm so sorry, Chuck. Please forgive me."
He nodded. He was toast. It had only been 6 days and already he would do almost anything to make her happy. This was a complication he did not need if the mission was to succeed. He could not allow his feelings to dictate his actions.
'I understand Walker a little better. And Casey. But I will never be like them no matter what happens. I'll never be empty.'
He raised a 100 lb arm and extended a 20 lb finger and pointed at the painting while raising a 1 lb eyebrow.
"It's you, of course. It's not finished. I've left the midsection blank until after I talked with you. I have your manhood thoroughly memorized but I wanted to give you the option of being immortalized as you are or with the benefit of a strategically-placed sheet." She giggled and the sound made him crack a smile and remember the last time she'd giggled like that.
"Some more water and then we'll talk. No secrets between us, Chuck. I won't judge you, I promise."
He told her everything from the time he'd opened up the damned email until he'd met her on the plane. If he left anything out it wasn't deliberate, except for names, of course. Sometimes she'd laugh. Once she cried, softly, but she listened and she didn't judge.
"Chuck, someday I'd like to meet Ellie and Captain Awesome. Do you think your sister will like me? Do you think we could be friends like she and Sarah were?"
"Sarah was never her friend. She was just playing a role in her cover. I don't think she cared, except maybe at the end when she had to make a decision to go with Bryce or stay with me and then shortly thereafter, it didn't matter."
"I can't imagine loving someone and having that person tear your heart out on a daily basis. You did the right thing at the train station. And now I understand a little better why we can't run. You're right, although I hate admitting it. I'd slow you down and get you captured or killed and I won't have that on my conscience."
He started to protest but she took his face in her hands. "Chuck, look at me. Remember when you said I was special? Well, I am special because you make me that way."
He'd worry about the Chateau later. Right now he wanted to spend some quality time with Hannah. A walk would help him purge the drug from his system and he needed to rebuild his strength for a mission. The wily old bastard had a lot more on the ball that appearances would suggest.