It would seem that the Unit is making an appearance even in this fic. I do happen to be re-watching the show at the moment to be fair. I also blame Dark Blue for Alex and Jill making appearances. I was going to get out the Lady Feelings chapter before this but apparently I suck at writing about dresses and weddings, having since hit a little writer's block. As for reviews, thanks again and just something to be aware of: I do dig through reviews to see what people want or suggest. As long as it fits with where I want to take it, I just might include it.
Someone did get pretty close to who Althea is in the reviews. I did actually have it pretty obvious before but I expanded the section when I wrote it yesterday. I'm still deciding if I want it to be who I originally thought it would be. Sorry! I love Wikipedia. I don't own Chuck.
I noticed I made a mistake in the last chapter, Chuck and Althea will not be HALO jumping but HAHO jumping. (High Altitude-High Opening, instead of Low Opening.) I've already gotten distracted and forgotten at least five times.
Chapter 3 – Chuck vs Pakistan
180 km Northeast of Kabul, Afghanistan
May 3, 2011
10:45 AM Tuesday
Casey's team was currently making their way through Afghanistan in a covert attempt to snatch and grab a high-level Taliban leader on a Pave Hawk. The mission came straight from Beckman, who normally wouldn't interfere with USMC operations, but the intel came from the NSA and since Beckman transferred him back to his old team, he didn't even think twice about organizing the mission. The group of six Force Recon Marines would be meeting up with a group of Marines to acquire their Humvee in the mountains near the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Casey heard the pilot's voice over his headset, "We're about to land." The Marines quickly scanned the area on approach, seeing nothing out of usual. Their LZ was a medium sized outpost, meant to stop the enemy from using vehicles getting through the pass. There was a cluster of about seven Humvees in the center area of the outpost. The outpost was stationed with about a company of US Army personnel. There were a few concrete built towers and machine gun nests scattered at strategic points. There would be a few UAVs above them in the air once they left out in their Humvees. They would have to get through the pass, which is still secured for about 50 km by NATO forces.
The unit was all business, not answered many questions and just making their way to the Humvees. Casey identified himself to a captain in charge and was escorted to their vehicles which were already stocked with everything they would need. Assault rifles, sniper rifles, ammo, water and food, and anything else they could think of. The Marines quickly inspected everything, leaving nothing to chance. Everything was up to their standards and they set out. After about an hour and a half they made it to their location to ditch the Humvees. They couldn't be flown in for fear of stinger missiles hitting their chopper. So that also ruled out being flown out. They would have to take their objective and return to the Humvees and make their way back to the outpost for evac. They grabbed their equipment and headed out through the pass.
As it became dusk, the team arrived near their location. Casey pulled out a thermal scoped, suppressed TAC-50 sniper rifle. He counted ten hostiles outside the target cave and made it known to the rest of his unit with hand signals. The cave was in the foothills of a mountain, with the peak blocking the moonlight. The team had already pulled on their night vision gear when the sun went below the horizon. He motioned for his second in command, First Lieutenant James Wilson, to take up the sniper position. The rest of the unit made sure to have their comms active and checked their weapons. Casey nodded and motioned for the rest follow him in. They went around the outskirts, sticking to the shadows as best as possible, quiet as death. They were all wearing full black with their faces painted black.
Casey moved up to the first sentry and promptly clamped a hand over the man's mouth and snapped his neck. Another Marine took the next sentry, Casey only saw a hand reach out with a knife around the man's body and stab him in the heart, while the other clamped around the man's mouth. The Marine nodded to Casey after easing the body to the ground and the rest moved up towards the cave entrance. There were a few more sentries on the opposite side of the cave, Casey whispered, amplified by the mics, for Wilson to take out the other two sentries. He then split up the remaining men with him, taking Miles with him. The rest were sent after a group of three men talking quietly amongst each other.
Wilson quietly responded, "Lights out." As the two Taliban were taken out within a few seconds of each other.
Casey moved forward, towards a group of two men. Second Lieutenant Miles followed Casey. As they approached the two men, Casey broke off towards the left man while Miles took the right. Casey walked up to the man and cupped the man's mouth while sliding a knife through the man's kidney. Miles followed suit and did the same. The other group reported their targets were dead. Casey left the sniper outside to keep watch while they went in for their target. He grunted in approval 10 less extremists, not bad. Worth the trip out here.
The group of five entered the cave silently. The cave didn't have any light for about a km inside. Once they reached the area, they flipped their night vision off and entered a large chamber. Casey looked around and noticed a door leading deeper into the cave. It wasn't locked; he pulled out some optics and managed to fit the cable through a gap between the door and the rock face of the walls.
Casey was only able to see a small room with another passageway off to the right. He made a few signals with his hands and Miles opened the door. Once they got into the room, Miles followed Casey more closely and lunged and knocked Casey down with the butt of his rifle before the rest of the Marines came in, by the time they noticed, the room filled with Taliban. They killed everyone minus Miles and Casey, who was still on the ground groaning.
"What did you do Miles?" Casey asked with his voice dripping with venom. I'm going to enjoy killing you, you traitorous piece of shit.
"You saved my life once; the Ring doesn't want you dead. It worked out better this way for you. It was either this or we use your ex-fiancé and daughter to ensure your cooperation."
Another man entered the room, a white American. "You said you would be able to split Casey from the rest of his team!"
"It wasn't possible, sir."
"Keller." Casey growled.
"Been a long time, Alex." Keller said addressing Casey, as he pulled out a pistol and shot Miles. "He served his purpose. Besides, I told him I wanted the rest of your team to walk. He brought this on himself, now as for you; you'll be having an extended vacation in Pakistan with our friends here."
Casey didn't buy his bullshit. "So you use Islamic extremists now? Who do you work for?" Casey said dangerously. Oh I am definitely going to enjoy killing you Keller. I'll introduce you to Vera, but only after I make you suffer first. These were good men.
"The days of the Taliban supporting Al-Qaeda are nearing an end. The Ring feels helping them get rid of them is in the best interest for us. The Taliban was only far eager to appease their new weapons suppliers, so they did it for us as a favor."
"And what do you get out of it?"
"The Ring wants the Intersect, we know you have knowledge of the agent called Prometheus."
"How did you convince them to allow us to just kill ten of their men?"
"They were expendable. They were villagers given guns, without training and fed a few lines about serving Allah, they weren't even true Taliban. Where I am taking you, now there will be true Taliban. I hope you enjoy walking, we have quite the hike ahead of us, Alex."
Can't hurt to fish for information, Chuck will be coming for me. God help anyone in his way. Casey smirked as he was forcibly stood up and bound with zip ties and rope. "So how did you leak the false intel?"
"We have a man placed highly in the NSA; in fact you might have come across him before. I suppose it doesn't matter, you won't survive this. All we had to do was promise him Sarah Walker.
I would pay to see Chuck hear you see that to him, even if he doesn't care about her like that anymore. Damn, Chuck might beat me to kill this bastard.
First Lieutenant James Wilson watched as a group of Taliban and an American he didn't recognize, took Casey out through the cave about an hour later. Casey was thrown over a mule, unconscious. Wilson quickly ran into the cave after everyone left and found the dead Marines. He grabbed some extra ammunition and provisions – water and MREs. He quickly jogged out of the cave and made his way to catch up with the convoy at a distance. Colonel Casey was the only one with a Satellite phone, since his broke during a fight with a man trying to sneak up to him while he was providing over watch for the team inside the cave. He decided trying to make his way back to the Humvee would cause him to lose their trail before he could get back after calling in support. So after he caught back up with the convoy, keeping them in sight, he walked after the unconscious form of a man who has saved him more times than he could count.
Undisclosed CIA Training Facility
January 21, 2008
7:58 AM Monday
An angry instructor burst through Chuck's new CIA provided home - a single room, smaller than a college dorm room. "WAKE UP MAGGOT."
Chuck snapped up in bed, "What the fu…"
"OUT OF BED, THROW ON SOME RUNNING CLOTHES."
Chuck groaned and quickly put on some sweat pants and a tee-shirt, while the Agent stayed in the room.
This lazy, useless nerd would probably fall back asleep if I left the room. Eh, nothing I haven't seen before. She growled at how slow he was tying his shoes. "We should have been out of here a minute ago!"
Chuck just tiredly nodded and followed her out the door.
"So how much are we running?"
"So you caught that eh, I thought you might be too stupid to figure that from what I said."
"I see, a real people person. So what should I call you?"
"Forest. Nothing else." She replied, daring him to test her.
"Did you just make that name up on the spot?" Chuck asked amused.
"What's wrong with it?" She asked as she stopped to turn at him, while glaring, once again daring him.
She kind of reminds me of a female version of Casey. Chuck mused. "Oh uh, nothing!"
She added one more glare for affect and took off out the door, Chuck followed as they began running. After a few minutes she asked, "So how much do you usually run?"
"Uh…on a television screen or…OW! WHAT THE HELL!" Chuck exclaimed as he got slapped upside the back of his head. He was about to quip but held his tongue when he noticed her hold her hand up in a threatening gesture again. "Fine, fine. Maybe a whole mile in a week."
"We'll have to fix that. Have a girlfriend?"
"No…why?"
"I see why! Your stamina must be an embarrassment!"
"…Is your real name Casey?"
Forest stopped in her tracks, "What?"
"Nothing, nevermind." Chuck realizing what he just said, took off in a run down the sidewalk.
That was odd. He couldn't have meant John Casey. I haven't seen that man in quite a while, it must have been at least four years by now since that mission in Moscow…Forest thought as she ran to catch up with her charge. "So. Expect to run every morning, you'll be waking up earlier every time I increase the distance we run. The biggest hurdle will be getting your initial distance increased to 5 miles, and then it should be easier to steadily increase it over the next few weeks to a month after that."
"Okay." Chuck replied simply, surprising Forest, almost already used to him being a smartass.
"What no quips? No sarcasm?"
"Nope."
Graham warned me about your personality.
"It needs to be done. I didn't expect being a spy to come easy." Chuck replied with determination. "I'll do what I need to do, once it is physically possible that is. I'm not delusional, Forest. I am well aware of my limitations at this point."
Forest grunted as they passed the one mile mark.
Swat Region – Northwest Pakistan – 234 km Northwest of Mingaora
May 12, 2011
2:15 PM Thursday
Prometheus and Althea arranged transportation to Pakistan in a business class Legacy 600 jet with CIA pilots. They made it to their destination in about as seven and a half hours. Their LZ is located close to the suspected base holding Casey in the mountains of the northwest area of the Swat region in northwest Pakistan. Althea, never one to be patient was getting anxious, which Chuck took notice of.
"Are you sure about this? You have done this before right?" Althea yelled at Prometheus as they finished getting on their parachutes, their oxygen masks and helmets already being in place a half hour before to get the nitrogen flushed from their system. Althea made sure she had her iphone tucked away safely. Chuck's friend, known as Q to her, created an application for the iphone to interpret homing beacons, much like the one on their package containing extra ammunition and weapons they are unable to take with them during a HAHO drop. Both agents had the standard HAHO drop equipment. Both were fitting out with gloves, military quality free-fall boots, goggles and their jump oxygen, plus a few other items.
She is way too nervous or worried about this mission. "Ehhh 60-40 and no, I have not." Chuck smiled to himself while she was looking away from him.
"What do you mean SIXTY-FORTY?" she yelled into her mask.
"I saw it on TV, in the Unit. You really need to watch more TV, Althea." Chuck teased his partner.
"We are going to HAHO jump out of a Legacy 600 BUSINESS JET, from 35000 ft. If I might add, 35000 ft is near maximum altitude for this aircraft too! All based off a fucking TV SHOW?" Althea yelled in exasperation.
"Yeah. Pretty much." Chuck continued while trying to calm her down, in a matter of speaking.
Althea sighed and blew a stray strand of hair sticking out from her helmet.
"Well…in theory it should work. Forest also mentioned this was doable when we were doing other types of jumps during training."
"That's very reassuring. Did you ever figure she might want you killed for the agony of listening to you piss and moan through basic training?" She replied sarcastically.
"No. She's a big softy, just like Casey. All bark and no bite."
"I'll make sure to tell her you said that when I see her back in Prague."
Chuck's eyes narrowed playfully. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Would I?" she said amidst an amused glare, realizing what he was doing. Ever the perceptive one, Chuck.
"Fair point. Oh more like 90-10. Special Forces do it all the time, just not sure about the business jet aspect. I did it out of a C-130 during training with Forest." Chuck conceded with a grin.
Althea shot him a death glare, making sure he noticed, causing him to laugh.
The co-pilot exited the cockpit and said to the duo while strapping on his own helmet and parachute, just in case. "We're nearing the target drop site. The package will be last; we will deploy it to anticipate where you land via HALO. You could have quite the hike on your hands. Good luck." The co-pilot proceeded to make sure things were in order before they opened the hatch.
Both Chuck and Althea went through a quick mental checklist, patting down their bodies making sure they have what they need. Altimeter. Check. Canteen. Check. Backup compass. Check. CIA enhanced satellite iphone. Check Fake identification for return. Check. Knife. Check. Disasembled MP-5 and silencer. Check. M9 and silencer. Check. Backup GPS. Check. MREs. Check. Nightvision. Check.
After Chuck was confident he had what he needed on him, he checked the parachute on their package. "Everything is in order. We'll have a long trek ahead of us and hopefully the package lands close enough to our target landing zone. I'll go first and provide navigation through GPS, just stay above and follow me down."
"Roger" Althea acknowledged.
The co-pilot announced they were nearing the jump coordinates and Prometheus and Althea went to the door. Chuck checked Althea's parachute quickly and she checked his. They grabbed handles by the door for grip as Chuck opened the door, causing the cool mountain air to rush into the cabin throwing anything loose around.
The shout of the co-pilot could be heard and all the noise, minus the wind rushing past his face which disappeared as Prometheus leapt forward into a freefall from the plane. Before he pulled his chute, he allowed himself to flashback to his second conversation with Graham before leaving for Pakistan.
"Casey has been MIA for about 9 days, why hasn't Beckman done anything?" Chuck asked bitterly.
"She is covering her ass, the NSA acted upon faulty intel that was designed to capture Casey. This is an embarrassment for her and the NSA. She is trying to cover up her ass, but don't worry son, I won't let that happen." Graham said with a chuckle.
Chuck laughed in spite of the situation, "If there is one thing I have learned even better since I joined the CIA, it is I can always count on the CIA to burn the NSA when the opportunity arises. Of course same goes for the NSA, but it seems we get them more often. I'm going to bring him home, Art. I want to see Beckman's face when she finds out we rescued her guy. Please get me a picture of it when you tell her or better yet, video is preferred. I'm sure Casey will want to see it too."
"I'll make sure of it. Now there is one more matter we need to discuss. This is highly classified, even above your clearance, but this is a judgment call I am authorized to make. We have a loyal group of Taliban who have been helping the CIA SAD team in the Afghanistan War. They will provide you with transportation to your evac site."
"You've got to be shitting me."
"No. We'll have a CIA helicopter and plane on standby. Don't expect any further assistance; you're on your own. Give them hell."
"Prometheus out."
After about 25 seconds at roughly 7300 m, Chuck gave the go ahead to pull their chutes. Come on come, don't fail! Chuck thought, maybe the Unit wasn't a good example, Brown's chute didn't open when they did this. Uh oh…
Althea's voice suddenly broke Chuck out of his thoughts and said, "Chute is away, no problems so far."
Chuck sucked in more air through the oxygen mask they attached on the plane, having not realized he was holding his breath. "We're readjusting." Chuck checked his position and altitude and adjusted his heading to align the pair to their drop zone. "I see why the Captain loves skydiving! What a rush!" Chuck exclaimed in a voice eerily similar to the good Captain Awesome.
"Sure, until you jump and your parachute gets stuck."
"When did you become so cynical?"
Chuck scanned the sky and saw their package was released on what appeared to be, on target. After a few minutes, Chuck touched the ground in an open area. Chuck touched down first and quickly ditched his parachute and flight gear. Althea landed a few meters from him and did the same. They quickly pulled out their M9s and ran towards some cover, since they were still out in the open. Chuck took his bearings by looking around. There was few vegetation and no trees within the immediate area, just rocks and more foothills of more mountains. They had a straight shot to their destination, they would be able to jog most of the way and make it there just after nightfall.
"Awesome, eh?"
Althea just sighed trying to not encourage him and asked, "Where is the package? It should be down by now."
Chuck pulled out his iphone and loaded up the application to lock onto the signal. "A few km in the direction we need to head." Chuck said as he repocketed the phone and pulled out the bag containing his MP-5. Althea was already working on hers, they both assembled them quickly and headed out.
"I'll cover you from up here." Althea said to Chuck and he agreed, he could carry more back. He dropped the bag containing water and other supplies. He grabbed a few extra mags for his M9 and MP-5 and sprinted down the hill after checking the immediate area. The package was a crate containing an unassembled M24A3 sniper rifle and an unassembled HK416 which was below their position and he had to go down a hillside with nothing but loose rocks. Getting back up would not be fun. She had her MP-5, aiming down the iron sights, looking around the small valley.
Chuck reached the package and cut loose the parachute. He pulled out the box containing the M24A3 and got to work, having it completely assembled he pulled out the HK416 and assembled it too. He was done with both within a couple minutes and put them over his back. He grabbed one of the remaining two bags and made his way up back up the hill.
Once Chuck got back to the top with Althea, he slashed his MP-5 to the large hiking bag and gave Althea the sniper rifle and kept the assault rifle for himself. He quickly made his way back down and returned with the other bag and handed it to her. She slung the rifle after closing the scope caps and into the sniper rifle bag and shouldered her hiking bag. She pulled out her MP-5 and nodded to Chuck that she was ready.
I hope we will be in time, John. We'll be there soon. Chuck thought to himself as he headed out with his assault rifle laying across his chest, propped up by his left forearm and breaking into a jog with Althea close behind.
There will be more answers next chapter, perhaps more questions? Who are Althea, Helen, and Ismene? Will Chuck be in time? What happened to Sarah? Not sure when the next chapter will be out. Please leave a review! They help with motivation you know. The next chapter will include some more training and the rescue mission. I might even clear up some of the questions.