Chuck Versus the 42
by: Sam Lincoln
Disclaimer: The characters of Chuck and Alias both belong to their respective rights holders and I make no claim of ownership on either
Summary: The Ring steals information, Chuck has a flash, and who is Sydney Bristow and how is she involved?
Spoilers: This story takes place after the events of Alias and during season 3 of Chuck, in between Chuck Versus the Honeymooners and Chuck Versus the Tooth
Act 1:
"How do you know that name?" Beckman asked Chuck.
Chuck tapped the side of his head. "The computer in my brain filled with all the government's secrets told me." Beckman glared at Chuck who recoiled in his chair.
"Well who is Sydney Bristow and why would Chuck flash on him?" Casey asked.
"She is a former CIA agent who was instrumental in dismantling several dangerous terrorist cells. I believe you knew her father Jack Bristow Colonel."
Casey nodded. "We ran ops in North Korea, he was a good agent. It was a shame what happened to him."
"What, what happened to him?" Chuck asked.
Casey rolled his eyes. "What do you think happened? He died moron, killed on a mission a few years ago. I never knew he had a daughter, much less one who worked for the Agency too."
"Do you think they had spy daddy/daughter days?" Chuck asked. This time even Sarah joined in on the glaring at Chuck. "Okay right, I'll be quiet now."
"The truth of the matter is more complicated than you know Colonel," General Beckman said. "Sydney Bristow was not recruited by the CIA, but by a name named Arvin Sloane." At the mention of Sloane's name Casey began to growl. "So you're familiar with Mr. Sloane's reputation then."
"The man was a traitor," Casey said.
"Many times over. Sloane broke away from the CIA in the early Nineties and formed an organization called SD-6. He recruited agents by claiming they would be working for a CIA black ops team when in fact they were part of a much larger criminal organization known as the Alliance of Twelve."
"Sounds a lot like Fulcrum and the Ring," Chuck said.
"Where do you think they came from?" Beckman asked Chuck. "After learning the truth about her employer, Agent Bristow defected to the CIA and worked as a double agent within SD-6 to bring the entire organization down."
"Better than the alternative, learning you're working for a secret organization bent on world domination and just rolling with it," Chuck said. He saw that neither Casey or Sarah were interested in continuing the conversation and motioned for Beckman to continue.
"After seven years of active field duty Agent Bristow retired from the CIA and now lives with her husband Michael Vaughn, another former agent, and their daughter Isabelle."
"And now the Ring wants something from Agent Bristow, we have to tell her," Sarah said.
"Which is why I want you and Chuck to visit Sydney Bristow, warn her about the Ring and see if she knowns anything about Operation Bluebird that might help explain what the Ring is after."
"And where are we going? Do they live in South of France, or maybe Fiji?" Chuck asked.
"Venice."
"Italy?"
"No, California. Better get a move on, the traffic on the 101 is murder today."
-Venice, CA
Chuck pulled the Nerd Herder to a stop on the street Sydney Bristow and Michael Vaughn lived on. "This is very nice," Chuck said as they approached the beachfront property. "Being a spy really paid better for them than it does for us, or maybe just me. Sarah how much?"
"Focus Chuck, we're on a mission remember?"
"Yeah but there's missions and then there are missions. We're going to talk to a retired agent about an old mission. It's not like we're infiltrating a Ring base or something." Chuck glanced over at Sarah and saw that she was uncharacteristically glancing up and down the street. "Wait a minute, you're nervous about this aren't you?"
"Of course I'm nervous, and so should you. This is Sydney Bristow we're going to see."
"I thought you didn't know who Sydney Bristow was until Beckman told us."
"I don't know her, but I knew of her. When I went through the Academy at Quantico I had the highest scores anyone had ever seen, except for one person. The only thing I knew about that person was a name, Sydney Bristow, that and the fact that someone out there was a better spy than I was. And why are you looking at me like that?"
Chuck tried to suppress the grin on his fact, but failed miserably. "No reason in particular. I've just never seen you to be such a fan girl before."
Sarah's cheeks tinged pink. "I am not being a fan girl."
"You totally are and it is adorable," Chuck said. "And I get it okay, I won't do a thing to embarrass you in front of your spy hero."
Sarah heaved an exasperated sigh. "She is not, look can we just get on with this, please? And not a word of any of this to Casey when we get back to Castle, do you understand?" She grabbed Chuck's arm and squeezed it threateningly.
"Yes I do, absolutely, may I have my arm back now please before I lose all feeling in it?" Sarah released Chuck's arm and shoved him towards the door. Chuck reached out and rang the doorbell to the house. He chuckled to himself when he caught Sarah surreptitiously adjusting her hair.
They did not have to wait long before the door opened to reveal a woman in her early thirties with long, straight brown hair. She was about the asme height as Sarah and eyed the two CIA operatives warily. "I'm afraid you have the wrong house," she said to Chuck. "We didn't call for any computer help."
"What?" Chuck looked down and realized he was still dressed in his Nerd Herd uniform. "Oh right the outfit, no this isn't about your computer, or your home stereo. You're Sydney Bristow right?" He asked while fiddling with his tie.
"Yes, who wants to know?" Sydney's eyes tightened as she sized up Chuck and Sarah.
"My name's Charles Bartowski, and this is Sarah Walker, we work for the CIA and we would really appreciate it if we could talk to you and your husband."
"How do I know you work for the CIA?"
"Agent Bristow, I know this isn't exactly standard procedure just showing up on your front step unannounced, but what we're here to talk to you about is vitally important and really isn't the sort of thing to discuss on your front step. Plus, if we were posing as CIA agents don't you think we'd dress more appropriately?" Sarah arched an eyebrow and nodded in Chuck's direction. Chuck let go of his tie when he realized both Sarah and Sydney were looking at him.
"That's a good point but I'm going to need more than that," Sydney said.
"Dixon wants to know how Mt. Subasio is this time of year," Chuck said.
"Beautiful enough to change your entire outlook on life," Sydney said. Her features relaxed. "How is Marcus?"
Chuck shrugged. "I don't even know who Marcus is. We were told to tell you that in case you didn't trust us. In hindsight we probably should have lead with it."
Sydney smiled briefly at Chuck's candor. "Dixon wouldn't have given you the right code phrase if you weren't actually CIA." She opened the door fully and stepped to one side. "Come in, though I promise you won't be staying long."
Sydney lead them through the tastefully appointed house and into the living room. As was typical for a house on the beach, the wall that faced the ocean was floor to ceiling windows. A man around Sydney's age sat on his haunches in the middle of the room playing with a young girl who looked to be about four or five years old. The man looked over at Sydney and then Chuck and Sarah.
"Sydney, I didn't know we were expecting guests."
"We weren't, they dropped by unannounced, from the Farm."
"I'll go put Isabelle down for a nap then," Vaughn said. He picked the girl up and carried her over to her mother. Isabelle dutifully allowed Sydney to kiss her on the cheek before Vaughn whisked her out of the living room.
"Why don't you take a seat," Sydney said to Chuck and Sarah, indicating the sofa that faced the bay windows. Sydney sat down on a love seat next to the sofa.
"You have a beautiful house," Chuck told Sydney. "Tell me, were you able to afford it on a CIA salary?"
"The house belonged to my father, he used it as a safe house. After he died, well I like the beach."
"Oh well that would explain it to then."
Vaughn reentered the room and sat down on the love seat next to Sydney. "So you two are with the CIA?"
Sarah nodded. "That's right, I'm Agent Walker and this is my partner Agent Bartowski."
"Call me Chuck." He held out his hand for Sydney and Vaughn to shake, but neither of them did.
Sydney held up her hands. "Look before you go any further, I'm sure you came a long way to talk to us."
"Actually we drove over from Burbank," Chuck said.
Sydney opened her mouth to continue to speak, then closed it again as she dissected what Chuck had said. "The CIA moved its LA office to Burbank?"
"Oh no, the field office is still downtown. We're more of a top secret CIA/NSA joint mission field station sort of thing," Chuck said. "And I probably shouldn't say anything more than that."
"Regardless you aren't the first team from the CIA looking to recruit us and I'll say to you what I said to them. We are retired. The only thing we're interested in doing right now is raising our little girl."
"Agent Bristow we're just here for information, not to recruit you," Sarah said. "Last night a team of agents from a rogue spy organization known as the Ring broke into a secure CIA storage facility. With the entire history of the CIA at their fingertips they only stole one item."
Fear began to creep into Sydney's stomach and she reached for Vaughn's hand. "What did they take?"
"We don't exactly know yet. The vault's catalog was heavily encrypted and scrambled in the robbery. We do know that it relates to an Operation Bluebird." Sarah stole a glance over at Chuck. "And we know you worked on that operation. We need to know what Operation Bluebird was and why the Ring is so interested in it."
"What Operation Bluebird was is easy," Sydney said. All the color had drained from her face. "Why anyone would want information on it is beyond me."
"But what was it?" Chuck asked.
"Me Agent Bartowski, I'm Operation Bluebird."
"Bluebird was Sydney's codename at SD-6 before she defected," Vaughn said. "So when she first started to work for us that's what we called the operation. I was the agent who did the initial debrief on Sydney when she defected."
"Do you have any idea what information would have been kept under that codename?" Sydney asked Vaughn.
Vaughn shook his head. "I would guess all of that information would have followed into Sydney's regular CIA records when she became an agent." He glanced over at Sydney before continuing. "I have a theory though."
"It's related to Rambaldi," Sydney said. "That's the only thing that makes sense."
On hearing the name Rambaldi Chuck fell back against the sofa as a flood of Intersect images overwhelmed him. "Milo Rambaldi, Sixteenth century inventor and all around strange dude," Chuck said. He shook his head to clear it of the Renaissance themed pictures still floating in his mind. "Whoa, that was…"
"IS he all right?" Sydney asked Sarah.
"He'll be fine it's a, memory recall trick Chuck uses." Sarah patted Chuck on the back.
"Sarah, this Rambaldi guy was, I don't even believe half the things I just flashed on."
"Everything you've read about Rambaldi is true," Sydney said. "I've spent most of my adult life dealing with his legacy and it's brought me nothing but pain. So I hope you'll appreciate why I'm reluctant to go back down this road again."
Chuck leaned forward in his seat. "I do, believe me I do, but the Ring are not nice people. They killed everyone involved in breaking into that CIA facility. They are definitely coming after you next, and oh my god I'm freaking myself out." Chuck leaned back in his seat and gripped the sofa cushions.
Sydney looked from Chuck to Sarah. "Is he seriously a field agent?" She asked Sarah.
"Oh yes, one of the best actually." The word caught in Sarah's throat, causing Chuck to stare at her with an incredulous look on her face. "What?" she asked him.
"That tone in your voice, you still don't think I'm a good spy!"
"Chuck now is really not the time for this," Sarah said through gritted teeth.
"Your spy hero doesn't think I'm good enough so naturally you agree."
"Spy hero?" Sydney asked, cocking her head to one side.
The blush returned to Sarah's face. "It's nothing," she replied. "And remember what we talked about before Chuck? You're doing it now."
"I didn't mean to insult you," Sydney told Chuck. "You just remind me of a tech support agent we used to work with. Which isn't a bad thing; Marshall saved my life many times over. I'm really sorry, you're just not what I'm used to a field agent looking like."
"The Nerd Herd outfit doesn't help," Vaughn added.
Sarah rubbed Chuck's arm. "Chuck's saved the day more times than I can count."
"That's all well and good," Vaughn said. "But can we please get back to the spy organization that has it in for my wife?
"Vaughn's right, who is the Ring exactly? I've never heard of them before.
"They're a loose-knit international organization with operatives placed in every major intelligence agency," Sarah said. "We first leaned about them after we dismantled Fulcrum, a subsidiary group."
"They're probably made up of remnants of the Alliance of Twelve, Covenant, and Prophet Five," Sydney said to Vaughn.
Chuck winced as he was hit with three successive flashes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please don't do that. I am going to have one hell of a headache later."
"Don't do what?" Sydney asked.
"It's a long story," Sarah said. "And extremely classified as well."
Chuck stood up from the sofa. "I'm going to go outside and get some fresh air to clear my head."
"Is he going to be okay?" Sydney asked Sarah. "Should I get some aspirin?"
"Chuck will be fine. He just gets, headaches from time to time."
Chuck walked out of the house and down the street towards the Nerd Herder. His head was still ringing from the three consecutive flashes Sydney had triggered. "I'm just going to sit in the Herder," he said to himself. "Close my eyes and not." Movement across the street drew Chuck's attention to a tall bald man dressed all in black. Chuck groaned to himself as he felt the oncoming arrival of another flash hit him. Chuck was again dazzled by a series of images until he was left with two facts. The man across the street was named Max Dressler, and he worked for the Ring. Chuck spun on his heels, headache forgotten, and sprinted back to the house.
"Sarah!" He shouted the moment he entered the house. Chuck clammed the door shut behind him and paused only to secure both the deadbolt and chain before he dashed into the living room. He skidded across the polished wood floor as he came to a stop. "Sarah, big problem," he said, gasping for breath.
"Chuck, what's the matter?" Sarah asked. She stood up and walked over to Chuck.
"Just flashed, Ring agent, casing the neighborhood, not safe."
"You're sure," Vaughn asked. "There's no way you could be mistaken?"
"This is what Chuck does best," Sarah told Vaughn. She rubbed the small of his back. "If he says he saw a Ring agent outside, then there is a Ring agent outside, and probably more too." She turned and looked at Sydney and Vaughn. You're not safe here. We have to take you and your daughter to our base. It's the most secure location in LA."
Vaughn walked across the room and pushed a hidden button causing a section of wall to slid away and reveal a bank of surveillance monitors.
"You have the coolest house," Chuck told Sydney.
"Is that the man you saw?" Vaughn asked Chuck as he pointed to one of the monitors."
"Yes, that is indeed the scary man I saw."
Sydney walked over to the monitors for a closer look. "That's Max Dressler, he used to work for the Covenant." She turned to face Chuck and Sarah. "You're right, we have to get out of here."
"Too late for that," Vaughn said. They all turned their attentions back to the monitors and saw that a black van had pulled up in front of the house. "Anybody have a plan B?"
"We stay and fight then," Sarah said. She reached to the small of her back and withdrew her pistol.
"We are not having a gunfight with my daughter in the house," Sydney said.
Sarah turned to face Chuck. "Chuck, take Isabelle to the Herder, call Casey and get him to send the cavalry. We'll buy you time."
"Sarah I," Chuck started to say.
"Chuck listen to me. This isn't about protecting you, this is about protecting a little girl. Can you do that?" Chuck and Sarah locked eyes for a long moment before Chuck swept in and kissed Sarah.
"Stay safe," he told her.
"You too," she replied.
"Well the nature of partnerships in the CIA sure has changed," Sydney said. A smirk played across her face.
"It doesn't seem all that different from us," Vaughn said to his wife who elbowed him in the ribs. "Come on Chuck, I'll show you to Isabelle's room," Vaughn said and lead him out of the room.
"Is he really a good agent?" Sydney asked as she watched Vaughn and chuck walk down the hall towards Isabelle's room.
"Chuck isn't what you'd call a conventional, Farm trained agent, but I mean it when I say there's none better."
"He better be Agent Walker, because I'm trusting him with my daughter's life."
Author's Notes: More story! We meet Sydney and Vaughn! Danger is imminent! In even better news, the last two chapters are now done and all that's left is typing and editing. So expect the next chapter soon'ish. Thanks for reading.
-sam