Chapter 7: Colt
6:10 am
Sarah felt a hand on her shoulder. It was pushing gently. She complied and soon found herself sitting in a chair. Drowning, that's exactly what it felt like. She was drowning. Could she look up and see the surface? Make a few, strong strokes, break free into the sun and fresh air? Was there a good reason to even try? She had another choice. Looking around, she could almost see it. Hovering at the edge of her perceptions was exactly what she needed. Sarah struck out in the opposite direction, forsaking light to embrace the cold. It was waiting for her, it would protect her. Agent Walker wasn't one of the best because she could fire a gun or throw a knife. Those were merely skills she had learned. Her true strength lay in the icy, calculating center she could summon at will. Once wrapped in that impervious armor, she'd be ready, unassailable. For her enemies, there was gonna be hell to pay.
"What were you thinking, Larkin!" Casey roared as they squared off, guns now pointed squarely at each other. "You want her back so bad you had to off Chuck to get him out of the way? I should have known you'd pick the selfish way out."
"Casey, you'll never understand how sorry I am for my actions, but, there was no way I would let you kill Sarah over some stupid order. It was Chuck or Sarah, I made my choice." Staring Casey down.
"You moron! I could never kill Sarah." Casey is outraged at the thought. "Agent Walker is my partner. She was right, Beckman was wrong. We should have been rescuing Chuck. If you'd been able to keep your hormones in check, we could have worked something out that didn't involve killing him in the process. You saw. She wasn't going to go through with it. We had time to think of some other way."
Stunned, Bryce can't believe what he's just heard, from John Casey of all people. "I'm supposed to believe that coming from a cold-blooded killer like you? Why did you have your gun on her if you didn't plan to use it? It was a lawful order from your superior. What was I supposed to think?" Even more bewildering to Bryce, his accusations seem to bother Casey.
"I didn't trust you if I backed down on the order. I've shot you twice already, never can tell when you might decide to return the favor. Larkin, you've always come across as a little too cozy with the people upstairs. Getting tapped for solo missions, hiding everything, even from her, their perfect little soldier boy. How was I to know what you were going to do with the order given? I had to play along until I was sure of your intentions. I should've just shot you."
Bryce shakes his head in disbelief, "Let me get this straight. By the book John Casey has no problem disobeying a direct order, and, career agent Sarah Walker was willing to sacrifice her life for an asset she's come to care for. What's been going on around here?" Still on alert for any tricks, he watches Casey lower his gun before looking at Sarah.
"People change Bryce. I've changed. Sarah's changed. That Bartowski is like an effing virus. You really don't know what you've just done. It might have been better to kill her too and save her the pain." Casey locks eyes with Bryce. The raw emotion Bryce sees is almost more terrifying than the steely gaze of an assassin. "I know you and Walker had a thing while you worked together. I'm sure you thought it was love. For a while, she did too. It wasn't even close. I've had a ringside seat for the whole shooting match. Chuck found it inside her, brought it out into the light and helped it grow. He showed her the true meaning of the word, and, it was amazing to see."
Casey just keeps talking, words falling soft and steady as drumbeats. "They couldn't do anything of course. Too tangled up in the rules and what I might say, or, what the General might do. There was a time I considered turning Walker in for being compromised. But, we were a team and we were damn good. Even with all the screw-ups, Bartowski kept exceeding my expectations." With a sardonic smile, "And, picking on the twerp about Walker was always good for a laugh. It wasn't hard to look the other way. You took care of all that with your little stunt. I think you've been undercover too long, Larkin. Not everything is a cover or an act. They were as real as it gets. It was worth saving at any cost." And then he does the most surprising thing of all, Major John Casey of the NSA strokes his fingers through her hair in attempted comfort.
The opening and closing of the front door goes unnoticed. Ilsa tilts her head in concentration as she attempts to decipher the scene before her. Agent Walker sitting rigid with an unblinking stare. Bryce and Casey, guns in hand, standing at her side. With tentative steps, she moves closer. "Casey, what happened?" Her voice sounds overly loud in the stillness of the room. She doesn't like what she sees when Casey looks her way. Fearing the worst, she seeks out the control box. Ilsa drops the bag of sandwiches and clutches her chest in shock at the sight. "What happened, John? Please, tell me you didn't....." She can't finish the thought.
One glance from Casey provides the whole story, "Ask loverboy here. He's the hero of this tragedy. I need a drink."
Bryce's mouth falls open to argue. He's interrupted when Sarah stands swiftly. She snatches up the control box and rips out the cable. Dropping it to the floor, she crushes it under her boot. Task finished, Sarah regards her companions with cerulean eyes, hard and glittering as diamonds. "No more standing around, we've got work to do." She barks out. "It's time we call Leader and set up the exchange for Chuck."
Ilsa is the first to find her voice. "Sarah, I'm sorry, I really am, but, Chuck's dead."
"You think I don't know that!" Sarah says too sharply before drawing a breath and calming. "Ellie deserves to bury her brother, and, I need to see him to say good-bye.", Sarah's words carry no emotion. "Casey, where's my phone? We're wasting time."
Not sure what to make of her sudden change, he decides to go along with it and slides the phone over. Immediately, Sarah hits her speed dial for Chuck, putting the call on speaker. There is a momentary blurring of her vision when his smiling face pops up on the screen. Leader's voice brings everything back to crystal clarity. "Hello agents, do you have what I desire?"
They all look to Sarah. "Yes, Agent Larkin is standing right here."
After a short pause, a new voice is heard. "Hello Bryce. Is that really you buddy? I've missed our fun times together."
"Yes, Tommy. Although, I think it was always more fun for you. Don't worry, I plan to kill you soon."
"That's the Bryce we know and love. Always so full of hope."
There is another pause before Leader resumes speaking. "Very good, very good. I find cooperation to be a wonderful thing, don't you? In a few minutes, one of my associates will send you a text. Bring Agent Larkin to that address and my people will take over. After the exchange, I will text you the location of Mr. Bartowski and you may pick him up. Unharmed, I assure you."
"You're kidding right? What makes you think we'd go for that? Chuck needs to be at the exchange when we hand over Larkin or no deal." Sarah is back in the lead for the negotiations.
"My dear Agent Walker. Did you forget who is making all the rules here? If I let Mr. Bartowski come to the exchange, what would stop you from trying to capture my men and recover them both? Once I am certain that Larkin is safely away from the city, you can have your analyst back. Consider him my insurance policy."
"Fine, have it your way. But, if you're playing me, I guarantee that one day I will find you." Sarah growls out.
"You have my word. It's been a pleasure doing business with you." Leader disconnects.
Sarah smiles coldly as she pockets her phone. "That went a lot better than I expected." She sees them all staring at her. "What?"
"It's obviously some kind of trap. Why else would he be acting like Chuck is still alive?" Bryce looks to Casey and Ilsa for support. "We show up, they grab me and gun you three down."
"I don't think so, Bryce. First, we're going to show up and have Casey's backup ready to move in. Second, I don't think they know Chuck is dead." Looking to Casey, "Think about it? Every time we brought up the tracker, he was on the move. I bet they shoved him in the trunk of some car and are driving all over town just in case we have some way to locate him. Unless they checked on him in the last 15 minutes, Leader would have to believe Chuck is still alive. Our calling to set up the exchange is what he expects from us."
Casey mulls it over. "Say you're right, Walker. We show up and grab them at the exchange. How does that lead to getting Chuck's body back, or capturing Leader? When they do open up that trunk and see he's dead, they'll just dump the body somewhere and he may never be found."
Sarah's smile turns icier still. "They won't have the chance. Leader will be waiting to hear that Bryce is out of town and away from our influence. We use that time to learn where he is, then catch them with their pants down."
Bryce looks skeptical. "You really think one of his men will give up the location?"
Casually, Sarah draws a knife and flips it. Watching the glint of light on its keen edge as it spins end over end, "Yes, I really, really do." Snapping the knife from mid-air, she stows it away. "Casey, get in contact with your FBI buddy. I want everyone geared up and ready to roll in five. We're going hunting people." Shouldering her duffel, Sarah walks out into the morning.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." Bryce looks unhappily at the other two agents.
"Your concern is noted. Until such time as we have a better plan, I'm backing up my partner. Ilsa, you don't have to...." Casey offers.
Ilsa cuts him off. "You won't finish that sentence if you know what's good for you. If you're in, then I'm in."
Casey picks up his own duffel and cracks an uncharacteristic grin. "Let's mount up before Walker takes off without us. It's been a bad night, and, I really need to shoot someone. Oh don't get nervous Larkin, you're not my first choice."
"Thanks Casey, I feel so much better now." Bryce pulls the door shut.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Casey's black SUV rolls slowly down a side street. Up ahead, the agents can see their destination growing larger. After a flurry of rustling and metallic clicks, they signal their readiness to Casey. He turns in to the parking lot and drives to within 20 feet of a long, black limo. Sarah's hand is already on the handle and opening the door before Casey can brake to a stop. "Let's go team. Remember the plan." She hops out and makes quick strides to stand midway between the two vehicles.
Bryce looks about to say something, but Casey cuts him off. "Just back her up, Larkin. Leave the crying for later." Speaking into his watch, "Alpha team disembarking, Bravo team is a go. I repeat, Bravo is a go." The three agents move to Sarah's position, spreading out to form a line.
Sarah raises her voice, "Come on out boys. We come bearing gifts." Gesturing to Bryce. "Don't be shy. You've gone through so much to get him."
As if on cue, the doors swing open and four dark suited, sunglasses wearing men emerge from the car and form a line, mirroring the agents. One minor difference, they leave an open space in the middle of the line. A fifth figure emerges to join them, large and clad in a long, black leather jacket. Sarah and Casey instantly recognize Mr. Colt. He smiles in greeting.
He casts an appraising eye at Bryce, "This is what all the commotion is about? He seems pretty standard agent material to me. Not like Chuck, we had quite the spirited conversation once he loosened up. Regretfully, he was afraid I bore a grudge against him after our last meeting. Once you get him talking though, he can be quite the chatterbox on a variety of esoteric topics."
Under his breath, Casey quips, "Tell me about it." Earning him a stern glare from Sarah.
"Enough with the reminiscing, Colt." At that, all four draw their weapons. "I'm afraid the rules are about to change." Sarah takes a step forward, gun steady on Colt. In response, he looks amused.
"By changing the rules, do you mean getting Chuck killed for not cooperating?", Colt asks.
"Chuck's already dead. We're going to bring him home, and, you are going to help us." Sarah states coldly and clearly.
At that, Colt's deep-voiced laughter rumbles across the parking lot. The agents look at each other in confusion. "That's too funny. You people actually went and did it. I would love to see Chuck's face when he hears about this. The look of betrayal will be priceless." Moving very slowly, he reaches his hand to an inside pocket. "Careful agents. I'm not going for a weapon. Trust me when I say, you all want to see what I have."
Involuntarily, Sarah and the others take a step closer in curiosity. Their guns do not waver in the slightest though, leaving no opening for the opposing agents. Colt draws something from his pocket, but, it is too small to make out at this distance. He gives it a casual flick. They all tense with the shared thought of a trick. A small, silvery object rolls innocuously to their feet. Casey is the first to recognize it. "That's the X80. How did you know?"
Colt's smile firmly in place, "It would have been a good plan. Except for one thing. We have the designer of that device working for us now. Laszlo knew exactly what to look for when we picked Chuck up. After that, it was a simple matter to remove and then hand over to one of my men. He's been driving around with it most of the night. I have to admit, I was somewhat disappointed you didn't try and mount some kind of rescue attempt." Brandishing a cell phone in his other hand. "Now that you know your Chuck is still alive, please hand over Mr. Larkin or I dial Leader. It won't be good for Chuck if I do."
Sarah wants to cry out in relief at the news, but that won't help with the current situation. Keeping everything buried safely away, she flicks the barrel of her gun by a fraction of an inch. "What will happen if you can't make that call?" She fires and the cell phone shatters along with one of the bones in Colt's hand. Her gun shifts back quickly, staring down the sights as she states in a level voice. "Mr. Colt. Do you remember what you did to Chuck on that rooftop?" Sarah allows him a moment to understand her question. "Big mistake." Squeezing off two shots, Mr. Colt falls backwards. Dead before he hits the ground.
In the span of a few seconds, Sarah evaluates the reactions of the remaining henchmen and finds the weak link in the group. To further test her assumption, she steps closer as she talks. "I suppose you're wondering why the four of us are still standing? Let's just say that our back-up took care of your back-up. Live satellite coverage is very useful. We watched your men move in to position. They received a rude surprise about the same time we stepped from our car." Satisfied, she doesn't let it show. 'Time for some fun.'
Walking up to one of the other enemy operatives, she prods him with her gun. "This way, I would love to have a chat with you. Casey, care to join me?" Once around to the other side of the limo. "All right, that's far enough. On your knees with your hands behind your head." Stepping closer to Casey, she whispers. "Do you have your tranq darts with you?" Sarah receives a confirming nod.
She makes sure the others can hear her as she questions the first agent. "It's been a long day. My partner and I are getting a little cranky. You really don't want us to be cranky, do you? Be a good sport and tell me where Chuck is being held. That will go a long way to making us both feel a lot better."
Sneering at her, "Doll, you can't really believe I'm going to fall for the tough girl act. So, you and your buddies can go right ahead and arrest us. Your partner will be dead and we'll be back on the street in no time. You don't know who you're dealing with."
"Oh my, you've surely put me in my place. Wait a moment, I had no intention of arresting anyone. It's always such a bother, right Casey?'
He jumps in, "You got that right, Walker. We didn't bring any handcuffs, so that's a problem. Transporting you scum is always a pain, not to mention I just detailed my Suburban. And then, paperwork. I don't know about you, but my partner and I hate paperwork."
Sarah smiles sweetly, "If that's your final answer, I guess I'll just have to shoot you." She fires to the side as Casey uses a tranq dart on him. To the others, it sounds like a gunshot followed by a body hitting pavement. Sarah briskly circles around the limo for her next victim. Pleased to note the beads of sweat forming on the brow of the agent she intends to break. Leaving him alone, she shoves another of the agents out of line. "Come with me, your friend was very rude. I don't like rude people."
After getting him on his knees, they start the questioning again. He is also uncooperative. Colt's two remaining men hear another gunshot and falling body. Sarah gathers the third in line as she notes a definite tremor in the hands of her actual target. She's certain he'll tell her everything when she finally asks. Bryce and Ilsa stare impassively as his knees wobble with mounting fear. He flinches at the next gunshot, knowing he's next.
"Oh dear, I seem to be running out of bad guys. We do have all your friends from the ambush though. Plenty of people to question if you decide to not be helpful." He jerks as she jams the hot gun barrel to the back of his neck. "This way please. I like to keep all the bodies nicely piled together. Much easier for cleaning up afterwards." Sarah allows him a few seconds to see the apparently lifeless corpses of his associates before turning him around and forcing him to his knees.
He looks up at her, actually, his eyes can only see gun barrel. It fills his whole view as her voice wraps around him. "I'm feeling very unappreciated. I tried so hard and your friends were nothing but mean to me. Really, I can be a very nice person. You want to tell me where Chuck is don't you? Something tells me you are much nicer than these other guys were." She lets her voice drop into a menacing growl. "Where is Leader holding Chuck Bartowski?"
Cringing, his eyes snap closed as he fights to maintain his silence. Sarah goes in for the kill. "Oh well, I was hopeful. Tell you what, I'm going to let you have three seconds to think about it. Don't worry, I'll keep count, you just make the right decision." He whimpers as she presses her gun to his forehead. "One...."
"Two..." He hears her draw back the hammer with a resoundingly loud click.
"Three...."
"Wait! Oh God, wait! I'll tell you, I'll tell. Just don't kill me, please?" He is confused at a sudden warm sensation until he realizes he just peed his pants. "I can tell you where he is. Promise not to kill me."
Sarah and Casey are grinning as they trade looks. However, her voice remains flat, "I give you my word. But, only if I like what I hear."
The remaining enemy agent starts talking in a rush. Casey pulls out a small recorder to get it all on tape as Sarah urges him to slow down. He turns out to be surprisingly informative and even describes a rough floor plan of the safe house. Once Sarah is satisfied with the information, she turns to go. "He's all yours Casey."
The kneeling agent whips his head around, "What! But you promised you wouldn't kill me if I cooperated."
"I did promise. Trust me, I won't be the one killing you. So, promise kept." Sarah smiles over her shoulder on the way to the suburban. "Let's wrap this up and get to the safe house." She hears the thud of the last agent hitting pavement. Speaking into her watch, "Bravo team, we have four sleepers and a body for pick up, and, the target for our assault. We will brief on the way."
Casey slams the vehicle in to gear and they peel out of the parking lot. He talks quickly and clearly over the radio to Ted and the HRT squad. Sarah lets Casey handle the particulars of organizing the next phase. She has only one goal in mind for herself. As she checks over her weapons and spare clips one more time, she notes Bryce giving her an odd look. "What now?"
"I'm just trying to figure something out." Bryce shifts closer to ask. "Why did you kill that Colt guy but only tranq his men?"
With an unwavering stare, Sarah states in even tones. "Mr. Colt tried to kill Chuck by dropping him from a rooftop. As far as I know, his men are merely hired muscle. No one tries to hurt Chuck and get away with it while I've got something to say about it. No one. You should keep that in mind, Bryce." After a handful of seconds, she frees him from her gaze and returns to checking her equipment. Bryce finds something interesting to look at other than her and remains quiet for the rest of the trip.
Nearing the safe house, Sarah peers ahead anxiously for any sign of the building they're looking for. A shape that matches their informant's description appears in the distance. From the outside, one sees a relatively unremarkable office building, long past it's prime. She points and calls out, "There it is Casey. Up on your right."
"I see it. Everyone ready, we're going to hit them fast and hard. They can't be allowed enough time to get to Chuck once the shooting starts." Casey is speaking to the occupants of the suburban and his buddy's squad at the same time. "We've got the front. Ted, you and your boys take the rear. Last one to the middle is buying. And I plan to order off the big boy menu."
Sarah yells from the back, "Casey, slow down when you near the alley."
Looking into the rearview mirror at her, "Why, do you see something?" He lifts his foot from the gas as he scans the nearby buildings and rooftops.
"No." Sarah pops open the door, watching the ground sliding by. "This is my stop." She leaps from the suburban, tucks into a roll and springs up to sprint towards their objective.
"What the...? Walker, what the hell are you doing?" Casey yells through his mike.
"I'm going for Chuck. You just keep these guys busy." Running flat out at the side of the building, they watch her make a high, arcing leap towards a window. A split second before impact she fires both her pistols, shattering it to sail through and out of sight. Shortly thereafter, gunfire can be heard from inside.
The suburban screeches to a stop and the agents pile out. "Come on you two, get the lead out. We've got to get in there." Casey is pulling his gun and loping towards the front of the building.
"Slow down Casey, we need to be smart about this. Besides, Sarah's a big girl. She can take care of herself." Bryce says as he runs to back up Casey, Ilsa right behind them.
"That's what I'm afraid of. She won't leave anybody for us." Casey spits out as he crashes into the front door. Splintering door and frame, they dash in.