Author's note: Well here we are at last. After several chapters of background and setup, we are finally going to see things move into semi-familiar territory, though Team Bartowski is going to be larger and there will be no angst and minimal Will They/Won't They (WT/WT) nonsense between Chuck and Sarah. One warning: this chapter is going to be heavy on legal discussions. This is necessary to try and form a semi-realistic basis for a team including military, CIA, and NSA personnel operating domestically. Also, I'll admit that I am not a lawyer, so my understanding of the relevant laws I will reference may not be 100% accurate, but I'll do my best. Because of this, this chapter will be my longest yet and may feel dry at parts, but it is a necessary evil in my mind for advancing the story. I apologize in advance.
Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
Liberty Crossing
Tysons Corner, VA
Entrance
Chuck walked into ODNI and made his way to the security checkpoint.
"Name?" The guard asked.
"Second Lieutenant Charles Bartowski." Chuck said, handing the guard his military identification card. The guard took his ID and looked it over, first comparing it to the person standing in front of him and then to the picture on the computer screen. Next he consulted the log book on the desk. Picking up the phone he dialed a number.
"Lieutenant Bartowski is here, sir." He spoke into the phone. After a few seconds he put the phone back on his cradle. He handed Chuck a badge stamped VISITOR - ESCORT REQUIRED. He then motioned for Chuck to stand in the body scanner. After verifying Chuck had no weapons or recording devices, he motion for him to take a seat in a small waiting area.
As he sat waiting, Chuck couldn't help but wonder why he had been ordered to report here. He had assumed upon returning to Marine Corps Base Quantico that he would receive orders back to the Marine Raider Regiment and then join one of the deployed units in Afghanistan or Iraq. Instead he was told to report here for a special assignment.
Dammit. I should be joining my fellow Raiders on deployment instead of sitting here. He thought to himself.
"Hey Chuck." A voice called, interrupting his thoughts. Chuck looked up in surprise, recognizing the voice.
"Jack!" Chuck said in greeting, standing up and offering his hand to his former C.O. "What are you doing here?"
"The boss asked me to come down and get you, seeing as I'm partly responsible for getting you here in the first place." Jack said.
"What is this Jack?" Chuck asked.
"Relax Chuck. All will be explained shortly." Jack said, motioning for Chuck to follow him. The two men walk down a corridor, then got into an elevator. A minute later they exited the elevator and Chuck found himself in front of a secure conference room.
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Liberty Crossing
Tysons Corner, VA
Secure Conference Room
Sarah glanced around the large conference room. There were about a dozen people seated around the room. She knew some of them, such as Casey, Carina and Harper, either personally or by sight. Others she did not know and as introductions were being held off until the arrival of the last guess (at least according to Harper) she spent her time waiting chatting with Carina. The two agents had partnered briefly on a few missions in the past and had what amounted to a friendship. It had been almost a year since they had seen each other. First Sarah and Bryce had gone on the ill-fated mission in Iraq and then during their captivity, Carina had gone undercover in a drug ring, having only recently returned.
"So when's Larkin get here?" Carina asked. "I'd have thought your boy-toy would be joined at the hip with you." As soon as she said the words, Carina knew she had made a mistake. The look of hatred and disgust that displayed on Sarah's face was like nothing she had seen on the blonde agent before.
"No. That worthless son-of-a-bitch is never going to be anywhere near me again." Sarah said with venom. "And frankly, if he tried to show up here, he'd be dead before he got within 100 yards. He's been sanctioned."
"Sanctioned? What the hell happened?" Carina asked, shocked.
"It's a long story, Carina." Sarah said. "Basic outline: it was Bryce's fault we got captured; he's been becoming more and more unstable. On top of that, turns out he and Graham had been involved in some pretty shady dealings. That's why he and Graham were arrested; Graham is still in a deep dark hole. Bryce was to until he escaped."
Carina gulped; Graham was very powerful and very successful as the Deputy Director of Operations. Whatever he was involved in, it had to be serious for him to be arrested and thrown into a hole.
"I think we need a girls night so you can fill me in." Carina said.
"We'll see. After all, we still don't know what we're going to be doing, do we?" Sarah said. At that moment the phone near the front of the room beeped. Harper picked it up and listened for a few moments.
"I'll send someone down." He said into the phone and then replaced on the cradle. He turned to a brown-haired man next to him. "Jack, our last guest is here; can you go down and escort him up? He'd probably appreciate seeing a friendly face."
Sarah watched as the man nodded and exited the conference room. So that's Jack Ryan. she thought to herself. He had been making a name for himself since joining the agency, having started out as strictly an analyst working under Harper and rapidly moving into field operations as well. I wonder who this mystery guest is?
A few minutes later, the door to the conference room opened and Jack walked in, followed closely by a tall, brown-haired man dressed in the green and khaki Class A Service Dress Uniform of a 2nd Lieutenant of the Marines.
"Lieutenant Bartowski, Thomas Harper. It's a pleasure to meet you. Jack speaks very highly of you." Harper said, rising and shaking his hand.
"Thank you sir." Chuck said. "But between you and me, Jack's been known to exaggerate a lot." Harper chuckled.
"That he does." Harper said. "Have a seat." Chuck walked over to an empty chair and sat down, scanning the room. Catching sight of Casey, he gave the NSA agent a small grin and nod, which Casey returned. Then his eyes fell on Sarah and did a double take. The last time he had seen her she had been pretty rough shape. He had been captivated by her then; now he was completely stunned. She was incredibly beautiful; almost like an angel. He felt her piercing blue eyes bore into his soul.
For her part, Sarah was equally as enthralled. At the time of her rescue she had been attracted by his deep brown eyes. Now, without all the body armor and equipment on him, she could easily see that he was quite attractive physically. In addition to being very tall, he had a swimmer's body, muscular and fit while still being lithe. She felt herself go slightly red as she imagined what he might look like out of that uniform. The sound of someone clearing their throat brought both out of their thoughts.
"Now that I have everyone's attention," Harper began, smiling slightly, "I suppose you are all wondering why you're here. Before we get to that, please read the Non-Disclosure Forms in front of you. When you're done, sign and date them. Everything we will be discussing here today is Top Secret - Codeword Classified. It is not to be discussed with anyone outside of this room. Period. If I find out anyone has leaked even the most minor detail, you will be arrested, and if you're lucky, dropped into the deepest, darkest hole we have. Or you will be sanctioned. What we are about to discuss is that sensitive." He looked around the room, gauging whether or not his words had gotten through. By the looks on all the faces, he had.
A few minutes later, after everyone had read their NDAs and signed them, he continued.
"You've all been asked here because you are at the top of the list in your respective agencies and fields. As you know, since 9/11 the U.S. and its allies have been engaged throughout the world battling Islamic terrorism. Before that, and still today, we were also fighting narco-terrorism and human trafficking. One of the major impediments to the success of these missions, and indeed a major contributing factor to the surprise we suffered on 9/11 was the lack of coordination between the various law enforcement, intelligence, and military agencies. Some of this was because of outdated statutory laws and regulations; some of it was because of institutional competition.
Shortly after 9/11, we were directed by the President, and subsequent acts of Congress, to begin sharing information and cooperating more closely. Over the last five years, we have made much progress. However, we can and must do better. That's what you already know.
What most of you don't know, or have only heard rumors of, is the fact that this country is engaged in another war; a domestic one. It is being waged against a rogue faction of the government that calls itself Fulcrum. This war has been going on for decades. They have compromised much of the government; they have no political allegiance save their own quest for power and have become master manipulators, working from the shadows to ferment distrust and conflict between our political parties, between the citizens and the government and between various agencies within our government.
As a result, the President has directed me to form a special joint counterterrorism task force. And that's where you come in. You all are the best field agents in your agencies. You will be this new task force. You will be supported by a small but equally skilled support staff. Our broad mission is to combat terrorism in whatever form comes our way. First and foremost in accomplishing that is the destruction of Fulcrum."
"How's this going to work?" A slim black haired woman asked. "This Fulcrum as you call sounds like a completely domestic organization. NSA and CIA don't have the legal authority to operate domestically. And using the military is a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, not to mention against Pentagon policy."
"Excellent question, Agent Forrest." Harper replied. "First, the National Security Act, the Patriot Act, the Intelligence Services Act, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and the Intelligence Oversight Act all make allowances for the CIA and NSA to provide support to the FBI in its role as the counterintelligence authority and law enforcement. Second, Posse Comitatus only applies when not superseded by other acts of Congress. Even then it technically only applies to the Army and Air Force as they are specifically called out in the law. It's been DoD policy to apply this to the Navy and Marines, but strictly speaking, they are not covered by Posse Comitatus. And it only applies to military personnel on active duty and acting in an official military capacity. Regardless, several acts of Congress, specifically the Military Assistance to Law Enforcement Act, does provide for military assistance to law enforcement in a technical or logistics supply role. Finally, under both the Constitution and the Insurrection Act of 1807, in the case of domestic insurrection, the President can utilize the military to put down the insurrection.
After consultation with the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Defense, along with the DNI, the Attorney General, and the Ranking Members of the Judiciary, Intelligence Oversight, and Armed Services committees, the President has issued a National Security and Homeland Security finding that Fulcrum is in fact a domestic insurrection against the legitimate state and federal governments, thereby bypassing the Posse Comitatus Act. However, since we don't want a panic, we are going to take advantage of a loophole in the Judiciary Act of 1789 which created the U.S. Marshals Service, and Title 28 USC Chapter 37. Under both of those acts, the Marshals have the authority to serve and enforce federal writs and warrants and pursue fugitives, and are granted authority to exercise the same powers as local law enforcement. They also have statutory and common law power to deputize civilians."
"And all that means is?" Chuck asked.
"Effective immediately, all NSA and CIA field personnel on the team are being deputized by the Marshal Service. Further, any military personnel assigned are "officially" being transferred to their service's reserve component and likewise deputized. That takes care of the Domestic angle. To cover overseas operations, all law enforcement personnel are going to be "officially" enrolled in either the naval reserve or the marine reserve." Harper said. "When operating Domestically, this unit will come under the joint command of DoJ and DHS. For International ops, we will be under the DoD and DNI."
"Where will we be operating out of?" Carina asked.
"Officially, the members of this team have been assigned to the National Counter Terrorism Center as analysts or liaisons. Unofficially, we'll operate out of MCB Quantico. Besides having the advantage of being a Marine base, it also has a secure air field used by the Presidential Helicopter Squadron, ample training facilities, and houses the FBI and BATFE training academies. Luckily they have a building just suited to our purposes that we've spent the last couple of months retrofitting for our needs." Harper responded. "Now that that's out of the way, I think introductions are in order. As you know, my name is Thomas Harper. I'm going to be in overall command of this outfit. To my right is Supervisory Special Agent Stanley Madsen (FBI), who will be my Executive Officer. Starting on my left and moving right are Major John Casey (NSA), Agent Sarah Walker (CIA), Special Agent Patrick O'Day (FBI), Agent Andrea Price (Secret Service), Agent Carina Miller (DEA), 2nd Lieutenant Chuck Bartowski (USMC), Lieutenant Frank Parker (DIA), Agent Jack Ryan (CIA), Agent Jason Burton (DSS), Agent Samantha Ness (BATFE), Agent Alex Forrest (USMS), and Captain Jennifer O'Connor (USAF). You will meet the support staff later. Just know they have all been vetted and are as highly respected in their fields and agencies as you are in yours." The occupants of the room looked around and acknowledged one another in greeting. Just then the door opened and a middle-aged woman and a young man of Indian descent walked in and sat down.
Now for the next part of this briefing. Is anyone here familiar with Project Omaha?" Sarah's eyes widened slightly at hearing that. "Yes, Agent Walker?" Sarah remained quiet for a moment; as far as she knew all details of Omaha were still classified and no one in the room had been cleared for it.
"That's alright, Agent Walker." Madsen said, handing a folder too her. Inside was a signed letter stating that the details of Project Omaha to those in the room. It was co-signed by the President, the DNI, and CIA Director Foley. Sarah nodded.
"Shortly before 9/11 the CIA/NSA began a joint development project, creating a computer that would house all the intelligence data the two agencies collected and would then analyze the data searching for patterns that analysts did not. This computer was called the Intersect." Walker began. "Most of the intelligence community has at least heard rumors of that part of the project. What very few had any clue about however, was that there was a second part of the project. There was a theory that by encoding the data into images, the data could be "uploaded" for lack of a better term, directly into an field agent's head, allowing to function as a "human intersect" in the field."
"You're talking about subliminal messaging." Chuck interjected. At everyone's surprised look, he continued. "I took a course on it at Stanford. But not everyone is as susceptible to subliminal messaging as others; in addition, memory retention rate differences mean that even if someone was susceptible, they may not be able to recall the information."
"Very good, Lieutenant." the woman said.
"This is Dr. Elizabeth Michaels. Her colleague is Dr. Manoosh Depak. They were both leading scientists on the Intersect program." Harper said.
"The Lieutenant is absolutely correct; without both being susceptible to subliminal messaging and having a minimum 92% retention rate, any host that has the Intersect would be unable to recall the information. What we didn't know at the the time was that for anyone who had a retention rate below 96%, the Intersect upload would short-circuit the brain, causing personality changes and suppression to some of the higher level functions, such as those governing decision making." Dr. Michaels said. "The only agent to successfully upload it soon became erratic and the Intersect was removed and the project scrapped."
"So that's what happened to Agent Larkin." Sarah said. Chuck snorted.
"Don't kid yourself; Bryce was always a little high strung and made questionable decisions. Sounds like all this Intersect thing did was make it more pronounced or harder for him to hide it." Chuck said.
"I'm afraid Lieutenant Bartowski is right. Among the documents that former Deputy Director Graham suppressed at the time is several psyche evaluations dating to his recruitment all the way through his involvement with Project Omaha. Basically Larkin should have never even been recruited, never mind allowed near the Intersect. The doctors diagnosed him with Narcissistic Personality Disorder and borderline Psychopathy and Sociopathy disorders. If it weren't for Graham's meddling, he would never had been recruited or allowed to serve as long as he had." Harper said. "Which brings us to the present. Lieutenant Bartowski, I assume you've been wondering why you were chosen for this team?"
"Yes sir. I'm sure there are more experienced and qualified special operators that would be perfect for this mission. Maybe someone from the SEALS or Delta Force." Chuck said, although he was beginning to get a nagging feeling at the back of his head.
"I'm afraid you're wrong there. There is literally no one that has the qualification that you do" Harper said. "To explain, I'm afraid I'm going to have to go into some person history. I apologize in advance for bringing it up but it's important to this discussion.
Five years ago, while attending Stanford University, you were roommates and friends with Bryce Larkin. Earlier you mentioned a course in subliminal messaging that you took. That course was one of several instituted at various universities to help identify potential CIA recruits, specifically for Project Omaha. That was how Larkin was recruited. But you, Lieutenant Bartowski, were also targeted for recruitment. According to your test results, you scored a 98% retention rate. Unfortunately, Mr. Larkin decided he didn't want competition for the Intersect program and approached Professor Fleming under the guise of being concerned for your emotional ability to handle the life. He forced Fleming to frame you for cheating, thereby ensuring you wouldn't be recruited.
Last year, Fulcrum agents discovered Professor Fleming. Rather than risk capture and torture, Fleming decided to take his life, but not before reporting to CIA that he had been found and destroying his files. Save a handful. That was how we discovered that you had indeed been framed, your scores and Larkin's deceit. It was also how we discovered the evidence that led to DDO Graham being arrested. You see Bartowski, you should have gotten the Intersect all along. And that's why you're here. The decision has been made to restart Omaha and we need you for that. In addition to your regular mission, you will test the viability of using a human intersect in the field. The rest of the team will serve as your protectors as well as your partners."
"Do I have a choice?" Chuck asked.
"Of course, Lieutenant." Harper said. "You're involvement purely voluntary; we're not going to force anyone to do something against their will. So you are free to decline. But I will ask that you accept. This could have significant impact to our counterterrorism efforts."
"Ok. I'm in." Chuck said, turning to Dr. Michaels. "You said that you believed the issues with Bryce were because his retention rate was too low? What if you're wrong? Are you planning to dump the whole thing in my head at once or are we talking about a phased approach? Obviously from Agent Walker's story it can be removed, but how do you know it won't cause any permanent damage?" The others in the room looked on impressed not only at Chuck's instant acceptance of his role, but also at his questions.
"All excellent questions, Lieutenant." Dr. Michaels said. "Based on the records of Mr. Larkin before, during, and after the previous failed Intersect program, I believe there should be no long term damage from the Intersect itself. First, your profile does not indicate any of the psychological issues that Mr. Larkin was already saddled with prior to his Intersect upload. Second, as stated before, your retention rate is higher than the minimal threshold we have established. To be safe, will do a number of smaller test uploads and removals over the next month or so to be sure."
"Good." Chuck said. "Agent Harper, I do have one other concern; how are we going to pull off posing as Marshals, for those of us not in law enforcement, or military, for those of us in law enforcement? I mean, I understand some of the skills and what not do overlap but it seems to me we're going to have to pretty convincing for this work."
"We've arranged for a portion of The Point, the sister site to Camp Peary, to be set aside for the next few weeks under the guise of training and planning for an top secret military operation; It's a very secure facility and we've already discreetly vetted the security personnel there. You will all be flown there aboard a secure C-130 from Andrews and spend the next couple weeks there cross-training each other." Madsen said. "The area we selected is on a remote part of the base and that area of North Carolina is pretty sparse. So go home and get packed. A full set of military kit will be waiting for all law enforcement and intelligence personnel at your residence. Report to Andrews Air Force Base in four hours."
C-130 Transport
Somewhere over Virginia
Five Hours Later
Chuck's POV
Chuck sat in one of the transports jump seats, reflecting on the events of the last few hours. Around him, the other members of the task force were talking and getting to know one another.
Bryce-Fucking-Larkin. Tried to ruin my life so he can play James Bond. Chuck thought. He didn't know how he felt after the revelations of the past few hours. He was angry of course, but mixed with the anger was something else. Gratitude, sort of. While he could have done without the being kicked out of school and having his girlfriend stolen part, Chuck had to admit that a lot of good had come out of it. It had opened him up to other life paths and forced him to grow up. It had put him in a position to join the Marines after 9/11 and he wouldn't trade his time there for anything; he loved being a Marine. Besides, in the end, Bryce had failed in what he was trying to prevent. Chuck had his degree and was on his way to becoming part of the Intersect project. And if he hadn't been kicked out and joined the Marines, he never would have made the friends he had, like Casey and Jack Ryan. Thoughts of what he would have given up caused him to turn to the blonde CIA agent sitting a few seats down.
On the other hand, if it wasn't for that asshole, I might have spent the last six years partnered with her. Chuck thought. He was surprised at the feelings this thought brought up inside him. It reminded him of how he felt when Bryce had first introduced to him to Jill. But different at the same time. To be honest, he had felt this way when he first laid on eyes on her over year ago, when his unit had rescued her and Bryce. Then when he saw her again a few hours ago it was like he had been hit with a stun gun. Casey had teased the heck out of him on the ride after they left the DNI, having offered to take Chuck back to Quantico to get his stuff, for his reaction to Sarah upon entering the meeting.
Then Casey had told him what he knew about Sarah Walker. Chuck had been impressed listening to Casey talk about the Enforcer, as much because of the sound of respect in Casey's voice as because of the exploits he told him about. John Casey was not a man of many words or one for expressing feelings. So for Casey to speak about her the way that he did, meant that she was something special. Chuck promised himself that the first opportunity he got, he would get to know her better.
Sarah's POV
Across the fuselage, sitting several seats down, Sarah was lost in her own thoughts. Unlike Chuck her mind was focused solely on one thing: 2nd Lieutenant Charles Bartowski. After her rescue and return to the States, she had looked up his file in the CIA database. To say she was impressed had been an understatement. A self-describe nerd, he certainly didn't fit her view of the stereotypical Marine. A part of her knew that that was unfair; in truth most of the Marines she had meet were far from the dumb knuckle draggers that many of her colleagues at CIA like to claim they were. But even so, Bartowski was clearly in a class all by himself. His high school and college records (up until his expulsion) were impressive. And despite his nerdy exterior and background, his records since joining the Marines were even more impressive. What got her most though was the reverence John Casey had spoke with when talking about him. It was not easy to impress John Casey.
And let's face it, he's extremely hot. Sarah thought to herself. God, listen to me. I sound like Carina. That made her smile; she and Carina had rode to Andrews together and her friend had alternated between drooling over the men on the team (including Chuck) and teasing Sarah for her reaction when Chuck walked into the room, before switching to talking about how she wouldn't mind going after Chuck herself.
Too bad, Carina. You're not going to get the chance. Sarah thought. He's not the type to fall for your hyper-aggressive moves. She glanced a few seats over, just in time to see him look at her, clearly checking her out. She smiled at him slyly.
Besides, he's going to be mine. she thought.
