Author's Note: My apologies for the delay in updating a new chapter. First, I was suffering from a pretty wicked cold for several days and didn't feel like writing. Then when I was up to writing, I found I was suffering a bit of writer's block the other day when trying to write this chapter, and to take my mind off it, I performed an exercise of figuring out which actors/actresses I would have portray my characters in this story. Believe it or not, this helped me get passed my writer's block. I think it also helps give a mental image of what they all would look like, in rough terms. So here's my list. Characters with an '*' by them have not been introduced…yet. Any characters not listed below means they are portrayed by the same people who played them in the series/movie.
BTW, i'm giving bonus points to whomever can recognize the nod to the Tom Clancy universe in this chapter. Here's a hint: it has nothing to do with any of the characters of Team Intersect.
Cannon characters from Chuck portrayed by different actors/actresses
Alexandra Forest – Summer Glau
Cannon characters from Tom Clancy Jack Ryanverse but never seen in movies
Patrick O'Day - Timothy Olyphant
Andrea Price – A.J. Cook
Ed Foley – Peter Gallagher
Mary Pat Foley – Kari Matchett
Original Characters
Stanley Madsen – Samuel L. Jackson
Frank Parker – Shemar Moore
Jason Burton – Lucas Black
Samantha Ness – Ronda Rousey
Jennifer O'Connor – Rachel Nichols
Elizabeth Michaels – Tamer Tunie*
Lacey Pearce – Alexandra Breckenridge*
Linda Munro – Nathalie Emmanuel*
Team Intersect Barracks
Secure Area
Harvey Point Defense Testing Activity (aka The Point)
Outside Hertford, North Carolina
May 31, 2006
"Porn?!" Alexandra Forrest exclaimed. "Seriously?!" The members of 'Team Intersect' as they had decided to call themselves, were sitting in the common area of the barracks that they had occupied since arriving at The Point three days earlier. Casey had immediately taken charge; setting up a training schedule that started at 0500 every day and continued until 1830. They would work on physical conditioning, unarmed combat, weapons training, and instruct each other in law enforcement, military, and intelligence skills and protocols. Every night, after training, they would gather in the common area to talk and get to know each other better.
"Yep." Jack said, grinning. "It was the damnedest thing I'd ever read; my Sergeant said the same thing. Hell, the regimental EOD team couldn't believe it either. And then Chuck tries to pass it off as though nothing happened."
"What the heck possessed you to try that?" Patrick O'Day asked Chuck in disbelief.
"Hey, I'm a nerd, remember? As soon as I saw the laptop and the wireless router, I figured it was worth a shot." Chuck said. "Besides, it's not like we had much of a choice. We would have been lucky to evacuate ourselves from the building, never mind get out of range of the bomb or be able to evacuate the civilians from the area."
The group got silent at Chuck's words. Despite their varied backgrounds, jobs, and agencies, it was the common thread that joined all good soldiers and law enforcement officers together: the desire to protect the innocent against the all too real monsters that existed in the world.
"Alright, enough of the serious stuff." Carina said, grinning. "Maybe Sarah and I should tell you guys about the CAT squad."
"CAT squad?" Andrea Price questioned.
"Stood for Clandestine Attack Team." Sarah said. "There were four of us: myself, Carina, Zondra Rizzo, and another agent named Amy; we never knew her last name."
"Wait, so you're saying this was an all female unit with the acronym CAT?" Samantha Ness asked, incredulously. "Who came up with that, some frat boy?" Laughter rang out among the group.
Team Intersect Barracks
Secure Area
Harvey Point Defense Testing Activity (aka The Point)
Outside Hertford, North Carolina
June 28, 2006
"This is the Intersect? Seems kinda disappointing." Chuck said, looking at the laptop computer and pair of dark sunglasses sitting on the table in front of him. Around him the rest of the team nodded in agreement.
"Not quite, Chuck." Dr. Michaels said from her seat across from him. "The actual Intersect and upload interface takes up an entire room in our lab. If or when we do a complete upload of the database into you, that's how we'll do it. This laptop and glasses are something we came up with to do smaller uploads."
"Like the test upload we're going to do today." Dr. Depak said from his position next to Dr. Michaels.
"You ready, Chuck?" Casey asked.
"Yeah." Chuck said, looking to his right, where Sarah was sitting. She reached out and held his hand. Chuck smiled; over the last several weeks he and Sarah had slowly begun to get close, first as teammates and now as friends. Given the intensity of their training, there hadn't yet been an opportunity for any more, but by unspoken agreement both knew that once training was over and they had some down time, that would change. He also glanced at the rest of his teammates. Being a Marine, Chuck was used to forming close bonds with others, especially under fire; but if he was honest with himself, this was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. It amazed him how after only four weeks the team had banded together almost like family. "Let's get this show on the road."
Dr. Michaels got up and placed the glasses onto his head. Then she connected a cable from the glasses to the laptop. She then walked back over to the laptop and sat down. She hit a couple of keys. Immediately hundreds of images began flashing in the glasses Chuck was wearing. This continued for about fifteen minutes before stopping. Once the images stopped, Chuck sagged in his chair, unconscious.
"Is that normal?" Jack asked concerned. Sarah and Casey had picked Chuck up and moved him to a couch, checking his pulse.
"Yes." Dr. Depak said. "Although the brain recognizes and takes in the information instantaneously, it still needs time to sort out the information in order to access it. The length of time he'll remain unconscious depends on the amount of information in the upload. In this test case, he should wake up anywhere from thirty to sixty minutes from now."
"If we do a full upload, chances are he'll be out a few hours." Dr. Michaels said.
"How soon do we know if it worked or if there's any side effects?" Jack asked.
"We should know if it worked within minutes of him waking up." Dr. Michaels answered. "We'll show him a series of images and have him listen to a series of audio cues related to the files that were in the upload. That should stimulate the brain to sort through the data and allow him to repeat the information. As far as side effects, studying the records of the previous attempts, especially Agent Larkin, we have a pretty good idea of what to look for. He'll probably have a headache for a short time after the upload and the first couple of initial flashes. Once his brain and body adjust to it, those should subside. Going back through the records, the first indications of a problem with Agent Larkin occurred within days of the download. It started as severe migraines, sleeplessness, and mood swings, followed by unreliable flashes of data."
"So as long as Chuck doesn't exhibit any headaches beyond the first few days, and none of the other symptoms, he should be ok." Dr. Depak said. "But we'll keep doing periodic checks to be sure."
Forty-Five Minutes Later…
"Ugggh." Chuck moaned as he opened his eyes. "Did anyone get the number of AT-AT that walked over my head?"
"AT-AT?" Sarah asked as she helped Chuck sit up.
"It's from Star Wars." Dr. Depak said. "AT-ATs are four-legged mechanical walker vehicles used by the Galactic Empire -"
"We get the picture." Casey said, interrupting.
"How are you feeling, Chuck?" Sarah asked.
"I could use a couple of aspirin." Chuck responded, shaking his head, trying to clear the cobwebs. Sarah walked over to the sink, poured a glass of water, and returned with it and a bottle of aspirin. Chuck stuck two tablets in his mouth and took a sip of the water, swallowing the tablets. "Thanks Sarah."
"Do you feel up to running a recognition test?" Dr. Michaels asked. At Chuck's nod, she pulled a photograph out of a manila file folder and showed it to him. Chuck briefly went slightly cross-eyed and eyelids fluttered, before he exhaled as though catching his breath.
"Damn." O'Day said. "My kid sister use to have minor seizures when she was younger; that's what it looked like Chuck just had."
"Yes, that seems to be how the 'flash' appears, at least at first. After a while it should get less pronounced." Dr. Michaels said. "Did you recognize the man in the picture, Chuck?"
"Colonel Mikhail Semyonovich Filitov of the Red Army. Former personal aide to the Soviet Minister of Defense." Chuck said. "Also a CIA informant, codenamed Cardinal, responsible for passing high level political, technical, and military intelligence for nearly thirty years. Died of heart disease six months after being extracted out of KGB custody by the CIA."
"Excellent." Dr. Michaels said. She put the picture back in the folder and produced another, showing it to him.
"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, former Gunnery Sergeant and U.S. Marine Corps scout/sniper." Chuck said. "Responsible for the assassination of Mexican drug lord Pedro Hernandez after he killed Gibbs's first wife Shannon and his eight year old daughter Kelly. Currently head of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service's major investigations team."
"Well, it appears that visual cues are working." Michaels said as she put the picture back into the folder. She then produced a digital recorder. "Let's try audio cues." She pressed play and the the group listened to a conversation, in Mandarin, between a man and a woman.
"That's President Hu Jintao of the People's Republic of China." Chuck said. "The woman is Liu Ming, his seventeen year old mistress. They're discussing their next rendezvous, where Jintao is asking her to quote 'put on a strap-on and ride his ass like the bitch he is' end quote." Snickers rounded the room at Chuck's translation of the conversation.
"It seems like the Intersect is working properly; both visual and audio cues elicited the proper response and the Mandarin language module we included was able to be accessed and properly used to translate the conversation." Dr. Depak said. "How do you feel? Is the headache any worse?"
"No, it's about the same as when I woke up." Chuck answered.
"That's a good sign." Michaels said. "Now we're going to verify that the removal process still works." She led Chuck over to the table again and after he sat down placed the glasses onto his face. After pressing a few more keys, Chuck went rigid for fifteen more minutes before slumping into his seat again, although this time he didn't lose consciousness.
"Damn that made my headache worse." Chuck complained.
"I'm sorry, Chuck." Michaels said, "I should have warned you. Between the upload, three flashes and then the removal, it was likely that the headache would get worse. Take a couple more aspirin. I'd suggest you go ahead and get some shut-eye early today. Your body will probably need at least 8-9 hours of sleep to shake off the effects."
"I'll help you to your room, Chuck." Sarah said, taking him by the arm and helping him up.
"Really, Walker? You think Chuckles is actually in any condition to be alone with you in his room right now?" Carina teased. The rest of the room laughed as Sarah flipped Carina the middle finger and led Chuck out of the common area.
Team Intersect Headquarters
MCB Quantico
Office of Thomas Harper
During Secure Video Conference
"What's the latest on the Intersect, Mr. Harper?" Director of Homeland Security William MacGregor asked. He, along with Attorney General Melissa Jones, CIA Director Foley, NSA Director General Diane Beckman, and DNI George Makin were on the screen in front of Harper.
"Our first round of testing today was successful. Lieutenant Bartowski was able to successfully upload the test data, and respond to both visual and audio cues. And Dr. Michaels was able to then extract the data back out of the Lieutenant's head." Harper answered.
"And side effects?" Director Foley asked.
"Just what was expected. He had a nasty headache but nothing serious. According to the good Dr., a couple of aspirins and a good night's sleep is all he'll need to be back to normal." Harper said. "We'll wait a couple days to be sure, then try a larger upload."
"And the team as a whole?" Attorney General Jones asked.
"According to Major Casey's reports, everything is going well. The team has bonded pretty quickly and have accomplished most of the training tasks we set out for them."
"Well, that's all well and good." General Beckman said, "but as nice as it is that they're getting along, I want to go on record, once again with my objections over the size of this team, and the proposed method of controlling the asset. This goes against every protocol -"
"Dammit Diane, we've been over this!" Director Foley interrupted. "Lieutenant Bartowski is NOT an asset. He's a decorated Marine who has volunteered for this assignment! This is not a criminal or foreign national that we've caught working in some nefarious plot that we've turned!"
"Furthermore, General, need I remind you've already voiced your objections, several times, to us and the President." DNI Makin said. "And he's rejected those objections. The issue is settled. Now either get behind the program, or turn in your resignation!" Beckman let out a sigh; she was beaten and she knew it.
"Of course, you're all right. My apologies." she said.
Secret Fulcrum Base
Somewhere in New Mexico
Three Days Later
"Good morning, Agent Larkin." the Fulcrum director said. "Please have a seat." Bryce walked over to the desk and sat down, staring at the man across from him.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" he asked.
"Yes. You've impressed your Fulcrum trainers, Agent Larkin. I understand you may be feeling a little annoyed about having to go through Fulcrum training given your skills and record, but it is policy, I'm afraid." he said. "But now that it is all over, it's time to put your talents to use."
"How?" Bryce asked in a huffing manner. It was true, he was upset at having to go through Fulcrum training like he was a wet-behind-the-ears recruit.
"Project Omaha." the director said. "Ever since the US intelligence community scrapped the program, Fulcrum has been investigating the possibility of building our own. We've even managed to secure the defection of Dr. Jonas Zarnow, one of the original scientists working on the project. He's been able to reproduce a lot of his original work; however, in order to proceed any further, he needs certain files that are part of the encoding program. If he gets them, he thinks he can make modifications that will fix the issues with the original Intersect program."
"Wasn't everything destroyed when the government scrapped the program?" Bryce asked skeptically, even though inside he was excited. If this Dr. Zarnow could get it working, maybe Bryce could get himself chosen for the Fulcrum Intersect. Then I can reek my revenge on those idiots at the CIA. And Sarah. he thought.
"That's what we believed." the Director said. "But several of our sources within the NSA and the Department of Homeland Security have reported rumors of late that the government may be restarting program. We don't know if this is true, but we do know that General Diane Beckman stopped the destruction of the Intersect equipment and files related to Omaha. No doubt she hoped that one day she could restart the program. According to our sources, it's being held in a secure NSA facility outside of DC."
"So what's the mission? Break in?" Bryce asked.
"No Agent Larkin; we here at Fulcrum don't like launching operations against targets with little to no intelligence." the Director said, taking a swipe at Bryce and his reputation. "Until we have proof, we're not going to risk it."
"Then what do you want me to do?" Bryce asked.
"Well, it's obvious isn't it, Agent Larkin." the Director replied. "We need proof; and there's one person who we know for sure probably knows that truth. We want you to take a team and kidnapped General Diane Beckman. Bring her to the Fulcrum facility in Richmond and get her to talk."
"You can count on me, Director." Bryce said.
"Good. But let me make one thing clear; there are to be no half-assed measures here. I expect this operation to be planned thoroughly. None of the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants nonsense you're famous for, Larkin. You have six weeks to plan the operation and rehearse. By the middle of August, I expect you to carry it out."
Team Intersect Barracks
Secure Area
Harvey Point Defense Testing Activity (aka The Point)
Outside Hertford, North Carolina
July 8, 2006
"Alright team, listen up." Harper said via secure video conference. All the members of the team, minus Major Casey and Jack, were gathered in the Common Area. "According to Major Casey, you're cross-training has come along nicely and the team is operating like a well-oiled machine. In addition, Dr. Michaels reports that based on the preliminary tests, it looks like all is good to do a full upload of the Intersected when you return to Quantico. Good work team."
"Thank you sir." multiple voices said.
"A transport will land at the airfield tomorrow morning to bring you back. Now, one last thing. 2nd Lieutenant Bartowski, atten-shun!" Harper said. Chuck shot to attention, wondering what was going on. A moment later, Casey walked into the Common Area, dressed in the Dress Blue uniform of the Marines. He stopped just short of Chuck.
"Second Lieutenant Bartowski, for heroism under fire while serving with the Marine Raider Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Echo Company in operations on or about February 4, 2005 in Tikrit, Iraq, it gives me great pleasure to inform you that you have been awarded the Silver Star for gallantry against in actions against an enemy of the United States." Casey intoned, producing a box from his pocket and opening it. He pulled out the medal and pinned it to Chuck's shirt. "Furthermore, it also gives me great pleasure to inform you that per direction of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of Defense, and the President of the United States, you are hereby promoted from to the rank of Captain, United States Marine Corps, effective this date." Casey produced another box, opened it and handed Chuck the silver "rail-road tracks" insignia of a Captain. He then saluted him. Chuck immediately returned the salute, as the rest of the team applauded.
"Alright, at ease everyone." Harper said. "Congratulations Chuck, you deserve it. Additionally, Major Casey has requested, and I've approved that request, that you be given the role of Executive Officer for the Operations Team. Now, you all have an early flight, but according to tradition, whenever an officer is promoted, there has to be a wetting down. Since you can't very well go out in public at the moment, I've decided to bring the Mountain to Mohammed, so to speak." At that the door opened and Jack stepped in, wheeling a keg on a cart. "Try to not over due it. Harper out."
Four hours later…
"Well, I think I'm going to call it a night." Casey said, standing up from his chair. The rest of the team, minus himself, Chuck and Sarah, had gone off to bed an hour earlier. "Once again, congratulations Chuck. You deserve it." With that he walked off towards the wing of the building where the male rooms were.
"And then there was two." Sarah said, grinning.
"Yeah, we should probably get some sleep too." Chuck said, but made no move to stand up. He and Sarah sat quietly, staring at one another for several minutes in silence.
"Chuck-"
"Sarah-"
Both giggled as they each tried to talk at the same time.
"I'm sorry, go ahead." Chuck said.
"No, you go." Sarah said. Chuck took a deep breathe and then released it.
"Sarah, I was wondering, when we get back to Quantico, if we get some down time, would you be interested in going out to dinner with me?" he asked.
"You mean like a date?" Sarah asked, hoping she was interpreting correctly.
"Yeah." Chuck said. Sarah stood up and walked over to Chuck, leaning over him and pressing her lips to his. A moment later she pulled back.
"There's nothing more I'd like." Sarah said as she walked towards the female wing of the barracks.
"Oh, boy." Chuck said.
