Team Intersect Headquarters
AKA Castle
MCB Quantico
Quantico, VA
Intersect Lab
July 9, 2006
"Alright Chuck, because of the size of the upload we're going do this time around, we're going to have to go about this a little differently." Dr Michaels said. "I want you to lay down on the bed. We've already got it set up so you'll be in a sitting position to see the monitors. This way when you pass out, you'll already be laying down. I'm not sure how long you'll be out, but either myself or Dr. Mueller myself will be here to monitor your condition while you're out."
Chuck glanced over at Jack's fiancé. That had been a surprise; unbeknownst to Jack (or the rest of the team), Harper had decided that a second Doctor should be added to the support staff. Since Cathy Mueller had graduated from medical school and completed her residency with top marks, had been working as a trauma specialist in a DC hospital, and most importantly had already been vetted because of her personal relationship to Jack, Harper had decided that she was a natural choice.
Chuck walked over to the bed and sat down. Dr. Michaels then attached several sensors to him to monitor his vitals and brain activity. Then her, Cathy, and Dr. Depak put dark glasses on. Dr. Michaels nodded to Dr. Depak who then initiated the Intersect.
Thousands upon thousands of images began flashing by on the screens in front of Chuck, who stared at the monitors as though in a trance. Dr. Michaels checked the read outs on the computer monitoring Chuck's vitals and brain activity. She continued to monitor things for the next 6 hours, before the images stopped flashing and the Intersect screens went dark. Chuck slumped back into the bed, unconscious. Cathy used the bed's controls to lower him into a lying position with his he just slightly elevated.
"Let's get an IV in him to make sure he stays hydrated and give him something to head off the migraine he's going to have." Dr. Michaels said, looking at Cathy. "You take the first shift monitoring him and I'll relieve you in 8 hours."
Office of Thomas Harper
A few minutes later
"How'd it go?" Harper asked as she walked into his office.
"The upload appeared to be successful. He's unconscious right now, will be for some time, probably at least 12 hours, maybe more." Dr. Michaels said. "I left Dr. Mueller to monitor him. I'll relieve her in 8 hours and we'll keep trading shifts so one of us will be here until he wakes up and we're sure there are no other immediate side effects."
"Any restrictions on visitors? I know his teammates will probably want to check in on him." Harper said.
"Yeah, especially Sarah." Dr. Michaels said, chuckling slightly. "But no, no restrictions." Harper chuckled as well; it had become well known among the project members that Sarah and Chuck had begun to develop a special relationship, though that relationship had yet to move officially into the "romantic" phase. If what Casey and Jack had told him about the last night the team was in trading was true, he didn't think it would be long, however.
Intersect Lab
Later that day
"How's he doing?" Sarah asked Cathy. It had been seven hours since Chuck's upload and he was still unconscious.
"His vitals are good Sarah. We're giving him IV fluids and pain relievers, so hopefully when he wakes up the headache won't be too bad." Cathy responded.
"How much longer?" Sarah asked.
"We're not 100% sure, but we think he'll be out another 4-6 hours." Cathy replied.
"Is it ok if I wait with him?" Sarah asked. Cathy nodded, and gave her a small smile.
"Sure. The chair is a recliner. It may be a while, so I'll bring you a blanket and pillow." Cathy said.
Six Hours later...
Chuck groaned slightly as his eyes slowly opened. The room was fairly dark, with only a small light near the door on and the light and sounds of his IV and vitals monitor disturbing the darkness. He felt a hand covering his right hand and turned to look. A smile came to his face. Sarah had moved the recliner next to his bed and was curled up in it, sleeping. Her left hand was reaching over and grasping his hand.
God she's beautiful. He thought, flushing slightly. I can't wait until I'm out of this damn lab and we can go on that date. Of course based on their already deep friendship, the subtle flirting and hints exchanged, and the kiss she had given him last night, it was likely that their date (and any future ones) were more in the way of a nod to formality and propriety. Both of their backgrounds (her experience with her failed relationship with Bryce, and his with Jill - not too mention his upbringing by his sister and his natural sense of honor) demanded that while they knew they were headed towards something very deep, very passionate, and probably long term, that they would at least try to take it reasonably slow.
A noise at the door brought Chuck out of his musings. He saw Dr. Michaels walk in.
"How are you feeling?" Dr. Michaels asked, quietly.
"Sore from being in this bed. Plus a small headache, but it's not too bad." Chuck answered. "How long was I out?" Dr. Michaels took a quick look at her watch.
"About 13 hours." She said. "Your vitals look good, if it wasn't the already 2200 hours I'd probably be willing to discharge you after a short examination and test. I think the best idea is to keep you here until tomorrow morning."
"Is there anyone around that can take Sarah home?" Chuck asked.
"Oh no, I'm wouldn't dream of waking her up and trying to send her home. Harper, Casey, and Carina tried earlier. Let's just say a mama grizzly bear protecting her young is less scary." Dr. Michaels said grinning. "Besides you both look comfortable. I say enjoy it."
Chuck nodded and closed his eyes. Within a few minutes he fell back to sleep.
Blue Ridge Apartment Complex
Outside of Stafford, Va
20 minutes from MCB Quantico
Sunday, July 10, 2006
"We're there, Chuck." Sarah said from the driver's side of her Porsche 911, breaking Chuck out of his thoughts. He had been alternating between amazement at the results of that morning's Intersect recall tests and thinking about his upcoming date with Sarah later that night.
Chuck has been impressed with the intel and language recall tests they had performed at The Point during their team training/integration time. But the tests run this morning dwarfed those.
Begin Flashback
"Okay Chuck, the intel recall seems to still check out okay. Now lets try some skill recall." Dr. Michaels said. The entire team was assembled in the workout portion of the Team Intersect facility. She motioned to Agent Forrest, who came forward carrying two Samurai swords. She handed one to Chuck, then stepped back into the ready position. Chuck closed his eyes for a moment while the steps for Samurai sword fighting flashed through his mind.
"Ready." he said. A moment later, Agent Forrest attacked. Immediately, Chuck began to parry her attack, almost as if Intersect had taken control of his body. The two combatants fought for fifteen minutes, with neither gaining the upper hand, until finally Chuck performed a blazing combination of moves that left Forrest disarmed and at the point of Chuck's swords.
"Damn." Forrest whispered. She had been studying Samurai sword fighting since she was a teenager and to her knowledge Chuck had never even picked one up before. Around them, the rest of the team watched in shock as well.
End Flashback
There were several more tests like that, both in obscure fighting styles and other skills he hadn't possessed before. Afterwards, Sarah had volunteered to take him back to his apartment, and before they had gotten off the base, they had made plans to go on their first date later that night. It was for those reasons that Chuck had completely missed the fact that they had not taken the route to his apartment in Arlington, and instead were in front of a small, well kept but dated apartment complex in Stafford.
"Uh, Sarah why are we here?" Chuck asked confused. Sarah smiled, she had asked Harper to allow her to break this news to Chuck.
"Chuck, with the Intersect in your head, we're going to need to increase your security. As nice as your apartment was, it really wasn't in a conducive location." Sarah said. "Harper decided the best thing would be to move you to another apartment in a complex closer to the base and where there were additional apartments vacant that we could move two or three additional team members into for added protection."
"Okay." Chuck said. "That makes sense I guess, but here? Look at it; it's horribly outdated."
"Trust me Chuck; it's not that bad. Yes the complex is dated; but it was mostly empty when the government approached the owner about buying. So it was pretty easy to get the few tenets out. They spent the last three months refurbishing the inside; I'm told by Harper that on the inside it will compete with any modern apartment complex. Not to mention all the security upgrades: cameras, sensors, bullet proof glass, etc." Sarah said.
"Alright, if you say so. Let's see it." Chuck said. The two exited Sarah's car and walked into the courtyard. Sarah led Chuck to a door in the middle of the row of apartments. She entered a code into the electronic keypad lock on the door, then looked at the security camera just above it. A moment later the door clicked open.
"The cameras on all the doors are hooked into a computer system running facial recognition software; when the system is turned on, only a combination of the approved security code and authorized face will allow the door to open." Sarah said as they stepped into the apartment. Chuck's eyes widened slightly as he got his first look inside the apartment. True to her word, the inside of the apartment looked nothing like the outdated appearance on the outside. It reminded him of the apartment he and his sister had lived in grown up after their parents moved it. It was very modern, spacious, and decorated in what could only be described as a warm but hip style.
"There's two bedrooms." Sarah said. "We figured that there would be the possibility of your sister and soon to be brother-in-law visiting on occasion." She walked over to the side table by the door and picked up a small book. "This goes into all the detail on the security system and other features in the house. All of which are disguised in such a way that they won't notice when they're here."
"Well, I have to say this is much better that I thought it would be." Chuck said, then a thought hit him. "So who from the team gets stuck with babysitting duty?"
"Well, the original complex had twelve units. Harper said that six of them, including yours, have been refurbished into secure living spaces. One or two more have be turned into auxiliary operations centers for use in emergencies. The rest are empty. So Harper figured that since the plan is to operate two go teams, that you're team would all reside here." she said.
"Ok." Chuck said. "But that still doesn't answer my question. Harper never got around to telling us…" Chuck stopped as he saw Sarah grinning. "Wait a minute. You know, don't you?"
"Yep." Sarah said.
"Well don't keep me in suspense. How are we dividing the team up?" Chuck asked.
"Well, Agents O'Day, Price, Burton, and Ness will be on your team." Sarah said.
"That's only four." Chuck said. "With me, that's fifth. Who's the sixth?" Sarah's smile widened slightly.
"Me." she said.
Team Intersect Headquarters
AKA Castle
MCB Quantico
Quantico, Va
Sunday, July 10, 2006
"I still don't see why I couldn't be on Chuck's team." Carina whined. She was seated at a conference table with Casey, Lt. Parker, Captain O'Connor, and Agents Forrest and Ryan. Casey had just announced the plan to split the team into 2 "go" teams; each team would spend 24 hours on duty and 24 hours off. In extreme emergencies, both teams could be put on duty. He had also explained who would make up the teams; the members of Chuck's team had been informed earlier.
"Look Miller, Harper figured this was the best way to divide things up." Casey said exasperatedly. "Face it; you're too much of a loose cannon to have on Chuck's team; he needs people he can rely on. Not to mention his relationship with Sarah means that having you around would be like pouring gasoline on fire."
"He's right Carina." Jack jumped in. "You're a hell of an agent, but the last thing we need is you and Sarah living next to Chuck fighting over him."
"Fine." Carina said, still pouting slightly. "You're right. But I still feel like the fat kid that got picked last in gym class."
"Don't be ridiculous." Casey said. "You're here on the project because you're one of the best. Harper had to split us up into two groups, deal with it. We can't risk having the whole damn team living in one location."
"Besides, there's a certain logic to how we got divided up." Parker said. "Each team is a mix of intelligence, military, and law enforcement. Which means no matter which team is on duty, it'll have the requisite personnel and skills to deal with whatever comes up."
"Exactly." Casey said. "So here's the plan. The on duty team will spend their time here at headquarters. We've got six small rooms set up with a cot and basic necessities to be used while they're here. We're the first team up on rotation, starting tomorrow morning. So go home, get some rest, and report back here tomorrow at 0700."
Manetti Familia Restaurante
Arlington, VA
Sunday, July 10, 2006
"Ah, Charles! So good to see you again." Alfonso, the owner said when he saw Chuck and Sarah walk into the restaurant. The team had spent the afternoon moving into their new apartments and getting familiar with the security systems. At about 6 o'clock Chuck and Sarah had excused themselves to get ready for their date. Chuck had been breathless when he had seen Sarah in the red dress she was wearing. They took Chuck's Chevy Camaro Z1 that he had bought after graduating OCS to Arlington and had just arrived at the restaurant.
"Good to see you too, Alfonso." Chuck said. Alfonso Manetti was a sixty year old Italian-American whose son Dominic had gone through boot camp with Chuck and had served with him in Afghanistan. When Dominic had heard that Chuck was going to OCS, he had insisted the Chuck stop by his family's restaurant before starting gate class. Upon learning of Chuck's identity on that first visit, Alfonso had gone out of his way to treat his son's comrade as a VIP. Chuck had been back several times since, always alone. On his last visit, Alfonso had chided him for never bringing a date.
"And who, may I ask is this angelic vision of loveliness?" Alfonso asked, smiling.
"This is Sarah." Chuck said. "My date." Alfonso's smile widened as he took Sarah's hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it.
"A pleasure, Sarah. And might I add, Charles, it's about time." He said as he let go of Sarah's hand and motioned the two of them into the dining room.
The restaurant's main diminish area was small, with perhaps no more than a dozen or so tables, mostly of 2 to 4 place variety. It was decorated in a Tuscan theme with soft lighting and music playing in the background. There were 3 or 4 other couples already seated and in various stages of their meal. Alfonso led the pair to a table in the back corner of the room. Chuck pulled a chair out for Sarah, and then sat down after she had taken a seat. A few moments later their waitress came over to take their drink orders.
"I'll have a glass of the house red." Sarah said.
"Water for me." Chuck said. "After all, I'm driving." The waitress nodded and walked off.
"So you've been here before?" Sarah asked, curious as to the familiarity the owner had shown Chuck.
"Yeah. Alfonso's son and I went to boot camp together." Chuck said. "We were friendly, then went our separate ways. He became a supply specialist; I went infantry. We got assigned to the same unit in Afghanistan. He was always going on about his family's restaurant. We kept in touch after Afghanistan. When he heard I had been accepted to OCS he made me promise to look the place up. When Alfonso found out who I was, it was like he adopted me. Wouldn't even let me pay for my meal that first time. I've been back a couple of time since. He's a good guy, and the food is to die for." Sarah smiled listening to Chuck talk about his fellow Marine and his family.
A moment later the waitress brought their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. Sheepishly, Chuck and Sarah realized that they had yet to look at their menus and asked for a few more minutes.
"So Chuck, since you've been here before, what do you recommend?" Sarah asked as she scanned the menu.
"Depends on what you're in the mood for. Do you want something hearty or light?" Chuck asked. Sarah thought for a moment.
"Well, that depends on where we're going next?" Sarah asked. Chuck had only said that he had additional plans after dinner.
"I was thinking we'd go dancing." Chuck said, silently thanking Ellie for forcing him to take dance lessons when he was younger. "There's a club not far from here I've been to a few times. Nothing fancy but it's also not packed to the gills with college kids." Sarah quirked an eyebrow at this. Somehow, Chuck didn't strike her as the type that was a dancer, but apparently looks could be deceiving.
"Sounds like I'll need my energy." Sarah said. "How about something in the middle?"
"Well, then I'd go with with their Grilled Salmon with Preserved Lemon." Chuck said. "It comes with a Caprese salad on the side."
Just then the waitress came back and took their orders. Sarah went with Chuck's recommendation while he ordered the Chicken Scarpariello.
As they waited for their meal, they talked about various subjects. Because of the friendship that had developed between the two, reinforced by having spent almost every day for the last three months together in training and their already deep feelings, there was none of the typical "first date" awkwardness. To be sure, some of the conversations were difficult, but more because of the feelings those subjects evoked then any concern about discussing them with the other person. Chuck told Sarah the details around his parents leaving him and Ellie and the two siblings raising themselves. Sarah of course knew the basic facts already, having read his file shortly after his unit had rescued her and Bryce. But those files had been pretty sanitary and impersonal. She couldn't help but feel both a little sad at Chuck and his sister's trials in life and impressed at the same time. Despite everything, the two Bartowski siblings had grown up to be rather well-adjusted and incredible people in Sarah's mind.
In return, Sarah talked more about her own childhood and experiences with her con man father and her time in the CIA (albeit quietly and carefully, considering they were in public) before Iraq. Like Sarah, Chuck found himself experiencing sadness and being impressed by what Sarah had overcome at such a young age, and her dedication to her job.
Club 500
Arlington, Va
Later that night
After an enjoyable dinner, both in terms of the quality of the meal and the quality of the company, Chuck and Sarah had walked arm-in-arm the two blocks from the restaurant to the nightclub Chuck had mentioned. Unlike the restaurant, the nightclub was anything but quiet. A live local band was playing that night, and judging by the crowd present, they were a popular one.
After finding a seat at a table on the periphery of the dance floor, and ordering some drinks (a mojito in Sarah's case and another water in Chuck's), they sat for about fifteen minutes just listening as the band played. They seemed to be playing an eclectic mixture of music, covering several genres. Finally the band leader announced that they would be slowing things down and began playing a slow song. Chuck stood up and extended his hand to Sarah.
"May I have this dance?" he asked. Sarah smiled and nodded, standing up. They walked out onto the dance floor and Chuck took her into his arms and the two began to dance.
Two Hours Later...
"You're a really good dancer, Chuck" Sarah commented as the two walked from the nightclub towards the parking garage where they had parked. "Did you take lessons or was that the Intersect?"
"No Intersect." Chuck said. "Ellie's responsible for my dance skills. When I was in middle school she decide I needed to learn. Turns out I actually enjoyed it so I kept the lessons up all through high school. Turned out to be a pretty good survival skill to have."
"Really? How so?" Sarah asked, intrigued.
"Well, believe it or not, I was a pretty big nerd growing up." Chuck said. "Still am as a matter of fact. I'm just more rounded then I was back then. Anyway, as you know, nerds usually don't have the most socially uplifting experiences in high school. Luckily for me, one or two of the girls in my class went to the same dance studio I did. Word got around pretty quick that I had game, at least when it came to dancing. So while there wasn't exactly a line of girls lining up to date me, there were plenty that would seek me out at dances. Hell even the captain of our cheerleading squad would drag me into the dance floor. So, while I still got targeted for being a nerd, the harassment was always pretty restrained compared to what others got. Those girls seemed to be afraid of losing a decent dance partner if they didn't reign in the jocks and other popular guys."
They had just entered the parking garage when the flash hit him. There had been two men on the ground level standing by two nondescript cars. One was lifting a large case out of one car and placing it into another. As he caught sight of the face, the Intersect flashed.
A humming bird
A waterfall
A painting
A series of men being killed
A file labeled La Ciudad
Henrich Altemier,German smuggler
Sarah felt Chuck tense up and looked at him. Seeing the visual indication of the flash she leaned her head into his shoulder and whispered, "What's up, Chuck?"
"Are you armed?" Chuck whispered. "The two guys back there; one of them is Henrich Altemier. He specializes in smuggling weapons. According to the Intersect he's the latest in a chain of men tied to a painting that originated in Iran. All the others are dead. Even more interesting is the fact that he seems to an arms dealer called La Ciudad."
"Yes, I have my backup gun and my knives." Sarah answered. "What the hell would a weapons smuggler, not to mention La Ciudad, want with a painting?"
"Good. I've got my sidearm as well. As for the painting, I'm not sure." Chuck said. "But I know one thing: anything being smuggled into the US from Iran can't be good. We better check it out."
Both agents drew their sidearms and turned back. As they did so, they saw one of the men raise a silenced gun and fire at the other man twice. Immediately they took off running towards the man.
Smuggler's POV
Henrich got out of his car when the driver of the car parked next to him did. He walked around the back of the car and approached his contact.
"Mr. White?" he asked, using the alias he had been instructed to use.
"Yes, Mr. Green." his contact responded, using the alias assigned to Henrich. "Do you have the package?"
"Yes." Henrich responded. "Do you have my money?" Mr. White nodded, turned to his trunk and opened it. He took a small black bag out of it and threw it at Henrich's feet. Henrich picked it up and opened the the bag. Several stacks of $100 dollar bills were visible. Nodding, he put the back down and turned to his own trunk. As he did so he noticed a young couple enter the garage about 100 feet away. He watch them for a second, then turned back to his trunk. He opened it and lifted a large container out of it, and turned, carrying it to his contact's car. He placed it in the trunk and then straighten.
"Thank you." Mr. White said, something in his voice sending alarm through Henrich. He turned to see Mr. White holding a gun with a silencer.
"No-" started to say, reach for his own gun before Mr. White pulled the trigger twice, hitting him in the heart. He slumped to the ground, dead. Mr. White grabbed the bag of money and closed the trunk. As he did so he heard footsteps running towards him.
"FREEZE! FEDERAL AGENTS!" a voice shouted. He recognized the young couple from a few minutes earlier come running towards him, guns drawn. He fired several shots at them, causing them to take cover behind a pillar. He then opened the driver side door of his car and jumped. In a flash he had the ignition started and threw it in reverse, then into drive and sped off towards the exit.
When they heard the car start, Sarah and Chuck came out from behind the column, firing at the car, though it kept moving, speed out of the garage.
"Dammit!" Sarah shouted. "Back to the car, Chuck!" They ran back to Chuck's car and jumped in. A moment later they were speeding out of the garage. As the car accelerated and Chuck weaved in and out of traffic, Sarah scanned for the car.
"There!" she shouted as she spotted the car in front of them. "Get closer to him!" She then opened the glove box.
"What are you doing?" Chuck asked he saw her pull a small tablet like device out of it. He had increased his speed and was closing on the car. When they were three or four car lengths behind him, he saw an arm com out of the driver's window. A second later shots hit his windshield, but left little damage.
"What the hell?!" Chuck exclaimed, startled.
"Bullet-proof glass." Sarah said, nonchalantly as she worked on the tablet. "Harper had all the teams' cars upgraded. Full protection package, along with a few other goodies." Her fingers danced on the tablet. A moment later, Chuck heard a small buzzing sound and a second later he saw something fire out from the front of his car. He could see something impact the car with no effect. Before he could comment, a car ran a red light and cut in front of them. Chuck slammed on the brakes, sending car into a semi-controlled spin. Chuck got it under control and turned back in the direction of the suspect car they had been following. It was too late. The care had disappeared.
"Damn." he shouted as he hit the steering wheel with his fist. "He got away!"
"Not quite." Sarah said, grinning. "I didn't miss before; I tagged his car with a tracker." She opened a new window and glanced at it. "Damn. We can only track up to a short distance with the tablet. We'll have to call HQ and have them track him from there."
