Author's Note: As promised, I'm back with a new chapter and I didn't make you wait nearly as long as I did for the last one. In fact, I wrote this sitting by the pool on a cruise to Bermuda.
As stated earlier, the story will be jumping forward a few weeks at this point.
August 14, 2006
Home of NSA Director Diane Beckman
2130 hours
General Diane Beckman sighed as she poured herself a glass of Johnny Walker Blue Label whiskey and took a sip. She was sitting on a couch in her study, where she had arrived an hour before.
"God what a day it's been." Beckman thought, taking another sip. "Scratch that, what couple of months it's been." Once again the joint Intersect Team had managed to uncover and stop another Fulcrum plot. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. In the two months the team had been operational, they had foiled two Fulcrum plots, captured the most wanted pair of thieves in the country in the Gecko brothers, broke up a major cocaine smuggling ring, and stopped a lone-wolf style Al Qaeda attack in Cleveland. By all measures, the project was succeeding beyond expectations.
Normally, one would think that having a top-notch team that was highly effective would be cause for celebration on the part of the NSA Director. And to be sure, she was excited about the results. She had spent her entire adult life in uniform, dedicated her life to defending the country, most of it working for the NSA. But while she might be happy with the results, she was not happy about the way it had come about.
"Damn you Graham." Beckman cursed to herself. "If Graham hadn't been so focused on building his own private little army of agents, we might have had an Intersect all along; one that we controlled entirely." That was the crux of her dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. Graham's machinations had come home to roost last year. On the plus side, it had led to the identification of Bartowski as a viable Intersect host. But it also led to what Beckman thought was a negative that would eventually lead to disaster; namely, the removal of the Intersect project from strictly CIA/NSA oversight to include other agencies and the military, as well as the expansion of the team. The original Omaha plan had envisioned an Intersect agent partnered with/protected by two partners. Instead, the team now numbered over two dozen (including support personnel). All totaled, the number of people involved with the program who were completely read in or who had significant knowledge was almost eighty once you took into account the various agencies, the President, Joint Chiefs, and their advisors. Beckman was convinced that it was only a matter of time before something leaked.
"Which is why it should have been kept strictly under the CIA/NSA." She thought. That way they would be able to better limit those who had knowledge. Additionally, she was not happy about the relationship amongst the team. She had always encouraged some camaraderie amongst her agents, but within reason. At the end of the day, the mission and her orders had to come first, with no significant emotional attachments. Unfortunately, under its present structure and oversight, Team Bartowski was not being held to those standards. It was clear that in general, the team members had become much more than friendly co-workers. Not to mention the one confirm romantic relationship with in the team and two more that she suspected were forming.
"Can I get you anything else, General?" Roger, her butler/cook asked. As a flag officer, not to mention agency director, Beckman had a small personal staff, including Roger, a maid, and a small security detail that were assigned to her home.
"No thank you Roger." She replied. "You can go home. I'll see you tomorrow."
August 14, 2006
Outside of Home of NSA Director Diane Beckman
2145 hours
NSA Security Officer Albert Medina waved at Roger Miles, the Director's butler, as he drove past his post at the gate of the driveway. Medina was one of about two dozen security officers assigned to protect the NSA director, with six agents being on duty at all times. One of his counterparts was always on duty in the house, with the other four stationed throughout the grounds. He had been on this detail for two years now. While some of his fellow officers decried the boredom of the assignment, as there hadn't been a serious attempt on a sitting NSA director in two decades, Albert was glad for it. He had spent the first half of this fifteen year NSA career in some of the more "exciting" places in the world, and he was over it. Headlights startled him out of his musing. Looking at the approaching vehicle, he recognized it.
"All stations be advised, it looks like Roger forgot something, he's turned around and is coming back." he reported into his radio.
"Roger Medina." NSA Security Officer Michael Johnson, the shift supervisory agent replied. "We'll keep an eye out for him."
Albert raised his hand to stop the car and walked around to the driver side, bringing his flashlight up to the window.
"Did you forget some-" he started, then fell off as three silenced shots were fired from the driver's side and he fell to the ground. The driver - not Roger - got out of the car, ski mask already in place. He pulled out his own radio.
"Eagle two to Eagle one. Gate secured." he reported. Then he opened the trunk of the car and dragged Albert's body to the trunk and tossed it in on top of the rapidly cooling dead body of Roger Miles.
"Eagle One to all Eagles, execute!" Bryce Larkin ordered over the radio. A moment later two SUVs pulled up the gate and a dozen armed men, all wearing ski masks, jumped out.
August 14, 2006
Home of NSA Director Diane Beckman
2145 hours
NSA Security Officer Cynthia McMasters was the newest member of the NSA Director's protective detail and it was her turn to man the small command post inside the director's home. She heard Albert's radio call concerning Roger returning and smiled. The Director's butler had a history of forgetting things. More than once he had returned only minutes after leaving because of it. She took a sip from her coffee. As she did so, she glanced at the bank of monitors and saw Albert get shot, followed by the arrival of the SUVs.
"All units! We have a breach at the gate! Albert's down. A dozen armed intruders entering the grounds." she shouted over the radio. "Instituting lockdown!" Standard procedure was to lock the house down via a sophisticated security system, then take the director to a safe room to either await the all clear signal from the agents on the grounds, or the arrival of backup. Cynthia hit the lock down button as NSA agents appeared on the monitors making their way towards the gate. She then stood up and pulled her service weapon and ran to the stairs to get the General to the safe room.
When she arrived at the General's den, she found Beckman was already on her way out of the room, her own service weapon in hand.
"What's going on?" Beckman asked.
"Intruders assaulting the gate, ma'am. Cynthia replied. "They got Agent Medina." Beckman closed her eyes for a moment and said a quick prayer.
"Damn." Beckman said. "Let's get to the safe room." Cynthia nodded and began walking back down the stairs, taking point. Outside, the flashes of firearms could be seen in the windows. "Has the rapid response team be notified?"
"Yes ma'am. As soon as the lockdown was initiated." she replied. Once on the first floor they then made for another door that led to the basement and began descending. Once in the basement they walked towards a non-descript door on the south wall. Walking up to it, Beckman pushed a button and a hidden palm scanner appeared.
"Watch those steps while I get this open." Beckman said, turning back to the palm scanner. She was about to put her right hand on the scanner when she felt a prick at the back of her neck. She gasp and turned to see Cynthia holding a Twilight dart in her hand. Beckman tried to bring her gun up, but collapsed before she could.
August 14, 2006
Outside of Home of NSA Director Diane Beckman
2155 hours
The firefight outside Director Beckman's house lasted mere minutes. Though the NSA agents assigned to detail were heavily armed and well trained, there was simply too many attackers. After ten minutes the four agents were dead, along with six of the assailants. Two of the remaining made their way to the exterior basement door and banged on it. A moment later it opened and Cynthia appeared.
"She's out." she said. The two men nodded and disappeared into the basement as she exited. A moment later they reappeared carrying the General. They carried her back over to the SUVs and after securing her, put her in one. Then they climbed back into the SUVs, including Cynthia, and drove off.
"Did you disable the automatic distress signal?" Bryce asked from the front passenger seat of one of the SUVs.
"Yes, Agent Larkin." Cynthia said. "I disabled it as soon as Roger left. The next scheduled check-in with the rapid response team isn't for another hour."
"By which time, we'll be in the air and far away from here." Bryce said, grinning. "I love it when a plan comes together."
Blue Ridge Apartment Complex
Apartment of Chuck Bartowski
Outside of Stafford, Va
20 minutes from MCB Quantico
August 14, 2006
2345 hours
Chuck awoke to the sound of us and Sarah's cell phones going off. Upon their return from Las Vegas, the couple had decided to move in together. They still hadn't told the team about their engagement, preferring to keep it to themselves for awhile. Chuck rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he picked up the phone and read the text message. Next to him, Sarah had awakened and was looking at her phone.
"Oh shit." Both agents said in unison.
