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CHUCK VERSUS THE BUY MORE BOMBER
Chapter 3
Nerves of Jello
Captain Anders looked up and smiled when she saw the trio walking towards her in their FBI windbreakers. Well, to be more precise, she smiled at the eldest of the three, a man slightly younger than her. "Well hello, Agent Casey," she said in her raspy voice. "We've got to keep meeting like this."
"Captain Anders," Casey said with a slight nod of his head.
"Now, sweet-cheeks, I told you to call me Barbara," Anders said.
"You remember Agents Walker and Carmichael?" Casey said, trying to ignore her apparently favorite pet name for him. At least the scene before them had Chuck subdued, Casey thought, or he'd be having a field day with Casey meeting Anders again.
"Do you mind if we take a look?" Sarah asked.
"Go for it, blondie. I'm gonna have a word with your partner, here." That did draw a slight smile from Chuck.
Chuck and Sarah ducked under the police tape and walked toward the wreckage of the store. The blast had apparently been bigger this time. The front of the store was completely gone. The whole store was engulfed in flames and acrid black smoke. Bits of burning debris blew back toward them, making Chuck's eyes water. A fireman stepped in front of them. "We're going to have to ask you to keep back," he said. "Some of the electronics give off toxic fumes when they burn. It's going to take a while longer to get this one under control."
Chuck staggered back. This was worse than any nightmare. This was a vision of Hell. The fact that most Buy More stores followed the same pattern made it that much harder. It could be his store burning. His friends buried under the rubble or burned to a cinder in the flames. He reached up and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Who would do this, Sarah?" he asked. "How could anyone do this?"
Sarah pulled him behind one of the fire trucks. "There are a lot of news cameras around here," she said. "We have to stay out of sight."
Chuck looked at her. "How can you be so professional at a time like this? That could be my store!"
"But it's not, Chuck," Sarah said, laying a hand on his arm. "And Casey and I will make sure that nothing like this happens to your store."
There was a rumble as one of the news helicopters swooped in for a better shot of the devastation. Chuck looked around. Behind the fire trucks, several cars were blackened from fire or peppered with debris. Every vehicle he could see, with the exception of the emergency vehicles, had all of their windows blown out and the entire parking lot glittered as the light from the fire was reflected off the little pebbles of glass from the car windows. Off to the right, the wall of the building had fallen and crushed the line of Nerd Herder cars.
Chuck looked at Sarah. She couldn't understand. It wasn't the fact that his store would be safe or even might not be a target at all. As much as he hated to admit it, the dead and injured Buy More employees were his people. He had attended training classes with some of the Nerd Herders from Northridge and Pasadena. He had undoubtedly drunk beer with some of the dead. And he had spent the morning worrying about a toy from a damn cereal box.
It took more than two hours before the fire was out and the firemen told them it was safe to go have a look. Sarah and Casey had spent the time assisting the police with interrogating potential witnesses. They had come up empty. Chuck had simply watched helplessly from behind the fire trucks as the firemen got the fire under control and then finally put it out.
The firemen were still walking through the ruins of the store, checking for hotspots, when Chuck Sarah and Casey entered. Search and Rescue had big searchlights shining on the rubble, but no one was searching for survivors. There was no point. No one could be alive in this devastation. Chuck picked his way through the rubble, no longer caring that his clothes were getting covered with soot. He came upon what looked like a blackened log and bent down to take a closer look. It was only then that he saw the teeth, the eye sockets, the hole where a nose should have been.
Chuck shrieked and darted out of the rubble. He stopped just past the line of fire trucks and promptly threw up. He stayed stooped over, heaving, until the entire contents of this stomach were gone. He felt a hand on his back. "Are you okay?" Sarah asked, her voice gentle. She handed him a handkerchief so he could wipe his mouth.
"I saw…" he gasped. "I saw…"
"It's okay," Sarah said. "I know. It's all right. I'm here."
Chuck straightened and looked at her. He expected to see contempt in her eyes for his weakness, but he saw only concern. "I can't do this, Sarah," he pleaded.
"Yes you can, Chuck," she said, laying a hand on his back. "You have to. For Morgan. And for Jeff, and Lester, and Big Mike and all the Jeffs and Lesters and Big Mikes working at the other Buy Mores."
Pain flashed in his eyes and it was reflected in hers. He could see that she really didn't want to make him go back, but she had a job to do, as did he.
He turned and, without another word, headed back into Hell.
"Over here," Casey called. Chuck, Sarah and Captain Anders picked their way through the debris to where Casey stood. He was using the toe of his boot to hold up a ruined bit of plastic just enough to see the object beneath.
"It's another GB-43," Chuck said.
"What the hell's a GB-43?" Anders asked.
"An industrial detonator," Sarah replied.
Casey turned to Anders. "I'm afraid this just officially became a federal investigation."
"Uh uh, big fella," Anders said. "Somebody is blowing up people in my town. This is my investigation."
"Look," Casey said, "For reasons that are classified, this case is not under federal jurisdiction."
"You know, you're cute when the veins pop out of your neck like that," Anders said. "But until my superiors pull me from this case, it's mine and I'm not letting a bunch of snot-nosed FBI pukes take it away from me."
Chuck had a feeling he was the real 'snot-nosed FBI puke' of which she spoke, but figured it was best to let Casey and Anders hash this out. He and Sarah moved a discrete distance away and continued to look for any clues in the rubble.
"Oh my God, Chuck, where have you been?" Ellie asked when Chuck came through the front door. "Why didn't you call? I've been worried sick." Her eyes went wide. "Why do you smell like smoke?"
Chuck suppressed a moment of panic. 'Think fast, think fast, think fast.' "Big Mike sent some of us over to the fire to see if we could help out. Of course we couldn't, but we stayed to watch the firemen put it out."
Ellie sighed. "I swear, Chuck. Some times you can be so immature. Next time call, okay? I was worried sick."
"I'm, uh, gonna go take a shower," Chuck said. He shuffled toward his room. When he opened the door, he noticed a peculiar odor. He stopped and sniffed under his arms. No. A little smokey but not him. Then he heard the familiar scratching. He closed his eyes and let out a huge sigh. He stepped into the room, closed the door, and looked over at his desk. There, as he had feared, was a cage containing Romeo and Juliette, Jeff and Lester's two chinchillas.
Chuck just hung his head and went into the bathroom to take a shower.
The next morning, Ellie was adamant. "You are not going to work today," she said.
"I have to, El. I'll lose my job."
"A job at Buy More is not worth dying for."
Chuck shrugged, "I can't argue with you there. But I'll be fine. Besides, I need the money. Um. Dating is expensive."
"Devon and I will give you the money," Ellie said. "I don't want you going into that store."
Chuck shook his head. "I have to, Ellie. If nothing else, I owe it to my fellow employees."
"That band of misfits?" Ellie said. "I doubt a single one of them shows up today."
"Well, then I'll be home late," he said.
Ellie wanted to argue, but she recognized the look Chuck got when he mind was definitely and firmly made up. "Just be careful," she said and gave him a bone-crushing hug.
He went outside and got behind the wheel of Nerd Herder number three, his favorite. Sure, they all looked alike, but he thought number three had a little more personality than the others. Like the way it started fine, except on Monday mornings.
His musings were interrupted by a tap on the window. "I'm going with you, Bartowski," Casey said. "From now on, we're ratcheting up the surveillance."
"What, watching me sleep wasn't enough? You going to install cameras in the bathroom now?"
Casey just grunted and climbed in the car.
Chuck's eyes went wide. "You didn't! I share that bathroom with my sister! If I find out that you've been spying on my sister in the shower…"
"What? You'll report me to my boss? Relax, Bartowski. I haven't bugged the bathroom… Yet."
Despite Casey's protestations, Chuck resolved to check for hidden cameras when he got home.
"What's that smell?" Casey asked, turning to look in the back seat. Chuck had placed the chinchilla cage with Romeo and Juliette there.
"Is that what was making the noise all night?" Casey asked.
"Yes," Chuck sighed. "They were up all night. I didn't get a wink of sleep."
"Well, join the club, Bartowski. Just get rid of those little rats."
"They're not rats, actually, they're…" He stopped when Casey gave him a look that said, 'shut up and drive.' So he shut up and drove.
If the parking lot at Buy More Plaza had seemed empty the day before, it was a veritable ghost town now. Chuck parked the Nerd Herder in its usual spot and headed into the store. When he got there and looked around, the inside of the store was as deserted as the parking lot.
Emmett was just inside the door. "Where is everybody?" Chuck asked.
"Big Mike had a family emergency in Cleveland," Emmett said.
"I didn't know Big Mike had family in Cleveland," Chuck said. "I thought he was from Pomona."
"Yes, well, so did we all. Why are you carrying rats in a cage?"
"They're chinchillas. They're Jeff and Lester's. I was, I guess, babysitting last night."
"Well, whatever. My mother's leukoplakia is acting up, so I need to leave. You're in charge, Bartowski." He turned and started to bolt for the front door.
"Wait!" Chuck yelled. "I don't have the combination to the safe. Where will I get the money to stock the registers?"
"It's not like we'll have any customers," Emmett called as the doors closed behind him.
A moment later, the doors opened again and Morgan sauntered in. "Is this sweet or what?" he asked. "No customers. The place to ourselves. And we're still getting paid. It's like Buy More heaven."
"Morgan," Chuck said. "Without customers, there are no sales. Without sales, there's no income. Without income, they can't pay their employees. And that would be you and me."
"You and me what?" came a voice from the back. Jeff was wandering toward the front of the store, Lester trailing behind.
"I was just explaining to Morgan that… You know what, never mind," Chuck said. "What are you doing?"
Lester waived a handful of pages. "Jeff and I are taking care of all the off-site installs," Lester said. "It should only take us a week or two."
"Stop!" Chuck said. He held out the cage. "Take these things."
"How can you call such sweet little animals 'things'?" Lester said. "You'll hurt their feelings.
"Well those sweet little animals kept me up all night," Chuck said. "How the hell did they get in my bedroom anyway?"
"You told us to get them out of the store," Jeff said, as if that explained everything.
"But not my house!" Chuck said. He stopped and took a deep breath. "Look. While Big Mike and Emmett are gone, you can leave them back in the Cage."
"They're in a cage," Jeff said, holding up the cage.
Chuck snatched the pages from Lester's hand. "Just get them out of my sight," he moaned.
Surprisingly, a little over half the staff showed up for work. Chuck tried to open normally, but no customers appeared. After two hours, he sent everyone but a skeleton crew home. He sent as many of his Nerd Herders as he could on off-site installs or service calls. Finally, it was just him, Morgan, Anna and Casey left in the store.
"You can leave, too, if you want, Morgan, Anna."
"Never leave your wingman," Morgan said. "I'm here for you, buddy. I laugh in the face of mortal danger."
"Morgan," Anna said. "You practically wet your pants when I found a spider at my apartment."
Morgan shuddered. "It was a big, hairy spider," Morgan said. Anna looked at Chuck held her thumb and forefinger a half inch apart. "Well, he was glaring at me."
The doors opened and Chuck looked up, but it was only Jeff and Lester. "How are the chinchillas?" Jeff asked. "Any babies yet?"
"I thought I told you to put them in the Cage?" Chuck asked.
"They were in a cage," Jeff started to say.
"Uh, uh, uh," Chuck said, holding up his hand to avoid getting into that again. "They were in their cage, but they were not in the Cage. I found them in the home theater room."
"We left them there so they would be more comfortable," Lester said.
"There was porn playing on the television!" Chuck practically shouted.
"We were trying to get them in the mood," Jeff said.
Chuck just shook his head. "No porn in the Buy More, capiche?"
"Well, if you're going to be that way about it, Charles," Lester said. "Maybe we won't cut you in after all."
"I don't want…" Chuck started to say, his voice rising. Just then, the phone rang. Chuck picked it up. "Buy More Burbank, how may I help you?... No, I'm sorry, the manager isn't in… No, the assistant manager isn't here either… This is Chuck Bartowski, Nerd Herd Supervisor… Well, thank you, sir… That's really not… I appreciate it sir… Yes, a pleasure to talk to you, too." He hung up.
"Who was that?" Morgan asked.
"Moses Finkelstein, CEO and Founder of Buy More," Chuck said. "He's calling personally to check on all the stores. He said he's sending over a security consultant he hired."
Just then, the front doors opened and a man walked in. Chuck's face went blank and then a series of images flashed through his mind. A man trout fishing. A mountaintop fortress in ruins. A man taking an oath. The same man in the cupola of a tank. Documents in Hebrew. The man shooting several other men. A man trout fishing.
Chuck's eyes went wide.
"I gotta find Casey," he said. "Morgan, you're in charge."
"Me?" Morgan whined. "But I was gonna…" But Chuck was already gone.
Chuck found Casey in the breakroom. "Casey, Casey, Casey," Chuck said nervously. "I just flashed. We've got a customer and I don't think he's looking for home appliances."
"Who is it?" Casey asked.
"His name is Ari Schwartz. Former Captain in the Israeli Defense Forces. Currently assigned as a special operative to the Israeli Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations."
Casey stood up. "What's a Mossad agent doing here?" he asked.
"I was hoping you could tell me," Chuck said.
The breakroom lockers swung open and Sarah stepped out. "Did you know there's a Mossad agent in the Buy More?"
"No. Really?" Casey asked sarcastically. "Numbskull here just flashed."
"Why do you always have to call me names?" Chuck asked. "I don't…"
"Can it Bartowski," Casey said. He turned to Sarah. "How did you know he was Mossad?"
"I did a tour at the Mossad training facility as part of an agent exchange. Ari was an instructor."
"Ari, huh?" Casey asked. "Do a little private tutoring with the teacher?"
"Shut up, Casey," Sarah said. "He's an expert on demolitions."
"Why would a Mossad weapons expert be blowing up Buy Mores?" Chuck asked.
"Maybe Fulcrum has infiltrated Mossad," Casey offered.
"We don't know that he's the bomber," Sarah said. "If he is, why walk in here so openly?"
"To smoke us out," Casey said. "Let us know that they know we're here and force us to make a move."
"Wait," Sarah said. "We don't know he's Fulcrum and we don't know that he planted the bombs. We haven't received any intel that Fulcrum is recruiting internationally."
"So a Mossad demolitions expert just happens to wander into the Buy More where the Intersect happens to work after two other Buy Mores are bombed?" Casey asked sarcastically. "Secure the asset. I'm going to go have a talk with our 'customer.'"
