Don't own Chuck
Chuck and Casey pulled up under an overpass, the unofficial DMZ, before rolling into one of the highest crime neighbourhoods of L.A. The police were there with three squad cars and a disposal pick up van from the CDC. Casey shook his head wondering how many people had trampled over his crime scene and first place on his list were the men in the hazmat suits from the CDC.
"Excuse me but can you have your people move back," said Casey as he showed everyone his badge. "Colonel John Casey NSA. This is my crime scene and I'd like it if you didn't stomp it all to crap before I have a look."
"Dr. Leonard McCoy CDC, I think we've met before somewhere," said the Doctor as Chuck stifled a laugh. Chuck wanted to say in a galaxy far, far away but he kept his mouth shut for once. "Or maybe not that's the standard laugh I get when people meet me. Anyway sorry to bust you bubble soldier but this is mine until I say otherwise."
"First of all I'm a marine not a dogface and this is Homeland's jurisdiction. All bioweapons deployed falls under us."
"First of all how do you know this was a bioweapon and second of all I haven't ruled anything so if you want to go grab a doughnut and a cup of coffee knock yourself out then come back when I'm done."
"Hold up a minute," said Chuck. He could see Casey was about to get up close and personal with the doctor. "We can both work this together. The Colonel is right this is a bioweapon we've already seen it used before. You've got all the classic symptoms of a weaponized version of a VHF. Rapid and profuse bleeding from all his orifices causing death from massive internal haemorrhaging leading to exsanguination…"
"Are you a doctor?" asked Dr. McCoy impressed by Chuck's knowledge. "The way you sound this isn't your first rodeo. Go ahead and impress me some more."
"Unfortunately it's not. This virus is transmitted by contact after it's been released airborne so the other body you've got died from a GSW to the frontal lobe exiting through occipital lobe. This man was killed somewhere else then the two were dumped here. The plastic wrapped around the first vic kept his contaminated blood off the other one but even if it did it wouldn't matter because he was already dead."
"But it can still contaminate you. Like that homeless guy over there another one of our vics. He was probably going through the guy's pockets. I hear what you're saying but I can't let you have that body. Not without being sure I think you can understand why. You seem to have more sense then your caveman partner."
"Maybe I can make you sure. Hold on a second," said Chuck as he went back to the police then came back with a spray bottle. This is luminol now let's see how much blood contaminated our guy," said Chuck as he sprayed the body down then wave for the CDC doctor to look. "See no blue glow so we're taking this stiff those are yours to incinerate but this one is ours."
"Good job there Chuck but they don't carry luminol in squad cars. Where did you get that at anyway?"
"Shush, John keep it down. I just told McCoy this was luminol. This is actually Windex. Put on two pairs of gloves and be careful you don't get stuck when you search his pockets."
"Sneaky I like it. Caveman… really me.. I ought to wait a minute. Bingo, look what I found," said Casey. "Look what I found."
"What is it? It looks like some sort of garrote. I really don't want to flash on that so can you put it away somewhere I don't have to see it."
"Nancy… No it's not just a garrote but la loupe and probably the one used to whack our Customs agent. We need to get this guy to the morgue right away."
"I think we ought to do a little door to door and look around this neighborhood. This would be the perfect place to keep a safe house."
"First rule of thumb is you don't dump bodies where you live. Second you think the people here are going to talk to a couple of feds? We're more likely to get shot than anything else by some meth head think we're busting his lab."
"They might open up if they think there's someone here that can infect them with that," said Chuck as he pointed to the pale body. "We could tell them there's a guy who's sick like a Typhoid Mary spreading this around. What've we got to lose?"
"I'm game but we need to do this canvasing during the day. But okay first light let's hit it for now I'm thinking pancakes."
"Okay but I'll cook them at home. I can make them halal so Samaa can eat them but let's get a team in here first then I'll call Sarah. We can all meet at Echo Park and plan our next moves."
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Sarah drove as fast as she could to get to the airport on time but as she was driving her mind raced as to what she'd do. If Jamil was being followed or watched in the airport she couldn't just come up to him and yank him off the flight. No it made more sense that since they hadn't seen Noora she was being held somewhere else and used as blackmail to get Jamil to go along with whatever their plot was.
"Hey what do you think you're doing Lady? Can't you read the sign you can't park there," yelled a cop as she jumped out in front of the departure terminal.
"Homeland, this is a national emergency," she said as flashed him a badge. "Make sure nothing happens to my car or we're going to have a problem."
She ran inside but there was no Alex in sight. She looked up and down then did the only thing she knew what to do.
"Next in line please," said the British Airways check-in clerk. Sarah walked up to the woman. "Name and passport, please."
"I don't have a reservation but do you have room in first class on your British Airways flight that I believe leaves at midnight for Heathrow? I'm going to see friends before Walnut here is born," said Sarah as she rubbed her stomach.
"Let me check," said the attendant. "Yes we've got plenty of room. How far away are you from delivering? I need to know because… well it's not imminent if it is I'll need a doctor's note."
"No… no I've still got time. The father wouldn't be very happy if I didn't make it back in time for the big day. But my friend isn't feeling well so I have to go," said Sarah as she handed the woman her passport and credit card.
"You've got no luggage? What are you going to do when you get there? You know this is going to throw up flags with TSA. I'm just giving you a heads up."
"I've got no choice I just got off the phone with her. She sounded distraught and upset so I really don't have a choice. She's like a sister to me and well if anything happens to her I'll blame myself."
"Not many friends would do what you're doing," said the attendant. "Well here's your boarding pass and good luck. I hope everything works out with your baby and your friend. You're departing this evening from the International terminal, terminal B gate 155 on the South Concourse. Just follow the line through the TSA check then follow the signs to your departure gate you can't miss it and good luck again."
"Thanks," said Sarah as she hurried along towards the TSA check. The story she spun kind of bothered her. Before when she was with Jack she'd just pop them off one after another without thinking about the lie but now suddenly she realized she'd changed… Chuck had changed her and she liked the change.
Considering the hour there was still a long line going through the TSA check. Sarah didn't think twice and by passed the line going up to the head.
"Lady this line is for pre-checked passengers. You need to get back in the line and wait your turn like everyone else," said a TSA officer flexing his authority.
"Homeland," said Sarah as she showed the man her badge and I.D. "Let me through this is a national emergency."
"That's what they're calling this now? You should've thought about that nine months ago. Was it an emergency then? You need to get in the back of the line."
"Excuse me? Officer I don't believe I heard you right. I'm going through and if you say one more word out of line I will have you walking the flight line for FOD. On my phone on speed dial I have the director do you want to try me? The only words I want to hear out of you are 'have a good evening lady'," said Sarah as she pulled out her phone holding it in front of her.
"Sarah, there you are," she heard behind her. Turning around Alex came running up. "I got here as quickly as I could. What's the situation?"
"I'm about to find out if I ever get through. She's with me so what's it going to be? I don't have all night."
"Have a good evening lady," said the man as he waved them both through. The man's partners started snickering as they walked through but Sarah shut them up with an icy glance.
"What was that all about anyway?" asked Alex as she caught her breath. "It looked like you and that TSA office were having a row."
"It was just a case of big hat, little brain but that's not important now. Jamil is somewhere around the British Airways departure gate. The problem is I don't know if he's being watched. If he is we need to be careful how we approach him," said Sarah then she saw him next to a newspaper stand. "There he is now I need to stay behind him and watch the crowd around him to see if I can spot a tail. Here take this note and pass it to him discreetly."
Sarah had a plan but she knew Chuck wasn't going to like it. She went over outside the men's restroom and waited. This was the only place they could speak before they boarded.
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Chuck and Casey drove back to Castle after the team from their downtown office showed us to take the body in for a full work up. Chuck was interested in stomach content. He figured if he could figure out what the man ate for a last meal that might give him a lead to help track down these people.
"I don't see how finding out what this guy ate is going to help us any. It's not like he went to a five star restaurant before he got himself whacked."
"Don't you see he would've tried to eat only halal foods, which means a restricted number of groceries they could've gotten their food from. If we can narrow down the list then we can set a trap, wait for our perps to show up then follow then back to their safe house. This could be our big break."
"That's actually not a half bad idea. Sarah and Alex can run with that tomorrow while you and I go knocking on doors down in our bad boy neighborhood. You might want to call her and tell her we're almost there."
"Thanks John, I'm glad you approve of my idea. See I can come up with ideas without the intersect," said Chuck as he pulled out his phone and dialed Sarah but his call went straight to voice mail.
"Keep it in your pants Bartowski. Yeah like what kind of sandwich would you take on a tropical desert island? Now that was a real winner there," said Casey as he pulled in the Buy More parking lot.
"Strange she's not answering and for the record Casey, I stand by my mayonnaise theory. Mayonnaise simply doesn't fare well in the tropics," said Chuck as he got out of the Crown Vic. "I don't like the fact that she's not picking up."
"Well that's your fault you made that stupid pact to always tell the truth and no secrets," said Casey as they walked through the now closed Buy More. "She doesn't have to lie to you if she doesn't pick up, does she?"
"No it's not like that at all," said Chuck as they walked in the break room. "She wouldn't screen my calls to avoid talking to me, would she?"
"I'm not the one she's not answering," said Casey as they got on the elevator. "Or is there a storm in paradise?"
"No John, no storm, no tropical depressions or even afternoon sprinkles the skies are crystal clear and blue out. For all we know she won't answer your call either."
"Want to find out," said Casey as the elevator door opened up. "We can see really fast," he said as he held up his phone.
"We're already here so you can put that thing away. Sarah we're here," yelled Chuck but he got silence back. "Sarah, where are you?"
"Looks like she's not here," said Casey as he did a quick sweep of the perimeter using CCTV. "Her car is gone Chuck. You sure you don't want me to give her a call?"
"Hey hold it down in here I've got two little kids sleeping in detention," said Morgan as he walked in from the back yawning. He caught their looks. "What it's the only place down here with beds? They dropped off after we ate. I got takeout delivered from that Persian place Ali Baba's. The humus was good but their prices I think were written by the forty thieves."
"That's nice Morgan but where's Sarah? Her car isn't outside and she's not down here? By the way where's Alex at too? Shouldn't she be here with you?"
"They didn't call you guys?" said Morgan. Both Chuck and Casey shook their head. "I guess they were in too much of a hurry."
"Morgan!" said Chuck but Casey had enough he pushed him aside and grabbed Morgan up by the collar.
"If you don't start speaking soon I'm going to twist your head like a spring then I'm going to let you go and watch you drill a hole in the ground like in the cartoons or would you like to watch a little recording I made in your office. I call it the call of the wild."
"Okay, okay, hands off the threads. Geez, really we got a hit on facial from LAX so they went to check it out," said Morgan. As he was talking Chuck sat down and began to work magic with the mainframe hacking into the airport video feed.
"Morgan who are they looking for," said Chuck but he didn't need Morgan to answer he saw Jamil on the screen.
"Hey, that's the guy that got grabbed. What's he doing there?"
"John, the question is where is his wife? I see him but she's is nowhere to be seen. You know what that means they're holding her somewhere and blackmailing him. Wait," said Chuck as he zoomed in. "That's Alex what's she doing bumping into him. There she's passing him a note now where is he going?"
"I'm calling Alex," said John as he took his phone and dialed her number. "Maybe now we can get to the bottom of this."
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The Brigadier paced up and down in his office. His men weren't answering his calls and by now he didn't expect them to answer anymore. He realized that he'd lost control of the Commandant and that he was going to have to deal with him whether he liked it or not. Opening his desk drawer he pulled out a Glock 9 laying it on his desk. There was only one thing left to do he called his boss putting the call on speaker so he could check his weapon while talking.
"I'm calling to let you know I'm on my way over to deal with the Commandant. He's gone rogue on us and needs to be dealt with. I sent a couple of men over to watch him and they've disappeared. The only possible conclusion is he took them out."
"You realize he could be waiting for you," said the man on the phone. "If he took out your men then he could be expecting you."
"That's why I'm taking a couple of men over with me. I'll send them in the front to keep everyone busy then I'll come in the back. Ali won't know what hit him until it's over. Maybe it's better that way."
"I warned you that it would come to this one of these days and it seems one of these days has finally come. I know you don't have to like it but this is a reality that we all have to live with the day we pick up a gun."
"You're right I don't have to like it but as you said it is a reality," said the Brigadier as he housed the clip then pulled back on the slide to house the first round.
"If it makes you feel better think about all the money we're going to make that will buy a lot of time on a couch to work out your issues. Help you get in touch with your inner you."
"With the money we're going to make I'll buy the couch. I've got to go get this taken care of. Don't get me wrong I didn't call to ask permission but as a courtesy and as a FYI. But I think you can figure that out."
"Then I ought to thank you and wish you good luck," said the man as he hung up. He looked at the phone for a moment then dialed a number.
"Commandant you recognize my voice so you know who I am, right? … Good, I need to give you a heads up. Remember what you told me about the Brigadier … Well I didn't want to believe you but now I think you're right. I have reason to believe you're in imminent danger. Let me explain…."
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Sarah waited outside the men's bathroom as men walked in then out. She got more than one strange look but the person she was waiting for never showed up. Finally she gave up and walked out to find Alex standing behind the gate watching Jamil as he sat nervously looking at his watch hoping they would start boarding.
"What's the matter? Weren't you able to get the note to him?" asked Sarah. But as she watched him she realized what the problem was.
"I got it to him all right but he threw it in the trash. The man is scared something will happen to his wife and I can't say I blame him."
"Idiot," said Sarah. "That maybe but there's more at stake here that just him and his wife. We've got to do something. They're getting ready to board soon. Have you seen anyone around that looks like they're watching him?"
"No I haven't seen a sole watching him. Why? Do you have a plan?" asked Alex. Sarah held up her boarding pass. "Oh Chuck is so not going to like this. You should really talk to him before you board that plane."
"If I do he'll try to talk me out of it but this is like his trip to meet his Iranian contact... what needs to be done. Like I said there's a lot at stake here and we need to take action. I'm sure he'll understand."
"If you're so sure then why don't you turn your phone on? I just talked with John and Chuck's been trying to contact you but every time he calls his call goes straight to voice mail."
"I would if I could be they're starting to board," said Sarah. The flight attendant announced they were starting to board and they were starting with their first class and business class passenger.
"Sarah, listen to me," said Alex as she grabbed her arm. "Are you sure you don't want to think this over for a bit before you go through with it."
"If I do I won't do it but we know this is what has to be done," said Sarah as she broke free from Alex then went over to check onboard.
Jamil went onboard as soon as they announced that first class passengers could embark. He made his way down the covered walk way then handed his boarding pass the flight attendant standing just inside the plane.
"Your seat is right over there by the window," said the attendant as she pointed it out. "Have a seat for now but once we take off is you don't like it you'll be able to switch seats."
"Thanks," said Jamil as he went over and found his seat then buckled himself in. He exhaled a huge breathe of relief. It seemed this first part of his trip was getting off without a snag. Then he looked up in horror as he saw Sarah getting onboard. The attendant was indicating the row of seats just in front of his.
"You're not supposed to be on this plane. Please you're risking my wife," said Jamil almost in a panic as he looked around.
"How many other wives, husbands and children are you risking? You have to talk to me now so get comfortable I want to know everything. Your daughter already asked me if she was an orphan let's try to keep her from becoming one."
"The pilot has signaled to fasten seat belts," announced an attendant. "Tables trays away and seats in their upright positions as we prepare to takeoff." Sarah knew Chuck was not going to be happy and he wasn't.