Don't own Chuck
Chuck and Sarah worked through the rest of the night trying to scour the surface of the Pacific for Casey but with little success. They found clumps of debris and foreign objects float on the surface the storm brought with it after it ripped through the Sandwich chain as it arched over the Pacific. However, as Chuck worked there was something like a gnat buzzing in his head something just wasn't right but he couldn't put his finger on it so it continued to bother him throughout the night
"I want to call the Hampton again to see if they found something," said Chuck. "Maybe their having better luck than we are."
"Why don't you hold off on that and let's call Langley first. If they found something they would report it through proper channels. Your calling them through Quantum communication will just agitate the waters even more. PACFLT already complained to the CNO who yelled at SECDEF who yelled even louder at Roan over the use and abuse of classified communications."
"It was an emergency. How else was I supposed to get Casey help? I would think they ought to understand that. What would they do if it were their people just write them off?"
"I understand and I think everyone else does too but that was an emergency now we have to wait. What's the matter and don't tell me nothing there's something else bothering you. Remember I'm your wife, the person you share things with that you don't share with other people. I have a ring and a marriage certificate to prove it."
"Come here," said Chuck as he got up and held her. "I love you so very much," he whispered in her ear. "I know how Alex feels and this is bringing up bad memories for me but there's something else… there's something off and I can't for the life of me figure out what it is."
"Off? What do you mean 'off'? 'Off' with the mission or 'off' with the way we're trying to find Casey? Remember you said this was bringing back bad memories for you could it be that? The mind is a funny thing and you with the intersect it's even worse," said Sarah. She caught his look. "What I'm saying is you could be getting the memories of your father's murder confused with Casey's accident."
"Have you been talking with Dr. Leo?" said Chuck. This time he caught her look. "I meant that as a compliment. Maybe you're right but Casey traipses around Central and South America in some of the worse stinky Commie hellholes in the world and then falls off a ship? Something isn't right."
"But we have Morgan's testimony. Chuck, Morgan told us what happened remember or don't you trust the word of your best friend."
"I don't know… I know this sounds like crazy talk but if this had been anyone else would you have believed a word he or she said? That's part of what's bothering me."
"But we're still talking about Morgan here Chuck. Morgan's not a Shaw. He would never intentionally hurt John. If anything it would be the other way around but I think that's more for show."
"I do too but I can't get the thought out of my head. Also it was the way Morgan called Alex 'amo' when he ended his communication with us. I know you're going to say speaking Italian is part of his cover. But the intonation and pronunciation was not just Italian but more... well he sounded native."
"I think you're really tired. How much have you slept these past few days? Be honest not much and you're body is regaining strength from the virus. What you need is a few hours shut eye."
"I just need a hug," said Chuck. She put her arms around him and held him. "I feel better already, but I can't rest now not with Casey missing."
"Uncle Casey's missing?" said a little voice behind them. They turned to find Sam and Clara standing there still sleepy eyed. "What's going on with Uncle Casey?"
"Sweetie Uncle Casey is... well he's had an accident," said Sarah. "But because he's so far away we don't know what's going on but we're trying to find out."
"What can we do to help," asked Clara. She put her arm around Sam. "There has to be something we can do."
"I'm going to take you guys home to get you cleaned up then either I'll take you to the hospital and wait for Kat there or Kat will swing by and pick you up at home and stay with you. Kat might be a little nervous she knows Casey's had an accident. Alex called her so I need for you both to be on your best behavior."
"Sam that means no sneaking off to watch operations," said Chuck. "I realize you might get bored but you need to be patient with Kat. Now come over and give me a hug." Sam didn't need any encouragement she ran over and jumped on him.
"You should've seen the operation I saw yesterday. It was amazing then that nurse came. I wanted to find out how to close but she yanked me out before they got started."
"Because you weren't supposed to be there, Sam what did I tell you?"
"Okay, okay but nobody tells me nothing."
"You mean 'anything', 'nobody tells me anything' and yes we are, we're telling you to behave."
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Onboard ship Ettore was in a bind he needed to get into his bedroom but Alex didn't want to be left by herself. He had to wait until Alex went into her bedroom then he ducked back in his. There he went straight for his Sat phone slipping it in his pocket just in the nick of time.
"What are you doing in here," asked Alex from the doorway. She had come out and found him missing so not wanting to be alone she went looking.
"I came in here to check on them," said Ettore as he pointed to Morgan and Paolo still out. "I thought someone should look in on them to make sure they're okay. You know being drugged they could drown on their own bodily fluids."
"You're right," said Alex as she looked at the person she thought was Ettore. "But after you're done can you come out and stay with me I don't want to be alone."
"Sure just give me a few," said Ettore. He waited until she left then he went into the bathroom closed the door then he dialed a number and waited.
"Hey it's me listen I don't have long but tell our friends what they're looking for is in a lifeboat close to my location. They'll be able to find it because I put a transponder inside. You can also tell them I expect an extra for securing the whole lot for them. I'm going to need extraction you know the plan. I've got to go," said Ettore. "Just a few more hours of this farce," he told himself as he hung up then pocketed the phone.
"Okay, I'm all yours," said Ettore as he walked out to the common area. There he found Alex curled up on the sofa with a blanket around her. "What's the matter other than the obvious?" he asked as he sat next to her.
"I called home and talked to Mom. I thought it better she heard this from me instead of Chuck or Sarah. She took the news well I think everything considered. I wish I were there with her but I can't be. The only thing we can do is hope and pray but Mom reminded me that Dad has been through worse situations."
"I don't want to bust anyone's bubble but you really shouldn't give her false hope. I think if you prepare for the worst then it won't come as a shock to you when it arrives."
"I can't give up on him… I won't. My father's a fighter, a Marine. He wouldn't give up that easily and I won't either."
"No he didn't… I mean he certainly wouldn't. I already miss him," said Ettore as he wiped the alligator tears from his eye. The act he was putting on deserved an Oscar.
"I know this is hard for you too," said Alex as she put her arms around him. "I know you miss Dad too but we can get through this together."
"Yes we can," he said as he kissed her then whispered in her ear. "But maybe we can make each other feel better."
"That was what I was thinking too," said Alex as she kissed him back. He pulled her in close and kissed her but she pushed him away. "No Morgan we shouldn't what would Dad say."
"Nothing he's not here," he said as he tried to pull her back but she fought him off again.
"No if we do this it would be like giving up and I'm not ready to do that yet. I think you need to give me some space I'm going to the bedroom. You can sleep out here."
"But," he started to protest but the Sat phone in his pocket vibrated. "No you're right. I'll grab a pillow and a blanket from our guests' room. They won't need them."
"Thank you for understanding Morgan. You're the best," said Alex then she retired into her bedroom leaving him on the sofa. He watched her leave and waited for the door to close.
"Crap Casey you're in the way and you're not even here," said Ettore. He went to the bedroom and cut Paolo loose then he called back his people as he slapped his friend into consciousness.
"What's going on? Who are you," asked Paolo as he looked over and saw Morgan still out lying on the bed next to him. What the…" But Ettore put his hand over his mouth.
"Shush I'll explain but wait. Yeah I'm back. … okay your ten mikes out. Roger that. We'll make it up topside for extraction. It might get a little hot when you come in so you're free to engage. See you soon," said Ettore then hung up.
"Can you tell me what's going on now," asked Paolo as he tried to get up. His head was still spinning and his mouth tasted like he'd eaten his pillow.
"There's a lot I need to tell you amico mio but I don't have time. There's an inbound chopper to pick us up. You need to make it to the flight deck on your own. We'll meet you there. Don't be late because very soon here there will be a lot of angry people."
"You're bringing the girl with us. You'll never learn will you?"
"I'm just a hopeless romantic I guess. Now get a move on it we don't have much time."
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The Hampton received orders to give a hand in the location of the missing agent as long as they didn't stray too far away from the Serenity. The White House still wasn't convinced that all the canisters had been jettison. The report from the CDC painted a dark picture about the virus which reinforced the feeling on Capitol Hill that it needed to eliminated once and for all. For this reason the White House Chief of Staff made an unprecedented visit to Langley and had a lengthy discussion with Roan then left.
"Connie, I need to talk to Charles right away," said Roan. He saw the perplexed look on her face. "I mean Agent Carmichael. I need to talk to him right away."
Chuck was down in Castle now by himself. He wrote an algorithm for the main frame to sift through the satellite images looking for anomalies on the Ocean surface. The main frame could process the data faster but still it was a long process which was yielding no results. Tired he put a fresh pot of coffee when Roan came up on the monitor.
"I see you're still hard at it," said Roan. "You're determination is commendable Charles." Chuck recognized the nervous tone in his voice right away.
"Thanks Roan, now tell me what it is you really want to tell me," said Chuck. For the first time since he met Roan he didn't have a drink in his hand.
"The White House Chief of Staff came by…" said Roan then he paused. "The Hampton reported they found a body floating in an area… well that left little doubt the person came from our ship."
"Did they recover it?" asked Chuck. "Look the Serenity also lost two crewmembers in the storm. That body could easily be one of them."
"Charles, you know how long it's been and what the water temperature is. The truth is if he fell too close he'd be sucked under and the propellers would've turned him into chum. I'm sorry for being so blunt but that's the way things are."
"So what are you telling me the Hampton has broken off looking for Casey and what? They've resumed their course to intercept the Serenity."
"I'm sorry but that's the way things are. You need to get word to Diane that she needs to abandon ship. If you're team can get her free they can use one of the Serenity's lifeboats to escape. The Hampton will pick them up after it eliminates the target."
"You mean sinks the ship with everyone onboard. I told you what Morgan said that all the canisters were jettisoned…"
"But we don't know for sure if that was all of them they could've filled smaller canisters to sell off later at a second auction. I'm sorry Chuck but the White House doesn't want to take the chance. The CDC report was quite horrific..."
"But did they mention that we now have a cure or did they forget to state that so they can pad their budget for extra research funding?"
"Charles, I know you're angry and upset. You have a right to be but you can't let that stand in your way to complete the mission. Now my boy we have to think about our people who are still onboard and bring them back home safely. The Hampton has been given orders to eliminate their target in two hours' time that gives us now less than a hundred and twenty minutes to get everyone off."
"Then let me get off the horn with you and get our people out of there," said Chuck. He dropped the connection with Langley then tried to reestablish a connection with the Alex and Morgan but neither responded.
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Sarah drove the girls to Echo Park and there waiting for them was Kat. Sarah wished Alex hadn't called her because now she was going to have to tell Kat they didn't know anything. However, her telling Kat that could easily be interpreted by Kat that she did but she didn't want to tell her. Kat had been dubbed into believe John or Alex Colburn was dead back then she wouldn't let herself be tricked again. No this time she'd want proof, proof Sarah didn't have one way or the other.
"Kat, what are doing here so early? You could've met us at the hospital there was no need for you to get up so early," said Sarah but her bloodshot eyes told her she hadn't slept a wink.
"I wasn't much in the mood for sleeping," said Kat as she followed Sarah inside her apartment. "Sam in the closet in our bedroom are some clothes Clara left the last time she was here. I think they'll still fit and while you're doing that I'll lay out your clothes."
"Have you guys eaten?" asked Kat. Both Sam and Clara shook their heads. "Then while you're doing that I'll whip something up."
"Oh Kat you don't have to if you don't feel like it. The girls can grab something in the cafeteria…" said Sarah. But she got cut off.
"Like ice cream," said Sam. Sarah just shook her head then sent them on to get ready. She stood there in the hall watching them as they ran down to their bedroom then disappeared inside.
"I suppose you know what I want to ask. I would also hope that after everything I've gone through with John that you'd tell the truth even if you were ordered not to."
"I can tell you without any reserve that we just don't know anything for sure now. I'm sorry I wish I had more to tell you but I don't. However, I don't want you to build up false hope either. Listen the ocean temperature is 65 which means hypothermia would settle in after about thirty or forty minutes. Casey went over the side three hours ago those are the facts. I'm sorry I'm not saying there can't be a miracle and if there's a rabbit in the hat John is one who can pull it out. But Kat this is me being honest with you."
"I don't understand," said Sam as she and Clara walked back to the kitchen. "But why don't you just call Uncle Casey and ask him where he is?"
"I'm not going to ask how long you two stood by the door listening to us talk which both of you know better," said Sarah. But then she paused and looked at Sam. "Why haven't we tried to call him? You're right Casey's emergency distress beacon. He would normally be too far away for us to activate it but if we try to do something with the satellite we might be able to get a ping."
"I have no idea what you're talking about" said Kat. "But if it helps us find John then go for it."
"It's actually simple it's like pinging an IP address on the internet. The main obstacle is hoping he still has his watch on and that it didn't get broken. Then we need to hope that we can get a signal strong enough to activate it. I need to talk to Chuck," said Sarah as she went into the living room.
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Onboard the Serenity the First and Third Mates put together a team to go outside to inspect the weather deck. They both went out with the team to get a firsthand look at damages and do a quick preliminary survey of what needed to be done to repair everything. The Captain was in his cabin waiting for the officers to report to him. In his desk drawer he had a Walter PPK that he kept handy. Now he decided it was time he nip any ideas of a mutiny in the bud by eliminating the ring leader. He was waiting for the Third and First Mates to report in but he waited and waited until he received a phone call from the bridge.
"Sir, this is the Third Mate. You need to come topside aft by the lifeboat davit and see what we found. The First Mate is waiting with me and we've secured the area but you need to see this."
"This isn't some sort of trap you two concocted up is it to lure me topside," said the Captain openingly accusing them both of being in collusion.
"What? No, what are you taking about? Listen I can't get into this on the phone but it's urgent. I've called Mr. Hamid too he's on his way up. I can only tell you that it's about the canisters."
"I'm on my way," said the Captain. He picked up his pistol checked it one more time then slid it in his coat pocket.
Outside his cabin he climbed down two ladders to the main deck before going through a hatch forward of where he was supposed to meet the two men. He wasn't born yesterday there was enough distance that he could see if something was up before he got too close and in any case he had his hand in his pocket as he walk aft to meet up with everyone. All ready he could see something was wrong by the looks on the men's faces that were standing around. He saw the First and Third Mates where supervising as a group of men who were handing a black plastic tarp covering the bulkhead.
"What's going on here? Why are you hanging that eyesore on my ship?" asked the Captain. All the time he had his hand on his pistol in his pocket. "I'm waiting can someone speak up?"
"This is what we're hiding," said the First Class as he lifted the plastic. "Someone was busy during the storm."
"Crap," said the Captain as he examined the gaping hole in the side of the ship. "This is the compartment where the canisters were stored, isn't it?"
"I'm afraid so," said the First Mate. "Sir, don't look now but here comes Mr. Hamid. He's going to have a heart attack when he finds out. What do you want us to do?"
"I don't know I need time to thing," said the Captain as he went over to head Hamid off. "Mr. Hamid we have a problem…"
"I don't have time for problems I was getting ready to kick off the auctioning. It's too late in the game to have problems," said Hamid as he walked back aft to the tarp.
"Show him," ordered the Captain. His men lifted the plastic showing Hamid the hole in the side of the ship. He looked perplexed then turned to the Captain.
"Tell me you've got a very large rat problem and this doesn't have anything to do with my canisters," said Hamid but from everyone's look there was little doubt. "You need to search the ship now. I've got people down below waiting for the auction to start what am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know but my men will be searching the ship from stem to stern. If those canisters are on board we'll find them."
"Begin with the Corsicans they were trying to intimidate me into giving them a canister. I wouldn't put this past them as some sort of revenge. I'm going to go down below and kick off the auction with taking their registration money. Hopefully you'll find the canisters before the auction is over."
"Where could they've gone off with them? Wait a minute do you hear that?" asked the Captain as he started scanning the skies. "It sounds like a helicopter."