A/N: Posted 4/28
If you get a chance, read the stories of my patient beta; P.J. Murphy, truly great stuff. Again my thanks to him.
The horrid block has abated, mostly. However, life is cruel. My boss insists that I work if I want to collect a paycheck. I hope to have Chapters 9 & 10 ready for beta over the weekend. Ken, I am looking at what I have in the can with an eye to your suggestions.
Dec 3, 2010 - Afternoon - CIA HQ, Langley, Virginia
"HOLY CRAP!"
Janice swiveled her chair around and ran over to Bart's cubicle, leaning down by his ear.
"Bart, they got Chuck," she whispered in a panic.
Bart leaned away from her with a frown. "What do you mean, 'they got Chuck'? Who got Chuck?"
She kneeled down. "Someone took Chuck." She held up her arms in exasperation and gestured with her hands. "A whole friggin' week ago, and I'm just finding out about this now."
"I can't imagine Brenda holding back any intel, let alone something that big! Are you sure about this?"
"This didn't come through the regular intel stream. It came from Beckman."
"She's correct, Mr. Michaels."
The smallish figure standing at the entrance to Bart's cubicle send a chill down both Janice's and Bart's backs. "Please come with me and collect the rest of your Nerd Herd."
Janice's mouth fell open. She knows? She glanced back at Bart, who looked pale.
Beckman smiled. "Very little happens around here that I don't eventually hear about. Just get the others and meet me in Conference Room 4C." She started to leave but saw them hesitate. She turned back to them with narrowed eyes. "Now!"
"Yes ma'am." Both Bart and Janice quickly got up and doubled timed it behind the General.
"Damn, she moves fast," Janice whispered to Bart.
Bart pulled out his phone and called Brenda. It took a few rings for her to answer.
"Bart?" she sounded a bit confused. "I mean hi. Sorry, but why are you calling me on my cell?"
He tried to keep it to a whisper, but the fast pace and his excitement made it more than a little difficult. "They've taken Chuck!
Brenda almost dropped the handset. "What? Uh, wh.. when?" she sputtered. "I saw nothing."
"Beckman's pulling us into a conference room and wants all of us there. She knows about the Herd, so you better bring Christoph and Jamie. Room 4C." Without waiting, he hung up.
"Chuck? Damn." The shit is going to hit the fan.
Jamie sat at the next desk and overheard Brenda saying 'Chuck'. He looked over. "Brenda, what happened?"
"Chuck was taken. That's all Bart told me." She paused. "And Beckman knows about us. About the Nerd Herd. She's pulling all of us into a meeting. Let's go."
Jamie groaned. "Christoph too?"
"Yeah. The whole Herd."
Conference Room
"Sit, people."
The five of them sat down at the large conference room table, each of them sharing the same sense of dread. Chuck was taken on their watch.
Beckman stood at the head of the table. There was a large file storage box on the table next to her, and a security officer flanked her on each side.
She looked at her analysts with a frown. "The Nerd Herd? Really people? What on earth possessed you to treat this as some sort of childish game?"
Janice hung her head. The others stared at the General, afraid to speak. Janice lifted her head and looked the General squarely in the eye. "That's my fault, ma'am."
She crossed her arms and cocked an eye at Janice. "Are you sure?"
Janice looked over at Bart. "Yes, ma'am," she replied sheepishly.
"Very well. I am putting you are in charge of the Nerd Herd and you will report directly to me."
Janice did a double-take at that. Visions of cleaning out her desk had been going through her mind. "I'm... I'm afraid I don't understand."
"What's to understand? The intel this group has put together for Team Bartowski over the past few years has been nothing short of outstanding, and I expect that level of work to continue. You took responsibility for the actions of this group, so I am making that position official."
Janice took a quick look at the others and saw their support. "Yes ma'am."
"Consider this a war time promotion. You are no longer an analyst, you are now an Agent and will be required to carry your sidearm at all times."
"Yes ma'am."
The General turned her attention to Bart. "Mr. Michaels, can I assume that you have been keeping yourself current on the range?"
Bart smiled. "Of course, ma'am." He had little choice; he was trying to beat John Casey's record. Of course, Sarah Walker's scores made both of them look like they were shooting water pistols.
"Good. Your status as a field agent is hereby reactivated and you, too, will report directly to me. I'd like for you to provide support to Agent Timlin in her new role."
"Yes ma'am."
"Now, for the bad news. Agent Carrnichael was abducted one week ago today. I have had any and all mention of this and related activities blocked from the chatter, given our enemies employ the same means as the CIA to gather intel. So far, Team Bartowski has been unable to turn up any leads on our missing agent."
She put a hand on the file box. "This contains what we know to this point. With your extensive knowledge of the Intersect project, I am hoping you'll be able to uncover something that was missed. Now get to it."
Beckman exited the room with her usual crisp efficiency. The team looked at each other momentarily before tearing into the file box like it was a Christmas present. The number of people determined to find Chuck was steadily growing.
Dec 4, 2010 - Barcelona, Spain - El Prat International Airport
Their contact was Anna Navarro, a language analyst for the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia. She was an attractive local who had been recruited at the Universitat de Barcelona as an undergraduate. She was selected to assist the Americans as a last resort; there were simply no field agents available.
Anna was quite nervous, as this was her first field assignment, but she was a little disappointed she was to be nothing more than a glorified tour guide. Her charges arrived at El Prat around three in the morning and were curbside a half-hour later. Anna spotted them immediately. She smoothed out her suit and approached them using, as previously agreed, civilian titles.
"Ms. Walker? Mr. Casey?"
"Good morning!" A thirteen-hour flight with an arrival in the middle of the night was not slowing Sarah down. "Call me Sarah, and this is John."
Casey merely nodded as he dragged the luggage cart to the curb. "Where's the car?"
"I'm just across the street, let me pull it around." Anna smiled and turned into the street, dropping her keys in the process. She bent down, and her skirt rode up a bit as she grabbed her keys and walked towards her car.
Casey followed her every move with appreciation. He wasn't one to leer, but he missed the darker Mediterranean women. He was tired of the beach bimbos back in California.
"I'm telling," Sarah whispered to John with a smile as she caught him eyeing Anna.
"Yeah yeah whatever, Walker." What the hell is she babbling about now?
Sarah just smirked.
The car was an older Audi 100LS, but at least it had plenty of room. Anna made the u-turn and pulled up beside Casey and Sarah, popped the trunk, and got out. "I suggest we get some breakfast before we go to the hospital. It was closed a few years ago and there is no electricity in the place so we might as well wait for daylight."
The Room
Not possible. The old John Casey might have done something like this. Not my John Casey. Not the man who just found his daughter. I don't believe it. I can't believe it. He risked everything for me.
Besides, I have my own personal Tara Chace out there looking out for me.
Hey stupid! You need a plan. You have to let them know. Let Sarah know you are still alive.
Bart's good at this stuff. What do we do now, buddy?
Barcelona, Spain - A truck stop diner
Sarah fidgeted during the entire ride through the center of Barcelona and continued at the café. She stared out the window, leaving her food untouched and tried to will the sun to rise faster. Casey sat next to Sarah and peppered Anna with questions concerning her agency and any other intel she might be able to share.
Finally, he put forth the question he had been dying to ask. "How is it this intel just appeared? Our analysts heard nothing in the chatter, and then out of the blue we're told there might be something here in Barcelona."
"I have not been briefed on any of this." Anna looked away with a slight embarrassment. "I was told to meet you at the airport and escort you to the hospital. There is a security detail watching the facility but, as requested, no one has entered."
Casey sensed Sarah's increasing annoyance with the delay. "Let's go see what turns up at the hospital."
Sarah leaned in and lowered her voice. "We were followed."
Anna stiffened. Casey looked at Sarah. "What do you see?"
She carefully nodded to the parking lot. "That grey Citroen by the Ovomaltine truck was behind us at the airport and later had us boxed with that black Opel and grey Mercedes four rows back. I don't see anyone in the vehicles, so they will have to scramble to catch up. Shall we lose them or backtrack on them?"
Casey smiled at the thought of cracking a few heads, but his sense of professionalism won out. "Leave them be and we'll watch for them. We're not equipped to neutralize them." He peeled a few more bills than were needed and left them on the table. "We'll leave now."
They each slid out of their chairs and walked back out to Anna's car, making idle chatter like excited tourists. Anna started the car and pulled out. She made a quick right turn down a side street and then a left.
Anna glanced in the rearview mirror to see if they were being tailed before focusing her eyes forward. "I am going to pass those plate numbers to the CNI and see if anything pops up. Let me know if you catch sight of them." They drove in silence for a few moments. "I assume you were told not to bring your weapons. However, in that bag back there, you should find suitable replacements."
Sarah checked the bag and nodded. "A .45 and an M1911. Will this get you into trouble?"
"No. I was told to use my discretion. Please use yours."
Sarah handed the .45 to Casey and checked out the M1911 for herself. "Much better, I felt a little naked."
Unknown Medical Facility
Krang sat in Payne's office, drumming his fingers on the man's desktop and getting more irate the longer he was kept waiting.
Riordan Payne entered the office looking quite pleased with himself. "Sorry to keep you waiting, boss. There were a lot of last minute details to attend to for your visit today. Shall we?"
"That should all have been taken care of before I got here," Krang growled at the man. He got up out of his chair and moved towards the door. He waited for Payne to lead the way.
Payne sobered and nodded as he gestured towards the hallway. "The subject has been responding quite well to the program. His resistance has been much higher than we've seen in other subjects, but he seems to have accepted the planted memories."
"Yes, yes, I read all of this in the briefs." The exasperation in Krang's voice was quite evident.
"We should begin to see the subject provide us with new intel sometime next week. At that point, we will need to access your systems for verification."
"Very good. I'll get that setup before I leave today." Krang turned his head towards Payne. "And how is the subject being treated? He must suffer no permanent injuries. Either from his stay with us or from the treatments."
They stopped at the doorway to the observation room and entered.
"Understood. Are his partners being kept busy?"
"Quite busy. They're in Barcelona as we speak."
They watched as the subject was prepared in the next room for another session of memory insertions.
Payne already knew about the trip to Barcelona and had a little surprise ready for Sarah and Casey. I still need this oaf for a few more days and then the CIA can have this Neanderthal back. What an idiot.
"Keep me up to date, Payne," Krang ordered as he turned to leave.
"Yes, sir." He waited a few minutes after Krang left the room. He closed the door, took out his phone, and made a call. "Is the facility ready? Good. We will be moving on the 8th."
Barcelona, Spain - An abandoned psychiatric hospital
The hospital was a small, two-story, concrete psychiatric facility with a capacity of less than three dozen. Like many small facilities, it had fallen on hard times and found it difficult to come up with the funding to keep its doors open. The sign in front of the building was obscured in graffiti, but the words El Hospital Psiquiátrico Infantil could still be made out.
Empty buildings quickly became inhabited by the lower classes of society and this one was no exception. Signs of habitation were evident throughout the building. Blankets were strung up against the walls with open fires burning in old oil drums. A living cliché. Even in the early hours on a cold winter day, the horrific odor of human waste was overwhelming.
A lone disheveled man walked slowly towards the trio of agents and quickly disappeared down a hallway when he spotted them.
Casey let out an 'I miss Burbank' grunt. "Let's move quickly. The smell is going to rob me of my breakfast."
Sarah took out a handkerchief and wrapped it across her face, covering her nose and mouth.
They moved forward to the end of the hall and found a staircase to the second floor. Oddly, they found some traces of previous trespassers but nothing indicating anyone had stayed too long. As they moved down the hallway that was directly over the path they took on the first floor, they checked each room. Casey signaled them to stop when they came across a room with a new padlock on its door. A small, wire glass window revealed an empty room with a single table. On the table was a small object and a slightly smaller object on top of it. The floor was covered with dust, disturbed by a single trail of footprints leading to and from the table.
Casey took out a pair of latex gloves from his yellow mesh forensics kit bag and handed the bag to Sarah. He puffed into the gloves and slid his hands into them.
"Casey, can you move any slower?"
"Walker, something about this smells. And I don't mean to this," he seethed quietly as he pointed to his nose. "Things look a little too staged."
Sarah noticed the lock and nodded. "OK. You might have something." She looked into the bag, removed the brush and powder, and held them out for her partner.
Casey puffed a little powder onto the brush and started looking for the little tell-tales to emerge. "Nothing." He grabbed the lock and gave it a tug. Even the padlock hasp bolted on the door was new and was not going to give. He pulled out a small crowbar from a pocket on his pants and ripped off the hasp. He took a step back and motioned to the women to step back. Casey rammed his foot against the door, kicking it in.
The concussive force of the explosion blew out the window on the far side of the room and knocked the agents back against the opposite wall in the hallway. Apart from some minor bruising, both physical and to their egos, the agents survived with just a ringing in their ears.
Sarah was the first to her feet with Casey close behind. He offered his hand to Anna and pulled her up. She stumbled a bit as she got to her feet, bumping into his chest and grasping his arms with her hands. She took a little long to pull back and appeared a little flustered.
Sarah watched the two of them and had a fleeting thought the Spanish woman had engineered the accidental bump. Not bad, but he's taken. She cleared her head and moved towards the room, stopping at the threshold and taking a look to each side as far as possible without actually entering the room. She took a quick look above the door on the inside and decided whatever could happen already had.
There wasn't much in the room for the explosion to have had an effect upon except the table; it had been blown across the room and was lying on its side against the wall. Her first few steps were tentative and then more strident as she approached the table and righted it. She looked for the objects that had been sitting on the table moments before and found the smaller one a few feet away. It was a wallet and looked familiar. It belonged to Chuck.
"Casey, when you two get untangled, could you bring your forensics bag in here?" Sarah called to her partner. She would have enjoyed teasing her partner if Chuck had been there. Now, she was just feeling mean.
"Real funny, Walker." He came into the room, still rubbing an ear with his finger. But he had heard the request for the forensics equipment.
He knelt down by the wallet and brushed it. There were no prints either inside or outside the wallet.
Sarah took the wallet and began to look through the pockets. Her hands began to tremble. Casey sensed what was going through her mind and put his arm around her, gently holding on to her for support. She looked up at John and willed her eyes to stay dry. When she looked back at the wallet a photo fell out and floated to the ground. It was a picture of her in her Wienerlicious uniform.
She knelt down to pick up the photo and noticed the writing on the back.
Are we having fun yet? was written in an eerie scrawl. Sarah's fear from moments ago was turning into something else very quickly.
"I am going to burn that damn thing!" Sarah eyes narrowed. "They're screwing with us. The whole time, everything they've done is to screw with us."
"And with deadly results," Casey added.
"John," Anna called. "There's a small box over here."
The two agents walked over to where Anna was standing. Sarah pulled a knife seemingly out of nowhere, picked up the box, and slid the blade through the tape sealing the box. The knife disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. She carefully removed the lid. Inside, lying on a piece of cotton, was a finger that had been crudely removed from its owner.
Sarah maintained her composure for only a few seconds. Casey grabbed the box from her just as she took a step back and fell, landing on the ground with her legs splayed out.
Her eyes were quickly tearing up and she was starting to hyperventilate. "Th… They're cutting him up!" Her knife was out again as an inferno of rage coursed through her. "I'm gonna do some cutting of my own!"
Casey closed the box and jammed it into Anna's chest, who was barely able to hang on to it given its contents. Casey grabbed Sarah's arms.
"Get up, NOW!" he growled as he pulled her to a standing position.
Her partner's words broke through her anger-fueled haze instantly. Oh crap! Hold it together, Walker.
He looked over at Anna. "Do you have a lab we can access?"
Anna blinked and stared at the box in her left hand. She held the box as far away from herself as possible.
"Anna!"
"Y... Yes," she stammered. "I made arrangements to process anything we found at any time."
"Good. Tell them we are coming in." Casey looked at Anna, whose gaze was frozen on the box in her hand. "Tell them now! And get that box into an evidence bag!"
He turned back to Sarah. "Like you said, they're screwing with us." Damn, are we going to get the moron back in pieces?
He pushed the thought from his mind. "Walker, let's confirm if that finger…" Wrong direction to take. "I've a thu… memory stick with Chuck's prints and DNA information. We'll do a comparison against that. Okay?"
He could see Sarah was already trying to push the same 'pieces' of thought to the back of her mind, the muscles in her face relaxing.
Anna sealed the evidence bag. She pulled out her phone and hit a speed dial number she programmed. "Miguel? Estarem allà en deu minuts, amb mostres per a les proves." She looked back at Casey and saw the quizzical look on his face. She covered the mouthpiece and smiled. "Catalan. I told them we would be there in ten minutes."
She turned back to her phone. "Gracias," she told Miguel and hung up. "We should go now; traffic is already starting to pick up."
"¡Alto! Halt!" Three heavily armed men in identical black cargo pants and flak jackets were approaching, weapons drawn and aimed at the agents. The man who ordered them to stop held out his credentials.
Casey and Sarah already had their weapons drawn. "Agent de Navarro! Centro Nacional de Inteligencia!" Anna called out while holding up her ID.
"Aquests són els nord-americans?"
"Sí. Ells estan amb mi."
The three armed men lowered their weapons and one of them spoke with a faint accent. "Welcome to Barcelona." He held out his hand towards the Americans.
Both Casey and Sarah slowly lowered their weapons and in turn took the proffered hand. Anna made the introductions, pointing to the apparent leader of the Spanish troops. "Tinent or Lieutenant Roberto Arnaldo." "Lieutenant, this is Special Agent Sarah Walker and Colonel John Casey."
There seemed to be a momentary flash of recognition at the names by the Lieutenant, but he said nothing. "We came in when we heard the explosion. Any injuries?" the Lieutenant asked.
"None. But we need to get to the forensics lab," Anna informed him.
As they walked towards the stairs, Casey fell behind to walk alongside Roberto. He gave a slight tug at the man's sleeve. "Roberto, any chance you're related to Juan Diego?"
Roberto's eyebrows shot up and a small smile spread on his lips. "Yes. A distant cousin, but in Spain, our family ties are closer, even to the extended ones." He paused, deciding to let the man in on the family 'secret'. "And I did recognize your names. You are the partners of an Agent Carmichael, are you not?"
Casey's brow scrunched a bit as he responded with a slight hesitation. "Yes." What about Chuck?
Roberto smiled a little more broadly. "It was because of your partner that my cousin began a dialog between ETA and the Spanish government. He was not trusted at first, by either side. But he eventually made headway. Have you not heard this news in America?"
That moron will never cease to amaze me. "Yes, actually. It was something Juan Diego said he prayed for. He had gotten tired of running."
Burbank - Buy More
A young man in his mid-twenties stood a few feet from the Nerd Herd counter and looked throughout the store. He appeared to be lost or perhaps was looking for someone. Given the man was of the wrong gender, Lester ignored him…until he couldn't, as the 'lost' man had finally approached the counter and waved his hand to get Lester's attention.
"Excuse me. I was hoping you could help me out. I am looking for a woman…"
"Aren't we all?" Jeff drooled as he suddenly appeared next to his partner in crime.
The man looked confused and a bit frightened by Jeff before turning back to Lester. "No, I mean I am looking for a woman who might work here. About 5'4", mid-length brown hair. I'm asking because I ran into her in Echo Park and she dropped her address book."
"Who still uses an address book?" asked Lester.
"I do," Jeff answered.
Lester looked at him with disbelief. "Yeah, your book is filled with people who call when the phone doesn't ring."
"Hey, they have reason to contact me. But modern technology is holding them back."
The man grew nervous talking to the two behind the counter. "Is there a manager I could speak to?"
"Well, you could try Big Mike over there, once he comes out of his sugar coma," Lester quipped.
"Hmmm. Does a Chuck Bartowski work here?"
Lester's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that name?"
"His name is in the book and it says 'Buy More' under it."
Big Mike walked up behind the man, having heard Chuck's name mentioned. "Can I help you, sir?"
"He wants our women folk," Jeff offered.
Big Mike had a pained look on his face and gently steered the man away from the Buy Morons. "Pay no attention to those two. Come with me."
The man eagerly followed. "Thank you, I wasn't getting very far with them."
"Of course not, they're idiots. Are you a friend of Chuck's?"
"No, actually, I am looking for a woman I ran into in Echo Park. She dropped her address book and I was hoping to return it her. She seemed very upset about something."
"I see. And how do you know Chuck Bartowski?"
"I don't. But his name is in this book." He held it up to show Big Mike.
They entered Morgan's office, and he gestured to the man to sit. "Could you describe the woman?"
"She looked to be my age, mid-length brown hair, about 5'4", quite slim. Very pretty."
"Hmmm… Sounds like Hannah. I think I have her old employee ID." He opened a drawer and brought out a stack of ID cards. He pulled one out. "Ah, here we go." He turned the card around, covering the name with a finger as he showed the picture to the man. "Is this her?"
"That's her! Would you give this to her? Oh, and here is my business card. I'd like to know if she's feeling better."
Big Mike took the book and the card, putting them with Hannah's ID card back in the drawer. "Well, she doesn't work here anymore, but I will let Chuck know. He seems to know everything about what goes on around here, but he's on vacation at the moment. I'll speak with him as soon as he gets back."
The man looked a bit disappointed but smiled nonetheless. "Thanks." He got up to leave, but stopped and turned back to Mike. "She seemed quite beside herself. I hope things work out for her." He turned and left the office.
Big Mike watched the man leave and shook his head. What did Chuck do to that poor girl? The Nerd Herd was not very happy with him. In Mike's book, that was the only black mark next to Chuck's name.
Noon - Barcelona - Forensics lab of Centro Nacional de Inteligencia
As guests of the Spanish government, Agent Walker and Colonel Casey were allowed into the facility but not the lab itself. Anna assured them that she would provide all the necessary chain of evidence documention as needed. Casey was reluctant to have his thumb drive out of his possesion, so Anna provided him with a laptop, and he made copies of the needed files.
The two American agents paced the halls as they waited for the results. Lt. Arnaldo had left his men at the hospital and joined the Americans to provide additional support. He stood at the end of the hall, his body language making it clear that anyone else trying to come near the Americans or the lab would have to deal with him first.
Anna emerged from the lab with a smile. "The print taken from the finger does not match the prints you provided."
Both Casey and Sarah exhaled in relief and even broke out in smiles. Sarah looked at Casey and caught his grin. It was huge. It must really hurt when he does that, she jokingly thought.
"The technician is running the DNA sequencer, but it takes quite a few hours to complete. Not everyone is in the database, so a match is unlikely. However, it should provide us with with a profile of the owner."
Sarah thanked Anna. "It looks like this was all a wild goose chase. Someone wanted us out of Burbank."
"I'd have to agree, Agent Walker. Where to now?"
"Home. Our flight isn't until later tonight. Have you had a chance to run the plates of the cars that tailed us to the diner?"
"Ah yes, sorry. Two of the vehicles were reported stolen and have been found abandoned. The third one appears to have been innocent. A coincidence. However, we will be keeping an eye on the owner."
Anna looked over at the Lieutenant speaking with Casey and turned back to Sarah. "He must be very important to you."
"Who, Casey? Yeah, we're partners." Sarah allowed herself a half-smile. "And friends." But she knew to whom Anna referred.
"I see that. But no," she smiled, not letting Sarah get away with that. "I meant Agent Bartowski."
Sarah grimaced and cursed herself. She was wearing her heart on her sleeve. Sarah discovered long ago being a spy was infinitely more difficult since falling in love with Chuck. He brought back the human being that used to occupy Sarah Walker's body. But she would never even think of going back and changing it.
Anna realized in an instant the shame she'd cause Sarah to feel. "We are only human. When I saw that finger, I thought the same thing as you and your partner." She paused and smiled as she sized Sarah up. "You are truly an amazing woman, Sarah. I know I could not have kept myself as cool as you have."
"But I feel like I'm falling apart and putting it on full display."
She reached a hand out to Sarah. "Perhaps. But you pick yourself up and keep going. I am just sorry that we were not successful. Molta sort. Good luck."
Sarah smiled. "Gràcies."
Dec 5, 2010 - Flight to LAX
She heard Casey groan and she opened her eyes. Sarah looked to her left at her partner and nudged him gently. "Casey, wake up! You're having a nightmare."
His eyes bolted open and stared straight ahead. His breathing was still harsh. "Walker."
"Yeah. You were having a nightmare."
"I was." It was a statement. "Thanks." He stared straight ahead.
"About Chuck?" She returned her gaze to the back of the chair in front of her.
He didn't respond.
"I have them, too." She felt for his hand with the tip of her finger and found it. Under normal circumstances, Casey would have pushed her hand away. This time, he gripped it tightly.
…
Sarah realized she must have fallen asleep, as the skid of the plane's wheels on the runway jarred her awake. At some point during the flight she had pulled her legs under her and leaned her head against Casey's shoulder. He stared straight forward but was still holding her hand. The man had his moments of compassion.
"You snore," Casey said with a raised eyebrow. Like Mr. Spock, it was his way of showing humor.
"I don't snore," Sarah protested with a grin, as Chuck would disagree with that. "And you're lumpy." She was exhausted and couldn't wait to get home and a proper bed.
She leaned up to his ear and kept her voice to a whisper. "Coming out of customs, I'll take a ten-step lead and we'll reschedule the courtyard."
He gave an actual response, a whisper instead of a grunt. "Yes, Mrs. B."
The Room
Chuck woke with a start. The room was dark, but he could hear someone behind him.
"Who's there?"
He couldn't turn his head. He tried to lift his arms, but the restraints held him firmly in the chair. There was no response, just the smell of garlic and mint. No, not mint, he thought. That stuff you use on stiff joints.
He heard someone breathing behind him, and then a sharp prick at his neck followed by a sensation of heat. "Not again."
The light above him came on and Chuck closed his eyes against the glare. Even closed, the brightness hurt his eyes.
"Mr. Bartowski."
He blinked then opened a single eye. Through the brightness, he made out the form of a man. It was an orderly or a doctor. "Yes?"
"Whom do you work for?"
"I work at the Buy More."
"Very funny, but I want the truth. We know you've been a CIA operative for the last twenty years. Your handlers alerted us to your disappearance."
"Twenty years? Try four. How old do you think I am?" Oops. Oops? Crap!
"You are 50 years old."
"That's impossible!"
The man in the white coat held up a mirror in front of Chuck's face.
Chuck stared at a face that did not look familiar. He could see the chair he was in, the restraints across his arms and chest. The face in the mirror seemed to make the same motions he made with his smile and his eyes. "No. That can't be. He is too old!"
"Yes." The man nodded. "That is you."
Chuck could feel the drugs taking effect. His eyes began to droop as the darkness descended on his consciousness.
Burbank - Chuck and Sarah's Apartment
She opened the door to the apartment and wanted to cry. She shut this part out of her mind for as long as she could, but now she had no choice but to face it. The apartment was dead silent. She closed the door behind her and dropped her bags where she stood. Her legs felt like lead, barely moving at her command. She made her way to their bedroom, stripping as she walked, not caring about the trail she left behind her. Shower. Sleep. Although she wasn't sure if would be in that order.
The bathroom was to the left, across from the bedroom. She decided on a shower first, for no other reason than it would delay her having to look at their empty bed. As the water streamed out from the showerhead, she laid both hands on the far wall of the stall. Her eyes were closed and she stood motionless, waiting for the steam to come up. She gave up waiting and stepped in, moving her hands to the wall beneath the showerhead and let the water pound on her neck and back. It ran down the sides of her head, wetting her hair, dragging it down and in front of her face.
She didn't feel the cold of the water nor its increasing heat. Someone, somewhere, seemed to be controlling her arms, making them move the soap across her skin. Hair. She knew it reeked and it would have to be washed. She didn't want to ruin the remnants of Chuck's smell in their bed. She couldn't remember reaching for the shampoo, but she smelled the strawberries. It wasn't her usual vanilla, but as tired as she was, she could feel the arousal between her legs and her knees weakened. The last thing Chuck and she did was feed each other strawberries dipped in chocolate. At least, that's how it started. Then Chuck decided he'd rather eat the chocolate off of her instead of the strawberries, and the night just got better from there.
Sarah twisted the showerhead to a massage setting and pointed it towards the back of the tub at the bottom and slowly lowered herself until she was in a sitting position. She spread her legs so the water hit her heat. She closed her eyes and thought of Chuck. Her breathing got heavier to the point where the water was not enough. Her fingers started moving over her as she thought about some of the more erotic encounters she had with Chuck…their first kiss in the warehouse, his hot, romantic kiss in front of Roan, that morning in the hotel in Paris…and she kept massaging herself until it brought her over the edge.
All of that effort didn't have the desired effect. It had the opposite effect.
She brought her arms up and rested them on the edges of the tub as she broke down in a wailing cry. She missed Chuck, but she was becoming more afraid of the possibility of never seeing…
Sarah leaned her head back until she felt the cold of the tile on the wall behind her. She willed herself into putting those thoughts completely out of her mind. Her body was still shaking, but the tears had stopped flowing. Her sense of fatigue returned to her, and she dragged herself out of the tub. The towel refused to stay wrapped around her hair, so she gave up and toweled the rest of herself dry as she headed to bed. Laying the towel on the pillow, she crawled into bed and pulled the blanket up to her neck. She felt for her Chuck, pulling him up to her chest and breathed him in. She was asleep within minutes.
###
"I'll jump first."
"Nope."
"Then you jump first."
"No, I said!"
"What's the matter with you?"
"I can't swim!"
"Why, you crazy…the fall will probably kill ya! Jump!" he said.
Of course, she knew how to swim. And he knew she knew.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her along. Together they ran to the end of the dock and jumped into the lake. He was screaming his head off, and she was laughing hysterically. They hit the water at the same time and went down under the surface until they reached the bottom.
The water was so murky she could see nothing.
She heard his voice calling out her name. "Sarah!"
"Where are you?"
"I don't know, yet."
###
Dec 6, 2010 - Early morning - Courtyard
He had finished his regular morning routine and slipped out the door as quietly as he could. Carina had kept him up well into the early hours, but he still wanted to check in on Morgan. He took a quick glance at Sarah's apartment and noticed the hose caddy had been turned 90 degrees towards his apartment. He 'decided' the plants needed a little watering and retrieved Mrs. B.'s note as he took the hose. He left the hose lying on the ground and headed over to Ellie's.
He knocked on the door and waited while the note burned a hole in his pocket. He listened and heard nothing. He knocked again. "Ellie? You home?"
Devon appeared shirtless at the door. "Hey John, come on in." He had already been working out and was wiping himself off with a towel.
"Good morning, Devon."
"Sorry about that. I was stretching the old back and Ellie is in the bathroom. Oh! And get this," Devon beamed while flashing a broad smile. "Alex actually got Morgan to go out this morning for breakfast. He didn't have a drop last night."
Casey's posture relaxed. "Do you think he would 'freak out' if I paid him a visit later?"
"Why don't you speak with Ellie?"
John's face got a little longer. He's not ready.
Devon immediately realized what John was thinking. "No, no, no. He is doing much better, but Ellie's the one that has been coaxing him out. She and Alex both." He studied John for second then gave him a tap on the chest with the back of his hand. "Come on, bro! Let me get you an Alfalfa wheat germ seaweed shake. It will do your colon wonders!"
I'm gonna be one sick grunt. "Coffee?" he asked hopefully.
Devon smiled, "Sure. Let's get you awake first." He turned around and headed towards the kitchen.
John took the note from his pocket and unfolded it.
Bacon, 8
He looked at his watch and saw he had ten minutes before he had to head out. It was a twenty-minute drive and it was already seven-thirty. He made his way into the kitchen.
An Office at an unknown location
He read through his dailies and became a little agitated. "Where the hell is that woman?" He was fairly certain she had taken out Hoover. But she had been AWOL since the beginning of the month and his people had heard nothing in the chatter.
Krang took out his phone. At least some things were going as planned. He made the call. "Has the 'evidence' been installed? Very good, prepare Heidelberg."
Unknown Medical Facility
Payne's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the caller ID: Unknown.
"Yes?" Payne smiled at the response he heard. "Very good. Keep me updated."
A diner just north of Burbank on the Interstate
Casey brought his Vic around to the rear of the diner and parked next to the semi, effectively blocking the sight of the Vic to any passersby. He leaned to his right, dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone and double-checked it; the battery was missing. In his other pocket, he felt the battery. Good. He made sure his gun was loaded and the safety was locked in place. Satisfied he was ready, he opened the door, got out, and headed into the diner.
The blonde he was looking for was already sitting in a booth at the far end of the diner. Both publicly-accessible entrances as well as the kitchen were clearly visible from her vantage point, and a wall was behind her. He eyed a waitress taking an order at the next table, so he had to make this look innocent. He slid into the seat next to her, leaned towards her, and gave her a quick cover kiss.
"Sarah."
"John."
She looked over at the waitress, smiled, and held up two fingers. "Two coffees, please." She turned back to Casey as the waitress went to get their coffee. "Thanks for meeting me here."
John nodded.
"I don't trust anyone and I needed to give you a heads-up. I've gone through every mission brief and checked our detention facilities. It took a long time to do that without raising any alerts. Everyone is accounted for except him," she said quietly as she slid a folder towards John.
Sarah caught the waitress returning out of her peripheral vision. With a slight tell for John's sake, she slipped back into her cover. "I've already served him with the divorce papers, so it'll just be a few more days."
"Here you go." The waitress leaned over the table and placed two mugs on the table along with a small metal milk pitcher. "Have you folks decided what you'd like to eat?" She stood and waited, pad in hand, and reached for the pen in her hair.
John laid his hands on the folder and looked up at her with a smile. "An English muffin with butter on the side would be fine."
"The same for me. Could you see if they have anything other than grape jelly? Orange would be really nice!"
"Sure thing, hon." That'll be less than a buck tipped and an endless stream of coffee, she thought, although she held her frown until she had turned away from the two 'lovers'.
John opened the folder as he watched their waitress walk away. He put a smile on his face for the cover, but his mood was anything but when he saw the picture.
"Riordan Payne was removed from his cell over nine months ago," Sarah said while keeping an eye out for anybody in listening range. "I haven't been able to determine where he was moved to or who authorized the move. However, there are only three people on my short list."
"Who?"
"General Beckman and Deputy Directors Krang and Winslow."
"You suspect Beckman?"
"As recently as nine months ago, she still entertained notions of putting Chuck into a bunker. Shaw or no Shaw, she knew I would never have allowed that. But I doubt she would have allowed things to get so fucked."
"And the other two?"
"Winslow has voiced strong opposition to having U.S. intel in a single, difficult-to-secure source like Chuck. Krang has voiced similar objections."
Casey nodded in approval. Chuck may have softened some of her emotional edges, but her talents were as sharp as ever. "Impressive. How the hell did you do all this?"
"No sleep. And a friend."
"A friend? Care to fill me in?"
Sarah looked down at the table momentarily and clasped her hands. "John, I trust you completely. But I'd rather you be able to deny any knowledge of my source." She looked up and stared at Casey with a frightening resolve. "Look, this is not intel I'm going to blindly act on. It's intel I'll use to get to the next step."
Casey sat motionless except for his finger rubbing the edge of the folder. He had a sickening knot forming in his stomach as his mind realized where she was headed with this.
"I don't like her," he muttered under his breath. Graham's wildcard enforcer. He wanted Chuck to return as badly as anybody, but he didn't want to lose his best partner in the process. He cleared his throat and spoke up. "Don't do it, Sarah. I don't like you becoming 'her'. That's not you, and it never should have been. Don't go down that path."
She reached out and took John's hand. "Listen to me, John. I don't like what I become either. But I need to do this. I need to put everything away and do this. For Chuck. He's everything to me."
He face reflected his immense displeasure with her plan. Casey knew there was no way he was going to dissuade her, but that didn't mean he had to agree with it. He forced a growing growl back down.
"Damnit, John. I have to do this for the family. Four days. That's all I'm asking for."
Casey let out a harsh sigh. "Fine, just keep the body count down to a minimum."
He slid out of the booth, stood and stopped. He turned to Sarah, placed his hands on the table, and leveled his lips at her ear. "You make sure you come back. Or I'll come and drag your bony ass home. I am never having that conversation with Chuck."
He paused and looked at the ground. Damn, I've been saying that a lot lately. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and put his forehead on her shoulder. He stood up and turned to leave. "Walker. Big tip." Alex would approve.
Sarah's jaw dropped as she watched her partner leave. He…he kissed me? John freakin' Casey? Mr. No Lady Feelings himself just kissed me?
She raised her hand to the side of her head where John kissed her and felt moisture above it. Was he crying? Nah.
The Courtyard
He took his phone out of his pocket and fumbled a bit with the battery in his other pocket, finally fishing it out. Casey's mood was quite foul. He knew Sarah could take care of herself, but what would come back from her mission worried him. He got the battery inserted and turned the phone back on. There were three missed calls: two from Mortensen and one from Carina. He headed towards his apartment and called Mortensen.
"Sir! The General has been trying to reach you," Mortensen said in a bit of panic, as he was unaccustomed to Casey not answering his phone.
"Did she say what it was about?" He was about to put his key in the lock when Carina opened the door for him. She didn't look too happy. He ignored the look and walked in. Carina closed the door and followed behind him towards the monitor.
"No, just that I was to find you."
"I'll get back to her in a moment." Casey looked back at Carina and held a hand out to her.
She took his hand and took a step closer to him. She looked as if she was about to forgive him for something. His mood seemed to lighten.
"Very well. I've spoken with your contact in Barcelona, she has some information for you, but she would rather speak to you directly."
He felt Carina's hand tighten slightly. "I'll come by Castle after I speak with Beckman." He hung up and turned to Carina.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's just that I woke up in an empty bed. I'm used to being the one that leaves early," she replied. She wore her typical devilish smirk, which could mean anything, although the term 'screwing' usually applied in some way, shape, or form.
I don't have time for this. "Things change," he grunted before instantly regretting it. Whoa! Way too harsh, Casey. Even for you.
Carina's eyes widened and her jaw dropped a bit. She was playing with him, but he was obviously distracted. "Hey, I was just teasing, I guess I should ask you 'are you okay'?"
Casey looked at her, still holding her hand, and blinked. He was already reminded why he didn't want Walker doing this. It wasn't the first time she forgot how many people cared about her these days.
"Carina, I'm gonna have to ask you to trust me. I can't tell you what's happening, but Walker's going off grid for a while."
Unknown Location
Wolf pulled out the burner phone and stared at it. The time for finesse was over. The simplest plans were usually the best: find them, bang them up and follow the trail. I'll deal with the destruction later.
Wolf: U there?
It took a while, but there was finally a response. *ping*
Shepherd: Y, as soon as i heard. we'll get him back
Wolf: thank u. congrats on the promotion
Shepherd: thanks
Wolf: I need info
Shepherd: go
Wolf: current home and work addresses for dd krang & winslow
Shepherd: will send, need time
The Room
NO!
I… I am the Intersect.
My name is Charles Bartowski and I am a spy.
I work with Sarah Walker and John Casey.
Casey's Apartment
"Colonel Casey, just where is Agent Walker?"
Beckman's anger was not a shock to Casey, but it still didn't mean he felt like dealing with it. "She is not feeling well and asked me to meet with you. I can brief her later."
Her eyes narrowed. "Very well. Then we'll begin. Although I am a bit hesitant after the disappointment you had in Barcelona." She paused and stared at Casey.
"Ma'am?"
"Colonel," she started before pausing to clear her throat. "Perhaps I should have made this less formal. I can well imagine what this has done to Sarah." She seemed to scan Casey's living room from her side of the camera. "Believe it or not, we have new intel concerning Chuck. This time, it's Heidelberg."
"That's a little convenient, wouldn't you say?'
"Beyond belief. However, as idiotic as I feel telling you about it, I would hate to think we passed on it for fear of 'fool me twice'. I am going to make arrangements to have two agents take your place. The agents I have in mind fit the general descriptions for you and Sarah. Any objections?"
"Ma'am, are you asking me?"
"Of course I am! Look, I know I'm a hard-ass. It's my job to be. Damnit John, I want to get Chuck back, too. But not at the risk of losing you or Sarah. You two have big targets on your backs."
"Yes, ma'am. Go with your plans. I'll take the heat from Sarah, if it comes to that."
"I'll get right on it." She waited a second and then smiled. "Carina, thank you for all your help." The monitor went dark.
John let out a heavy breath of relief. Sarah's still safe. Well, from Beckman's wrath, anyway.
"How the hell does she do that?" She stood from the chair placed behind the monitor where she thought Beckman couldn't see her and walked towards Casey.
He had a huge grin on his face. "It's classified. I could tell you, but then..."
She cut him off. "Don't even!" Carina grabbed his hand and gave him a hard kiss before dragging him off to the bedroom, feverishly removing his clothes in the process.