Don't own Chuck
It was late and Sarah wanted to get some sleep but she hadn't been able to get in touch with Chuck. She had White's dossier now and was thumbing through it as she hit Morgan's number on her speed dial then put the call on speaker so she could multitask. It rang for what seemed forever and she was about to give up thinking maybe she should've tried Alex's when she heard a click on the other end then Morgan voice on the line.
"Hey Sarah, why are you calling me? What time is it over there? It's got to be late," said Morgan then in the background she heard Sam. She didn't think anything about it because Morgan often stopped over for breakfast and any other time there was an opportunity for food to be had.
"I was trying to call Chuck but he's not picking up. I was afraid he'd overslept and Sam was going to be late for school but I hear her in the background. Is Chuck making pancakes? Tell Chuck to turn his phone on..."
"I will... I absolutely will as soon as I see him," said Morgan. There was a long pause on Morgan's end because he'd realized he'd just put his foot in it then he tried to dig himself out of the hole he put himself in but he just made things worse.
"Yes, I'll tell Chuck as soon as I see him because he's... because he's outside in the courtyard doing... doing... well, I don't know what he's doing but he's doing something. Oh, yes, he's watering the flowers. It's terribly hot here and the flowers are suffering. Yes, they're suffering horribly... the Birds of Paradise look like they're in Purgatory."
"I'm sure they do. Morgan, you're a good friend but a terrible liar. Now, where's Chuck and is he all right? Did something happen to him and he told you not to tell me because I'd get worried?" she said as she started to feel anxious and picked up her phone. "Because if it is it's not working."
"No, no, just calm down. No, Chuck's all right... well, at least he was the last time I talked with him. Yes, I'm sure he's all right because he hasn't gotten there yet but don't worry everything is under control... Chuck said so."
"Hasn't gotten there where? He said so? Where's Chuck Morgan? He was supposed to stay back there to watch over Sam and Bunny and now you're telling me he's gone... gone where Morgan?"
"Is that mommy? I want to talk to her," Sarah heard Sam yell then she heard Sam come on the phone taking it from Morgan. Not that he fought hard to keep it and the way he figured it for the moment while Sarah was talking to Sam he was safe.
"When are you coming home? I miss you," said Sam. "You've been gone for a long time and Bunny misses you too."
"It hasn't been that long and I know you do and I miss you too. Soon... very soon, I'll be home. I'll be home as soon as I get things taken care of here with Jack then I'll be on the next plane home. Next time I'll try to have Emma and Molly with me so you can talk to them too."
"That's nice but I'd prefer for you to come home," said Sam then she lowered her voice. "Morgan is all right as a babysitter but he's not very much help with my homework. Uncle Casey said it was because he rode on the short bus. What's the short bus? I don't want to have to ride it if..."
"Hey, I heard that. It's not my fault if you're in that special math class for geniuses. I'm doing the best google and I can do. Listen to this why is six afraid of seven? Because seven, eight, nine. Get it seven ate nine."
"Morgan that's old. I used to tell that joke when I was a child," said Sam. "Mommy, luckily for me Kathy... that is Dr. Durham moved in down the street from us so when I need help Morgan or Alex can take me over. But naturally only after we call first. Kathy tells me I'm her special student."
"She does, does she," said Sarah as she filed all that away in the back of her head as something to deal with later. "Don't impose too much on her Sweetie. Now can you put Morgan back on the phone... I love you. But don't you need to get ready for school? Isn't it late there?"
"Crap, you're right, I do. I love you too. Morgan, we need to get it in gear and get this show on the road," yelled Sam. Sarah heard Sam barking orders at Morgan as she handed him his phone back. "Hurry up Morgan or we're going to be late and Bunny is going to have to go as is. Time is out and we need to go. Sorry, sis but you're going to have to hold it."
"Morgan, don't you dare take my daughter out without changing her diaper. Where the hell is Chuck? He's supposed to be there managing all this."
"That's what I was trying to tell you. Chuck has a plan to get the target off of Jack's back so don't get mad. By now he's almost in Moldova."
"Moldova! Oh, please, don't tell me his plan is to walk into the middle of that den of thieves and try to talk them out of killing Jack?"
"That would be just crazy and said like that makes it sound like a suicide mission. You know I really need to get off here and get Bunny ready as well as checking on Sam. It is getting late."
"Hold on a moment and don't you dare hang up on me. Okay Morgan out with it... let me hear this plan, what's Chuck grand idea?"
"You know some times you can sound really scary."
"Because you should be scared. Now out with it and Morgan, don't make me ask again. I already know I'm not going to like it.
"Okay, but remember he planned this out carefully with office supplies and everything," said Morgan. There was a deadly silence on the other end. "Well, his plan is to walk into the middle of that den of thieves and try to talk them out of killing Jack."
"Oh, Chuck me," said Sara as she hung her head. "I can't deal with this right now. Good night Morgan."
"But it's morning here," said Morgan but all he heard was a click then the line went dead. "Well that went better than what I thought. Are you ready yet?"
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Carmen took a couple of pills to help her go to sleep. She'd been turning over in her mind what had brought her to where she was but now she needed to turn it off. However, she was finding it difficult to find the off switch and the pills she took helped her to go to sleep but it wasn't a restful sleep. She started dreaming as soon as her eyes closed and there she saw herself as a child again. She saw herself coming home from ballet. She remembered how excited she was that day and how happy but all that ended abruptly.
"Mommy, Daddy," she yelled. "Where are you? I want to show you what we did today. I was able to do the splits. Where is everyone?"
"Don't go in there," she wanted to tell the little girl as she watched the little herself grab hold of the bedroom door knob. "Don't open that door," she tried to say but words wouldn't come out of her mouth.
"Are you guys in here," the girl said as she walked in. The girl dropped the bag she'd been carrying in her hand. She froze in place standing in her parents' bedroom. The walls were covered in gore with streaks of crimson and there on the floor was the body of her mother lying in a pool of her own blood.
"Mommy," she yelled as she ran to her mother but she was cold to the touch. Shocked and frightened she tried to get up to run but slipped on her mother's blood falling face first. She picked herself up again covered from head to toe in the warm tacky substance. The smell was horrible and something in her snap as she ran out wildly.
"Daddy, Daddy, where are you," she yelled as she ran through the house looking for him but he was nowhere to be found.
Then somewhere in her search she blacked out when she came to she was sitting on the sofa in their living room. There were policemen in uniform along with some in plain clothes walking around her talking. No one noticed her was sitting there as they moved and talked around her.
"Officers, what do we have here," said a man who walked in wearing a black suit and dark sun glass. "Clyde Decker, I'm with the FBI," he said as he flashed a badge.
"There's a woman upstairs who's been stabbed to death and the husband is in the wind. There's a note on the kitchen table that said he was sorry but he was in over his head. I don't suppose you know what that's about?"
"Yeah, what's the FBI's interest in our homicide case. Aren't you a little out of your justification," said one of the plain clothes cops.
"The 'over his head' your man is talking about is the Ponzi scheme he got caught up in organized by a Jack Burton. Burton's been known to be operating with a minor and they've been on my radar for a while. I'll take that note and now that you've secured my crime scene you can go for doughnuts."
"Why you... who do you think you are coming in here a day late and a dollar short barking orders at us. You said you were tracking this Jack Burton well if you'd been tracking him a little closer maybe we wouldn't have a body upstairs and a man missing right now."
"Do you really want me to call my boss and have him call your boss. Do you really want to create that much of a crap storm? Because I will if you want me to now be good little cops and stop what you're doing and leave, because right now all I see is you contaminating my crime scene."
"Come on Nick," said the other plain clothesman. "You're not going to win this battle. Let's go there's nothing much more we can do here anyway. Come on guys everyone out and let's turn this over to our friends from the Bureau."
"Finally, someone who has some sense. Hey, wait a minute what's up with the kid? You need to take her with you. I can't be bothered with babysitting."
"You wanted the scene well she's a part of it... she's a witness. She came home and found her mother upstairs..."
"But she wasn't here when the incident occurred so she's not a witness. Did you guys take her story," said Decker. They nodded. "Good, send me a copy and take her to Child Protection that would be a good place for her until you can get her sorted out."
"I'm not going anywhere," she heard herself say. "And I'm not going to be sorted out. Not by you or anyone. I want Jack Burton's head on a plate."
"Miss, you and a few hundred other people so you need to get in line. I don't have time to mess with you so can you be a good little girl and go with the nice men?"
"I'm not going to be a good little girl anymore and what's the name of this kid that's working with Jack Burton?"
"I don't know exactly. She's gone by a lot of different name. In Wisconsin, it was Katie O'Connell and in Cleveland, it was Rebecca Franko."
"Then I have two names for my list," she heard her say to herself.
Suddenly, she was gone again. This time she was sitting in the back of a police car watching as other men in black suits and dark sunglass entered her house.
"Central, can you give me an ETA on those people from Child Protection," said a female police officer into a mic then she looked up at her in the mirror. "Sweetie, what's your name?"
"Carmen like in the game... you know 'Where's Carmen Sandiego."
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Casey was bushed after the flight over from the States then leaving to meet up with Mary. After hooking up with her he had to hike through the Corneşti hills carrying his pack along with his Barrett. Now that he was finally able to get some sleep and that's just what he did. Mary was supposed to wake him so it was lights out for him almost as soon as he closed his eyes.
Casey had been asleep for a while when his eyes popped open when he heard the sound of an ATV approaching. Years of living in the armpits of the world taught him not to raise up and look. He just rolled over into the brush and got up slowly staying in cover.
"Where's Mary at and why didn't she wake me up," he said to himself as he glanced down at his watch. He looked around and saw two men on the back of a Honda TRX approaching. He quickly circled around behind them and crouched down like a big cat ready to pounce on its prey.
"We want to make one more pass here then we'll drive over to the next hill before heading back," radioed the man on the back as the driver pointed towards their camp sight. "I see the trash too. I should call this in."
"No, not yet," yelled the driver as he idled down to be heard over the engine. "Let's check it out first. It might just be trash wild dogs dragged out here from the town. If we call it in they'll have us out here for hours and I want to get back for some breakfast."
"I hear you there and being out here all night on watch with the mesquites is for the birds. I'm ready to turn in and let the next guys take over. You know you're probably right just wild dogs. I mean think about it if there'd been people out here we would've smelt smoke and seen it from their campfire."
"So, what do you want us to do? My vote is to leave it for the next guys and tell them to watch out for dogs."
"That works for me," said the rider as he tapped the driver on the back of the helmet. "There'd better be some eggs and bacon left when we get back."
"And then a bed. I hope today's quiet but already I've heard they're expecting a chopper to come in this morning."
"Then what are we waiting for around here," said the man on the back. The driver revved the motor and the bike took off heading down a trail that quickly took them out of sight. John came walking out of the bushes as he put his K-bar away.
"Those guys will never know how close they'd come to resting in peace," said John as he quickly pulled out his Barrett and used the scope on his .50 cal to try to locate Mary. "I know you're down there somewhere. Now, where are you?"
"Are you looking for me," said Mary as she came up behind Casey without making a sound. He didn't know whether to be impressed or pissed.
"Yes, I'm looking for you. You were supposed to wake me up hours ago and for your information we almost had guests drop in on us."
"Nothing you couldn't handle I assume," said Mary as she walked into camp and took out a remote control from her bag. "I placed all the explosives like I wanted. There's a tavern they're using to keep the civilian population contained. It's kind of a lock up but with an open bar."
"Sounds like my kind of place but... and I can't believe I'm saying this but go easy with the trigger finger. I overheard they're expecting a chopper this morning. We want to make sure we get all of those sobs in one shot."
"Just as long as we don't have to wait around for too long. I overheard some things too and it sounds like the group is divided over what to do in Montenegro."
"Maybe that's what they're waiting on this guy to bring with him," said Casey as he watched Mary digging around her bag. Obviously, she was looking for something.
"If you're looking for a way to make coffee. You're out of luck unless we make a fire and we don't want to do that there's a lookout on the other hill. I bet you wished you'd woken me up now."
"Not really," she said as she took a cup warmer from her bag attached it to a USB battery then dropped it in the water. "Where there's a will there's a way. You're more than welcome to use this after I'm done just we're going to have to use instant and my dear Colonel like this cup of coffee and the village below I just handled them."
"Don't break you arm patting yourself on the back. We're not out of here yet... I think I've just figured out our exit strategy. The next time one of those patrols goes by we'll commandeer their ATV and drive out of here after we blow the joint."
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Mary as she sipped on her hot cup of coffee. "See what good ideas you can come up with after a good night's sleep."
"Grurr," growled John before his usual grunt. "We need to keep our eyes peeled for that chopper then we can get out of here that is if you've set the explosives up properly and in the right places."
"John, I've been blowing things up since you were wearing shot trousers. I think I know what I'm doing."
"We'll see," said John as he smiled at her over his coffee cup. He'd gotten under her skin and he was happy he had.
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Chuck's flight landed in Chişinău International without incident. He had been in disguise for a while when they touched down. As the plane rolled off the tarmac and onto the apron he felt butterflies in his stomach. It was good to be nervous that would keep him from being careless but anyway he looked at it this was going to one of his most dangerous missions he'd been on yet.
"I need to do one last thing," he told himself as he pulled out his phone. He took a deep breath then called Sarah. They'd flown through the night and now it was morning but he'd been through so many time zones he wasn't really sure what time it was.
"Come on Sarah, pick up," he said as he looked outside as the plane taxied to a hangar. The sun was coming up outside his window and he hoped this wouldn't be the last sunrise he'd get to see. Suddenly there was a click on the line and he heard breathing.
"I'm sorry if I woke you but I needed to hear your voice," he said. There was a long pause on the other end. "Sarah, are you there?"
"I'm here... I'm just trying to wake up. I think I just went to bed. Where are you? I've been trying to call you but my calls went to voice mail."
"I'm sorry for waking you. I just wanted to tell you that I love you and... well I probably should let you go back to sleep. You're tired..."
"Oh, no you don't. You're not getting off that easily. You don't get to call me, wake me up, then say I love you and hang up. I know where you are and what you're doing. Chuck, what are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking I love you and I'll do anything to make sure you're safe. Look, I've got a good idea what's going on. I just need to make this meeting face to face to get a clear picture."
"A clear picture of what a gun barrel? Things go black after you get shot between the eyes. You don't need to do this for me. I refuse to believe there wasn't another way."
"I've tried to come up with another way but this is the only thing I could come up with. When I get there, I'll find Casey and Mom then we can work together..."
"I wouldn't rely on them. They've got their orders and their orders don't involve a chit-chat with the enemy. Please don't tell me you're going in alone."
"No, no of course not... I've got a team with me to cover my back," said Chuck as he looked at himself in the mirror. "There are two of us."
"That's not much of a team. Chuck, you wouldn't be lying to me, would you? You aren't trying to make me feel better. Do I have to remind you about our pact?"
"Well," Chuck started to say then glancing out in the hangar he saw Stefan and Anatoly standing there. "Don't tell Beckman because she'd just get mad but I called Igor and he sent me Stefan and Anatoly. Igor also called in a favor in Montenegro for you."
"So that's why our perps had their weapons taken from them. I owe him..."
"I've got it taken care of. I'm having Morgan contact Hannah and getting her to send him a case of scotch. We've stopped and they're bringing the ladder next to the plane so I've got to let you go. I love you."
"I love you too and if you end up dead I'll kill you."
"I'll try to remember that."