Don't own Chuck
Abram was thinking that once this was over with he'd take his rightful place among the faithful and no one would ever question his loyalty ever again. As an orphan boy he had been trained in a far off village to become a deadly assassin. Then they paced him in the right place to be noticed by a VAJA recruiter and he was in. The faithful just sat back and from time to time nudged his career here and there to put him in the right place. Now after all these years he was about to come home.
"I'm feel a little thirsty," said Abram. Then he remembered telling the flight attendant he wanted a peach nectar but then he'd fallen asleep. "I wonder why she didn't wake me up for takeoff," he thought. "I bet she thinks I was rude for sleeping through the take-off instructions." Abram pushed the call button.
"Yes sir," said the flight attendant. "What can I do for you? Oh it's you that fruit juice... peach nectar. Are you ready for that juice now? You were sleeping soundly before and I didn't want to wake you."
"Thank you... yes well I'm a little tired. I've been working hard these past few days and I guess it caught up with me. Please can I get that juice now. My throat feels a little dry."
"It's because of the recycled air... almost everyone gets what they call 'cotton mouth' to some extent. That's one of the reasons it's important to stay hydrated on these flights. I'll go get you that juice... I'll be right back."
"Thanks I promise I won't go anywhere," said Abram. The flight attendant turned and smiled at him. "Abram what are you doing flirting? You know you shouldn't be doing that. The idea was to stay nameless so when you disappear no one will remember you. Get back to planning out the hit. After you get your weapon you should acquire a small amount of Semtex, a blasting cap, a wireless detonator and what could be hard to find some Tungsten powder."
"Here's your peach nectar," said the flight attendant then hurried off like she had a fire under her. He thought she was acting a little odd but she had other passengers to take care of not just him so she was odd but understandable.
"Yes you need the Tungsten powder so you can reduce the amount of Semtex you'll need. Plus, the other added advantage about using Tungsten powder will be it renders any body armor useless," he said to himself as he wrote notes.
"Okay, I've got an idea where I can find the Tungsten powder. It might be a little pricey but if I say please and get put my pistol in his face I can get it," said Abram as he took another sip of his peach nectar. He was writing notes when he let out a yawn and his eyes grew heavy. He held up his hand in front of him and saw double then things started coming in and out of focus. Something was terribly wrong with him.
"How was your nectar Judas? Banai will love the fact that we use it to take you down," said a man's voice. Abram looked up and he was surround by his old team.
"What's going on here? You're not supposed to be here," he said as he tried to get up but his legs wouldn't respond. "But I left you in the airport under arrest you can't be here."
"But here we are. Yes you did and I bet we were the last people you expected to see on this flight. However, while we were being detained by airport security our people in the consulate were working hard to figure out where you'd disappeared to. Thanks to their hard work we discovered you were on this plane so we simply asked to be expelled."
"That's why they delayed the flight's departure... it was for you," said Abram as he started to slur his words trying to stay awake. "What did you do to me? Did you poison me?"
"Oh no nothing like that we just identified ourselves to the flight attendant... she's Iranian by the way with family in Tehran so it was relatively easy to get her to cooperate. We put a powerful sedative in your juice so you might as well forget trying to fight it. You'll be sleeping the rest of the way home and when we arrive there will be a special welcoming party."
"You can't do this to me. This plane isn't Iranian... You don't have jurisdiction onboard. I know my rights you can't do this," said Abram as he started nodding off. He was fighting a losing battle.
"I'll let other people argue that but you know what they say possession is nine-tenths of the law. Once the Director is done with you he might even consider turning you over to your people... maybe making a swap of prisoners if you've got someone we want back."
"He would do that... after everything," said Abram as he smiled right before he finally went out not to wake up again. He slumped forwards banging his head in the seat in front of him. The man sitting next to him pulled his head up and reclined his seat so he wouldn't slump over anymore.
"I'll take the first watch here. We can't have him drowning in his own spit not before we get him home," said the man as he reached over and started looking through Abrams notes.
"You really weren't serious were you? The Director will never let him go free will he," asked one of the men standing behind them.
"He just might," said the man sitting as he laughed. "The first thing the Director will have done is a rumor spread that Abram is cooperating fully with us then he'll cut him loose with a nice fat deposit in a bank account under his name. His own people will kill him and believe me in the end he'll wish he'd been hung by us."
"I wish he were still awake so we could reminisce about old times until we land so he can understand what he threw away. You know I want to ask him when he wakes up was all this worth it... throwing us under the bus for these people."
"You might not like his answer because from what I understood from Banai, Abram was never one of us. He was a mole planted among us for his people from day one. When we get to the airport there will be people waiting but we're going to have to be very careful because it's in these people's interest that Abram never makes it to our black site."
"You say there are people waiting can we trust in the airport? I hope they've brought some firepower for us because I don't care much having to watch this guy without anything to protect ourselves with."
"The only people we can trust are ourselves and there are days I wouldn't even trust the man I see looking back at me in the mirror. Now take up your seats while I try to call Banai. We were supposed to meet up at the pier but that isn't going to happen."
"But when you tell him who we have that ought to make him feel better. We all know how much he wanted to get Abram and now we have him."
"We'll see," said the man as he dialed Banai's number. "Crap it's going to voice mail. Let me try again," said the man but the same thing happened. "Well we tried," said the man. "I'll try back again in a little while."
"You don't think something is wrong do you?"
"I prefer not to speculate and if you want to avoid an ulcer you'll do the same."
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Onboard the Contessa two men came into Chuck's cabin and told him that his host wanted to see him in his cabin so Chuck followed the men through the ship making sure to make a few false turns. That way no one would catch on that he'd been on the ship before. As they went along Chuck tried to strike up a conversation to gather intel.
"So what's it like to be a hashish eater? I would imagine the training is pretty grueling yet you two don't seem very worst for the wear."
"What do you mean hashish eater? The most I might've done was to smoke some weed back in the day," said the one man as he looked back at Chuck.
"Back in the day? You mean like last night up in the anchor windlass room with your other friends. You people need to find another place to smoke your crap. It's like an opium den up there."
"Like you would know what an opium den looks like. Besides weed is all right it's alcohol we can't drink while the boss man is around."
"Then you guys aren't apart of Abu's band of Hashashin I take it. That's got to be kind of hard not being the in group. But it makes sense I guess," said Chuck as he set the bait in the trap.
"What do you mean 'that's got to be hard' we're just as important as those group of psychos he goes off and sees. Now they're some pieces of work... I wouldn't turn my back to any of them."
"Will you shut up or you're going to get us in trouble. Wait a minute let me look at your eyes. Oh crap, you're as high as a kite aren't you?"
"Who me? No, I just was passing a guy who was toking and got some second hand smoke," said the man. "And maybe some third and fourth too. I kind of lost track."
"Well you don't have to worry about me I won't tell anyone," said Chuck. "But like I was saying I'd think it would be a lot of 'them' or 'us' going on. Like if there was something dangerous where people were likely to get killed who does Abu send, 'them' or 'you'? I'm will to be it's you…"
"You know he's got a point there. I heard they brought Olaf onboard in a body bag. He and some of the other guys are hanging on meat hooks down in the freezer."
"Will you shut up like I told you or we'll be down there joining them. Yes, I know about that. What I was told they were sent to the airport to grab someone but they screwed up the mission so they got whacked like we'll get whacked if you keep up your blabbering," the man said as he turned to Chuck. "Will you keep quiet we're almost there."
"My lips are sealed. I was just trying to be helpful and pointed out the difference in treatment but I'm sure your remunerated based on the risks you take."
"If you're talking about pay… well we get straight salary depending on what we do onboard," said the stoner. The other guy gave him a look. "What? There's nothing secret about the fact that we're working for peanuts."
"Oh dude that's so not all right. Don't you have some sort of union working for you guys…. I don't know like the Fraternal Brotherhood Of Bad Guys but that would be sexist or the United Bad Guys' Union. You could call it the UBGU."
"Or as I would call it dead," said the First Mate. He'd come down to see what was taking the guys so long after Abu called him. "I'll take him from here. You two can go back to whatever it was you were doing before." The two men nodded then ran off down a ladder out of sight.
"I think you've made at least one of them happy. So we're down here," said Chuck as he started to go the opposite direction.
"No, we're down this way," said the First Mate grabbing Chuck by the shoulder and pulling him back. "Down the end and on the portside."
"Now is that my left or is that my right. I get confused with these nautical terms. Why can't you guys be a little clearer and use modern terminology?"
"It's easy really port… L.E.F.T. same letters while starboard is longer so it's the right side. If you remember that you'll always know which is your portside and which is your starboard."
"Thank you," said Chuck but he'd gotten what he wanted to know from the other men. So a group was punished because they failed to grab someone at the airport. There could only be one person at the airport following them that Abu would want to grab and that would be Sarah. If it had been Morgan or Casey, he would've probably had them eliminated. Abu needed him to do something and he was looking for leverage.
"Here we are," said the First Mate. He knocked on the door then when Abu said enter he opened it then motion Chuck to go in.
"You're not coming in with us?" said Chuck as he stopped in the door. "Or are you apart of the 'them' and not one of the 'us'.
"I'm the guy who's going to go down the anchor windlass room and bust up an opium den," said the First Mate as motioned for him to continue on in.
"Chuck," said Abu greeting him like he was his long lost friend. "Look who dropped in to join us. I think you said you wanted to put a bullet in his head."
"Ettore! What the heck is this?" said Chuck as he went for him but two of Abu's men stepped in between. Chuck stopped only because he recognized it was Morgan. He was confirmed when in the confusion Morgan raised his pant leg and showed him his hairy shin. "Why is this man here?"
"I told you Ettore is our friend. A least for now, he was supposed to be on his way to the airport to fly ahead to meet us at our destination. But he was waylaid by your friends Banai and a Colonel Casey, am I right?"
"Yes they grabbed me at the airport. It was a terrible ordeal. They gave me some sort of gas I think it was. Whatever they gave me it tasted like peaches… well anyway I'm having a hard time remembering and that's thanks to your friends Charles."
"I think I can help you with your amnesia. If someone will lend me a weapon I can aerate your brain and that will help. You should get a memory flash before your eyes."
"Wow will that really work," said Morgan. Abu just shook his head as the men in the room had a hard time not laughing. "What's the matter? Can someone let me in on the joke?"
"Idiot," said Abu. "He wants to put a bullet in your brain and the right before you kick off your life as sordid as it is or was will pass before your eyes."
"Charles that wasn't very nice," said Morgan. Chuck just shrugged his shoulders then walked over to a porthole and looked out at the night sky. "Idiot… that was what the Colonel kept calling me and I didn't appreciate it. I didn't appreciate it at all."
"Well you won't have to worry about him or that Iranian pain in my backside. I've contacted some of my people and they've been handled or are being handled as we speak. I'm sorry if they were you friends but we're too near now to have anything go wrong."
"And what is near," asked Chuck. They were steaming westward across the Black Sea. "Your course seems to have us heading for the Ukraine or Bulgaria. But if you'd set up operation on the mainland someone would've noticed you so I'm guessing you've picked one of the islands off their coasts. That's why you need this ship, isn't it?"
"You're very smart Chuck. Go ahead and tell me why I need this vessel in port there," said Abu. "I'm glad you're right here where I can keep my eye on you. Ettore was right when he said you were dangerous. So go ahead tell us why I need this ship there."
"Easy none of the islands are energy self-sufficient. They obtain their electricity from the mainland which means if there was a sudden power drain then certain authorities would be notified and you risk causing a rolling brownout if not blackout. None of which you could risk happening without the wrong people finding out you're up to something."
"Very impressive Chuck," said Abu but before he could say anything else there was a knock at his door and a man stuck his head in.
"I'm sorry for interrupting you but you told me I should come and get you if something happened. I'm afraid sir it has." Abu held up his hand for the man to stop talking.
"You can brief me down in the radio room. Gentlemen, I have to leave you for now. Please don't kill each other while I'm gone remember the rules of hospitality. You are both my guests so if any harm should befall one of you then… well you'd no longer be my guest. Ettore, if you're having a hard time following Chuck can bring you up to speed," with that Abu left leaving Chuck and Morgan alone with two goons.
"Chuck, it's me Morgan," he said in a whisper. "They think I'm Ettore… I don't like this tiger trap idea of Casey's. What are we going to do?"
"For now nothing we just play along. I have to find out what Abu plans on doing with the Iranian missile he has in the cargo hold. I also need to find out what he plans on doing with the nuclear warhead he's stolen and where he's storing it at."
"Did you say nuke? That's what's got Casey all worked up. He knew about it and didn't say anything… I was the bait to flush these guys out but don't you see that won't work anymore because the goat got grabbed."
"Morgan you're not making any sense. Look Casey was probably ordered not to so don't take it out on him he was just following orders," said Chuck. But he could see Morgan was still worked up. "I'm sorry for this little buddy."
"Sorry for what, this isn't your fault. You didn't come up with this hair brained idea… ouch!" said Morgan as Chuck slapped him. His hand made a loud whack on Morgan's face.
"Hey you heard Mr. Abu keep your hands to yourself," said the one guy as the goon stepped forward between them. "Now break it up or we'll break it."
"Sorry but you should've heard what he said about my wife. I was obliged to defend her... Certainly you can understand that?"
"Just no more hands and you watch what you say. Where I'm from we'd cut your tongue out and feed it to you for breakfast."
"Must be the same place Casey's from," said Morgan. "I wonder what he and Banai are doing right now? John's probably smoking one of his nasty cigars talking about how I screwed everything up."
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Back on the pier things weren't looking so good for Banai and Casey. They were pinned down behind a crate by a hostile force that was better armed and had more ammunition than they did. It was getting late and neither extraction team had showed up and they were almost out of ammunition. Casey looked at Banai as they hunkered down together.
"Well it looks like the cavalry isn't coming," said Casey. "But if I'm going I'm not going hiding behind some crate on a lousy pier like some wharf rat. There's only one way to go..."
"Looking them straight in the eye. I hear you and I agree. It would've been nice to make it back home and see my wife and kid one last time. But you can't always get what you want."
"I found out I had a daughter not too long ago. I wanted to establish a relationship with her then what do I go and do? I lied to her and now I've put her future husband's life at risk. Maybe it's better if I get taken out. Like this I won't have to see the disappointment in her eyes."
"Yeah that's a killer right there. I think I would prefer to face a hundred blood thirsty killers instead of facing that look."
"Well I don't think there are a hundred but there seems to be quite a few and they are blood thirsty that's for sure. Okay here's the deal we're going to do this right?"
"Yes, just stop messing around and let's get this over with. We jump up and take as many of them as we can with us."
"Okay then let's do this on three," said Casey. Banai nodded his head as he got ready. "Okay three," yelled John as he jumped up.
"You're supposed to count or don't you know how," yelled Banai as he jumped up too. They both fired the rest of their ammunition but as they were shooting the one Rover exploded in a fire ball then the other one did the same thing.
"What the heck are you shooting," yelled Banai as he looked over at John. Casey just shrugged his shoulders holding up his empty Sig for Banai to see.
"It's not me."