Chuck, Casey, and Gertrude had gathered in Castle's conference room. General Beckman had asked them to meet there. They stood around the main video monitor, awaiting her call. No words were spoken among the three, they all recognized something serious was going on, and the anxiety in the air was thick.
"I don't think staring at a blank screen is the most productive use of time, but then again, it's not my company."
All three whirled simultaneously to the top of the staircase leading into the conference room, where the firm yet familiar voice had come from. Standing at the top of the stairs was none other than General Beckman herself.
"General!" Chuck exclaimed in surprise. "We weren't expecting you in person. We would've prepared something to eat or decorated or...something."
"Easy there Martha Stewart" Casey whispered in his ear.
"You weren't supposed to be expecting me" the general replied to Chuck. "That's the point of a covert arrival. That being said, it's good to see all of you. I just wish it were under better circumstances."
"What exactly are the circumstances?" Casey asked. "All we know is you cut our business off at the knees without an explanation and then you went white as a ghost when Bartowski here mentioned some schmuck called the Overseer."
The general held a hand up as she descended the stairs.
"I understand your frustrations and I'm here with the answers to your questions, though you won't like what you're about to hear."
The general took a seat on one side of the conference table. Chuck, Casey, and Gertrude sat opposite her, laser focused on what she was about to say.
"Chuck" the general began, focusing her attention on him. "As you know a little over five years ago you downloaded what you thought was a harmless e-mail from your former college roommate, and from that moment onward your life changed. The program in your head, the Intersect, was a project developed by your father with some help from other specialists. What you don't know, and the reason I am here, is that your father wasn't the only one working on an Intersect program at that time."
"What?" Chuck couldn't contain his surprise. "The government had multiple groups trying to create the Intersect?"
"No."
"Then who else was working on it?"
"That's the problem. We don't know. We recovered a server from an underground hacking team that had worked for The Ring. That server contained information regarding the person we know only as the Overseer. The Overseer was the one who originally created The Ring, as well as FULCRUM, and several other groups that have either been shut down or disbanded. We previously believed The Ring utilized FULCRUM and the other groups as individual branches to do work on their behalf, and that The Ring was the center of the entire operation. We were wrong. The Overseer utilized The Ring as a branch of THEIR operation. Another branch the Overseer used, was dedicated solely to creating an Intersect program. Nicholas Quinn was part of this branch."
At the mention of Quinn's name, Chuck gritted his teeth, but remained silent.
"Mr. Quinn's role was essentially that of a field tester. When the group created the program, he would be uploaded with it first, to ensure it worked properly."
"But he never got the Intersect" Chuck replied. "He ended up being the CIA's candidate for my fathers program before Bryce intervened."
"Correct. From the information we were able to gather, the Overseer's group never succeeded in creating an Intersect. It appears that after numerous failed attempts, the Overseer learned that a successful Intersect had been created. Mr. Quinn was already a member of the CIA when the Overseer found out about the Intersect. We don't know how long Mr. Quinn was a double agent for the Overseer, so we don't know if he joined the CIA while already working for him, or if he was recruited sometime after he joined the agency. What we do know is that the Overseer managed to arrange for Mr. Quinn to be the recipient for the first Intersect program. We don't know exactly how it was set up, but the likeliest answer is that the Overseer utilized the services of The Ring, since they had agents on the inside already. The goal was for Mr. Quinn to be uploaded with the program, and then steal it. When Bryce Larkin went rogue and stole the program first, the Overseer used The Ring, FULCRUM, and other assets to try and track the program down. This is where we got lucky. Although various members of the Overseer's organizations found out about you Chuck, the Overseer did not. Because the Overseer was determined to keep their identity a secret, they only had contact with a very few select members in each of their organizations. It was brilliant in terms of protecting the Overseer's identity, but it put a severe restriction on the information they were able to get. From what we can tell, either none of the Overseer's contacts ever found out about you, or they were eliminated before they could pass along the information. The hacker group we shut down was hired by the Overseer, using The Ring as a go-between, and their goal was to gather information on the Intersect. We went through all of their computers and servers and made a rather troubling discovery"
The general now turned her attention solely to Chuck.
"This is where you come in Mr. Bartowski. The most recent information the Overseer transmitted to one particular server we recovered indicates the Overseer is determined to uncover the identity of the human Intersect. The dismantling of The Ring as well as most of the Overseer's other resources has made them desperate. They are now personally handling it, using whatever resources they have remaining. There was a message sent from the Overseer to their contact at the hacker group, stating that they wanted updates sent daily, and that if more than 48 hours passed between updates, the Overseer would assume the group had been terminated. Unfortunately whatever method the contact used to communicate with the Overseer was not on the server. Any chance of finding out how to locate the Overseer died with their contact."
"So you're here to warn us to watch out for this Overseer then?" Chuck asked. "Or do you want us to find them first before they make their next move?"
"Actually the Overseer has already started making that move Mr. Bartowski. I'm sure you're still wondering why I put a stop to your data retrieval services, correct?"
"To put it mildly" Casey growled, drawing an amused grin from Gertrude.
General Beckman cleared her throat.
"Did any of you ever examine any of the data you collected before sending it to your clients?"
"Sure, it was mostly company info, insider information useful for competitors, but nothing suspicious or illegal." Chuck replied.
"It was meant to appear that way. Unfortunately it wasn't. Each piece of data you collected also contained pieces of information on the Intersect."
"What?" "You wanna run that by us again?" Chuck and Casey responded nearly simultaneously. Gertrude's only response was to close her eyes, a pained look on her face.
"After Nicholas Quinn attempted to take the three keys to create an uncorrupted version of the Intersect, we decided to spread out all the information we had on the Intersect, in the event someone else attempted to acquire it. It was done as a precaution. By spreading out the information, we hoped to make it hard, if not impossible to track it all down. Most of the information was sent to private companies the government has contracts with. The Intersect files were encrypted, disguised to look like basic company files, and then hidden inside of other unimportant files to prevent accidental discovery. Naturally we kept a record of where each portion of the Intersect files were sent to, and we even created methods to track if any of the locations were accessed."
"I get it" Casey responded. "An early warning system. If someone starts accessing any of the places the files are hidden, it'll draw your attention, and you can stop them before they have a chance to get much. Not bad."
"I'm glad you approve" the general responded with a hint of sarcasm. "Well that system worked. It tracked a group going to each of the companies, and downloading the parts of the Intersect file stored at each location."
"It was us" Chuck murmured, realization dawning on him. "But we were hired by different groups and companies, no same one twice. There was no reason to be suspicious."
"Each of the companies that hired you was hacked into, right around the time they contacted you. The same hacker group we took out was responsible. They had previously hacked into several government computers and found the records showing where the Intersect information was sent to. That's how they discovered the existence of the Intersect information, and also found out where to get it."
"But how did they know what government computers to hack?" Gertrude asked. "And why did they hire us?"
"We don't know." the general admitted. "However, given the connections, we are concerned that the Overseer may be closing in on the identity of Mr. Bartowski as the Intersect. That is why you are going to be teamed up with one of our field teams. They will be tasked with protecting and assisting you with your assignment. We want you to discover the identity of the Overseer, find out why they were after those files, and stop them by whatever means necessary."
"General, why do you want us on this? Wouldn't a SWAT team or possibly the entire army be a better choice?" Chuck asked. "This person is clearly dangerous and if it's me they're after, I would think you'd want to keep me out of it."
"Chuck, there are two reasons I want you and your team on this. The first is that this is all about the Intersect. You ARE the Intersect, and no one has more experience with it than you do. I'm counting on that to give you an edge no one else would have. The second reason is that this is a unique threat. I don't want to involve more people than I have to, and I only want people working on this that I can trust. Secrecy is our best weapon right now. Now, if there are no further questions, the agents you will be working with should be arriving within the hour and I told them you would be meeting them at the airport. I will be returning to Washington immediately so hopefully no one will realize I left at all."
The general stood and extended her hand. Chuck, Casey, and Gertrude each shook it in turn.
"Good luck to all of you." she said.
Beckman's gaze lingered on Chuck for a moment, just long enough for him to notice, but she didn't say anything. As she walked up the stairs to leave, she paused and turned to look at all of them.
"Stay safe" she said just loud enough for them to hear, then she turned and a moment later was gone.
Chuck looked at Casey and Gertrude, who both had stoic expressions on their faces.
"So I guess we're headed to the airport then?"
Chuck waited at the baggage claim, exactly where the message he'd received from General Beckman a few minutes after she'd left had instructed him to be. The only other information included besides the flight info, was that the agents knew what he and his team looked like, and they would identify themselves to him first, using the code phrase "rubber band" at which point he would bring them to meet Casey and Gertrude who were waiting in a minivan parked outside. Chuck had been thinking about who Beckman would send, and he had a pretty good idea he knew the identity of one of the agents who would be coming. He checked his watch. The flight the agents were due to arrive on should have landed about ten minutes ago, and the airport flight information screen near him showed no delays. He bent down to re-tie his shoe, which he had just noticed was loose, when a voice spoke up behind him.
"Hey handsome, you know proposing in an airport is tacky, especially if you have a rubber band instead of a ring."
Chuck recognized the voice immediately and stood up, grinning as he turned around, seeing exactly who he had expected to see.
"Carina, for once I can actually say it's nice to see you!"
Carina grinned back at him.
"Chuck, how is it you always manage to find yourself needing my help? I'm beginning to think you can't manage without me."
Carina stepped forward and gave Chuck a big hug. As the two embraced, Chuck couldn't resist one last teasing remark.
"So did they send you with a rookie agent you get to terrorize the entire time, or did you opt for arm candy instead so you can spend half your time here trying to make every man you come across jealous?"
As Carina pulled back from the hug, Chuck expected to see a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. Instead Carina actually looked a bit uncomfortable. Chuck's eyes lingered on her for a moment until something else caught his attention. His eyes moved from Carina's face, to the escalator behind her, and then they widened in disbelief. The woman nearing the bottom of the escalator was the last person he'd expected to see. He froze, not daring to move or even breathe, fearing that doing so would somehow erase what he was seeing. Who he was seeing. She looked around for a moment as she got off the escalator. Her gaze finally fell on Chuck and Carina, and her eyes locked with his. For a moment it seemed to Chuck that time stood still.
"Sarah" he breathed.
The moment Sarah's eyes met Chuck's, she inhaled sharply. Suddenly she felt like she couldn't move. She also couldn't tear her gaze from his. After a few moments Carina tugged on the sleeve of Chuck's shirt, drawing his attention to her, and Sarah's mind seemed to start working again. She took another moment to regain her composure and walked towards Chuck and Carina, trying to keep her expression as blank as possible. As she reached them, Carina was just finishing saying something to Chuck and he turned his attention back to Sarah. This time she was ready and didn't freeze when his eyes met hers again. Instead as she reached them she extended her hand and gave Chuck what she hoped came across as a friendly but professional smile. For a second, as Chuck looked at her outstretched hand, Sarah was certain she saw a look of confusion and pain flash across his face, but it disappeared quickly as he quickly recovered and extended his own hand to shake hers. He returned her smile but she could tell it wasn't genuine, merely a mask to hide his true emotions. Sarah could only imagine what must be going through his mind at that moment. But one thing she knew for sure was she needed to be professional, especially right now.
"Chuck, it's nice to see you again." she said, doing her best to sound pleasant and businesslike at the same time.
He seemed to be at a total loss for how to respond to her. He just kept shaking her hand. Carina cleared her throat and he finally let go, awkwardly looking at the floor for a moment before looking up again and finally responding.
"Sarah I...I didn't expect Beckman to send...I mean I didn't think I'd...uh, it's nice to see you too." he stammered. "How are you?"
"Well I lost a rubber band on the plane but aside from that, I'm fine" she responded, making sure to include the code phrase even though it obviously wasn't necessary. She hoped this subtle move would be a hint to him that she was here purely as an agent of the CIA, and that she was being courteous but distant. His expression to her answer told her she'd done exactly that, but she could see he had been expecting more. Once again he fumbled for how to respond
This reminds me of how he acted the time he fixed my phone she thought to herself. Wait, where had THAT come from? Sarah pushed the thought aside. This was the first time she'd had a recollection of Chuck from before her memory was wiped out, but she didn't want to dwell on it. If she did she knew she might lose her nerve. She'd have time to think about it later, and maybe talk about it with Carina. Right now she needed to stay focused for her sake and for Chuck's. Sarah's attention returned to the moment just as Chuck found his voice again.
"Right, the code word. We should probably get going. Uh, Casey and Gertrude are waiting for us outside so if you two want to get your luggage, I'll give you a hand bringing it out to the minivan."
"Minivan?" Carina asked, sounding very amused. "Casey is driving a minivan? This I have to see."
Chuck laughed a little, though Sarah had no idea what was so funny, and the fact Carina did caused Sarah to feel a twinge of something.
Am I actually feeling jealous right now? she wondered. It's one joke. I knew things like this would happen, so why is it bothering me?
Sarah's thoughts were interrupted by the loud buzzer that signaled the baggage claim was about to start sending out luggage.
The wait for Carina and Sarah to retrieve their suitcases was roughly five minutes, just long enough for Chuck to gather himself, at least somewhat. He still couldn't believe Sarah Walker was standing less than ten feet away. He'd already pinched himself twice to make sure this wasn't another of his wishful dreams. He was admittedly disappointed in how she'd greeted him, but he wasn't sure if that was because she was trying to maintain a cover, because Carina was there, or if she had completely embraced being a spy again. He sincerely hoped it wasn't the last one.
As Chuck watched the two women scan the baggage claim, looking intently for their suitcases, he knew he'd get a chance to talk to Sarah later, and that this wasn't the moment to dwell on all the feelings that had surged inside him when he'd first seen her. Part of him had been hoping she'd run into his arms and tell him the past few months were nothing but a bad dream. The handshake she'd offered instead had thrown him off. The cool detachment she'd shown him brought back a lot of memories from when she first became his handler.
Chuck snapped out of his reverie as Sarah and Carina walked up to him, bags in tow. He raised his eyebrow when he saw how many bags there were.
"Three big suitcases each?" he asked, sounding as amused as he felt.
"Well, we need a big wardrobe in our line of work" Carina replied with a mischievous grin. "Never know when we might need to go from stealthy to sexy, and as I recall, you and Morgan never complained about how we looked anytime you saw us."
"That's true" Chuck admitted with a grin, which disappeared quickly when he saw the blank look on Sarah's face. He felt a rush of guilt that they were talking about things she didn't remember. The last thing he wanted Sarah to feel right now was left out.
"Speaking of Morgan, how is that bearded best friend of yours?" Carina asked.
"He moved in with Alex actually" Chuck replied, knowing where Carina was likely headed with that question. Her look of surprise confirmed it.
"He did? And Casey didn't kill him?"
"He might have if he hadn't been distracted by his own romance. I think it softened him up, but please don't tell him I said that. I'd like to live to see my next birthday."
Carina smiled.
"I heard about Gertrude. Gotta say I didn't think he'd find someone so much like himself. As for your comment, that can stay between us... so long as you carry at least half our bags"
"Blackmail already? This mission is certainly getting off to a great start."
The Buy More was closed for the day. Chuck had told Morgan to make up an excuse to close it so they could all meet and make arrangements without having to go down into Castle. When Chuck arrived with everyone from the airport, Morgan and Alex were there waiting. The plan had worked and the store was empty, although Jeff had apparently tried to show up anyway, convinced the store being closed for the day was actually just a ruse to trick him for some reason.
The ride over had been mostly quiet. Casey and Gertrude had briefly greeted Sarah and Carina, and Casey was almost as surprised to see Sarah as Chuck had been, but Chuck could tell he was pleased to get a chance to work with his old partner again. When they loaded up the van, Chuck had wanted to sit next to Sarah in the back, but not wanting to push her, he'd opted for one of the the empty middle seats instead. Casey had driven without saying a word, and Gertrude made a little bit of small talk with Sarah and Carina, but Chuck had been too lost in thought to join the conversation. Before long however, the familiar sight of the Buy More greeted them. Morgan and Alex were standing in front of the entrance. Casey pulled up to the front of the store.
As Chuck got out of the van to greet his best friend, Morgan couldn't contain himself.
"So the agents they sent, are they dudes or chicks? If they're chicks are they hot? Ow!" Any further questions were interrupted by Alex flicking his ear.
"I wasn't asking for me, I was asking for Chuck!" he exclaimed to her. Alex shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"Actually Morgan, you might wanna brace yourself." Chuck replied
"Yeah, you never know who might turn up" Carina added, stepping out of the van.
Alex visibly stiffened at the sight of Carina.
"Carina?" Morgan asked in disbelief. "They assigned you?"
"Not just Carina" Chuck said. "I said brace yourself."
Sarah stepped out of the van and Morgan went completely bug-eyed.
"Someone please tell me I'm not dreaming" he blurted out.
"I could flick your ear again" Alex offered.
The group went inside the Buy More and was gathered around the Nerd Herd desk. Morgan and Alex had gone home, as Chuck and Casey had mutually agreed they didn't want either of them involved. Morgan only agreed to leave after Chuck explained that this was a unique situation where the fewer people involved, the less danger there would be for everyone, and Casey had, in his most serious tone, told Morgan that his mission was to keep Alex safe, no matter what. Now that it was just the five of them, Carina was going over basic information everyone needed: contact info, meeting times, and some basic ground rules they all needed to follow. Now she was getting to the only part she was nervous about. She hadn't even told Sarah what she was about to say.
"So the last thing we need to go over is where Sarah and I will be staying. Obviously we want to blend in and not attract unwanted attention. I'm going to be moving into Chuck's sister's place since it's still empty, and I'll be working at the the Orange Orange. I was able to use the same methods to get a job there that were used in the past when Sarah worked there."
"Uh, Carina?" Sarah spoke up. "Don't you mean WE will be moving in?"
Carina paused, looking a little uneasy.
"No not we, just me" she replied slowly. "Before we left I had a private call with General Beckman and we decided the best thing to do to keep our cover was for you to...well, for you to move in with Chuck."
Chuck's eyes widened in surprise and Sarah looked very uncomfortable.
"Are you sure that's wise?" Sarah asked. "Given the situation-"
"The situation is you're a married couple" Carina responded firmly, cutting off Sarah's protest. "It would raise more suspicion if you didn't live together, so this was decided on as the best course of action to take."
After a moment of thought, Sarah agreed to move in with Chuck, though Chuck frowned, clearly bothered by her reaction.
"I think that takes care of everything for now" Carina said. "Let's meet down in Castle tomorrow at 11am and we can figure out our first moves then."
Chuck wasn't sure who should break the silence first as he helped carry Sarah's bags to his car. She followed him, her thoughts a mystery to him. He pulled out his key fob and popped the trunk of his car. After loading the bags he'd carried, he took the bag Sarah had carried and loaded it as well.
"Thanks Chuck" Sarah said.
"Just doing my husbandly duty" he replied without thinking, then mentally grimaced as Sarah looked at the ground in response, clearly uncomfortable.
He unlocked the car and climbed into the drivers seat while Sarah walked around and got in the passenger seat. As Chuck started the car and pulled out of the parking space, Sarah put a hand on his shoulder. He tried to focus on driving, but her hand had triggered an impulse to hold her and never let go. He pushed he surge of emotion down.
"Chuck, I know this can't be easy for you" Sarah said, and Chuck was surprised to hear some tenderness in her voice. She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and continued. "I know this probably isn't how you envisioned me coming back, but I just wanted you to know I'm going to do my best to make this as painless as possible. If there's anything I can do to make this easier for you, just ask."
Chuck turned and gave her a small smile.
"Thanks Sarah, I appreciate that."
"Chuck, there's just one thing, and I'm only saying this because its fair for you to know what to expect. As far as I'm concerned, this is a cover assignment. I know we're legally married but I'm here as your protection and help, not as a spouse. In public I'm going to play the role, and I intend for it to look convincing, but I just don't want you getting the wrong idea. Our relationship is going to be professional. When we aren't in public we are basically co-workers who happen to be living together. I'm not saying this to hurt your feelings, I just want you to know, to hear it from me. It's only fair. You're a nice guy Chuck, you deserve to know the truth."
Sarah's words stung like a slap to the face, but Chuck was also able to see the sense in them. He knew how he'd feel if they held hands, cuddled...kissed. He knew the feelings he had for Sarah, and even though her words hurt, he knew they would help him keep those feelings in check. Or at least, more in check than if she hadn't said anything. They drove in silence for a minute or so before he responded.
"I appreciate you telling me Sarah. I'm not going to have a breakdown just because you show me affection. I remember when you were just my handler. I know you don't but I remember the times you had to commit to a role, and how well you can sell it. I'm not going to lie and say it'll be easy for me. It won't be. But we were able to work professionally before, and I know we can do it now. But I also want you to know something, to be fair to you since you did the same for me. I love you Sarah Walker. I love you more than I could possibly put into words. I just wanted you to know. I won't bother you with it, I promise, but I wanted you to know."
"Thanks for being straight with me Chuck" she replied.
He was disappointed that her voice sounded emotionless. Part of him had hoped telling her would open up something, but he'd basically pleaded with her before she'd left and it hadn't swayed her, so if he was being honest with himself he hadn't truly expected her to respond any differently.
Any further conversation was put on hold as they arrived home. Well, home to Chuck anyway. He parked in his usual spot and helped Sarah unload her bags, then helped her bring them to his door. As he unlocked the door and opened it, he suddenly realized he'd forgotten something major, and it was about to be a big problem. Jill Roberts was sitting on his couch going through papers and looked up as he entered. Because of all the shock and emotions he'd gone through due to Sarah's unexpected return, he'd completely forgotten Jill was there!
Jill smiled when she saw Chuck coming in, but that smile was gone two seconds later when Sarah came in behind him.
"Ohhhh crap" Chuck muttered as he realized what was about to happen.
As soon as Sarah saw Jill, her eyes widened and she immediately reached for her gun and pulled it on Jill.
"Chuck, what the hell?" Jill exclaimed. "I thought you were going to help me not arrest me!"
"Chuck, this woman was a FULCRUM agent" Sarah interjected. "I have a file on her. She's currently listed as missing. Trust me on this."
"I know she is Sarah but she's not now and Jill, I completely forgot you were here. I didn't know Sarah was coming and it threw me off, I am so so sorry."
"You KNOW her?" Sarah asked, looking suspiciously at Chuck.
"She's my ex-girlfriend"
"Well she's under arrest."
"No no no Sarah please do not do that. Jill is here to help me... help us. She was contacted by the Overseer."
Sarah lowered her gun but didn't put it away.
"Alright Chuck, explain to me why she's here. But to be clear if I'm not satisfied with your answer, I WILL arrest her."
"While you're at it, maybe you can tell me why Sarah doesn't seem to remember me" Jill added.
"Which brings us to now" Chuck finished.
He'd covered everything without letting it slip to Jill that he was the Intersect. He went through Sarah's memory loss, the history Sarah had with Jill as well as his own, and Jill and Sarah's surprise reappearances. Now that he'd finished, Jill was looking at him sympathetically and Sarah was staring at Jill, seemingly evaluating her based on everything Chuck had just told her. Nobody said anything for several seconds. Jill was the one to break the silence.
"So can I show you two what I was working on when you came in, or am I under arrest?"
Chuck looked at Sarah, who sighed before replying.
"You can show us. But if you make one false move or step out of line, I will not hesitate to arrest you, are we clear?"
"Yes" Jill answered, nodding emphatically, then gestured to the small stack of papers on the table in front of her. "This is what I've got so far."
"Looks like a bunch of pictures of abandoned property." Chuck commented.
"It is" Jill replied. "Sort of. These are photos of properties FULCRUM acquired through third party contacts. We were told they were potential locations for bases of operation, but given what you told me about the Overseer, I was thinking maybe..."
"Maybe the Overseer was the one actually buying the properties, and maybe one of them could lead us right to the Overseer" Sarah finished the thought. "Not bad."
Chuck started to flip through the pictures, noting there were at least two dozen of them, and was about halfway through when one caught his eye as he flipped past it. He flipped back to the picture and as soon as he did... he flashed.
A/N: I had a bit of a hard time with this chapter as I had to keep tying things together. Next chapter should be easier, and quite interesting!
