Chapter 4 – Thanks for sticking with this story. Please let me know what you think. Mssupertigz
Trent closed the door as Constance slipped her seat belt on. She checked the cars mirrors for anyone coming out to investigate but she also wondered if she'd get a glimpse of that face. Trent slipped into the driver's side reaching for Constance's hand giving it a squeeze. "We did it darling."
His words were comforting but at the same time, she wondered if this was coming to an end. She had a good thing going on here and didn't want anything to screw it up.
Charles and Sarah met William in the lobby as Charles and Sarah slipped their sunglasses on and followed William out of the hotel. The three disappeared into the crowd as if they were never there.
Sarah reached for the case as Charles extended his arm as they entered their hotel room. As her hand reached for the handle, she brushed her hand against his and instantly was brought back to their kiss. Her lips tingled. She looked up at Charles as he diverted his eyes slightly not wanting to make the moment awkward. He let go of the case, walking away looking back slightly as he grabbed some water. William walked by grabbing the scotch then two glasses, sitting down on the couch. He poured a drink, then looked up at Charles. "You care for one?"
Before Charles could answer, Sarah sat down and grabbed his glass as she placed the case on the table in front of her. Charles grabbed another glass and sat down next to Sarah. William poured them a drink and they toasted the events that had unfolded. Enjoying their reward in a glass of scotch, Charles and Sarah shared on and off glances that were evident of what happened at the hotel. But it was just a cover kiss. A last minute hail Mary, not to blow their cover, right?
A familiar beep broke their stare as Charles placed his glass down clicking on William's key board. Mcfadden and LaFayette appeared up on the screen. William got up and plopped down in the arm of the couch next to Sarah as the three stared at the screen. "Hello team."
"Sir and Ma'am, mum." The three all responded.
"Do you have the device?"
Charles slipped the device into view putting a smile on McFadden and LaFayette's faces. "Very good team. Any problems?" LaFayette stepping into the frame.
Sarah looked up as Charles responded and she knew that they were back into mission mode and what they shared was not what it was intended to feel like.
"Okay team, return to London. When you arrive a team will take the case from you and your part in this is done."
Charles inquiring. "Don't you want to know if this thing works?"
"That is not your mission nor is it ours. We were asked to retrieve it and that is what you did. Enjoy your drinks and we will see you later today." McFadden reached down exiting the meeting. Sarah curled up sliding her legs under her as William got up to pack. Charles sat back nursing his drink.
Sarah looked at him . "Something is bothering you?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Cause I am getting use to your looks."
Charles looked at her. "My looks?"
"Yeah, you have this look that says your fine on the outside but inside your not."
Charles took another sip then faced her. "Have you ever had a feeling on any of your missions that they didn't feel right that something was missing."
"Missing? We got the device what else is there?"
"Not sure, if just felt different, like there is something more to this."
"They would have told us, if there was more to this. We where sent her to retrieve the device and that is what we did." Sarah looked at Charles. Her answer wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"Charles, the only thing that I could see that didn't feel right was that it was a little rushed and it was in my opinion too easy."
Sarah padded his knee then got up. "For all its worth Charles, we can sleep tonight knowing that this device is not in the hands of someone else."
Sarah slipped into her room returning moments later with her suitcase.
LONDON
Chuck slid his key into his door and turned the key thankful to be home again. He opened the door and noticed a mail receipt stuck on his door. He smiled at the returned address. He showered and changed then went to his mailbox grabbing the key to access the larger mail box. He opened the door to see a large box with the obvious large mart logo plastered on the sides but each side was heavily covered with Buy More stickers. He pulled out the box returning the key into the mail slot. He grabbed his other mail which was minimal. Chuck sifted through the pile of take out menus and advertisements, keeping what he likes and tossing the rest into the recycle bin on the floor. Returning to his flat he placed the box on the counter. His home was the only place that he could be Chuck Bartowski from Burbank California. He grabbed a knife and slid the edges with the blades exposing the contents inside. He laughed at the first item which was Morgan's way to remind him that they had a Call of Duty date sometime soon. He placed the reminder on his fridge then returned to the box. Chuck placed all the items on the counter and dropped the box on the floor. He stared at the pile that included milk duds, cheese puffs from Buy More of course. Various video games and the most important item was a letter from his sister.
He made some ramen noodles that his sister dropped into the box and sat down next to his fire place and read the letter. Every word made him miss home, but at least he wasn't lying to his sister. He finished eating and reread her letter looking at the clock. It was around noon back home and took the chance that she'd be home. He grabbed his phone and dialed the familiar number. "Hello?"
"Hey Elle."
"Chuck. What's wrong?"
Chuck switched ears. "Nothing's wrong, just got your letter and the lovely gifts."
"It finally arrived."
"Yeah it takes a while and I have been away."
Ellie paused. Chuck heard her sigh. "I'm fine, we are all fine."
Ellie's ears perked up. "We?"
Chuck knew he had slipped as he wasn't suppose to say anything about his missions.
"So who are the we?"
"No one."
"If you say so. A new partner, say you got yourself a partner. Someone to have your back. Is this person a money penny?"
Chuck laughed. "No, Money penny was the secretary to M, who was James Bond's superior."
"So you have an Agent 86?"
"Sorry sis not an Agent 86 from Get's Smart either."
"I am working with a Billy Batson though?"
"Billy who?"
"Billy Batson Shazam, the cool superhero that could fly when he shouted SHAZAM."
"If you say so Chuck."
"His real name is William but I like Billy."
Chuck wasn't sure if telling his sister about Sarah was a good idea. His thoughts went to the kiss, only being interrupted with the voice of Devon in his ear.
"Bro, how's merry ol' England. How's the computer master."
"Going good and the life of the doctor?"
"Totally awesome. When are you coming home? I just heard of an awesome place where we can go white water rafting."
Chuck tilted his head. "White water rafting? Sounds like fun."
White water rafting was a far cry to the level of danger that Chuck had seen or experienced in the last few weeks. But he had to humour his soon to be brother in law. It sounded like Devon still didn't know that he was a spy and that Ellie was the only one besides Bryce to know his real reason for being in London.
Chuck finished talking to his sister, and crawled into bed.
Next Day Athens Greece
Hours had passed since John had woke up with a terrible headache. Ana walked out of the bathroom looking worse for wear. They sat on the edge of the bed recalling the day before, hoping that it wasn't any longer than that. They were still wearing the same clothes but the clock told a different story. John stood up grabbing some water. "I remember drinking lots, we met a guy downstairs from the states. He must have brought us back here."
"Both of us?"
John tossed a bottle at Ana.
"What time is it?" Finally registering the time.
John looked at his watch. "Noon."
Ana got up and reached for her bag. She nervously took everything out of the bag tossing it onto the bed. She grabbed the calling card with a number and dialed.
Mid air between Athens and London
E.J. grabbed her phone seeing the unknown number. She looked up as Trent sat down beside her. "Hello, Constance speaking."
"Hello, Constance, it's Ana and John calling."
Constance was a bit baffled to why they would be calling, rarely do buyers call a day after purchasing any of her items. Yet she was intrigued to why she received this call. "Yes, Ana what can I do for you?"
"We would like to reschedule."
"Reschedule, why?"
"We were sorry that we missed the auction yesterday. Our fault of course, so we were wondering if the item was still available."
Constance's heart started to race. "Can you hold for a moment?"
"Yes."
Constance put the call on hold then looked at Trent. "What's the matter?"
"This person is saying that she is Ana and can we reschedule to meet in regards to the device."
Trent looked at her. "Are you sure? They were at the auction yesterday, were they not?"
Constance got back to the call. "Ana, right?"
"Yes."
"What was the code I gave you."
Ana repeated the code and Constance confirmed each number to her records. "Let me check my schedule and get back to you."
"Thank you."
Constance hung up and looked at Trent. "Either this is a trick or we fell for one."
Week later
Charles and Sarah arrived back at headquarters donning what felt like their regular attire of white shirts and black pants with a brightly coloured vests. McFadden had their days busy with easy missions as they waited for that big one. Both sat sipping some coffee as they wrote up their reports. As they wrote up their reports, the words became redundant and less about the actual mission but grammar. Charles stood up and walked over to Sarah's desk. He waited till she finished typing then looked at her. He had gone through his several talks he had when it came to Sarah but talking to himself was one thing. Actually talking to her was another. He felt that he had lost a bit of his courage, his confidence when it came to her. What he felt was different. He just wondered if it was a good thing. But when she looked up at him and leaned back in her chair holding a pen horizontal between her two hands, all that went out the window. "What's up?"
Chuck looked at her computer screen. "Looks as bland as mine."
Sarah laughed. "I didn't become a spy to do paper work."
"Well then , would you like to go for a bite?"
"With you?" Charles looked around the room then back at her. "I don't see anyone else here that I would like to share a meal with."
Sarah's heart skipped a beat. She sat up and rested the pen down on her desk. "I would love to."
Charles stood up. "Great. Chinese or somewhere else?"
"Surprise me."
Sarah grabbed her purse and jacket as Charles helped her put it on. He slid the jacket over her shoulder getting a whiff of her hair. 'Lavender?' Charles thought to himself. He faced her as Sarah adjusted her hair fixing her collar. They walked to the elevator slipping inside then exiting the building that housed their secret life. The buildings sign F & C Investments Trusts lit up the side walk as the dampened payments glistened. They walked the sidewalk reaching a small quaint Chinese restaurant. Charles grabbed the door. Sarah smiled. "I thought that this was a good place to start and if tonight goes well, we'll move onto pizza and beer."
Charles chuckled as they were led to a table by the window. Charles pulled out Sarah's chair. "So are our future dinner dates going to consist of local joints such as this?"
Charles looked up. "Future?"
"Yeah, We still have to go for a few more breakfasts, then a few more lunches. Those other ones didn't count."
"Really, so this is a date?"
"Maybe?" As Sarah hid behind her menu.
Charles smiled as he entered the building holding two coffees. He walked in and laughed as he saw Sarah slipping a coffee onto his desk. He walked by catching her glance. He raised both cups then shrugged. He gave her one and whispered a thank you as he walked to his desk. He bent down pulling on his drawer. He pulled out a thermos mug and put his other cup down on the desk. He twisted the lid and poured his cup into it. Sarah looked up as he twisted the lid back on. Grabbing the cup she gave him he followed her into the conference room for their morning debrief.
"Morning Agents Carmichael, Walker and Batson. We received word on a Peruvian breech. Our intel has provided us with these photos." McFadden posted the photos. "We need the three of you to join our team that is already out in the field and report back to us." Charles took a sip then responded. "Is there a problem with the team?"
"Maybe, communication is lacking and we feel that they may have been compromised. You three need to go there and see if that is true."
"And if that is the case, then what?" Sarah adding to the conversation.
McFadden moved to the next photo. "See where the leak is and take them out."
His words were a bit harsh and blew right through Charles' senses. He watched as McFadden finished his debrief and then vanished. Charles got up and headed back to his desk reaching for his locker key. He heard someone whisper his name looking up. Sarah was trying to get his attention. Charles grabbed his coffee and followed Sarah.
They walked down the hall. "Did you get the suspicious feeling that there is more to this?"
"But what could it be?"
Sarah looked up as other agents walked by. "Grab your stuff and meet me back here in an hour."
Charles smiled then headed down the hall finishing his coffee and tossing it into the garbage can.
Charles sat down next to Sarah as William slid a chair in across them. Sarah looked at William. "Did you find anything?"
"Surprisingly no." Sarah looked defeated. "But." She looked up. "That didn't mean that there was nothing there, its that this mission isn't a mission."
"What a black ops?" Charles looking at him.
"Not exactly either. Our Government will deny any involvement if word gets out that we are there and their Government will deny that they are doing anything illegal but either way someone, possibly a third party is very interested."
"William, does this have anything to do with the device?"
William looked at Charles. "Not that I can see, since we got the device there's been no sign that their was a breech. Either whoever sold this to us was just the seller and not the brains behind this, and they are then looking for the device our technicians can't say. We don't want to by accident turn it on."
"So this third party? Someone there is leaking the intel."
Sarah slid a paper to Charles. "Take a look at the names."
Charles scanned the list. "Do you see anything odd?"
Charles looked again. He looked up and saw one name that popped up and look very familiar. Charles slid the paper to William as William did a search.
"Chaplain." William nodded.
Sarah looked up. "We find Chaplain we might have our mole."
Apartment of E.J/Constance
E.J. sat down at her desk looking over the auction and who could have snuck into the event taking the device. She vowed to get the device back if she could locate the two that impersonated the couple. 'Who are you?'
E.J. scrolled the feed then stopping the feed. She backed up then enhanced the image. It wasn't the clearest image but it did give her a face. A face that she had seen hours before the event. A face that she knew she had seen before but couldn't place her.
She closed her laptop and headed up to bed meeting Trent as he came out of the shower. She didn't have to think twice on how she was going to spend her evening.
Trent rolled over as she released her hold. He opened his eyes. "What's wrong E.J.?"
"Nothing. Go back to sleep." As she kissed his cheek. She grabbed her robe and headed down the hall. She opened the door to the storage closet. She turned on the light and walked to the back wall where she kept his stuff. She slid the box forward. Its' faded pateen made the cardboard box seem older than the years that it had been closed. She pulled the box to the floor and sat down on her knees and opened the lid. She remembered the conversation that she had with Trent, days before when she told him that she thought she'd seen someone from her past. At that time she wasn't a threat but seeing her again she feared what she was going to uncover inside the box.
She placed the lid on the floor beside her and reached into the box. The box smelled of his things. His Annapolis sweatshirt encased in a clear bag. His watch that he never left home with out. Their wedding photo. But there was one thing she needed to find. To verify that she wasn't going crazy and if she was seeing who she thought she did. Payback would bitter sweet.
E.J. pulled out a few more items, laughing and crying over the memories, then it all stopped when she pulled out a small piece of paper. She unfolded it carefully reading the headline. Words on a page to make the situation bearable. To appease his family, but for her to hide the secrets of the job. His mother wrote the obituary listing all his accolades but they were all lies that she was told. Told to her to protect his cover. E.J. wiped a tear as she folded up the piece of paper. As she leaned in to put it back to its resting spot she found what she was looking for. It was the only picture she had of the two of them. The proof she needed, the one that killed her husband and got away with it.
The three headed to the safe house after arriving in Peru. Their contact opened the door to a two bed room run down shack. The windows were covered with newspaper and the faint glow from the street lights shone through. Charles took their bags and placed them to the side. William arrived shortly after taking a look at the CCTV feeds that ran into the house. William walked up to the two. "All looks legit outside. No sign of tampering but it's hard to see in the dark." The three looked up when they saw that they were needed by the computers. They were debriefed. The commander in charge, then looked at them. "You three better get some rest when you can. We will start up in the morning." Sarah nodded and turned on her heels. "There's room on the couch and a cot in the back."
Charles looked around the room. William grabbed the couch leaving the cot. Charles and Sarah walked over to the cot. "You take it, I'll sit over there." Charles pointing to the cot.
"No, you have been up longer than I have, you deserve to get some rest." Sarah grabbed her bag and headed to the bathroom. Charles took his jacket off and tossed it onto the empty chair. He sat down on the chair and leaned back. Sarah came out a little disappointed that he was sitting in the chair and not on the cot but this was who he was. Sarah sat down on the cot using her bag as a pillow. Charles grabbed his jacket and covered up. Sarah rolled onto her side staring at him. "You don't have to be so far away."
Charles got up and slid the chair closer to her and slid his legs behind her. "Better?"
Sarah giggled. "Much."
"Sleep tight."
"You too." She took one last look at him as her eyes closed.
Sarah woke up to a better familiar smell of fresh coffee resting next to her on the chair. Charles was gone but she could still hear him. She sat up, running her hands through her hair then putting it into a messy bun. She grabbed the cup holding it with both hands. Grabbing her boots she slipped her feet inside and walked in seeing Charles by the computer. He looked up and smile. "Good morning sleepy head."
Sarah's cheeks went warm as his words were as comforting as the cup of coffee she was drinking. She grabbed a chair and sat down. "How long have you been up?"
"A couple of hours. I got curious to why they think that there may be an issue."
"Did you find anything?"
Charles popped up some data onto the screen pointing to a spot. "What's this?"
"Watch."
Sarah leaned in moving alongside Charles right shoulder. Taking a quick glance at his cheek, his chin, his lips. Then diverting her eyes towards the screen. "It looks like someone either hacked in at this point and tagged in to make it look like they were always there. If you watch this part." Charles pointed to a certain section. "This is them, their code, and call sign."
Sarah watched the commands and despite finding out that there was a breech, she was impressed with this man that she sat beside. Another added surprise to this mysterious man that had tugged at another piece of her heart.
"Charles." Called out by an abrupt British accent. "You were right, someone did login."
"Do you have a name?" Looking up at William.
"No." As William sat down with his laptop on his lap.
"So how are we going to find out where the threat is coming from or by whom?"
Sarah finished her coffee and could see that Charles was thinking. He had this look about him when he was really thinking almost processing his next steps. She waited till she assumed that he was done. He looked up verifying her assumptions. "William, could we drop some bait and see who bites."
William nodded and got busy devising the bait. Charles slid his chair back and got up. "Breakfast?"
Sarah shook her head. 'He sure liked to eat.' She followed Charles to the make shift kitchen and looked at what was available to eat. "Not much of a selection?"
"Mais mon cher. It's not what's here, but what you can do with what you have."
Charles walked outside and came back with a half dozen eggs. "Eggs?"
"Yeah I noticed the coop earlier." He grabbed a frying pan or what looked like a frying pan. He found an onion and some salt and pepper adding them to the bowl where he cracked the six eggs into. He whisked them, till they were frothy then poured them into the pan. Sarah leaned against the small counter grabbing some bread that Charles had cut. "So you cook too?"
Charles laughed. "It was something I just picked up. My sister and I." He paused. "It beat always relying on pizza pops."
Sarah took the sliced bread, tossed it into the toaster, and waited for it to jump, grabbing a plate. Buttering the bread while it was still hot. Charles flipped the eggs into a scrambled mess but made it look very appetising. He reached over her as he grabbed her a plate, meeting her gaze. Just like the closeness they shared back at the hotel. Turning around he fixed her a plate with two slices of toast and gave it to her lingering his fingers a little longer on hers. Sarah smiled taking the plate and sitting down. Charles made another plate walking it out to William with a strong cup of tea. Charles sat down next to Sarah as the two of them shared another meal.
Hours later William popped in, seeing Charles and Sarah still sitting conversing, laughing and sharing another pot of coffee. Charles looked up slightly disappointed at the interruption but he knew that this wasn't a breakfast date it was a mission and duty called. They got up and followed William back to the computer. "I think this will work, I set up a trigger so whoever logs in will give us an idea when this loop starts up again." "William." Sarah inquired. "Isn't this loop always running?"
"Yes and no. It looks like it has to stay connected but when whoever logs in it activates the rest and that I hope that it lets us know who they are."
Charles sat down. "Has there been any other leak of information?"
"Not that I can see, so far I tagged those that are here but I got word that there is a new team coming later today."
"It sounds like too many hands in the cookie jar." Charles looked at Sarah and laughed. "Good one Sarah. A food reference." Sarah started to laugh. William just rolled his eyes.
Charles, Sarah and William blended into the shadows waiting for the next team to arrive. Charles looked at Sarah and noticed how she stood with her hand on one hip and her other up by her face. It was a look he liked seeing but it also meant that she was up to something. Just as his thought left him, she turned to him. "What if this leak isn't coming from here." She started to move then turned making Charles stop in his tracks. "What if it is coming from outside the building."
"And someone is bringing it in." Charles and Sarah tossed ideas back and forth as they made their move. Charles walked up to the first laptop he saw and sat down on the floor. He did a CTRL window key and got into the inners of the laptop, he found no outside source or Wi-Fi. Sarah brought him another and still nothing. Sarah crouched down facing him. "This is the last one." She handed it to him then scooted in beside him. She watched him do his thing and as his face continued to show defeat she placed her hand on his leg. "It's okay Charles, it was just a thought."
"No, it was a great thought, if they are not accessing this data from the inside or the laptops and no one seems to be carrying any scanners etc. on them then how?"
Charles and Sarah stared out to the room as those who were there continued to work as if nothing was wrong. Charles looked up as one of the workers got up and their chair swung in his direction exposing the cables and wires underneath. Charles closed the laptop and leaned to the side. Sarah wasn't sure what was happening. Chuck moved to his knees then crawled over to the tables. Sarah called out. "Charles the floor is filthy."
Charles crawled over to the tables then laid down on his back looking up under the tables. He snapped his fingers getting Sarah's attention. Sarah crawled on her knees over to Charles and laid down beside him looking up. She got as close as she could without laying on top of him. She looked at him briefly then settled her eyes. Charles whispered. "See here." He pointed to a converter looking box. No bigger than his hand. It was blinking red. He ran his fingers around the box trying to get access. When he finally did he pulled back the lid exposing the wires. "I need William's kit, please." Sarah slid out and quietly grabbed Williams' kit and returned to her spot next to him. Sarah shone a light upwards which Charles appreciated. He looked at her and didn't have to ask her, it was like she knew what to do. Charles hooked up a GPS tracker to the main feed then hooked up the other end to his phone. He got a strong signal that the team had set up, but he also got a faint signal coming into the building. When he typed in the IP address he got a mechanic shop. Charles continued to look into the other feeds getting their IP addresses as well. Charles rewired the feed. Sarah whispered. "What are you doing now?"
Charles turned to face her as she stared at him. He took a deep sigh then responded. "I hope to slow down their access, if they are still retrieving intel. This will give us time to check these places out in the meantime." Just then William came walking by seeing two sets of legs under the table. He coughed then lightly kicked Charles' foot. Charles heard the cough at the same time he felt something kick his foot. He looked at Sarah wanting to do something other than just stare and neither of them wanting to move but when Charles heard another cough they both slipped back out as Charles zipped up Williams' kit. William extended his hand and helped Sarah up as Charles followed. Sarah dusted her pants off taking the kit from Charles. William looked at the two of them. Then directed his comment to Charles. "You know you two could get a room."
Charles blushed slightly as Sarah smiled to herself over hearing what William had said. "William grab your coat." Chuck replied.
Sarah had grabbed their coats and gave Charles a warm smile. The three left as Charles brought up the first IP address. They spent the next three days staking out the addresses. Sarah pulled up to the last location. William decided to stay back as being cramped into a car was the least of his favourite things to do. Thus gave them someone in house that could follow up if this was indeed the right address. Sarah unhooked her seat belt and slid the seat back allowing her to bend her leg up onto the edge of her car seat. Charles did the same then grabbed the binoculars. He looked down the street then up onto the other side. They hoped that eliminating the others before this one would end up as a win. Charles grabbed a lap top and started jotting down licence plates of the vehicles. He brought up a few faces that the local police had their eyes on but none looked like they were smart enough or the type to get mixed up into selling intel.
Hours went by and they looked at each other. "Now what? We can't really go anywhere." Charles looked at her. "We can get a bite to eat."
Sarah looked around. "And where do you assume we go for that?" Sarah went back to looking through the binoculars. Charles smiled then grabbed his phone and logged into local deliveries. "Chinese or burgers."
Sarah shook her head. "Have you forgotten that we are on a stake out and need to be inconspicuous and not draw attention to ourselves. Charles starts to rub his stomach. "This vessel needs to be taken care of." Charles looked at Sarah who was less than pleased. But seconds later the car roared with the loudest stomach growl that Charles had ever heard and he laughed when he knew it wasn't coming from him. Sarah folded her arms trying to cover up the sound but it was done and she couldn't do anything about it. Sarah eventually laughed making the whole experience kinda of funny. Charles slipped his lap top into the back seat and opened the door. "Where are you going?"
"To feed that beast." As he eyed her stomach.
He slipped out and closed the door quietly walking back from the car. Sarah watched him as he half ran half walked across the narrow street. She wasn't sure where he'd find any food in this part of the neighbourhood. Twenty minutes later Sarah heard a tap at the window and there stood Charles with a hand full of bags. Sarah reached over and opened the door. She grabbed the one bag then helped with the other as he sat down. The car instantly had a wonderful smell waffle through it. Sarah opened the bag she had and pulled out two large cups of what she assumed was Coke or Pepsi. Charles closed the door and and placed the one bag on the floor of the car and rested the other on his lap. Sarah watched as he pulled out a handful of food cartons. "Chinese?" Charles nodded.
"And where did you find this?"
Charles passed Sarah two cartons. "I ordered through an app and chose a location nearby. I then ran over there and waited."
"Really?"
Charles smiled. Sarah wasn't sure if his story was true or not, at that moment it didn't matter. "Thanks."
"You're welcome and next time we will get that burger, maybe a pizza."
They finished eating and sharing their cartons when they got a call from William. Charles put his call on speaker. "Your on speaker."
"Guys we just got a spike in the Broadbent from that IP address. I will get a team together and meet you guys."
"Sounds good." Sarah slipped the empty cartons into a bag then tossed it into the back seat. She grabbed her gun and made sure it was ready to go. Charles slid his hoister onto his leg clicking the it shut and inserting a traq gun. Sarah looked at him. "A traq gun?"
"Yeah, not sure who is in there, maybe kids, seniors. I'm not a fan of guns for the most part, but I use them. Traq guns just save the hassle sometimes."
Sarah thought to herself. 'A spy who doesn't like to use guns, that's a first but she did admire that about him. '
"Carmichael, Walker we are coming up on your six." A voice called on the walkie talkie. "Roger that." Sarah watched her mirror and saw the military truck turn the corner. "They're here." Sarah looked at Charles then opened the door. They followed behind the truck and waited for the back to open. William came out in his suit with a bullet proof vest on, tossing two more out the door. "We can never be sure." Charles held Sarah's gun as she put hers on and she did the same with his. Charles started to move when Sarah stopped him. He paused then watched as she pulled the Velcro closed over his chest. He looked at her. "It came loose."
"Thanks."
The team stormed the shop throwing in blasters into the mechanic shop. Charles and Sarah followed the team into the front of the shop as William took the back. Smoke and gun fire filled the room. Chuck fired what he could then seeing an opportunity he fired his traq gun as the assailant was aiming at William. Charles stood up and raised what he had left to fire but at the same time the assailant fired. The assailant fell to the floor and so did Charles. Sarah did a head count seeing William quite shaken looking down at something or someone. William put his gun down and padded himself to make sure he wasn't hit but knew someone was. He looked up seeing Sarah coming towards him and the look on his face she knew something wasn't right. William dropped his gun and ran over to Charles. He lifted his head off the floor trying to wake him. Sarah saw that it was Charles that was hit. "No!"
Falling to the floor she checked him over and opened his vest. A bullet had hit him just above the Velcro that she had secured moments earlier. "Charles wake up."
"Go get help William."
William got up and grabbed someone from the team. Sarah slid her legs under his head and caressed his face. Pleading to him. "Charles wake up. Please wake up." She loosened his vest completely then tossing it off to the side. She lifted his shirt checking for any other injuries. She caressed his bare abs then chest eventually seeing a huge welt. Sarah put down his shirt and saw that he was awake. He looked up at her and subtly said to her. "Did you see anything you liked?"
Sarah rested her head on his. Charles lifted his arm and slipped it over Sarah's neck, holding her close. It was brief. Sarah looked down at Charles as she sat up seeing two men come back with William. They checked him out and helped him to stand up. Sarah grabbed a chair helping him sit down. Charles held his side hoping to ease the pain. He watched William shut down the feed and gather the intel they needed. "Agent Walker, Carmichael." Hearing Williams voice.
Charles held his side and winced as he walked over to where William was. Sarah offered a chair to sit down on but he passed, wanting to get this over with. "I think we have our guy or in this case a girl." William brought up the face and name of the individual. "I did a quick finger print of the laptop running it through various agencies and as I was looking for how they got into our feed she came up. Seeing her computer footprint or in this case finger print." William chuckled a hearty British laugh. Despite it being very cheesy Sarah and Charles also laughed. Sarah looked at the face and remembered seeing her when they arrived but didn't see her after that. Williams cell rang. "Batson."
Charles and Sarah waited till he was off the call.
"They have her. She was running and they got her a couple of blocks from here."
William stood up. "I guess we are done here." He grabbed his stuff passing the hardware to one of the team members.
Sarah and William waited on the tarmac for Charles to join them, as he was ordered to get checked out before leaving. Sarah heard the jet start up and feared that it was worse than they thought. She looked down the jet and saw Charles walk through the curtains. "Miss me?"
Sarah's heart skipped a beat and had never been so happy to see someone in her life. Charles sat down and put his hand in the air. "All good, just a few bruised ribs but they did say that I was lucky to be wearing a vest." Sarah looked away. Charles reached for her hand and she placed hers in his. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "It would take a lot more than a bullet to get rid of me." She sat back still holding his hand a she intwined her fingers in his. Safe and intimate and it never felt better. They looked at each other just looking and not saying a word. There was no need to say anything. They were lost in the moment.
E.J. walked her apartment looking at the familiar face and all the times she dreaded the call and finding out that her husband was killed. She didn't understand how one could kill another, better yet someone that claimed to be a partner. The CIA was very hushed on the whole ordeal and why he was killed till she started making some noise. They eventually told her that he was on the take and needed to be taken out. Something that still didn't sit well. She blamed her and would still blame her till she got her revenge that would snuff out the flames.
E.J. got on the phone and in hours her contacts made a positive ID. Trent walked in carrying an envelope that had been delivered. "This just arrived." He placed the envelope down in front of her. "It looks important."
"It is." As his words drew her out of her thoughts. She opened the envelope and pulled out what was inside. She looked at the photo. 'You haven't aged.'
Trent took the photo from her. "Is this the one who has you spooked."
"I'm not spooked." Her words harsh. "I just have some unfinished business that needs to be taken care of."
"Like what?"
E.J. stood up. "Making sure she dies."
E.J. reached for the phone. "Yes, I need your assistance. Can you meet me at my apartment within the hour."
She put the phone down and walked to the door. "Call back the Steinbecks and tell them that unfortunately it's going to take a little longer to get the device back. It's tied up at the moment."
Trent nodded. E.J. walked down the hall. "Tied up in the CIA."
E.J. walked her associate to the door. "Find out where she is and let her know that she is being watched. Remember she is very good at what she does, so you will have to be a few steps in front of her at all times." E.J. slipped the guy a roll of cash. "For your trouble and a few more as an incentive to be thorough and quick."
The guy nodded and headed down the stairs.
Sarah arrived home and started emptying her pockets and came across the fortune cookie. She laughed as she opened it and read what it said. "You shall find love when all is lost."
She smiled and read it again. She wasn't one for fortune cookies but since meeting Charles he had a way of making things safer, easier. Like he was meant to be in her life. She showered, changed, and got ready for bed.
A week later
Sarah parked her car in her regular spot and noticed a different car parked in one of the far empty parking spots. At first she didn't think anything of it but when it made its round through out the parking lot she saw that it wasn't empty. Someone was sitting inside watching. When she dropped her things into her trunk instead of heading upstairs she started walking towards the car. The car revved briefly then sped off when Sarah came in full sight of it. It drove off. Sarah turned in time to get a partial on the plate. She watched it speed out towards the street and out of sight. She walked back to her car, and grabbed her things and headed upstairs. She looked around to see if Charles was around and luckily he wasn't in yet. She sat down at her desk and picked up the phone and called into the DMV. She faked a request stating that it was for an assignment. The caller on the other end replied by saying that the car was registered stolen, earlier that morning. Hanging up, she headed down to security. But when she saw the footage it didn't tell anything that she didn't already know but she did find out that it arrived shortly after she did. She had her sources tail the car backwards to see where it came from. Only leading to the car being stolen from a nearby neighbourhood.
Charles dropped Sarah's bag down on her desk and headed back to shower and change. Who knew that doing plumbing to retrieve stolen hard drives would make such a mess. Sarah came in behind him smiling as he passed her. "Your bag is on your desk. Also there's a box with your name on it." He turned then disappeared. Sarah unzipped her overalls slightly trying to air out the stench. She walked over to her desk and moved her bag so she could see the box. It was a regular box nothing fancy. She took the card and opened it. "This is just the beginning." Sarah flipped the card over to see if there was anything else. Nothing. She pulled on the lid of the box as she looked inside. Sarah pulled back the tissue paper exposing a dead rat. She jolted back, with a slight squeal. She heard voices. Quickly she put the lid back on the box and ran it over to the main garbage can, arriving back as Charles came walking in. "Hey. Aren't you going to change? Maybe we catch a bite." Sarah looked up, unsure what to say or do. She looked up again. "No, sorry I got a headache, maybe the fumes." "Yeah they were pretty rank down there." Sarah grabbed her purse and keys. "Rain check?"
"Yeah."
Sarah walked to the entrance of the office. "Hey, Sarah what was in the box?"
"It wasn't for me, I guess they put it on the wrong desk." She didn't wait for his response.
Arriving at home she did a check just in case she wasn't alone. The box had spooked her and she wasn't one to get spooked. She grabbed some aspirin and a glass of water. Grabbing some leftovers from take out the night before she sat in the dark staring out the window. She wondered who was behind this and why now.
Days later
Charles knew that Sarah was off. She had made more than one mistake in spying 101 which he had to step in and take over. The yelling didn't stop as they entered the office. "What happened this time?"
Sarah stopped. "What, you figured that you'd rescue me when I went down into his boat. I had the whole thing under control."
"It sure looked like it, when his hands were around your neck."
"Now he is in the hospital with a broken jaw because you couldn't let me do my job."
Charles voice a little harsher. "I know you can take care of yourself but lately I'm not sure. Your not the person you were."
"And who is that?"
"The girl I met….." His voice trailed off.
"You two done!" McFadden called from his office.
Charles passed Sarah unintentionally bumping into her on his way. "Close the door."
Charles closed the door as Sarah grabbed a seat and turned her face away from his. "Do any of you need to tell me something. Maybe why one of our suspects is lying in the hospital with a broken jaw?"
Charles looked at Sarah and Sarah back at him. At the same time they spoke. "I was doing my job and he came in and threw a punch." "I came in after not hearing from her and when I did find her he had his arms around her neck, so I punched him."
McFadden's head bounced back and forth as if he was watching a tennis match. "You two done?"
Charles and Sarah tried to catch their breath. "You two sound like an old married couple and not spies. I am benching the both of you till further notice. I am hoping that your cover Sarah is still intact and he'd cough it off as a jealous boyfriend and nothing more. Go home and wait for my call." He looked at the two. Charles got up and stormed out followed by Sarah. Charles headed out of the office while Sarah walked to her desk. She looked up to see the mail being dropped off and something left on her desk. She looked at the clock and noticed the time. It was odd that the mail was being delivered now. She got closer and something about the mail guy made her follow him. She ran after him as he escaped into the elevator. Sarah walked back to her desk and spotted the envelope. She opened the letter. "Fear is what you make of it. Life is a privilege and soon you will only have one." Each letter was cut individually and glued to a white piece of paper. There was no return address. She slipped it back into the envelope. She saw Charles coming and opened her drawer and stuffed it inside along with the others. Charles saw Sarah scrambling then leaving the office. He walked by her desk and saw something sticking out of the drawer. He looked around then sat down reaching for two paper clips. He bent the clips and slipped them into the lock. After a few jiggles he slid the drawer open. He pulled the pile out onto the top of her desk. Charles looked at the letter that was on top. He opened the letter and read the words out loud. "Fear is what you make of it. Life is a privilege and soon you will only have one."
He then looked at the rest then slid back into the chair. "Oh Sarah, who is doing this….
