A/N: Hey, Mr. Warner. You own this IP. Could you get with your siblings and make a Chuck movie, please? Seriously, it's about time. Ms. Strahovski is now a mom, so that would fit right in with what I envision for Sarah. And, while you are at it, hire some of the writers here to pen the screenplay. (Not me, of course. I feel a little awkward about self-promotion, but some of my friends here for sure.) The guys you were using towards the end botched the job something major.
Anyone looking for canon in this chapter will be disappointed.
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Chuck opened the door to the corridor and there was Casey, still in his Buy More uniform. Casey said, in greeting, simply, "Walker. Bartowski."
He stepped into the hotel room watching Sarah begin to stow her MP-5 in the gun case. He raised a single eyebrow. "That was for me," he growled without ire. It was not a question. He took the full clip from the bed and began to eject shells from the top of the magazine with his thumb. The bullets fell onto the bedspread with a clicking-clinking noise. He did it as a matter of habit. Leaving a magazine fully loaded for extended periods tends to weaken its spring and lead to misfires. Casey didn't like misfires.
"Yeah," said Sarah, looking away.
"You thought I killed Zarnow," he said.
"Yes. I did. I'm sorr..."
"Why?" he asked.
She handed him the baggie with the incinerator. "I found this at the wreck. I'm sorr.."
He cut her off again with a single raised hand. "No apologies necessary. I would have drawn the same conclusion you did if the situation was reversed. Don't worry about it."
"Thank you, Casey. Thank you. Chuck set me straight."
Casey turned to Chuck, "That why to told me to wait in the lobby and then come upstairs to wait in the hall?"
"Yes, it is," replied Chuck.
"Thanks. Good job," said Casey to Chuck, with a friendly pat on his shoulder that left Chuck rubbing his arm and mouthing 'Ow'.
Sarah said, "Graham just told me we were lucky to have Chuck." She put the gun case in the closet.
"For once in his life, Graham is right," said Casey. "But enough of this love-fest. What are we going to do about Zarnow getting himself barbequed?" Casey grabbed the chair from the vanity along one wall and dropped it near the table by the window. He crossed one leg over the other. Chuck and Sarah sat down in the other two chairs.
"Let's start with this. Can you guys explain this thing to me?" Chuck said, holding up the incinerator.
"It produces a flash fire hot enough to vaporize organic material," said Casey.
"Right, I got that bit from the Intersect. What's it used for, though?"
"Any number of things. Destroying evidence that there was a killing at all. Hiding the identity of the dead guy. Sterilizing the scene if there were dangerous biologics, like a virus, present."
"So why use it here? None of those reasons apply, so far as we know," asked Chuck.
"Dead is dead. Why not use it?" asked Casey with a shrug.
"I don't know. Expense for one. Got to be cheaper to use a bullet. No?"
"Chuck's on the right track, Casey. It's a specialized tool. Hard to find, expensive, and tricky to use effectively. Why don't they want us to find Zarnow's body? What did he have on him or with him that should remain secret?"
"Well, his notes were on his computer," said Casey. "But they're fried now."
"Yeah, but C-4 could have taken care of that. And anyway, wouldn't the bad guys have wanted those notes intact to find the Intersect? Assuming this had something to do with the Intersect, of course."
"Was he sick?" asked Chuck.
"Didn't seem to be. Why?" asked Sarah.
"Biologics. A virus or something? Will there be any DNA left in the car? Are these things," he held up the incinerator, "really 100% efficient?"
"In the right conditions they are," said Casey. "Interior of a vehicle would be perfect conditions. No wind, limited dispersal radius. There won't be anything left to find."
"Casey," said Sarah thoughtfully. "Did you smell him?" When Casey raised an eyebrow questioning what she meant, she continued, "Did you smell Zarnow? At the site. All I remember is the smell of burned rubber and metal. No roasted meat smell. No smell of a charred corpse."
Chuck looked slightly sick. He asked, "How do you know what a charred corpse smells like?" Both Casey and Sarah just looked at him. "Oh, right. Never mind. I'm better off not knowing."
"Yeah, kid, you probab..." said Casey.
"He's not dead," said Chuck suddenly, interrupting Casey. "That's why they used the incinerator. To hide the fact that he was kidnapped. Come on guys, you've both seen this on TV." They looked at him blankly. "Well, I mean, I think you have. No body ergo the dead guy isn't dead. Every TV show for the last 30 years, that's the rule. No body, no death. He comes back in the last 10 minutes of the episode."
"This isn't a TV show, moron," said Casey.
But then Casey and Sarah were silent for a few moments, when Sarah said, "Makes sense."
"Kidnap him, fake his death with the incinerator," said Casey. "No one even expects to find a body, so there's no need to find a replacement corpse. Everybody is looking for a murderer, and meantime Zarnow is being asked a bunch of hard questions."
"Can we think of any evidence that leads us either way? I mean other than neither of you smelling Zarnow, which is totally gross by the way, and which they couldn't avoid if it were a kidnapping. I mean other than dropping a side of beef in the passenger seat, which Zarnow would probably notice."
"Third option," said Sarah. "He did it himself. Faked his own death for some reason."
"He's not going to walk out of the hills," said Chuck.
"An accomplice. Or a pre-positioned car," said Casey. "That's how I'd handle it."
"Ok," said Sarah. "Three options. Murdered. Kidnapped. Faked it. Any more ideas?" Into the silence, she said, "Ok, then let's figure this out. We'll hit the evidence. Chuck should see it all, in case he flashes. Casey, why don't you and I look at the police report, since Chuck has already seen it. Chuck, you can start on Zarnow's CIA file. Then we can all check out Zarnow's NSA file on Chuck's laptop."
As Chuck moved to start up his laptop, Sarah went across the room to the wall safe and opened it to remove the Zarnow file. Casey waited for them and thought idly to himself, it's a strong team. Catching sight of something in the corner he asked, "Where'd you get the goldfish?"
"Chuck bought it for me. He thought I needed a pet," Sarah said with a small smile as she dropped the file on the table.
Chuck said, "I bought it at Large Mart." He was logging on to the NSA system. Once on, it didn't take him too long to find the investigation into Zarnow's death and the preliminary police report. He twisted the laptop around so Sarah and Casey could see the screen and said, "Here you go."
As they started to read the report, he flipped the CIA file around towards him and opened the cover. On the inside front cover of the file were several pictures of Zarnow. Chuck flashed. Casey noticed first and nudged Sarah, gesturing toward Chuck with his chin. They waited for him to come back to them.
His eyes re-focused on them, but they looked stunned, like he'd seen a ghost. He took the file in his hands and frantically turned to the end, to the last pages of the collection of papers. Glancing at them he said, with a little panic, "Oh shit, oh shit...Oh shit. Guys, Zarnow is bad. He's been selling our scientific secrets to the North Koreans for years. A defector last year identified him to a CIA interrogator. It's in the Intersect, but it's not in this file," Chuck waved the papers in his hand. "It should be here. The report of that interrogation should be here at the end of the file, but somebody seems to have removed it from the file after it was scanned for the Intersect coding."
"Not possible, kid. The CIA would have told us if we had a traitor in the ranks. They would have loved to embarrass us. We would have dealt with him right away. We wouldn't let him get within a million miles of the Intersect project or anything else."
"They did tell you, Casey. Part of the file in the Intersect is a note of a communication transmitting this information to the NSA."
"Wait a second, Chuck. Are you telling us that someone in the CIA doctored the files to protect Zarnow and someone else in the NSA spiked any follow up after the CIA notified them that Zarnow was bad?" asked Sarah, a note of incredulity in her voice. "That's crazy. That's like paranoid conspiracy stuff."
"I know. It's Three Days of the Condor type scary." Seeing the blank looks they gave him, he said, "Movie from the '70's? Robert Redford versus the CIA? Never mind."
"Focus, kid," said Casey.
"Yes, Sarah. That's exactly what I'm telling you. When I flash it's like I can see the information in my head. I'm looking at the report of the interrogation and the list of names of the traitors. I'm looking at the note that they informed the NSA. I'm looking at it in my head, but it's not here." He jabbed a finger at the file in front of him. "Why would that information be in the Intersect, but not in this file?"
"I didn't like the guy. He rubbed me the wrong way, but, still, I don't know about this," admitted Sarah. She and Casey were looking at each other with increasingly troubled stares. "Are you sure? Could you have made a mistake?"
"I haven't so far. All my flashes have been accurate," he said with a shrug.
"Dammit, kid... What a goddam messed-up situation. What do you think, Walker?"
"I think a messed-up situation is an understatement, Casey. This is huge...and really, really scary. The immediate question is, do we tell Beckman and Graham? Can we trust them? They sent Zarnow to us, after all."
"True, but that doesn't prove anything. They could very well be as much in the dark as anyone. Zarnow was working for the Agency, my Agency, for years and nobody knew he was bad. Still doesn't answer the main question, though. Can we trust Beckman and Graham?" said Casey.
"Beckman OR Graham," suggested Chuck. "Maybe one and not both?"
"Maybe," said Casey, with a nod.
"What's our choice? Try to track this down on our own, from here? No help from them? Keeping our investigation of rogue spies in both the CIA and NSA under the table? Secret even from them? That won't work. I think..." She stood looking out at the sunset for a bit and then finished her sentence. "I think we take the chance. If they are baddies...well, it's been nice knowing you both."
"Ok," said Casey. "I agree. Chuck?"
Momentarily startled by the use of his first name (he wasn't even sure Casey knew his first name), he said, "Me?"
"Yeah" said Casey. "You're part of this team. What do you think?"
"Thanks. Yeah, Casey, I agree. Let's tell them."
"Ok. Casey text Beckman and I'll text Graham. We'll tell them we need a conference call from a totally secure location asap." They did so. Beckman and Graham must have been together because it was only a few minutes later that the screen on Chuck's computer activated and both directors were there.
Sarah took the lead, "Director Graham, General Beckman, when Chuck saw Zarnow's picture in his file he flashed on the results of the interrogation of a North Korean defector from last year. The defector named Zarnow as a traitor who had been selling US scientific secrets to the North Koreans for years. The Intersect also indicated that this information had been shared with the NSA. But none of this information was in the CIA's Zarnow file that you provided to me earlier in the week, Director."
Beckman looked angry and frustrated, but not surprised. Graham looked a little resigned, almost tired. "Well, that's the confirmation you were insisting upon, General. Right there."
"Damn it. I had hoped..." she glanced at Casey, Sarah and Chuck. Given the enormity of the conversation, Sarah was doing her best not to be distracted by trying to figure out where the camera Beckman was looking at was located. Beckman continued, "Director Graham and I have had our suspicions for months about a brewing conspiracy within the intelligence community. It seems your information today confirms it. This is obviously a huge problem and the first step in addressing it is knowing who to trust."
"Chuck, you couldn't possibly be in on any such conspiracy, having been a civilian until just last week. Casey and Walker, the very fact that you brought this to us the moment you discovered it puts you both in the clear," said Graham. "Thank you all for doing that. Thank you for trusting us. It must not have been an easy decision."
"You're welcome," said Sarah. Casey grunted.
"Going forward you three will clearly be on the front lines in solving this problem. We are going to have to start some inquiries here in DC. Very discreet inquiries. In the meantime, Zarnow is our best lead as to who is involved," said Beckman.
"So, what do we have on the Zarnow killing?" said Graham.
Sarah said, "Not too much. We have limited it to three possibilities. He was murdered. He was kidnapped. He faked it to go underground. What we don't know is if whatever happened to him had anything to do with his meeting with us here in Burbank...with the Intersect."
Beckman said, "LAPD can handle the murder investigation. It's outside your skill set anyway. We'll give them necessary assistance. You focus on the last two possibilities and assume it had to do with the Intersect. If it was something else from his past, we'll need a much bigger team to sift through leads, so we'll assign some others to that task, others with no need to know about the Intersect. Assume he was kidnapped or faked it. He was a traitor...so, I like the last possibility, but explore them both. We need to find him, and find him alive and talking. We need to know who has been helping him."
"Good luck, Team Bartowski," said Graham and cut the connection.
"'Team Bartowski'? What the hell? What about Team Casey? Sounds much better," said Casey.
"I don't know, Casey. I think Team Bartowski sounds pretty good," said Chuck. Sarah just smiled.
"You are definitely letting this go to your head, kid. I think I like Team Moron better," said Casey. Chuck grinned.
"Ok," said Sarah. "Brainstorm with me, guys. Who might take him? Or, why would Zarnow fake his own death, if that's the direction we head?"
"Easy answer," said Casey. "Sale of secrets. There's nothing more secret than him," he pointed to Chuck. "Want to sell secrets? The ultimate payday. That's the mother lode. Everything we've got in one package. Whether someone wants to use him to get to Bartowski or he just wants the freedom to do it himself, the results the same."
"That argues in favor of him doing it himself. Unless he blabbed about the Intersect and his new patient to someone he shouldn't have," said Chuck.
"Yeah. I agree with Beckman that he's probably done this himself. He seemed more than eager...thrilled, even, that all the images made it into one head. And did seem to want to know his patient's identity. Damn, that guy was creepy. So, let's run with that. Zarnow or whoever has him is interested in getting to Chuck. He's taken or fakes his death and goes underground. What next? What's the next step?"
"A third party group would squeeze him for information right away. If he's doing this himself, though, he contacts the North Koreans to get them on board, basically setting up a fence to buy the stolen secrets, maybe get some muscle from them. Then he comes after us. You or me...or both," said Casey. "We are the key to the identity of the Intersect."
"I agree. So, we have to be ready and waiting when he shows up. Then we can get him," said Sarah.
"Better idea is to use one of us as bait. Draw him in more quickly. Set a trap," said Casey.
"Good idea. Let's do that," said Sarah. "I should be the bait. Just about all men underestimate a girl."
"No," said Chuck. "I can be the bait. You guys are uber-competent to protect me. If you're the bait, you really only have Casey protecting you."
"No, Bartowski. That's a terrible plan. You're not the bait. You are the actual Intersect. That's not the way bait works, for God's sake. I can be the bait. I'm kind of looking forward to the SOB coming for me."
"Ok, guys. We are a new team and can expect to be working together for the next few months. I want to set a ground rule right here, right now. There is no place for chivalry on this team. No protecting the girl because she's a girl. I'm taking chivalry out behind the barn, shooting it, and burying it in an unmarked grave. You both have to accept the fact that I'm going to take just as many risks as anyone else. I've never worked with a team before and, starting with this one, I'm going to nip that in the bud. Capisce?"
"Sarah, I..." started Chuck.
"Capisce?"
"Ok, Walker."
"Ok, Sarah."
"Good," said Sarah. "It makes the most sense for me to be the bait in the Zarnow trap. So, let's come up with a plan." They ordered room service and got started.
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Two days later, Sarah was running along Canyon Edge Road when she heard in her ear Chuck say, "Whoa. Whoa. Steep hill. Steep hill. Tree branch." It was a deserted rolling road with brownish sandy hills on one side and a steep drop off on the other.
Casey replied, "Skip the running commentary, kid. You aren't a tour guide."
"I know, Casey. I just can't believe that Awesome does this for fun. It's really scary. And strenuous, too."
"Stop whining. You're on a bike at least. Walker is just running up these hills."
"She's in so much better...Oh, oh oh...wait...ah...made it. That was a tricky one. Somebody put a rock..."
For the second day in a row now, they had come up here early in the morning. Chuck and Casey before dawn to set up, then Sarah separately. Chuck had borrowed Devon's bike, explaining that he wanted to try mountain biking a little to see if he liked it. Sarah parked her car and went for a long run along the road. Chuck was a couple of hundred yards from her, up the hill of the steep canyon, on a dirt track running parallel to the road. He could see her clearly, but someone would have to know he was there to see him. He was on lookout in case Zarnow showed up to take the bait. She was seemingly alone, seemingly unarmed, in an isolated location on a road perfect for a quick getaway. Casey was parked a few miles down the road, on a side road and couldn't been seen from the main road itself. If Zarnow was after them, this is where he would try to get to Sarah. At least, that's what they were counting on.
"Bartowski, it's a good thing it's only us on this frequency. Your rambling would give anyone else a headache."
"Oh, skidding..."
"I can't deal with this anymore. Walker, you deal with him."
"Oh, come on, Casey...oh, watch out...watch out."
It was going to be a very hot day with no breeze, but had not yet become oppressive. What was that expression?, Sarah mused. Women glow, men perspire and horses sweat. Well, she was certainly glowing, that was for sure. She felt her singlet sticking to her torso.
"Ah," she heard Chuck say followed by a grunt and another "Ahh."
"You ok, Chuck?"
"Yeah. I fell, but I'm ok. Wait, I think I skinned my knee. Yup, I'm bleeding. How can Devon do this for fun? This is ridiculous. Casey, do you have any band-aids in the car?"
Casey didn't respond.
Chuck said, "He's mad at me for talking too much."
Sarah ran on for a bit longer and felt a niggling feeling in her gut. "Casey? Casey?" Silence. She stopped running. "Shit. Chuck, check your phone. Where's Casey?
"Hold on...hold on...Oh, shit. He's moving. He's on the main road heading back to town."
"Get back there as quick as you can. I'll do the same." She began to run to the spot where Casey had parked.
Chuck arrived first and told her, "Car is still there, but there's no sign of Casey."
She arrived a few minutes later, breathing very hard. Chuck had prudently stayed concealed about fifty yards from the parked car. She said, "Stay here." A knife appeared in her hand as if by magic. She made a wide circle around the car before approaching it. Seeing nothing but a parked car, she moved closer, noting tire tracks, footprints and two parallel lines grooved into the dirt from the driver's side door, as if made by dragged heels.
She motioned Chuck over and said, "They took Casey."
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A/N2: Come on, guys. I can't be the only one who recognized that the Intersect named Zarnow as a traitor. That means that his traitorous behavior was somehow documented in the CIA or NSA files that became the Intersect. But that's a problem, because it's inconceivable that the CIA wouldn't tell the NSA about a traitor in their ranks and the NSA would obviously clean its own house if it knew. And Sarah had the physical file itself which didn't show her that information. So, what happened to the information that Chuck flashed on when he saw Zarnow? This gives one explanation (but not the only one, as Marc Vun Kannon has pointed out to me during the development of this story).