A/N: Welcome back. Guess who doesn't own Chuck yet?
A/N2: I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to review this story over the last couple of years. I appreciate each and every one of the reviews. They have led to conversations with some of you that have resulted in cherished friendships. As of now, New Day holds the honor of having the most reviews of any story in Chuck FF. That's not kudos for me or New Day. That's kudos for you guys who have made it so. Thank you.
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It was only after the terrorist attacks of 9-11 that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created by Congress to better coordinate the sharing of intelligence among the members of the US Intelligence Community. As such, only one other appointee had held the office before the then current holder. In fact, John Malone, Vice Admiral USN (ret.) had been in office barely a month when Director Graham and General Beckman asked to see him. (The DNI was the ostensible boss of both the CIA and the NSA, among the other organizations.) They flagged several files for his review before the meeting, which Malone had dutifully read or, in some cases, reacquainted himself with.
From what he'd seen and heard around Washington (and he'd been there for many years in different capacities), the bad blood between the CIA and NSA did not include the man and woman at the top of the two organizations. When they weren't fighting for a bigger slice of the budget pie, Graham and Beckman generally seemed to get along well enough. For that reason, he was more than a little surprised by the request that he mediate between them.
He knew from the files he'd read that whatever dispute they had involved the agents who had come to be known as Team Bartowski, or Carmichael sometimes. Reading about their accomplishments was extraordinary. They had had some great successes against Fulcrum, which was, by far, the biggest concern of the senior intelligence officers. Add that to the circumstance of Bartowski's unwilling role in the Intersect project and the whole thing read like the plot of some thrilling TV show.
Of course, the final item of his reading was the revelation that Bartowski had also been the elite white hat hacker known as the Piranha. Yeah, he thought, reality is stranger than fiction.
Graham and Beckman arrived at the same time, and, after greetings were exchanged, he led them to a conference table to the side of his office.
"I have to say, I'm surprised that you requested my mediation. What's going on?"
"Chuck Bartowski," said Beckman, without preliminaries. "To save three lives, he revealed to us that he was the hacker known as the Piranha."
"Yes," said the DNI, "I saw that. Is it true that he did so believing he'd be arrested for past crimes? He was prepared to trade his freedom to save your life, Langston?"
"Yes. He was crying when he told us. That...wonderful, brilliant, heroic young man did what he did thinking he'd go to prison for it...if you can imagine." Graham choked up a bit with that statement. He looked away from the others for a few moments.
"Amazing," said Malone. "He sounds … well, he sounds very special. I hope you reassured him."
"We did," said Beckman, giving Graham time to get his emotions in check. "Extensively and effusively. That's the first order of business, John. We need a Presidential pardon. Not for public announcement, of course."
"I'm way ahead of you, General." He showed her a legal pad and pointed to a note he'd written earlier in the day.
PRES PARD ASAP
"I've already called Josh Bolten, the Chief of Staff. I've gotten onto the President's calendar for late this afternoon. I will make that happen," said Malone. "I've read the Piranha file. A pardon is not going to be a heavy lift. He was never a menace. He would infiltrate a network and leave his sign, a small piranha fish design. He never stole or vandalized anything. He was no more destructive than a graffiti artist tagging the side of a building, less so really."
"Yes," said Graham. "He told us he did it just to prove to himself that he could.."
Malone started to laugh, "But he did enjoy himself...even playing with the task force put together to find him. That time they had a big meeting to go over his latest penetration and he sent them pizza and beer." Malone laughed some more. "He even ordered one of the pies gluten free for the investigator who wasn't eating wheat. Signed it Mr. P. Rana. A really mischievous sense of humor."
"Well, he's got that, no question. But a Presidential pardon isn't enough, John. That only covers Federal violations. We need pardons from the governors of thirty-two states where he's also got outstanding warrants or had investigations. Here's a list," said Graham, handing over a sheet of paper. "Foreign jurisdictions will just have to wait."
"I'll see what I can do, but you understand the President's influence is diminishing by the day. His approval ratings are in the basement and a lot of Republicans are scurrying away as the election approaches in a few months." With a chuckle, Malone said, "Maybe I'd be better off talking to McCain, he just clinched the Republican nomination. Hell, not to mention the Democrats. They smell blood in the water."
"Anything the President can do will be appreciated," said Beckman.
"Why did he stop hacking?" asked Malone
"He was a college student at the time. He eventually decided that the thrill wasn't worth the risks he was running," said Graham. "He's been lurking around hacking sites ever since. Just to keep abreast of the latest techniques. Out of curiosity, he says."
"Lucky thing he did. Well," said Malone. "You two seem to be on the same page here. What seems to be the problem?"
"What comes next?" said Graham. "That's the dilemma."
"Chuck is a hacker of exceptional brilliance," said Beckman. "The computer experts who watched what he did to get into the NSA's systems were shaken to their very core. He went through three separate NSA firewalls like they were tissue paper. They didn't even slow him down. The head of our cyber-security came to me and offered me his letter of resignation, with tears in his eyes. I've known this man for almost fifteen years and believed him to be among the most reliable experts we had in the entire government. What Chuck was able to do has thoroughly demoralized the man. Chuck made it past the best defenses we had in about a half hour. He didn't even break a sweat. That's the thing, John. He's just that good. I'd like to bring Chuck into the cyber-security division of the NSA...at the most senior level we can manage. I can't even imagine the holes we have in our security that he can patch. I think this is vital to our national security."
"And I disagree," said Graham, vehemently. "Fulcrum is out there and we have no idea what it is up to. Chuck and his team are without question the best team of agents we currently have in the field. The best. That team without Chuck simply will not work..."
"The Intersect..." said Malone.
"Fuck the Intersect," said Graham quietly. "This has nothing to do with the Intersect. For one thing, the usefulness of the Intersect diminishes as the raw intel ages, which is to be expected. Chuck had his download almost six months ago. The frequency of his flashes has diminished since he first received it. And we aren't trying again with a volunteer until we have more safety protocols in place. No, my objection is not based on the Intersect. This is all Chuck and his people. The truth is, we need him in the field with the rest of his team, not behind a desk somewhere. The stakes are too damn high to abandon our most trustworthy weapon at this point in the fight. I don't deny that Chuck can give us some helpful insight on cyber-security, but not at the expense of the work he can do against our enemies..."
"You have no way to know that, Langston. The work he could do on cyber-security could be invaluable. China alone is constantly probing us..." said Beckman.
"There, China. Right. John, you read the report. If not for him we would never have gotten involved and broken the White Dragon Triad. And that led to the informal relationship with the MSS that gave us the lead that eventually netted that asshole Kirk and his whole counterfeiting operation..." said Graham.
"But those might be one-offs, Langston. Who can tell what the benefits might be to have him permanently closing the holes we may..."
"Excuse me, excuse me. Diane, Langston...have you asked him?" said Malone.
"What do you mean?" asked Beckman, startled.
"Well, he's a man of extraordinary talent. Perhaps you should ask him what he wants to do. Maybe he wants to stay in the field with his team. Maybe he wants the desk job at Fort Meade. Hell if I know. I mean, maybe he can do both. Right? Doesn't he spend time with that cover job of his...where he was when Agent Larkin sent him the Intersect? The Buy More? Maybe, instead of that, he could do cyber-security when he's not out in the field with his team fighting our enemies."
"One hundred percent," said Graham, "If there's one thing Diane and I can agree on, it's that every single minute he spends fixing computers at the Buy More is a fucking waste of time."
"Amen to that," said Beckman.
"So how about that? You two talk to him about it. Maybe he'll want to do one or the other. Maybe he'll see a way to do both," said Malone.
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Chuck, Sarah, Amy and Casey sat at the dining room table in Chuck and Sarah's apartment. They had just ended a conference with Beckman and Graham who desperately wanted Chuck to operate as a cyber-security specialist for the government instead of his cover job at the Buy More. Beckman wanted him to do it full time and instead of operating in the field with his team. Graham wanted him to do it only in place of the cover job. Chuck had told them both he'd need time to think about it.
Sarah got up and went to the kitchen. She brought back beers for Chuck and Casey and an open bottle of wine and glasses for her and Amy.
"Well," Chuck said after Sarah had sat back down, "What should we do?"
Casey grunted, shook his head and said, "Whatever you want, kid. It's your decision...well, yours and Sarah's, I guess. It's you they want to do your computer magic."
"No, Casey. We've been through this before. This is a team decision. You don't think I'm making this decision without the three of you, do you?"
"So, let's start at the beginning. Do you want a desk job? Do you want to get out of the field?" asked Sarah.
"Absolutely not," said Chuck. "That would take me away from you guys. Working with you ...with this team...makes me happier and more fulfilled than any other job I've ever had. Even with all the sucky parts. No way in the world I'm giving that up. No way."
"Ok, then," said Sarah. "That eliminates full time cyber guy. Is there anything stopping you from taking it on part-time, then? Instead of the Buy More?"
"Yeah, actually there is," said Chuck. "It's a Sisyphean task. It's just too big for me to make a dent. I can show them the way I got in when they were locked down from the Fulcrum virus and they can adjust to close that entryway, but I could find a dozen more ways in. And by the time they close those, someone would change the software and they'll be more holes coming up from that. And that's just the NSA. Forget the CIA and the rest of the IC. One guy can't make an impact. I think I'd be frustrated as hell. I'd be worse off than the kid with his finger in the dike."
"Well, she did offer you a top spot. You could have a lot of people and influence," said Amy.
"Yeah," said Chuck. "...and be at a desk in DC. Nope."
Casey's phone buzzed and he looked at it. "It's a message from Beckman." He turned it around to show the rest of the team. The phone read:
CONSID INDEP COMP. ONLY WAY TO GET HIM THE $ HE DESERVES.
"It seems she really wants you to do the cyber-stuff," said Amy. "Even if only part time. But with an independent company so you can make more money."
"An independent company. A cyber-security business. Ok," said Chuck. "So, let's think about that, guys. Now that's a pretty cool idea, actually. We start a company. The four of us. We start a cyber-security company and that's our cover when we aren't on missions. I'm not ready to abandon what we do together in the field. But a company...working together...all four of us...What do you think?" The others looked at him skeptically. "It replaces the Buy More and the Weinerlicious." As he spoke, his enthusiasm increased. "We take contracts from the government to do penetration testing of their systems. Show them the holes to fill. That's our new cover jobs."
"Not a cover, Chuck. That's not what you're considering. It's for real. It would be a real company, doing real work and getting real contracts," said Sarah. "Cover jobs can be blown off, but not this. We'd have to take it very seriously even while we are spies in the field. Contracts have deadlines and stuff."
"Kid, what kind of company do you need me in? The only thing I know about cyber-security is how to stop my laptop from getting stolen. I'm far from a computer guy, you know that."
"Doesn't matter, Case. I'm not doing it without you. Without all three of you. If you don't want to do it, I'll just take a job with the NSA and start doing that on the side. I'm not giving up on the team. If we're starting a business, we're starting a business. All four of us. Not up for discussion. You are my team. I do not do things without you. Without any of you. As I said, if you don't want to, I'll just do NSA pentesting instead of the Buy More, even though I think it would be frustrating as shit."
"Ok, Sweetie, all four of us...but what can the three of us contribute?" asked Sarah, gesturing to herself, Amy, and Casey. "I'm not arguing with you. It's a real question."
"I have no idea. I've never started a business before. I don't know what needs to be done,"
"But, Chuck," said Amy. "It's just you. You are the only one producing the … product the business is selling. You don't need three people behind you to sell it. We'd just be .. useless overhead."
"That's not right, Amy. No, no, no. That's the whole point. That's why an independent company is a better idea than me trying to do it as a part time job from my laptop. It's such a huge job. Just trouble-shooting the NSA alone, not to mention the CIA and the other IC organizations would take a small army of hackers. It can't just be me. If we do it as a business, we'll have to hire a whole bunch of people. Dozens at least. And then you have payroll. And where to put them. HR. Accounting. Legal stuff...shit, I don't know anything about any of that. Pension plans and medical insurance. Marketing. Advertising...God, I have no idea. All I can do is hack."
"Well," said Sarah, "not all you can do." She rubbed his arm and gave him a loving look.
He smiled at her while Casey grunted.
Amy said, "You're serious, aren't you? You're really thinking having the four of us start a real company...a real cyber-security company."
"Yeah, Amy. I'm really serious. At least I'm really serious about thinking about it. Maybe there are a hundred reasons why we can't do it. Why it's a dumb idea. I don't know. But we are four smart people. Maybe we can figure out how to do it. If you guys want to, that is. I mean, I have the easy part. To me, hacking is like playtime. The actual business part will be hard and real. The cover jobs we have now are bullshit compared to what we are talking about."
"Chuck, I know how...you've been with Sarah and Casey...hell, you're going to be with Sarah for the rest of your life...I just joined the team a little over a month ago," said Amy.
"Doesn't matter. You are one of us, Amy. That's just the way it is," he said with certainty.
Amy looked at Sarah who cocked an eyebrow and shrugged with a small smile.
Amy looked at them with surprise and affection. After a little while she got up, walked around the table and hugged Chuck. Then moved over and hugged Sarah. Finally, she went to Casey and said, "I don't care if you hate it, you're getting a hug too." And she hugged him.
Sitting back down, she said, "I'm in if everyone else is. Thank you for this opportunity, guys. Thank you."
Casey nodded his head and said, his voice a heavy growl, "Ok. It's a crazy idea, but everything else about this assignment has been nuts. I'm in."
Sarah said, "It's going to be incredibly hard work and a huge learning curve, if we can do it at all...sounds like fun. I say we do it." She grinned at them all and leaned over to give Chuck a kiss.
"Ok," said, Chuck. "Now we have to figure out how to do it."
Sarah said, "I think we should call it a night and have everybody sleep on it. Until ...if, this gets off the ground, we have regular work tomorrow."
"Good idea, Walker," said Casey.
Amy and Casey left. Casey to walk across the courtyard and Amy to drive back to Maison 23.
Sarah and Chuck tidied up and changed for bed.
When Chuck came to bed after brushing his teeth, Sarah was sitting up under the covers, propped against the headboard with her computer in her lap.
Chuck got into bed and slid under the covers next to his fiancé. "What are you looking at?" he asked.
"Checklists for starting a new business. Seems to me that right off the bat we need both capital and advice."
"Well," he said, "I expect advice will be easier to come by than capital. I have a little saved, working two jobs and all, but we spent some setting up this place, so it's not a ton."
"Yeah. I have some money saved for bail for my dad...you know, just in case."
"Well, let's not touch that," said Chuck.
"Yeah. I want to leave that be," she agreed.
"Amy and Casey?"
"Won't know until we ask them," she said.
"Do you think we could get a small business loan?"
"I have no idea. Would we need a lawyer for that stuff?" she asked.
"Yeah, probably," he said.
"Lawyer...you know, I can ask Langston. One of his best friends is a big-time lawyer. One of the big firms in New York. Maybe he would talk to us and give us the advice about small business loans and stuff," she said.
"Great idea. You should do it. I guess that's the advice part," he said.
"Yeah. Too late now, but I'll call Langston in the morning and tell him what we're thinking. Without telling him that Beckman gave us the idea, of course."
"Great. You know, speaking of Langston, I just have to say again how surprised I was at his reaction to the Piranha news."
"You and me both. I thought he'd take it in stride, but when he understood that you expected to go to prison for saving his life..."
"Yeah, that was something..."
"Chuck, you made the Director of the CIA cry twice in a week. I've known him for ten years and never seen him cry once. You've got a superpower, I think," she said, turning off her laptop and putting it on the side table. She turned off the light.
"I'm glad he didn't react like Ellie. Now she was mad," said Chuck.
"Yeah, but only about things you had done six years ago. And she was relieved that you had come out of that time of your life without going to prison or something. She was like a mom who saw her kid run through traffic. She was angry that you'd done it and delighted that you were ok. Once she realized that Langston and Beckman looked at the whole thing as an opportunity, she felt free to vent her anger."
"Yeah," said Chuck. "And boy did she do that."
"Well, at least you stopped of your own volition. That took a lot of the wind out of her sails."
"Yeah. I'm glad you weren't mad at me," he said,
"Well, you did screw up. You should have told me earlier. But it wouldn't really have changed anything. You'd have done what you did to save Langston and the others regardless. I just wouldn't have been surprised by the news, that's all."
"I'm sorry again. I should have told you," he said, wrapping his arms around her and cuddling her to him.
"I know. You don't have to keep saying it. But you know one thing that's really annoying? That you thought you'd be leaving me to go to prison. That's annoying," she said, cuddling into his arms.
"Huh? Why?"
"Chuck, do you think I would have let them take you to prison? Do you think they could have stopped me from getting you out of there? Really?"
"Ummm, no, I guess not," he said.
"Chuck, I am never letting anyone or anything take you away from me. Never, ever, ever. No matter what happens, we will be together."
"I mean if the Federal government..."
"Chuck, forget it. Oh, and you know Casey would have our back. Seriously, Chuck, how many NSA agents would it take to try to stop Casey and me from getting you out of there?"
"Um...all of them...at once...and their brothers and sisters too," he said smiling a little.
"There is no way in the world we would let anything happen to you, Chuck. Piranha or not. So, don't you ever think like that again. I'm not letting you go," she said as she hugged him fiercely. "I love you too damn much to ever let you go."
"I love you too, my beautiful Amazonian warrior."
"Really?" she said. She stuck out her tongue and licked the tip of his nose. "Then prove it, Mr. Piranha."
She didn't have to ask twice.
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A/N3: Let me know what you think, guys. Team B might be starting a cyber-security business. Chuck will lose the gray tie. Casey and Amy will lose the green shirts. Sarah's clothes will no longer smell like grease at the end of the day. I predict that if they do it, all four will be working their tails off for a while to get things going. Could be a lot of fun. Thanks for following along. See you next week.