A/N: I hope Gaez doesn't own Chuck. He's not a very nice person. Sort of self-centered, honestly.
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Bryce Larkin, breathing hard, hummed in satisfaction and stroked the side of the woman on top of him, kissing her happily. She rolled off to lie on the bed next to him, trying to catch her breath as well.
He rubbed her flat stomach with feather light touches from the tips of his fingers and stretched down to kiss her forehead and the side of her face, the only bits he could reach, tasting a bit of the salty sweat.
She gave a low hmmmmm noise and ran her hand over his chest lazily, playing with the hairs she found there. Turning her head, she gave him a quick kiss on the side of his pec.
"Britt.." he asked, "...can I ask a favor?"
She gave a short bark of laughter. "You mean another favor? In addition to the one we just finished?"
Bryce chuckled and said, "That was a favor? Well, maybe you fooled me, but I sort of thought you enjoyed that as much as I did. In fact, you might have enjoyed it two more times that I did."
Laughing, she said, "Ok. Busted. Fair point. What do you have in mind, Agent Larkin?"
"I got a text from my best friend yesterday. A member of his team was hurt in a bombing. They'll send her to come up here to Calistoga for rehab. I mean probably. And...you're the best physical therapist here … and I'd like you to go down to LA on Saturday and talk to her first. Sort of a lay of the land kind of thing. Help get her head straight."
She sighed and said, "No. Forget it. Bryce, I'm busy. I don't get many days off. If she gets here, she gets here. I'll deal with it then. That's a whole weekend, traveling between here and LA. I don't have time for it."
"Look, I can take you down, Britt," Bryce said. "I can do it. You cleared me to drive last Thursday."
"Oh, come on, Bryce," she said with gentle exasperation. "No matter who drives, it's the same distance. I'm blowing through an entire weekend. Not happening."
"I know. I know. But if you cleared me to drive, there's no real reason I can't fly. I can borrow a plane at the airfield and get you down there. Fly you back a few hours later. I'll be really careful getting in and out of the plane, so I don't hurt my leg. You'll be home for dinner. At the nicest place in town, my treat. Please."
He leaned over and sucked on her earlobe for a few moments, flipping it around with his tongue. He said, quietly, "She lost a leg." Britt gave a quiet hum.
They lay in silence on the bed for a few more moments and then Britt whispered, "I'll want to leave early on Saturday."
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After witnessing the murder of Carmela Costa and planning next steps, the team had gone back to their respective hotel rooms for the evening. Chuck didn't know what Amy and Zondra were up to, but figured Casey was cleaning his guns.
Their mood was pretty grim. On top of Carina's injury a few days ago, they were now faced with two choices. One of the five of them was betraying them to Gaez, a possibility which had already destroyed the CATS and almost destroyed Sarah's friendship with Zondra. Or, somehow, Gaez had some way to predict their movements and next moves and thwart them at every turn. Neither one of those choices was in any way acceptable.
Sarah was sitting on the sofa in the hotel suite, her legs curled up under her, reviewing a proposal for Carmichael Industries. A glass of wine was sitting on the coffee table next to her, not her first.
Chuck was sitting at the desk with his computer open and the two cellphones in front of him with a handful of tools. He had opened the dead woman's phone, but the method he used to open it had broken it so it could no longer send or receive calls. She had no contacts listed for Gaez or Augusto or AG or anything like that. He reviewed her call history. In the hour before she died, she had seven missed calls from one number and five from another number. The first number stopped calling when the second number started to call. Finally, the second number had completed a call and spoke to her for about four minutes. The call had ended not ten minutes before Chuck and his team had found her and watched her murder.
So, two people had been trying pretty desperately to reach her in the hour before she had been killed. Chuck hacked into the phone company and pinged each of the phones to get their locations. One was located near a cell tower in the west of the country, a tower encompassing the town of Pollario. The other seemed to be...on the desk in front of him.
He opened the dead man's phone. Farrar had called Ms. Costa over and over again before finally talking to her. Then he'd killed her. He must have been on his way to her house and calling her from his car or the cab or something. Looking at his call history, the number from Pollario (which was how Chuck was thinking about it) had called Farrar for a three-minute call. Immediately afterward, he began to call Ms. Costa.
So, a phone in Pollario called Costa over and over again fruitlessly. Then called Farrar for three minutes. Farrar immediately began to call Costa and finally reached her ten minutes before he killed her.
Twisting around in his seat to look at Sarah, he said, "Pollario."
Putting down the tablet with the proposal, Sarah said, "Yeah. That's what I thought. Amy must have heard wrong."
"Yeah," said Chuck. "There's a cell tower that encompasses Pollario. Someone using that tower tried to reach Costa a bunch of times and the calls were missed. Then called Farrar for a few minutes. Immediately afterward, Farrar started to call Costa. Finally reached her ten minutes before he killed her."
"Doesn't sound like it was a hit, does it? You don't try and try to talk to someone you want dead," said Sarah.
"No, you don't," said Chuck, shrugging a shoulder. "Maybe to make sure she was home?"
"Maybe. The phone in Pollario?" asked Sarah.
"Still active. I just pinged it."
"Can you tell whose it is?"
"Nope. Burner, just like Farrar's," he responded.
"What if we called it?" she asked.
"What if?" he asked. "I can't use Costa's phone though. I broke it to open it. Want to try Farrar's phone?"
"Not without a Portuguese speaking man on our side, and we don't have one of those. Anything else will just alert the Pollario person that someone else has Farrar's phone. Hell, even with that, we couldn't really fool Mr. Pollario for more than a moment."
"Yeah. That makes sense," said Chuck. "Think it'd be Gaez?"
"Most likely. At least I guess so." Sarah paused a while, clearly thinking about their choices. Finally, she said, "Sounds like we head to Pollario in the morning. I'll let the crew know to get the plane ready."
"Right. And I'll tell the rest of the team," said Chuck.
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Amy looked out the window of the plane as the jungle moved beneath her. Silent and brooding.
In fact, none of them were happy with the way things were going. Although they were getting closer to Gaez, at least they hoped so, it had been a rough process to get to this point.
They would land in the city of Cruziero do Sol, the closest city with an airfield large enough to take the aircraft. They would rent a car or two to get to Pollario from there. It would be about a four or five hour drive, depending on the state of the roads.
Before takeoff Chuck had tried pinging the phone in Pollario again, but it was no longer active.
As they flew west, the lush jungle was gradually replaced with low scrub as they left the Amazon and its tributaries behind. Closer to the Peruvian border, the direction they were heading, there were mountains and rushing rivers.
The landing was unremarkable and they managed to rent a couple of Land Cruisers. At Casey's suggestion, they found a sporting goods store in the city and bought some camping gear. There was at least a possibility that they would decide to stay outside of the town of Pollario. After all, it was a tiny spot on the map and Gaez and his men could very well notice them staying in the town. They thought he might even recognize the former CATS, so planning for camping outside of town was prudent.
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Arriving at Pollario, they decided to drive through the town and see if they could discover anything useful to help with their mission, just a quick recon. Maybe they'd see Gaez out walking his dog. The women stayed low in the cars and pulled down caps to be inconspicuous.
The town had a few streets intersecting each other, but no traffic lights. The pavement was cracked and potholed and dusty. The simple white homes and stores were quiet. Most of the commerce seemed to be agricultural, with beat up pickup trucks and older cars on the road. They passed a church and a medical clinic and a general store. Sturdy looking men in jeans, baseball caps and work shirts moved around the streets. They saw the police station, looking quiet and deserted.
They didn't see anything like a hotel or inn, making them appreciate Casey's prescience. They drove through the town and made U-turns to pass back the other way.
Chuck said, "Sarah, what's that? What's that guy doing?"
"That's not a guy, Chuck. That's a priest...and, he seems to be waving at us."
"I'm going to stop. What do you think?"
"Yeah, I guess so. Let's see what he wants," she said.
The priest appeared to be a fit man in his thirties with a handsome tanned face and a small black circle beard. He wore a short-sleeved black shirt and a clerical collar.
Chuck pulled up next to him and said, "Hi."
For an instant the priest looked relieved, but that look was fleeting. Now nervous, even scared, he pointed to a large building next to the church and said, in English, "Go into that building. Please. Immediately. Please."
Without looking to see if they were following him, he waved at a teenaged boy and gave him some orders. The boy opened the doors to the large building and then ran off. After a quick consultation with the rest of the team in the other car, they followed.
The priest motioned for them to stop their cars inside and closed the doors behind them. In the sudden darkness he moved to a wall switch and turned on some overhead lights. They appeared to be in an old garage building, with the tools and equipment to work on cars gathering dust and rust against the walls. The room smelled of old oil and machinery.
"Hello, my friends. You are American, yes?" When Team B, who had left their vehicles by that point, nodded, he continued. "I am Father Luis Flores, the pastor of Pollario. Welcome to my village."
"Thank you, Father. This isn't...umm...the reception we might normally expect," said Chuck. He was interested to see what was going on, but didn't want to give away any information to the cleric.
He smiled a little and said, "No, probably not. I thought..."
A door at the back of the room opened and the teenaged boy returned with a fat man with gray hair and an old-fashioned fedora on his head. The older man was breathing heavily, as if he'd hurried to meet them.
"Thank you for calling me, Father Luis," said the newcomer, also speaking in English.
"Of course, Doctor. You got here quickly. I had only started to talk to our visitors." Turning back to Team B, who stood warily, although watching the men with curiosity. "Welcome to Pollario. As I said, I'm Father Luis Flores and this is Doctor Jorge Vega, our doctor. And this is Pablo," said the priest, gesturing at the boy. "Pablo helps me around the Church. I rushed you into this building for your safety."
"Our safety?" said Casey with almost a growl.
"Alright, that was a poor choice of words. For the safety of all concerned then, not the least of which are my parishioners."
"I'm sorry, Father," said Sarah. "We don't understand."
"There are some men here. Bad, dangerous men. They stay in the old mining complex across the bridge. They come to town for supplies sometimes. When they came a few days ago some of them talked to the townspeople. They seemed nervous...scared even. And that was ...well, unusual. The rumors spread. These bad men were afraid of a team of Americans. Afraid that the Americans would find them and ...there would be trouble. I didn't believe the rumors myself, but then I saw your trucks here. We don't get visitors, you see. And I knew that the bad men had been telling the truth. You are the team of Americans come to face these men."
"Father Luis, is one of the men named Augusto Gaez?" Sarah asked.
"Yes. He is their leader," said the priest.
She said, "In that case, you guessed right," she assured him. "We are that team come to face them." Team B introduced themselves and shook hands with the men and the youngster.
"Why do you say that they are bad men?" asked Zondra.
"Because they have taken hostages from the town. Young women. They are keeping them there for several months now. In addition to being hostages, I fear they use them for..." The priest stumbled over the words and glanced at Pablo.
The Doctor saved him from his difficulties and said, "Carnal purposes. I'm sorry to say it, but Pablo's sister is among them."
Most of Team B made some very unpleasant noises at this news.
"How many women?" asked Chuck.
"Ten," said the doctor.
"And how many men does Gaez have?" asked Casey.
The two townsmen looked at each other. "Two dozen," said the doctor.
"Twenty-five, including Gaez," said the priest.
"Why can't you call the police on Gaez and his men?" asked Zondra.
"The police here are in his pay," said Dr. Vega.
"Or too drunk or frightened to help us," said Father Luis.
"Father, you looked frightened when you saw us. Why?" asked Sarah.
"Because people here are afraid. Afraid for the girls Gaez and his men hold, but afraid of the men themselves as well. I'm certain that one or more of the townspeople would inform those men of your presence. Seeking their favor. Or the release of a daughter, maybe. It's why I wanted to hide you and your trucks as soon as I could. The more time you spent on the streets of the town, the more likely that Gaez and his men would learn you are here."
"Can you tell us about the complex where the men are hold up?" asked Chuck.
Dr. Vega answered. "It was about ten or so years ago. The mining company Minbras found nickel in the hills on the other side of the ravine. It became a boom time for the town. The company built a large facility and a huge bridge. They sent dozens of workers and hired many of the young men in the town. The future looked excellent. And then...the mine went bust. It seemed that the nickel they had found while prospecting was just about all there was. They spent two years looking for more and ...nothing. What they thought was an ore deposit turned out to be nothing more than a mineral occurrence...those are the terms the engineers used at the time anyway. The entire enterprise was a failure. Minbras packed up and left, writing off the loss as just a cost of doing business. Their facility was abandoned. And then one day Gaez was there with his men. Legally or not, I have no idea."
"Can you give us directions?" asked Casey.
"Yes. Of course. But may I suggest a better approach?" said Dr. Vega. "They probably have observers watching the road. There's only one way in or out. The road to the bridge deadends at the facility. If they see you coming on the road...well, better that they don't see you. I can have Pablo take you on some horses through the hills. It will take longer, but you should be able to get there unobserved."
At the sound of his name, Pablo perked up.
Chuck said, "We don't want to put Pablo in any danger."
"Thank you for that. I will ask him to take you to a place where you can observe the complex and leave you there. He can return with the horses when you call for him."
Team B glanced around at each other, silently agreeing. Chuck said, "Thank you, Father, Doctor. We will take you up on your offer."
Dr. Vega said, "It's almost dark. May I suggest you remain here for the night? Pablo can bring you food shortly and then come with the horses before dawn. By early morning, you can be in a position to see what there is to see."
"That is an excellent idea, Doctor," said Father Luis. "It allows them to leave the town without being observed."
"Thank you," said Chuck. "May I ask why you are helping us? Why are you putting yourselves at risk?"
"I have been taught that God provides. I choose to believe that God has provided you," said Father Luis with a small smile.
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The evening was uneventful, although there was some light banter about their lives, sleeping one night in a luxury suite on Copacabana Beach and the next on the floor of an abandoned garage in a village near the Peruvian border. They took turns staying awake and on guard.
Morning came in its time and Pablo was there with a pack of horses for them. They slung their gear on makeshift saddlebags and rode out of town quietly and in the dark. Although the bridge to the complex was only ten or so kilometers from the town, the roundabout nature of the route through the hills took them almost three hours. Chuck and Sarah were pleased that they had been riding a few times in Los Angles before having to ride in the pre-dawn darkness.
Pablo took them to the base of a hill, telling them that they could see the complex from the small copse of trees and shrubbery at the top of the hill. Then the teenager left and took the horses with him. He promised to come immediately when they called.
Climbing the hill, they caught site of the Gentle Hand base for the first time.
The first thing they noticed was the bridge. It was a cable stayed type bridge, with two towers rising from the ravine over a hundred meters below and a roadway hung from those towers by cables sweeping down like fans. Beneath the bridge was a fast-moving river, small compared to the significant result the moving water had carved into the rock over the eons. The mining company's investment must have been immense, as the span covered almost a hundred meters across the ravine.
Just past the bridge was the facility itself, consisting of ten or so buildings surrounded by a high fence. A couple of the buildings were fairly large and looked to have been constructed for use as offices. A couple were smaller and seemed to be dormitories or residences of some kind. Smaller buildings dotted here and there inside the compound. They couldn't tell which building housed the girls from the town. Diesel generators provided electricity. Some of the ground was taken by concrete pads with empty brackets, the remnants of the removal of mining equipment, no doubt. The bits and pieces of disassembled wooden scaffolding was stacked along an edge of a building with some truck tires. There was a motor pool of sorts with two pickup trucks and three SUV's, all parked next to each other with military precision.
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They watched the complex for most of the day. Men moved back and forth. Casey noted that none of the men appeared to be armed; at least while on base.
They watched as a man went to two of the SUV's, opened the hoods and did something to the engines. Soon afterward, about ten men climbed into the two vehicles with weapons they'd produced from somewhere and drove off.
From what they had seen, Casey believed the man had re-installed a distributor cap on each engine before they were used, thereby fixing a previously immobilized vehicle. It was apparently a security precaution that "switched-on" units did to make sure that the enemy couldn't steal your transport.
Casey said, "If Gaez is there, we can call it in. They'll drop an airstrike or cruise missiles or something and take the bastard out."
"Nope," said Chuck quietly, while watching the compound with binoculars.
Sarah, knowing her Chuck, said, "We get the girls out first. Then we call it in, Case."
"Not the mission, Walker," he said quietly. Sarah knew her partner well, and could tell his heart wasn't in the argument.
"Is now," said Chuck, expressionlessly, never taking his eyes off the complex.
Casey grunted, but they all knew he would go along with the plan to rescue the girls first.
Zondra looked back and forth at the three of them with silent surprise. Then she found herself grinning. Amy had been right a few days ago. Chuck was a pretty special leader.
Finally, a bit later in the day, Gaez himself put in an appearance. He was standing in the open with the Russian, Borodin.
"Bingo," said Casey, watching the man through his binoculars. They had finally found the elusive Gaez.
While the four of them were watching Gaez, Amy being on guard duty behind them, a calm voice to their rear said, "Stay very still and I won't have to kill you."
They obeyed the voice. "Good job so far. Now leave your guns in the dirt and stand up slowly. Make sure I can see your hands the entire time." Sarah and Casey glanced at each other and gave silent shakes of their heads. Not the time to try something.
They stood up slowly, keeping their hands in sight.
"Ok. Still good. I like dealing with professionals. Everything is good and predictable so far. Turn around," he said. They did and saw the American, Jackson. He was still as Hollywood handsome as his picture. He had seven other men with him all armed with assault rifles and splayed in a semi-circle around them. Usman, the Nigerian, was holding a struggling Amy with a hand clamped over her mouth to silence her. The men had moved upon them without a sound while they were paying attention to Gaez's appearance below and somehow gotten the jump on Amy too. Gaez's appearance below must have been coordinated with the move on them. Now they knew where the men from the compound had gone in the SUV's. Once again, Gaez was ahead of them somehow. How he knew they were perched on the hill, they had no idea, as they had been very careful to give no indication that could be seen from the complex. They hoped Pablo was alright.
Amy was disarmed by Usman and roughly pushed to stand with the rest of the team. While the men held their weapons on the remaining members of the team, each of them was frisked one at a time and relieved of their weapons. Even the hidden ones were found, which said a great deal about the professionalism of the men. Although they were employed as terrorists-for-hire, they behaved like elite soldiers.
"Come on," Jackson said, with a jerk of his head. "Head down that trail." He and the others led them down the trail to the foot of the bridge. The Gentle Hand team was being very careful to not only keep Team B covered with their weapons without getting in each other's way, but to stay out of reach of their arms and legs. They treated the captives with extraordinary caution. Some of the men carried Team B's gear and weapons and put them into the back of the group's SUV's, which were waiting for them at the end of the trail.
They walked across the bridge and the gates to the compound were opened for them by two of Gaez's men.
Team B was generally silent and grim, although Amy was sobbing softly.
The men led them into the courtyard of the facility, closing the gates behind them. Waiting for them in the courtyard was Gaez and the rest of his men, including Borodin.
He stood looking at them with calm eyes, his expression neutral. He was dressed in designer jeans and an open necked white shirt and had a pistol holstered on his belt.
"The Carmichael team. Sent by the President of the United States to kill me. Welcome to the home of the Gentle Hand. Sorry to say you will not be exactly honored guests. But now it's time to end the charade, shall we? Come here, please, irmãzinha."
Her head bowed, Amy moved away from the rest of the team and walked towards Gaez.
"Irmãzinha? LITTLE SISTER?" said Sarah with shock. "What the hell?"
Chuck said, his voice tremulous with disbelief, "Amy, you mean we've been hunting your brother?"
Amy looked back at them, as miserable as they had ever seen her, tears streaming down both cheeks. She couldn't look any of them in the eye, but she nodded once, mutely.
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A/N2: There we go. I hope I'd gotten some of you to wonder. Why would Amy betray her friends? For family, of course. No other reason could possibly lead her to act so dramatically against her own inclinations. Thoughts?