A/N: I'd really like to thank this amazing community for the wonderful feedback and support, despite the numerous and ongoing issues with the Fanfiction site. You guys are amazing….Thank you!
As for the FanFic site, the review and PM functions seem to be working again, so please leave a review or PM me and let me know what you think…..
As always, my thanks to Nevr for pre and beta reading.
And as always, I don't own Chuck….some knuckleheads who don't seem to understand how special the property really is own it….and I certainly do not profit in any way from publishing this AU story.
Valkyrie's Invisible Shield
Chapter 1 – Operation Invisible Shield
Date: Sunday, 28 November 2021
Time: 19:30 EST
Location: Arlington, Virginia – Casey Residence
"We may have a problem." Diane Beckman's words caused John Casey to perk up in his seat and put down his beer.
"Threat assessment?" Casey asked with concern evident in his voice.
"It's a little early to tell, John, but this comes from a very reliable source out of London, even though it has not yet been fully corroborated by our people. The FBI is not in the loop yet, and I suggest we do some validation before we cry wolf, but I wanted you to know right away as POTUS protection is your purview." Beckman paused for a moment to gather her next thoughts. "I'll have my people send you the file immediately, but the highlights are that an unidentified Russian wants President Walker removed from office one way or another. We are working all angles to get a clear picture and properly assess the threat, but given the source, I wanted this on your radar ASAP."
"Removed from office? That is a very unusual message to filter up through the network. Any idea what is behind it?" Casey asked perplexed at the word choice the DNI presented.
"It is unusual and specific. And that is one of the reasons we flagged it."
"Ok, thanks, Diane. What can you tell me about the source?"
"Came through MI-6, but the guy that validated it is an old-school MI-5 guy. Well connected, has historically produced very solid, actionable intel. He's a real pro, and though MI-5 is domestic, like our FBI, he has maintained an extensive network across Europe. His name is Roan Montgomery, and his intel is consistently reliable. That is the other reason we flagged it"
"Uhm. And you trust this guy, Diane?"
"Yeah, I do, John. Probably wouldn't leave him alone with my daughter for five minutes, but on this….yeah. I do. Unfortunately."
"Ok. Good enough for me to start circling the wagons. Please email the file, and I'll start working through it immediately. I'll set up a call with you, and your lead team, first thing tomorrow. And even if it's early, I'll pull in the FBI. I'd also like someone from the NSA for sig-int support." Casey paused momentarily to consider the President's schedule for the week. "POTUS is not traveling this week, and I didn't see any external commitments on the official calendar, so I'm comfortable we can extend out control over his current environment, but we need to start looking at the forward…..external commitments in country and internationally. We will also need to look at the schedules of the First Lady and the daughter in New York. I want to tighten things up while we validate the threat level."
"Agreed," Beckman responded. "The file is on its way. I'll get NSA support for you and have them join your call. I look forward to regrouping tomorrow with you and your team." Beckman paused for a moment. "And John, Presidential security is your show, so you run the meeting, and I'll support as needed."
"Thanks, Diane. Speak tomorrow." Casey cracked his knuckles, walked to the kitchen, and dumped the beer into the sink. He needed a clear head to focus on the file and to start adding people to the duty rosters to beef up security for his charges while also providing resources to support the threat assessment.
-O-
Date: Monday, 29 November 2021
Time: 09:30 EST
Location: Washington D.C. - White House, east wing basement conference room
John Casey walked into the conference room and sat at the head of the table. Seated around him were certain members of the President's security detail and senior members of the Secret Service's Investigations unit.
"Where the hell are Bartowski and Grimes?" Casey growled.
"Sir, Grimes picked him up at Dulles about twenty minutes ago, and he is on his way here directly. They should be dialing in…." Special Agent Verbanski was interrupted by an electronic chime signifying the arrival of an additional person to the secure video call.
"Chuck Bartowski has joined the call," the automated voice chimed as Casey looked at the wall clock, which was still set at exactly 09:30.
Casey cleared his voice. "Bartowski, is Grimes with you, and do you have the file?"
"Affirmative, Sir. Grimes handed me the file on my arrival, and I have been reviewing it for the last twenty minutes." Chuck replied.
With confirmation that everyone had the material circulated earlier that morning, John Casey kicked off the meeting without further preamble.
"Team, we have reason to believe that a credible threat to the safety of POTUS exists. And given his immediate family can be used as leverage against him, we see the threat potentially extend to them as well. We will immediately implement additional security and coverage measures for our principals, the President, and the First Lady. We will discuss the daughter, who lives and works in Manhattan and has declined protection separately. At this point, the Vice President is not considered at risk, so while we will not increase his protection directly, we will keep the President and Vice President further apart for purposes of potential succession." As he spoke, Casey checked items off his talking points list. "Concurrently, we will initiate a multi-jurisdictional investigation to identify the potential origin of the threat and any parties involved to more accurately assess the actual threat level." Casey paused for a moment to allow for any questions, but with no questions, he forged ahead. "Before I hand off the call to the DNI, who was the first to receive the information about the potential threat, I want to run through some roles and responsibilities." Casey looked at the sole member of the NSA present on the video screen.
"A Presidential Executive Order will be arranged by the DNI and forwarded to the NSA later this morning authorizing signal intelligence support by monitoring electronic traffic. Once the E.O. is issued, we will provide the NSA with keywords and phrases to search for as the investigation develops. Central Intelligence will leverage its European resources to provide our investigative team with actionable data. FBI, while the threat originates outside the U.S., any action will likely need to be conducted domestically, so we will need to use your resources to follow up on any noise the investigation picks in country." Casey took another pause, asking if there were any questions thus far. With no questions raised, he asked the DNI and her team to provide the rest of the attendees with additional color on what had been uncovered. The discussion was followed by an extensive question and answer session, and by 10:30, the information had been disseminated and reviewed, the governance structure for the investigation had been set up, including the assignment of roles and responsibilities, and the methodology for communications had been established.
"Before we break, I want to keep a strict lid on this. The information about the potential threat, as well as the action we are taking is not to be shared beyond the participants on this call until such time as I inform you otherwise. We don't need any politically motivated leaks making their way to the press." Casey made eye contact across the room, then stared at the screen with his "game face" on. "Thank you all for your participation on such short notice. Special Agents Verbanski, Bartowski, and Grimes, my office at 11:30 for an additional briefing. That is all." Casey terminated the secure video call and exited the conference room. He made his way to the ground floor, then crossed the building towards the Oval Office, where President Walker was currently meeting with his Chief of Staff and the Speaker of the House. He approached the President's personal secretary.
"Good morning Margie, I need a few minutes with the boss. It's a priority security topic." Casey gave his best impression of a smile, but with Casey's perpetually grumpy disposition, the effort produced more of an awkward grin than a smile.
"Good morning, John." Margie smiled warmly. "The boss is in with his Chief and the Speaker. They should be done in less than ten minutes and I can hold his next appointment for maybe ten minutes. Will that work?" Margie continued to smile warmly at Casey as she waited for his confirmation.
"That'll work. Thank you, Margie. You're a real lifesaver." John gave another awkward smile and took a seat. Ten minutes later, Margie stood up, knocked firmly on the door to the Oval Office, and informed the President that he needed to move to his next meeting. As the Chief of Staff and the Speaker exited, Margie motioned to John to go in, and as he entered, she whispered, "Ten minutes, John. If you go longer than that, I'll need to juggle things, and you owe me dinner." Margie winked at Casey as he walked past her and closed the door behind him.
"Sir, apologies for intruding on your calendar, but I wanted to make you aware that while there is nothing to be immediately concerned about, we have uncovered what we believe to be a potentially credible threat against you. And while we investigate and validate the threat level, we will be immediately implementing additional security measures. I will prepare a full briefing for you and the First Lady shortly, but I also wanted to speak with you about your daughter in New York, Sir." John Casey paused to let the President digest the information.
"Sit down, John." The President directed. "What do you know, and in particular, why do you think my daughter might be at risk?"
Casey relayed all the information collected to date, speculating only when asked to do so by the President. It was pretty straightforward across the board, except when the discussion turned to the President's daughter. Here, John Casey needed to tread carefully.
"Well, Sir, we do not have any specific information suggesting she is at risk. However, if I were coming after you, I would consider anything I could use as leverage to compromise you, especially your unprotected daughter. Out of an abundance of caution, I feel compelled to bring this up. As you are well aware, Sir, we are obligated to protect the immediate family of a sitting President and Vice President, but while you and the Vice President are legally compelled to be subject to our protection, that does not extend to adult direct family members who have declined the Secret Service's protection. And because it is publicly known that she declined our protection, if I'm a bad guy, Sir, I would see Ms. Walker as an easy target to grab." Casey looked directly at the President. "Your daughter, Sir, has never been willing to have our protection, and given that it is her right to reject it, we can't force our protection on her without her consent. As such, I request that you and the First Lady convince her to accept the protection, at least temporarily, until we can identify, validate, and, if required, neutralize the threat, Sir."
The President sat quietly for a moment. "John, is it OK if I get back to you later today? Say by 17:00?"
"That should be fine, Sir. Having said that, for obvious reasons, I would like to know as soon as possible, Sir."
"Thank you, John. I appreciate your good counsel in these matters."
Casey thanked the President and quietly exited the Oval Office, heading back to his office when Margie stopped him. "John, is there anything I need to know or can help with?"
"Thank you, Margie. And no, not just yet. But if anything comes up, I'll let you know."
-O-
Date: Monday, 29 November 2021
Time: 11:30 EST
Location: White House, John Casey's Office
"Come!" Casey shouted in response to the two sharp wraps on the door. Verbanski, Bartowski, and Grimes entered. "Take a seat." Casey didn't look up from the computer monitor where he had been reviewing the First Family's weekly calendar. Their schedules were very straightforward, except for the fact there needed to be more information associated with Sarah Walker. Casey grunted his general displeasure with the current situation, then turned his attention to Verbanski, the head of the First Lady's security detail.
"Verbanski, Athena's schedule is pretty quiet this week, with the only external event being the weekly visit to the V.A. hospital on Irving Street. Given that this is a routine stop and a government building, I'm less concerned about safeguarding the location and more concerned with managing the transit to and from. Please let me know what other resources you think you will need, and I'll make it happen. Any questions?" Gertrude Verbanski was a seasoned Special Agent and was very comfortable ensuring Athena's protection in or out of the White House. She had no questions or concerns, so Casey dismissed her before turning his attention to Special Agents Chuck Bartowski and Morgan Grimes.
"Chuck, how's the family out west?" Casey asked amiably.
"Everyone is great, boss, and it was nice to be home to enjoy a proper Thanksgiving turkey with the family. If I may be so bold, boss, what do you need Grimes and I to do in support of this morning's briefing?" Chuck had a certain way about him that Casey liked and disliked at the same time. What he liked was that Chuck Bartowski was always incredibly direct. He also really liked that Bartowski's aptitude scores were the best he had ever seen and that he was by far the most intelligent Special Agent he had on his team. The problem was that Chuck Bartowski was also a non-linear thinker and prone to solving problems in ways that defied convention and often protocol, which occasionally made him a colossal pain in the ass. He was perfect for covering an unconventional principal like Sarah Walker.
"Right to the point eh, Bartowski?" Casey grinned. "I may have an important assignment for you and Grimes related to this case. So I want you both to go home, pack a go-bag with clothes for about three or four days. I should have more details on your mission by 17:30 today, so report back to me by then. You're dismissed." Casey scowled. One way or another, Bartowski and Grimes were heading to New York as Sarah Walker's official protection detail or her secret guardian angels.
-O-
Date: Monday, 29 November 2021
Time: 17:00 EST
Location: White House, Oval Office
John Casey had been summoned to the Oval Office by President Walker, ostensibly to discuss the plans for ensuring Sarah Walker's protection. He waited patiently under Margie's watchful eye until her phone lit up.
"You can go in now, John." She smiled warmly at the big man as he stood and approached the oddly curved door.
"John, come on in. Please have a seat," Emma Walker welcomed him warmly. "Jack will be right in. After our call with Sarah, I think he needed to take a moment."
"Thank you, Ma'am," Casey replied formally as he stood waiting for the First Lady to sit. Just as he started to lower himself onto the comfortable couch, President Walker came in from his private office next door.
"Sir," Casey stood tall again.
"Sit down, John. Take a load off," President Walker commanded. "John, I'm gonna shoot straight with you because we are in a bit of a pickle. Let me start by saying that I trust you and your team completely. If you tell me that you are concerned for the safety of my family, I act like that message is coming from the burning bush itself. The problem, as you might have expected, is Sarah. Unless we can provide specific information that makes it clear she is at risk, she refuses to have any protection assigned to her. She is totally focused on her career and sees a protective detail as a major distraction from her ability to do her job the way she feels the need to do it. Moreover, she is as stubborn as a mule and with twice the damned bite, John." The President took a deep breath as he stood beside his wife before continuing.
"And because Emma and I have a strict policy of being completely honest with Sarah, when she challenged the specifics of the threat, we simply had to tell her that we were acting out of an abundance of caution because there was no specific threat against her. Once that little tidbit of truth was out, there was no way to put the genie back in the bottle, so to speak. However, we did get her to agree to reconsider when and if we could identify a credible threat against her." Jack Walker dropped like an exhausted man onto the couch and reached for his wife's hand.
"John, I know legally we can't compel her protection, and more importantly, if we tried, she might never speak to us again, so given that I trust you and your judgment, what are our options?"
"Well, Sir, Ma'am. Permission to speak freely?" John ventured.
"Cut the crap, John. You are always to speak freely with us, especially when it comes to matters of our family's safety, so out with it." Emma barked out. John really liked Emma Walker. Like her daughter, she was a beautiful woman full of grace and poise but with a will of iron and an intellect sharp as a well-honed blade. Emma was never afraid to call bullshit when she thought it was appropriate, and while John liked and respected Jack Walker as a man and as a President, he wasn't too sure if Emma Walker wasn't better suited for the job. His mind briefly recalled the old proverb about an apple not falling far from the tree and wondered if perhaps, after a successful career in law and a couple of years of public office at the state level, Sarah Walker might not decide to run for the office of President herself. That was a scary thought, John mused as Emma snapped him back to the moment with a well-placed clearing of her throat.
"Uhm, yes, ma'am. Of course." John had anticipated this scenario, so he was prepared for his delicate, tightrope walking exercise to begin. "Well, Ma'am, Sir, I would propose sending a detail to New York to provide your daughter with an honest assessment of the risk and share all the data we have, including the information in our investigative files. I will educate them on a few examples of where such a scenario occurred and the ramifications. Hopefully, she will see this as a wise choice and agree to a temporary security arrangement." John stopped to gauge the response.
Emma smiled like a shark about to take a bite out of someone's ass. "John, with all due respect, if Jack and I can't convince her, there is no way one of your stiff suits….no offense intended here….will do that. So, what else you got?"
Casey shifted uncomfortably in his seat for a moment, then launched. "Well, given that my grandmother always said she would rather ask for forgiveness than permission, we just won't tell her we're doing it. I'll have my people shadow her every move, but discretely. This is complicated, and if she finds out and wants to take legal action, there is not a lot we can do about it. And with her being an attorney and all….."
"Now you're talking, John." Emma smiled. "Tell me what you are thinking."
"Emma," Jack interrupted. "We need to be careful here. Our daughter will kill us if she finds out, and the public spectacle, if this gets out, will damage all of us."
Emma's blue eyes flashed much like her daughter's. "Jack, if Sarah gets pissed off at us, I'll deal with it. What I won't deal with is anything happening to her because she is too damned stubborn to listen to reason, and you're too damned worried about public opinion." Emma's tone relaxed as she turned to face John Casey. "Now, John, what do you have in mind?"
"I'll put a two-man team in New York with additional support from the local field office. We track her phone and put micro GPS trackers in her pocketbooks, briefcase, and a few coats, so we are always covered. We tap all her personal and business phones and put cameras and bugs in her home and office, this way we can pick up on any calls or messages that seem out of the ordinary, like invitations or meeting requests, etc. The team will also take photos of anyone she comes into contact with, and we run those through our facial recognition system and map the data against the NCIC system, Interpol, and any other database we have available." John took a breath.
"We will also need to ensure we have legal coverage if the law firm sweeps for bugs and finds our goodies." John looked expectantly at Jack and Emma.
Once again, Emma spoke first. "John, we'll take care of the law firm. Jack has a long-time friendship with Douglass Bradley, and getting his permission will be much easier than getting legal cover. Right honey?" Emma smiled at Jack.
"Uhm? Yes. Yes, of course. I'll call Doug right away and explain everything very discretely."
"Thank you, Sir, Ma'am. One just one more thing. Going forward, we will refer to this as operation "Invisible Shield." The fewer people know about this, the less likely it is to leak, and we certainly don't want any madia or political opponents to use this to their advantage." Casey stood as he prepared to leave.
"Oh, John, if you don't mind," asked Emma politely. "Who will you be sending to New York for Sarah?"
"You may not be aware of this as the need has not previously come up, but if Sarah were to join you on an official visit or function, her designated detail would be led by Special Agent Charles Bartowski and supported by Special Agent Morgan Grimes. As a part of that designation, I've ensured they are both fully familiarized with her file, so they will be tasked with this assignment." John was puzzled by the gentle smile on Emma Walker's face. "Ma'am….is that a problem?"
"Not at all, John. We have met both men as they performed their duties. It's just that we had a little fun at Sarah's expense over the Thanksgiving holidays. Seems Special Agent Bartowski got a little under Sarah's skin." Emma Walker had a strangely warm, far-away look in her eyes. He'd have to ask about that smile one day, hopefully before this idiotic stunt got him in trouble and shit-canned his career.
As the approach for Sarah Walker was finalized and John Casey excused himself to give Bartowski and Grimes their marching orders, Jack Walker turned to his wife.
"Emma, darling, love of my life….what are you up to? I've seen that look before, and…"
"Oh hush Jack. I was just thinking back to when Sarah was a little girl." Emma smiled.
"And?" Jack looked inquisitively at her.
"You remember the first boy Sarah really had a crush on, when she was maybe 10 or 11, and her teacher called us in because she was terrorizing him? That poor boy had no idea what was going on, and I don't think Sarah did either, but…."
"Oh, dear Lord no….Emma….please, for the love of all that is holy, please don't meddle in your daughter's love life." Jack looked at his wife sternly. "I beg you."
Emma looked to her husband innocently. "Meddle? Me? Nonsense! I simply asked John Casey a question. I'm not meddling at all. I promise, Jack."
-O-
Casey returned to his office to find Chuck and Morgan waiting just outside his office door.
"Grab a seat, boys," Casey invited the two into his office and took his seat behind his desk. "Effective immediately, you two are responsible for Operation Invisible Shield."
Chuck and Morgan gave each other a brief glance. They had been debating what the assignment might be. When Casey had told them to pack their bags, Morgan immediately assumed they were heading to London to work with the CIA team on the ground to help identify the unknown Russian who wanted to take action against President Walker. Somewhere in the conversation, Morgan felt confident enough to wager twenty dollars and told Chuck he should pack his passport.
"Invisible Shield, Sir?" Chuck asked.
"Yes. This is a covert mission in New York. The two of you will be responsible for protecting Sarah Walker, but you will need to do so surreptitiously. Under no circumstances can she know you are there to protect her." Casey scanned the faces of the two agents in front of him and detected something he didn't like. "Grimes, you have a problem with that?" Casey asked sharply.
"No, Sir. No problem at all, Sir." Morgan immediately found his professional bearing.
"So what's with the face, Special Agent Grimes? Or would you like to go to uniformed services and be regular Agent Grimes again?" Casey pressed.
"No, Sir. I just lost twenty bucks to Bartowski here. I thought we were being assigned to London, and…."
"Can it, Grimes. What about you, Bartowski. Do you have a problem as well?"
"No, Sir. It is my pleasure to serve, Sir!" Chuck responded with too much enthusiasm for Casey, who raised an eyebrow.
"Look, boys, I fully appreciate that protecting someone who does not want to have you around is inherently difficult and that Valkyrie can be, well, can be a little challenging. But we signed up for this when we chose to serve, so I expect you to be professional and get the job done." Casey softened his tone a little.
"Sir," Chuck asserted himself. "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"
"It's never stopped you before, Bartowski. What do you want to say?"
Chuck looked directly at Casey. "Look, Casey, I apologize for the shenanigans with Valkyrie and my glib attitude a moment ago. I am totally committed to my role and serving, and you have my word that I won't let any protectee get under my skin again. It shouldn't have happened, and I must be better. That's all I wanted to say."
"Ok, Bartowski. Thank you for that," Casey spoke kindly before he recalled the First Lady's comments about Chuck getting under Sarah's skin and instantly transformed back to grumpy Casey. "And don't let it happen again, or you will need one of those special ass-footologist doctors to remove my foot from your ass. Are we all clear?" he growled.
"Yes, Sir." Chuck and Morgan answered in unison, straightening their backs in their seats.
For the next hour, John Casey went through the mission parameters. He arranged for Bartowski and Grimes to draw the necessary surveillance equipment, including an unmarked car that didn't scream "Federal Agents."
Ninety minutes later, Bartowski and Grimes were on their way to New York in what appeared to be a basically equipped brown Ford Taurus. By the time the duo reached Philadelphia, their phones had beeped with the hotel details and the appointment with Sarah's boss, Douglass Bradley.
Five hours after leaving Washington, Chuck and Morgan arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn at Times Square. They checked in, settled into their shared room, and went to work planning their activities for the next day.
"If we screw this up, Chuck…..what was the number of that truck driving school? Truck Master, I think it was…." Morgan joked as he quoted what he thought was an appropriate line from the original Top Gun movie.
"Honestly, I'm more afraid of an angry Sarah Walker than losing my job, Morgan. I can actually see her taking a fillet knife to my ass instead of just chewing it out…..That woman scares me!" Chuck's muted laugh suggested he wasn't really joking.
They were going to be protecting someone who didn't want to be protected, and given Chuck's recent experience, he needed to be careful. Chuck decided to do a little additional homework on Valkyrie after the events of Thanksgiving, looking beyond the file he was given. The more he looked, the more he was impressed. What he saw was a brilliant and capable woman who was as driven as she was independent, not to mention stunningly beautiful. He thought about his older sister, Ellie, and marveled at how much Sarah Walker had in common with Ellie Bartowski and wondered why Sarah had been so harsh with him. After a moment of contemplation, Chuck chastised himself, 'Jeez, Chuck, do your damned job instead of acting like a teenager and wondering why Sarah Walker doesn't like me.' He refocused on being the best Special Agent he could be by eliminating emotion and building a stone wall separating Chuck from Special Agent Bartowski. Hopefully, it would be enough to avoid being the focal point of Ms. Walker's displeasure. Unfortunately for Chuck, man makes plans, and God laughs.
End of Chapter – Please Review!