Chuck vs The Wayward Legionnaire
Chapter 17: Changes…. /Looking for par'Mach in all the Wrong Places.
20th March 2010. Camp Raffalli, Calvi, Corsica.
The air rushed by Robie as he let out an excited howl, he wasn't alone, the air around him was full of falling men all on their jump as part of their latest round of Legion training, Delon hadn't lied, they were getting a broad base of military experience, and they were loving every minute of it!
Erik Vanderlaan spun in the air pulling off as many acrobatic manoeuvres as he could as the ground raced up towards them, finally! His broad face was split from ear to ear, this was the life!
This jump was a treat, rather than the short military insertion ones they had qualified on, there the goal was to be on the ground within a minute of leaving the plane. It had required much skill and planning; the aim of the Legion was to have as many troops as possible on the ground within one minute and all jumps were completed from 150m to 300m(450-900ft) with that window there was little room for error.
This one had been a 3000m jump so there was time to relax and 'explore the sky' as Erik put it, the big C-130 receded into the distance, the rushing wind roared but not as much as the three men that laughed and pirouetted, tumbling through the air, the ground approached unforgivingly but they had learned well and despite their antics the landing zone at Raffalli was in sight, with 500m to go they deployed their chutes and arrowed in for a touch perfect landing, off to the side Delon watched approvingly.
The ever-present clipboard full of his usual neat notes, the Officer and sergents from the GCP also watched as the men landed, this past month had been another Delon special, with the promotion of the men in the Unit to Caporal they had been selected for the prestigious Commando Parachute Group training. Less than 250 men from the available 8000 paratroopers that the French military had were given this honour, but the heroes of the Mountain were excused the usual formalities.
Delon's selection instincts had been spot on, he had found exceptional men to fill his requirements, two new caporals had been assigned to cover the loss of Sastre and Barczar, Murphy's promotion to Sastre's old role had been met with typical disdain from the former caporal but a tersely worded conversation had set him straight, the men needed him, and he had proved his ability to lead them.
Grumbling, the Irishman had set about the task of transforming his men into shining specimens of caporals, the enhanced training helping the men forget about the nightmares of the past, their after action reports had revealed a hitherto unknown talent for unconventional warfare that he had sought to exploit, and the advanced training of the commandos had been a good idea, these were not normal men, they had little time for the usual soldier distractions of alcohol, women or hard drugs, they were professional, focussed and hungry for more skills. He was pleased, as was the Col. and the General.
A reputation was hard to forge in peacetime, but the events of the Mountain had almost become legend at this time. The regulars that had arrived to back up the final attack had quickly passed the particulars of the Legionnaires about, the Legion already the source of many soldierly myths gained a new one, a press picture of the rescue of the men from their near watery grave had revealed that a select number of men had wreaked such havoc on a superior force with minimal casualties! The recruiting offices were suddenly full of enquiries.
The men didn't see it that way, they had been damn lucky, but the General and the Armed Forces Minister had been quick to seize the grainy pictures from the photographer, even with the best enhancement techniques, the men remained unidentifiable, not to mention a worm that further rendered any usable picture that popped up on the 'Net worthless, the Ghosts made sure of that.
The General and his Officers quickly dispatched the men to Corsica for the remainder of their convalescence, sun, sand and sea and training quickly restored the men. The General. Old warhorse that he was, had sensed an undercurrent in his dealings with his Intelligence colleagues, his antenna was twitching on full alert, and he decided that it was time his men had more training, preferably far away from prying eyes….
There was a quick head count on landing, a minor twisted ankle from one of the men, they promptly gathered their parachutes, and within minutes they had been packed away. It had been a busy morning; they were hungry for their midday meal, and it was a happy trio of friends that returned their equipment to the shed they used for storage.
"You up for some food now?" Vanderlaan was a bottomless pit, Chen laughed, "I hear that Italian caporal is on Mess duty again today, pasta for sure." Erik groaned.
Robie laughed at his expression, "I'm still jazzed from the exercise, think I'll work off that excess energy with a quick shot at the Obstacle course."
The other two men's eyebrows raised in surprise, "Alright, see you in a bit Robie, try not to set any new records!"
He laughed himself, "Fat chance of that, Mr. Olympian." He said pointing at the physique of Vanderlaan. They strolled off laughing.
Robie watched them go, his smile dropping as soon as they entered the mess hall, he quickly ran to his quarters, he hadn't lied, he was practically brimming with energy, it had been like this for weeks, normally his usual days activities would have been enough to let him get a full 7–8-hour rest, but lately it had been 3-4 hours and he was raring to go!
And that wasn't all, his French, while better than most had really come on, he was almost fluent now, the most difficult jargon or acronym before, had stumbled over his tongue, even with Brun's help, he still had his days, but not recently, and not just that, Erik and Chen muttering to themselves in their native tongues had him focussed on what they were saying too, more often than not he had surprised them by pointing out loud what they were thinking. Their surprised faces told him he hadn't been far off the mark. It was like his head was a Berlitz language school!
But the biggest surprise had been on the physical side of things, naturally after his discharge he had expected some catch up convalescence, but he had found himself having to hold back on the morning runs and group exercises, and this was another occasion, he felt prompted to hit the track again!
Throwing on a spare set of fatigues and boots he sped to the course, it was a tough one, the 2nd Rep who were hosting them had this one set up especially for the elite parachute regiment, it was well laid out. It was a challenging run, and one he normally did in about four and a half minutes, Erik was the undisputed master though, the giant Dutchman just seemed to have an extra gear back in basic.
He did a few stretches, nodding to a small company of men that ran by, once they had cleared off he took another look around and took off, he felt strangely aware of his footing and the placement of his hands when he needed to use them to clear an obstacle, he was in the air hitting a series of walls, that he just seemed to flow over, up, down, under. Hitting the ground and rolling, his sense of timing was impeccable and more than that, his situational awareness seemed completely different, he was …. more…integrated with himself.
He felt his breathing steady, the faster he got the more relaxed he became. There were moments he could have sworn he could see an optimum path through the course.
All too soon he crossed the finish line, he stopped himself as he realised, he was not even winded!
There was a slow clap behind him, and he spun, old Chuck would have stumbled clumsily but John Robie was a different customer, he spun and finished in a ready stance. Surprised, but alert, seeking the danger.
Sean Murphy stood there with a stopwatch swinging around his neck, his eyebrows were furrowed, his hands stopped clapping. He lifted the brim of his Kepi and with one hand on his hip motioned Robie over.
"You want to explain that?" The time was a full 15 seconds below the best he had ever set, it had beaten Erik's by a couple too. Robie said nothing.
"You aren't even out of breath or sweating." He remarked. Robie dragged a hand across the back of his forehead, it was slightly damp but not the usual perspiration that such a physical effort might have induced.
He met the other man's eyes, "I can't…something is going on…since the mountain, I'm different…"
"No shit, Sherlock." The Irishman snarked. "Is this part of the …." He motioned to his head.
Robie leaned against a fallen tree stump, "I don't know, that's been …unusual too…"
"How so?"
"Smoother, better, the flashes are not flashes, they're …. downloads, complete downloads of information, I have to fight to control them, but there's other …stuff…"
He looked across the open fields, weighing up his thoughts, Murphy waited, this was outside of his experience and the only man that could make sense of it all was struggling himself to do so.
"The usual pattern was massive headaches after a big day in Castle with…the old days..."
Robie didn't have to elaborate there, "Go on." Sean prompted.
"Watch…" Robie thought about what they had found out from the Contessa's personal logs, he'd had the others run through a list of what he had managed to send them during their escape, he'd just downloaded everything he could, he'd let them sort it out, back then he'd been searching for Sastre and trying to alert someone. He didn't have the time to scan everything, but the updates from Sven and Meike had contained a lot of information. He concentrated on something he'd react to…
For the watching Sean Murphy it was a complete surprise, this 'flashing' was a lot different to the hotel room in Marseille, he remembered the difference in the Contessa's chambers too, it had been less…. intrusive on Robie. And there was no accompanying monologue of robotic information.
Robie's eyes blinked, and his face relaxed slightly, he knew it was different. "What did you get?" he asked curiously.
Robie said nothing, "Watch this…" he opened his hands and touched the tree trunk, Sean watched in awe as there was a small static discharge, if he hadn't of been prepared by Robie though…
Robie quickly turned his hands over, Murphy was shocked to see the small red circles, as he watched they quickly faded, he grabbed Robie's hands and ran his fingertips across the raised flesh, he snatched his hand away as he felt a …something … retract?
"Holy Fuck mate! What the hell is going on?" The two men looked at one another.
"I don't know Sean, and I'm afraid… I just thought it was a reaction to the whole situation, you know… but… but I'm different…" He shook his head, at a loss to explain further.
Sean was at a loss too, "listen…" he quickly explained what the hospital had turned up and how he'd managed to allay the doctor's suspicions. "…something happened up there. The only time you were out of sight was when we where in the cells, what happened when you got out that first time you never explained fully…"
Robie looked in thought, "You got the phone?"
"Yeah, what are you thinking?" he handed it over.
"I downloaded everything, that might have included the internal CCTV, I was in a hurry, then that big thug of hers grabbed me, there was a struggle and then you were waking me up in the cell, maybe there's something there." He dialled a number, a voice answered.
"Hello Sven? I need you to do me a favour…."
…..
24th March 2010. Anomaliz Offices, Dublin. 14.30hrs GMT.
Busy week, thought Oisin, he was feeling tired again, it had been a rare morning, he'd spent some time online with Paul Radcliffe and Mateo, they had been working on a new browser interface that had applications that superseded a rather well known competitor, this one blocked out 90% of advertisers and delivered more actionable results, he could feel another game changer in the works and he was anxious to keep the momentum going, they had made excellent progress.
It had been a crazy few months, the adventure in France had had far reaching implications, they had watched through the eyes of Janus as the worldwide hunt for Fulcrum had borne fruit, the disappearance of Roark, once one of his competitors, had thrown the illegal organisation into a state of shock from which it never seemed to recover, the arrests were almost daily for a month, he wasn't fooled though, Janus showed them it was all good PR, a lot more had gone unseen, the authorities wanted to keep the true infiltration a secret.
He and Roisin had discussed purchasing a few of his former competitors' assets but in the end, they had both felt that doing so would taint Anomaliz. No, they had enough on the go with what Chuck had downloaded, there had been a lot of projects they had spun out to the others, more suitable for their sectors, software was their bread and butter.
The Americans had managed to rebuild a few broken bridges here and there, but nobody was really fooled, the big question on everyone's mind was who was going to fill the void left, nature and the spy world apparently abhorred a vacuum.
Oisin was happy though, it was one of the many threats to Chuck Bartowski dealt with, one down and a myriad to go, he smiled wryly to himself, on the plus side he had arranged for Morgan Grimes to receive a place in the college that he had mentioned during the Christmas reunion.
When a wealthy businessman and donor knocked on the door there was an interest in accommodating whatever they might need, in this case, an adapted course for Morgan that would enable him to attain a degree in a quicker timeframe than the accepted 4 years, extra tuition and then a house and car were even easier to arrange. Yes, Morgan Grimes was going to hit the ground running, Mike had been busy setting up a false trail in Hawaii where a supposed Benihana Chef course was run, and his ex-Anna Wu resided.
Roisin had been busy too, chasing her contacts and ensuring Ellie and Devon were on track to complete their onboarding with Doctors without Borders, they had managed to keep that under wraps from their NSA 'neighbours'. Diamond and Wilde had been a little skittish when the two doctors returned to Echo Park, Mike had almost whisked them out after the first night.
Luckily they uploaded their 'Holiday' pictures, Roisin's boyfriend Turlough had been invaluable there, with his helicopter and some on the ground logistics they'd managed to get the couple everywhere from the Giant's Causeway in Antrim to Dingle Bay in Kerry and the Cliffs of Moher in Clare to Johnny Fox's Pub in Glencullen in Dublin, and everywhere in between in a couple of days, a few quick wardrobe changes and nobody was any the wiser. A well-established timeline was created.
Chuck had been delighted, with the removal of his family and friend from Beckman's board he could relax.
It had been a lot of work, the mind was willing but the body… well the body needed a rest, he looked at a well-worn sofa in the corner of his office. He shuffled over and lay down, I just need twenty minutes, a power nap…. he thought.
He drifted off….
…. there was a sudden jolt! He opened his eyes and groaned softly, here again….in the car… that day… he looked around, there was Sile(Shelia), his wife, turned in conversation with Kiri, his heart skipped a beat, it always did when he saw them again, it was nearly time, soon fate would catch up to them, the day was sunny outside the car, it always was… he sat up.
He watched the two women talk. They were always so happy. Well, it had been a momentous night, the night before… he grimaced… he hated this…the before, he looked at the countryside outside the car window, then he looked for… they weren't there! It was with some surprise when he turned back to find the two women silently regarding him…he gasped …this was new.
Sile smiled, so did Kiri, the light outside was getting brighter, but it didn't make him squint, it was pervasive and …warm…so very warm, Sile took her husband's hand, he almost cried, it had been a long time… it felt soft and firm and her…
"Hello Love…missed you…" her soft voice filled him with joy, "Hello Pops!", came from Kiri beside her. He was so glad, he felt the love from them both envelop him, this all felt so real… a moment later he knew why…
…
"Dad?"
There was a soft knock on the office door, outside Roisin stood waiting, her father had missed a meeting, it hadn't been anything important, she had handled it. She was only slightly worried, she hadn't lied to Kelly on Tech Talk, her Dad had stepped back but with the arrival of Chuck and then the new products and just the hustle and bustle of everything it had been like a new lease of life for her father.
His old zest had returned, and he'd been putting the hours in.
Still no answer, she knew he'd be on the sofa, she sighed. She pushed the door open and entered.
"Dad…" she began and stopped.
Her hands flew to her mouth, and she froze in her tracks, her father's eyes were open, but they weren't seeing her or anyone else. He had a small smile on his face and as she followed his eyes, she knew where they'd be looking without even turning…her mother's picture…
She leaned against the door for support as she felt the tears coming. Then she remembered who she was, her father's daughter, only daughter, and she gathered herself and walked over and sat down beside her father's body, with a shaky hand she gently brushed his hair straight and kneeling she embraced him as she kissed his forehead.
"…bye Dad…" she said quietly.
Moments passed then she reached for a desk phone, her PA Breda answered, "Breda can you call an ambulance and Dr O' Connell please, Dad's gone…"
Breda Kelly was slightly nonplussed, "…Roisin, I just saw him…." The penny dropped as did the phone and then there was the sound of running feet and a sob from the doorway as the other woman took in the scene in front of her.
"Oh Roisin…I'm so sorry…" she cried.
Roisin stood and faced her employee, "…don't tell the others yet, let's get the Doctor here and take it from there…ok?". Breda nodded and left the office.
Roisin walked to her Father's desk and picked up her mother's picture, she took the frame apart and carefully taking the picture walked back to her father's side and placed it in his inside suit pocket. It had been his favourite.
She walked to the phone again. Dialling a number, she'd long since memorised she waited for the pick-up… there was a hello… "Micheál…it's Dad…"
…
24th March 2010. Camp Raffalli, Administration Offices. 15.30hrs CET.
Capitaine Marguerite 'Maggie' Koh and her Italian counterpart Capitano Lorenzo Fabbri had been assigned to the Pacelli case, the download to the Interpol database had been quickly locked down by the French and Italian Justice ministers as being on their jurisdiction, in the case of the French, and involving one of their citizens, in the case of the Italians.
It had been a political hot potato the other European powers had been happy to divest themselves of, they had enough on their plates with the exposure of Fulcrum.
The two detectives had been quickly assigned from the major crimes divisions of their police forces and had very quickly launched raids on the Contessa's properties.
In truth, they had more than enough in the video files, the more onerous task of identifying the victims had been one of their top priorities, they had been helped in France by the capture of the Hostel owner in La Grave, Pierre Babin, he'd been caught making a break for the Swiss border, his mobile had featured heavily in the Contessa's contacts.
The local Gendarmerie had raided the Hostel, and it hadn't taken long to find incriminating evidence. Babin had been very lazy and in being so, very helpful, one of the officers had noticed the lock on the cellar door, breaking it down they had stood in open mouthed shock at the amount of men's belongings that had been strewn around the room, passports, itemised belongings and most important of all, guest books, Babin had been very stupid, often just replacing a book with a new one shortly after his patron had secured her latest prey.
Within days, Koh had over half of the young men identified by their documentation alone. Pacelli had maintained a large apartment in Paris that was also quickly raided, but that yielded nothing, she had kept her habits well away from the French capital.
Fabbri had joined Koh at her Paris office, and from there they had planned the raid on the Turin estate.
At first, they thought they were on a hiding to nothing, It wasn't until they had the decomposition dogs check the gardens for any traces that they realised the genesis of the Contessa's crimes had begun there, some positive reactions were enough for Fabbri to send for Ground penetrating Radar.
There by the Albino's hut on the grounds they began to make some grisly findings, a careful check of the small dwelling had unearthed a diary that was disturbing to read. Despite the childish scrawl it was a manifesto of madness.
They approached the Contessa's estate house with some trepidation, if the groundskeeper was that twisted, what horrors would they find in her home?
It seemed like a fruitless hunt until a sharp-eyed forensic technician noticed some new shiny pipes leading from the basement…. that had forced a re-search of what had seemed an old wine cellar, some discrepancies in the room's dimensions had eventually led to a hidden door and a new chapter in the nightmare.
The Contessa had followed her usual pattern and built herself a chamber of horrors where she had indulged herself. A careful search of the room had revealed a hidden cameras and a cache of USB flash drives.
Another fifty victims were unearthed, this time there were no belongings or paperwork to be found, the shiny new pipes led to another incinerator, it was going to be old fashioned detective work after that.
Before long, Koh and Fabbri had a blackboard full of various nationalities of missing young men over the years cross referenced with missing persons reports and gradually the dead gave up their secrets…
One of their latest tasks had been to meet the men that had brought the attention of their bosses and them to the case.
Koh was a French Vietnamese that had been raised in France, she was a short dark-haired beauty solely focussed on her career, even her partner Fabbri had been rebuffed in no uncertain terms when he had suggested a dinner to 'introduce' themselves on their first meeting.
She was used to the handsome ones trying their luck, she had a detective's bureau full of single and married champions of matrimony usually trying it on, so it was with no particular joy that the two sat outside a Legion Office waiting on their liaison to attend them and their investigation.
Already a few men had gathered at the sight of the young officer who had chosen to wear some climate appropriate clothing in the hot Corsican sun. Normally she'd have worn a uniform, but her orders had been to keep the investigation low key, so casual it was. Something she was beginning to regret. Fabbri wasn't helping either, the occasional glances at her light summer blouse were beginning to piss her off. She had worked her ass off to attain her rank and it wasn't appreciated.
Where was this Caporal they'd been promised?
There was a soft cough beside her chair, and she turned to see a young oriental man, oh…. She thought, maybe the blouse was a good idea after all…
He was taller than her she noted as she stood, she liked that, wait a minute…... what was this? A moment ago, she'd been raging that in her current situation, all she got was hit on, now looking at the soldier…legionnaire in front of her she was almost hoping for it!
Philip Chen for his part was similarly taken, he'd been given this assignment because of his distance from the events in the mountain, Delon had felt a more impartial contact would be less inclined to let something slip. The Officers had felt all official contacts were to be guarded, they wanted his men aloof from scrutiny, for a while that worked, but the criminal investigation could not be denied and there were witness reports to be followed up on.
"Caporal Philip Chen, Ma'am, Sir, I'm your official liaison for the duration, could you kindly follow me please, I'll take you to the Lt."
His French was excellent, and his manners impeccable, his eyes had taken them both in and the small smile he'd flashed had been perfunctory and professional, his eyes had met hers and then her colleagues. Fabbri grunted as he stood, he stepped in close to the legionnaire, unnecessarily close, showing his height advantage but the younger man didn't flinch. She liked that. Fabbri had been a bit too intense for some of their support staff, particularly the men.
There was a hail from behind them and a blond brick wall with a beret on strode up to them and frowned slightly at the Italian, he gulped and stepped back, bigger dog on the scene, smiled Koh to herself.
"Chen, Lt says get a move on, he's got some …stuff planned for after."
"Big ox!" muttered Chen in Mandarin under his breath, Koh almost laughed out loud, but it was said affectionately, "Ok Erik," he indicated the two police officers, "This is Capitaine Koh and her partner…"
"Colleague…." Interjected Koh, "just a colleague…" she smiled at them both but really only seeing Chen, Vanderlaan raised an eyebrow, "…Capitano Fabbri…" continued Chen, acknowledging her contribution with a full smile. "…they're here to see us and the Unit."
Koh looked at the giant Legionnaire in front of her. "You were there?" His face darkened slightly, "Yes".
It was a terse, no frills, recognition of a fact and not a happy one, she and Fabbri exchanged a look, this was not going to be a pleasant journey down memory lane.
They followed the two men down a corridor to a ready room, at the top sat Lt. Delon, Koh met his eyes, he didn't flinch, rather he appraised her and her Italian counterpart, he turned his attention back to some paperwork in front of him, he handed out two clipboards, Koh and Fabbri took them and started to read them.
There was movement behind them, and she looked back to watch as the tall blond one took a seat beside a group of men that gave her a polite stare, she normally associated with her senior officer bosses, no leering or undue appreciation, she felt somewhat warmed by that.
It would help keep things on track, no unnecessary distractions, apart from herself as she watched the Taiwanese caporal take a seat near the sergent and another tall Caucasian with guarded brown eyes.
Herself and Fabbri finished reading and signed the forms, standard NDA stuff, the Legion seemed very particular about how they were going to mention their men in official circles, the forms explained how, she was a bit perturbed but the French Justice ministers' signature on the bottom left no doubt as to how much room they had to manoeuvre in. Complications…
They then had a lengthy conversation about the happenings in the mountain, the Janos diary had explained somethings about the Contessa and her M.O. but both had had training with the B.A.U. in Quantico in the US. They followed their training, the more they understood about how these monsters worked the better for future potential investigations.
It was with some awe that they bored in on Robie, the one who survived…. He was not reluctant, if anything he gave as much information as he remembered, the two investigators shuddered at the imagery that the men provided, this case was the kind that made careers and spawned books and films, at least it would have if the news was ever made public.
The meeting had been going on for some time when a Colonel approached, his arrival snapped the men to attention and it was with some irritation that Koh had to halt the process, Delon, was approached by the senior officer and they huddled together talking in low tones, it didn't escape her notice that his shoulders tensed, and he looked back at his men before nodding.
His eyes met hers, "I'm sorry, but I must end this meeting, Capitaine Koh, an urgent matter has been brought to my attention and it involves a member of the Unit. Caporal Chen will take you out and any further information he will assist you with, any meetings, please follow the protocol…"
She nodded, Fabbri wanted to ask something, but she flashed him a look. Chen arrived by their side and escorted them out.
She watched as Delon approached the sergent. Then the door closed, and they followed Chen to a small administrative office.
"What was that all about?" she asked the caporal.
Pausing briefly, Chen met her eyes, "No idea, but Sabut only shows when it's important…" The rest didn't need to be answered.
"So, if I …ah … we need you, Caporal Chen, we can contact you at any time?"
"Yes Capitaine Koh, I am at your service."
"Anytime…?" she smiled. "I wouldn't want to interrupt anything…" She let that hang there. There was a noticeable misstep from the NCO, but he turned and smiled, "I train a lot but other than that, you should have no problems getting me."
She beamed, he reddened slightly, Fabbri snorted and rolled his eyes.
She reached into her pocket, "my card, it has my number on it….in case the men remember something material to our investigation…I can be reached at any time."
They reached the Barracks entry. They exchanged farewells and the sentries saw them out, Philip Chen held the card in his hand, on impulse he raised it to his face, there was a pleasant scent off it.
Fabbri and Koh walked to their car.
"Well, that was productive…" She smiled as she adjusted her rearview mirror and saw Chen observing them.
"I'll say" murmured Fabbri, shaking his head.
"What?"
"Nothing, let's go I want to get this down while it's fresh in my head." They drove off.
…
25th March 2010. Dublin Airport, Arrivals. 13.00hrs GMT.
…. there… thought Seamus O'Reilly, he had been briefed that his clients would be three men, military, they were dressed in a uniform, it drew the glances of the Airport Police, as they moved with purpose through the flow of the general traffic that was businesspeople and holiday makers.
There was a nod from the lead man, he pointed to Seamus's sign and himself. The other two men stared about themselves in the manner of those making their first trip through Dublin Airport.
Delon had been asked to accompany the other two as a representative of the Legion, the deceased had been a Legionnaire himself. Robie was a family friend and a no brainer to accompany the sergent once Sabut had informed Sean of his sister's call. He had known the family had a business but from the speed of the arrangements it appeared they had a lot of influence as well. A Customs Officer that had accompanied them took her leave.
"If you'll just follow me, Gentlemen…" Seamus led the way to a Mercedes SUV outside of the terminal and in less than ten minutes they were in a private estate just outside of the main city, it was both Robie's and Delon's first time at the Murphy residence, so it was impressive to them both as they pulled into the small courtyard facing the house.
A younger, larger version of Sean stood awaiting them outside, the brothers hugged. There were nods to the other two men and a smile for Robie.
There was a sister too, middle child, he remembered meeting her at the hospital with the father after the mountain.
They entered, Roisin appeared with a man that was introduced to Delon as her partner, Turlough. There was a group of people that quickly gathered around Robie as he entered a large study area, Delon noted an Oriental, and a mix of European accents, German, British, Swedish(?), there was a cry and a bearded man threw himself at Robie, "CHU…."
There was a hiss from a Latina looking woman that stood beside a tall official looking man, American he guessed from the clothes, the smaller man stopped sharply, suddenly noticing Delon, he reddened, "Robie…" he said sheepishly.
Robie shook his head, he hugged the other man," Morgs, what am I going to do with you?" They quickly left the room, the others stared at Delon in his uniform, but quickly gravitated towards Sean, there were heartfelt sympathies, the Latina and a tall Swiss woman had tears in their eyes, Sean's sister seemed more composed, but he could see the redness around her own.
She approached him, "Forgive my manners Lt. would you like a drink?" Her French was excellent. He took off his Kepi, "Oui, a coffee, if you would." She nodded, she left the room, he was surprised, he had expected some form of household staff, he was nonplussed to see the Murphy siblings catered for themselves and their guests. He understood his sergents down to earth nature a bit more now.
A wall of pictures caught his eye, and he wandered over, it showed a family life, a younger husband and wife, and then the children, parents always in the background, Sean and his siblings at play, school, college, sports, interests, always with trophies or certificates of accomplishment on view, the parents alone, family portraits, individual ones. Diplomas, Degrees, they were an accomplished lot.
He smiled as a picture of a younger Legionnaire Oisin caught his eye, a couple of Sean hung close by, he paused as he recognised the one of Sean's promotion, the faces of Dario and Damien causing him to frown at recent memories.
There was a movement behind him, and he turned to see Roisin had returned with his coffee, he took it, "merci".
She nodded and returned to the group, "Dad will be brought to the house this evening and then the service will take place in the morning, I have a couple of people the family brought in to help with any requests that you may have, Mrs Fitzgerald and Mr. O' Reilly, I've booked some rooms at the White Sands and Grand hotels for the majority of you….there's going to be a lot of media attention around the place so I wanted you guys to have some privacy"
There were a few smiles from the assembled guests.
She continued, "Morgan, you and ...Robie can share the guest room and Lt. Delon can have the other."
Satisfied the arrangements were complete she returned to her duties as hostess, the Latina who was introduced as Maria and the Swiss who was called Meike, were quick to assist her.
He noticed the tall Swede and the Japanese man approach Robie, they quietly left the room, he noticed the driver, O'Reilly reappear and asked if he could see his room, he wanted to change to something more appropriate for the gathering.
Sean and Robie followed him upstairs, seemed they all had the same idea. He quickly showered and changed into a suit he had brought over, the room was large and tastefully appointed, he put his luggage away and exited the room.
He heard familiar voices from a room ahead of him and he approached the door, rapping lightly. "Come in!" Sean's voice rang out. He and Robie were also newly attired, although Robie was waiting for a suit to arrive, they were smartly turned out in shirts and slacks, informal suit jackets were draped over the arm of a large sofa that took up the side of the bedroom.
It was larger than the guest room, a large bookcase with a comfortable looking armchair was beside a desk that had another bookcase above it, weighed down with heavy tomes of various subjects, a large trophy case was in another corner, pictures of Sean in an unfamiliar strip adorned the top, Oisin stood proudly beside his son or there was some of his parents hugging their son at the end of some match, surrounded by teammates and clutching trophies with medals around their necks laughing with the exuberance of youth.
Individual pictures of Sean in various Martial Art uniforms, a serious look on his young face as he performed a Kata or caught looking ferociously at an opponent in a fight, only to see them both smiling as Sean held their arms aloft, victor or not. Black belts with red tips hung on a display with a Samurai sword that looked authentic. A wooden club that looked like an axe with a strange, small white leather ball lay nearby.
Sean smiled at Delon. "Glory days of my youth, Lt." Delon waved a hand, "It's Alain for the duration, Sean, ok? You too, Robie." The other man nodded. It was odd, Delon thought, he'd never called Robie, John, nobody had, it was always Robie. He knew it was a given name, but as he thought further about it, Robie seemed to prefer it that way. He frowned if anybody called him John as if there was some unknown association about it.
"I was just filling Robie in… Alain…there will be a bit of a Wake…traditional Irish celebration…"
"Celebration…?" queried Delon puzzled, Robie had a similar expression.
"…yeah, here in Ireland we tend to celebrate the life of somebody, so today Dad's body will be brought here to the house and there'll be a procession of guests, some family and friends…" He indicated himself and Robie, "…and more will be from Dad's world of business and of course the T.D.s…" He noted the confusion among the two others, "… Irish politicians and other dignitaries, as you can imagine, Dad was rather well known through his business and philanthropy dealings."
Both men nodded in understanding. Looking at Robie, Sean went on, "there'll be various media about, so feel free to stay out of the way, they'll be looking for a comment or two from … well everybody, I guess, they're usually nice, but they can be pushy…"
"Personally, I'd let the politicians and other business types take the lead there, Roisin will handle any from the family, I'm staying out of it, and I think Micheál will too…"
"we've requested no media at the church service or the burial. So, you can relax after tonight."
Robie seemed relieved at that, Delon thought.
"Come on, there's a catering crowd due in, we can supervise…" He grinned evilly. Delon barked a short laugh. They went downstairs.
The hearse arrived and they helped the Undertakers with the removal of Oisin to the large dining area that had been cleared of any furniture bar some chairs that were scattered around the walls.
One of the men placed a lectern near the door, and then a book and pen. It was the book of Condolences.
A solemn atmosphere filled the room as the coffin was opened and fresh tears filled the eyes of the women as Oisin was revealed to the assembled. Delon started as there was a choked gasp from Robie, the smaller bearded man…Morgan, put his hand on his friend's shoulder as they bent their heads, he watched as the others in the room also bowed their heads, the three siblings stood before their father, each brother took a side of their sister as she quietly sobbed. She rested her head on her elder brother's shoulder, he put a comforting arm around her.
There was much love in the room, Delon felt, the others in the strange group all approached the remains of their friend to pay their last respects.
A priest arrived and there was a blessing and some prayers, he guessed it would be the same priest for the funeral.
Then the mourners started arriving, there was media vans allowed outside the estate and the cameras caught the VIPs as they entered, some took the opportunity to reflect on the deceased and his accomplishments, Irish police arrived flanking official cars, they quickly established a cordon and Roisin and Micheál met them in the entrance foyer, they signed the book and spent a few minutes with Oisin.
The numbers eventually dwindled but couriers arrived with messages of condolence and there were flower arrangements that were placed in the garages for the trip to the Church and graveyard in a couple of days.
Upstairs Robie watched through the window, he felt bad, it must have showed, "You didn't cause this Chuck, so stop feeling guilty, ok?"
Roisin stood in his bedroom doorway, she'd had a hunch Chuck Bartowski was going to take the blame however erroneously onto himself, it pained her to be proven right.
"Chuck, come over here…" she motioned to a chair, his head bowed, Chuck complied, "…Dad had been ill a long time, Chuck, really, we had expected he was going to go last year, the final prognosis had been given to him by the best doctors, here and abroad."
She searched his eyes, seeing his pain and disbelief, "But after all that happened at the mountain…the stress, the worry I caused…" She took his hands.
"Oh, bullshit Chuck, Dad was like a new man since you appeared, he had stepped completely back and I had taken over at Anomaliz, I can only speak for myself, but I'll always be grateful that we had another Christmas with him and that we had so much to celebrate, he was his old self recently, so thank you."
"She's right mate," they both turned to see Sean and Micheál standing in the doorway, nodding their heads, "…you weren't party to our conversations with our Dad, the man we had missed had returned, the one with the zest for life. So, stow that shit, he went out on his own terms."
"It's true Chuck", said the younger sibling, Micheál smiled, "he had a blast at the end. You gave us a very important gift and we'll never forget that."
Sean looked at them all, "Come on, the old man deserves a send off and I plan on making sure we do it right, I'm going out, get changed, meet you all downstairs in ten" He stalked off.
"Going out?" said a stunned Chuck.
"Oh yes," smiled Roisin, "this is Ireland Chuck, we celebrate death here, we mourn but also honour the passing of loved ones by living on and appreciating life. Come on, I fancy a dance…"
Chuck shook his head, but he dressed quickly anyway. Morgan joined him, "what's going on, Chuck?" The other man shook his head, "no idea, but if there's one thing, I've learned in all this, expect anything!" They both laughed.
….
26th March Dublin, White Sands Hotel, Portmarnock. 01.00hrs GMT.
Delon gazed about himself, the music was thumping, and the bar was four deep, what the music didn't drown out the cries of happy young people did, he could hardly believe it, the Irish certainly had a way about them. There was Sean and his brother propped up against the bar singing some old song, the drink was piled high around them.
Roisin Murphy and the Swiss and Latina were dancing up a storm on the floor surrounding by other clubbers, the men from the group were locked in conversation, all except Robie who was staring at the dancefloor, his brow looked damp, and he seemed out of himself, he hadn't drunk much since he'd arrived, but his head was on a swivel, it was strange.
…..
For Robie, it felt like he was in a wave of desire, the air was heady with strong perfumes and the endeavours of those on the dancefloor, his pulse raced with the techno beat and he felt consumed by need…what was going on?
…..
The AI knew, its own work had nearly reached completion, the adaptations it had made to the host's body had nearly finished. It had moved its primary core to an area behind the armoured sternum and enhanced the molecular density of the bone, any scientist worth their salt would have been astounded to see the changes in Chuck Bartowski's physiology, his muscles and connective tissues had been strengthened beyond the normal for a human being of his stature.
The Intersect had overcome many inherent design parameters, the host had never been trained early, poor nutrition and calorific intake had limited its abilities to make improvements, but the host would operate at a 40% more efficient level than his highest possible level.
There were more in-depth changes in sensory and processing to be made, it had noted that the uptake of physical activities had been slow, it now improved that process by updating the reflex memory centres as the host slept, it would analyse techniques and program the muscle and nervous system to assimilate the material faster and better. The same held for any information the host needed, languages, skills, whatever.
It had been intended to assist learning in damaged hosts, but the Robie was an exceptional specimen. His thought processes were above average on many levels, it made things easier.
Its databanks were full of military and academic studies on human enhancement, what had puzzled it was the lack of coordination between the work, it was as if the human's compartmentalized information, the failure of many of their experiments was not faulty science but the inability of the individual to move beyond a certain point of view.
The AI had no such issues, all information was available to it, and it did exactly what it was designed to do, it intersected it, found the missing pieces of the puzzles and using its new awareness ran multiple simulations to see its conclusions bear fruit in ways human scientists never expected!
The result was a human being brought to the pinnacle of his body's physical and mental abilities, but still….
Intersect online…Host operating at 89% efficiency…. unacceptable…emotional status interfering with optimum performance capabilities…Host exhibits strong emotions around CIA Agent Sarah Walker…Omega level threat…. Unsuitable…. Agent has successfully completed all her missions… Host Bartowski subject of successful seduction program…see Agent Roan Montgomery…Host efficiency must be improved… Host emotional needs must be met… correct environment selected…begin selection phase…increase male pheromone production…use all available data to secure suitable subject for Host…
Chuck Bartowski was now the unwitting subject of a forced libido, his normal reservations melting under the onslaught of chemicals coursing through his brain and body.
….
Standing on the edge of the dancefloor he was surprised to find the music moving him in ways that he never expected, he was no dancer, but… he stepped towards the crowded floor…
….
"Hey Morgan," Dieter motioned the other man closer, "what's with Chuck?"
"Huh?" said a confused Morgan, he followed Dieter's eyes and grunted in surprise, his friend was cutting up a storm on the nightclub floor, he'd never seen Chuck cut loose like this, he guessed the nightlife in Europe must be better than he thought as he watched his friend body pop to the beat…
…
DJ PJ the DJ was in his element, the place was hopping, the head bouncer Brendan caught his eye and gave him an approving thumbs up, he was pleased, Brendan was a hard man to please, though he'd taken a chance on the younger PJ a few years ago, fresh out of media school with only an innate sense of music, the head of security had let PJ loose on the scene and he hadn't disappointed him yet.
Fresh off the plane from his travels, PJ always did a set at the club where he got his break, he might disappear to Ibiza and Pacha or II Muretto Club in Venice for the Summer, but he always made time to hit his first gig whenever he got home, bringing with him the latest Euro sounds he picked up from his DJ pals abroad, he checked his set.
There was a surge on the floor, and he looked up to see a tall guy bopping hard to his latest tune, the man could move, he hadn't seen as good a male dancer outside of Ibiza for eons…
He noticed something the man hadn't though, he smiled to himself, this was going to be excellent, he had been hoping he could add to his video, a travelling DJ like him, he would videos of his gigs in the backgrounds of his sets where ever in the world he played, he usually had some stunners strutting their stuff and he always threw the club names in on a graphic, he was to Miami soon, a contact had reached out, he needed to update his profile and this looked like a perfect opportunity, he slowed the beat down and popped some smoke…
…..
Out on the floor, Chuck felt a shift in the atmosphere around him, he'd closed his eyes and let the music wash over him, he divorced his mind from his body and let the rhythm take him, but now he popped an eye open and in a cloud of dry ice smoke she appeared…. his pulse started racing…
….
The tall redhead and her friend had arrived at the club, she'd made no plans, they were there to meet a friend but the buzz off the dance floor had drawn her to the edge and she paused in appreciation as she watched the tall man smoothly move to the beat…
She looked over at PJ who nodded and hit something, she stepped out on the floor through a wall of smoke and watched as the man looked her way, slowing down to face her as the music dropped a few beats…oooohh, he was nice, realllllly nice, he flashed a megawatt smile and she felt herself responding, she swayed to the music and turned in a lazy circle, there was a wall of muscular flesh in front of her, when she finished, she put a hand on his chest, she felt the heat of his skin and felt…squidgy…
She was tall herself, but she looked up to see warm brown eyes meeting her own, she blushed and dipped her head to her shoulder letting her long red tresses hide her face, she could smell his musk and her sense of propriety melted like Spring ice….
He was good though, his presence was constant but not pushy, she turned again and pushed her buttocks back slyly, he slipped back gracefully… so, it was a game. She giggled, she was gorgeous, and she knew it, she'd done some modelling in her student days and still did the odd assignment. Her full figure was lush, she wore thigh high boots that complimented her long legs, her tunic type dress was lowcut front and back and slit up both sides, a heavy belt across her midsection held it together and showcased her waspish waist.
She felt his hands encircle her and she moved back against his firm body, she bit her lip as they moved sensually to the quickening tempo of the music, she spun to face him, "I'm Meadhbh."(Maeve)
He nodded, "I'm Chuc…Robie, I'm Robie…"
"Well Chuc..Robie, go get your coat…." He seemed puzzled, "Why….?"
She leaned in and planted a sizzler on his lips, pushing her tongue into his opening mouth, she pulled back to a whimper from him, "…because my dear, you're pulled…"
She grabbed his hand and led him off the floor to a chorus of disappointed moans from other women, she beamed, to the victor go the spoils…
On the dais PJ waved at her and then switched off his video recording unit, he had certainly scored some great promo material tonight…
A tall blonde stepped out of the crowd, she felt him falter, looking back she saw a look of … surprise and hurt cross his face, she frowned… maybe this wasn't her night… he shook his head and looked into her eyes again, he gave her the megawatt smile again, she felt her knees tremble. She spun back to the blonde, "Car keys Niamh…we're outta here…!"
There was a smile on the blonde's face, "see you back at the flat, try and keep it down…" she sniggered.
A midsized, bearded man popped up, "Robie…?"
"Not now Morgan, see you…tomorrow…" They brushed past and left the club. "I'm getting the car, wait over there," she pointed to the seafront across the road from the hotel.
He obliged, he plonked down on a bollard that blocked the entry to a small road like pathway that led to the beach, the air was heavy with salt, and he could hear the crash of the waves on the shore, he felt a weird sensation, like an echo of memory from another time at a beach, there was someone hovering at the edge of his recall…
He jumped as a horn beeped next to him and a red Mini Cooper stopped behind him and the passenger door shot open, he felt his misgivings melt away at the sultry look Meadhbh was sending his way, inside the Intersect sent even more Oxytocin coursing through his system…his reserve was melting faster than an iceberg in global warming.
He jumped in beside her and her lips crashed into his again. He somehow slammed the door shut and they took off, mercifully the drive was short, he recognised the village they had passed through, and he saw a sign say Malahide Marina, there was rows of apartments as they pulled up.
He didn't remember leaving the car or entering the building all he registered was his escalating desire as they slammed against each other, he heard the jingle of keys and then they were inside, tearing at each other's clothes, he moaned as his hands travelled over creamy smooth skin and then his lips were on her throat, and he heard her whimper in frustration as she fumbled at the belt on his trousers.
He felt the cool air on his skin as he kicked himself free, she dragged him to a room and spun him like a top, he gawked as she shook her top loose, quickly unstrapping herself from her bra, her firm breasts bobbed in front of his face, she shoved him back and he felt the backs of his thighs hit a mattress, he glanced behind and then suddenly she was on him.
Warmth surrounded him and he lost himself in sensation, every movement against him drove him further down the path to ecstasy, he tried to regain some control and flipped her over, she groaned as his strong hands caressed her body and then he was between her thighs and his lips, tongue and fingers were everywhere, she gushed. Things blurred…time stretched…
At some point she was on top and chanting something over and over again as the wall thumped beside her and Niamh's voice good naturedly called something out…she ignored it and pushed her hips into an easy rhythm and drowned in sensuality…
….
If the AI that was the Intersect had of had the ability to feel emotions, right now frustration would have been top of the list. It had attempted to achieve a higher performance rating through assisting the Host in the act of human mating….
Intersect online…current Host efficiency rating 94%...94%...
It had missed something, the Host had certainly enjoyed itself, it had monitored the performance, but now post coitus, there was a sensation of disappointment and dissatisfaction, it probed deeper… across the psyche of the Host, SHE was present… always, she haunted the Host at the most inopportune moments, try as the AI could there was no shutting her out, it had some control over the Host's body but she…she controlled his heart. It needed a new approach… a division of the psyche…
It had studied the Host's memories well, it had determined some of them as frivolous, especially the fascination with the Superhero genre, but now as it re-examined that material, it had pause, the duality of the alter ego of the hero and his civilian identity, it could use that. It aligned with the training in spy craft that filled its databanks, covert covers…yes, Robie was the public face now, Bartowski would have to be…sublimated….
….
Chuck's body felt stretched and worn, muscles he hadn't used in a while sang a song of pleasant pain, he pulled a pillow off his face and winced as a band of strong sunlight burned his eyes. There was a sound of running water and women's voices in hushed conversation.
He suddenly remembered the events of last night and sat up so suddenly that he bashed his head on a low-lying shelf, "Ooww!" He rubbed at the soreness, the door to the room shot open and to his shock an Irish police officer stood there in full uniform…
…