Chapter 6 Welcome to the Buy More.
It felt unusual to be packing her suitcase for San Diego, San Diego was a place that had painful memories for a young pubescent Jenny Burton. Sarah had always made the point as to not hang around too long in this naval city. It was San Diego that set the wheels in motion for her to become something other than a dishonest confidence trickster, here was the place that a highly ambitious security officer by the name of Langston Graham had recruited her for what he claimed was for the greater good.
The drive down was fairly routine, using the GPS in her phone for directions she soon found herself taking an exit ramp off the freeway and turning into the San Diego Buy More car park. She opted to park a small distance away from the store's automatic doors. This was because she wanted to compose herself before resuming her assignment as protector of the Intersect.
She had been sitting in the car park for some time, staring at the big box store doors and she still had a firm grip on the steering wheel of her beloved Porsche. She had to focus, she had a million thoughts racing around inside her head. Sometimes life was too difficult for a woman. Remember your orders, remember your mission, remember your training.
How do I approach this, do I do the damsel in distress act with the damaged phone or will I just walk up and make my presence known?
Time for the moment of truth, she got out of her car and locked it before walking into the store trying to steel herself from an unknown reception from her asset. As she approached the sensors on the automatic doors re-acted and with a whoosh noise the doors opened. She could feel the rush of cool air conditioning as she entered the store. It was something about a Buy More, the air conditioning would blow the ladies long hair around, and Sarah had long hair. Just like what happens in the Burbank store. She should have tied her hair, now she would have to comb it later. She could see the man of her desire sitting behind the counter of the Nerd Herd desk in the center of the showroom floor.
Chuck was sitting at the Nerd Herd desk when Sarah walked up to him. He didn't notice she had approached as he was busy fiddling with a computer hard drive and a piece of it had dropped onto the floor. After bending down to pick it up he recognised the voice from the other side of the counter.
"Hey Chuck!" she said with calm tone.
It startled him, so much he banged his head on the underside of the desk. He rubbed his head furiously until the pain subsided, after that, Chuck's movements were slow and deliberate, he collected the fallen piece then he stood to his full height and placed his hands on the Nerd Herd counter. Looking her straight in the eye as he spoke.
"How can I help you, Miss?"
Sarah noticed straight away that he addressed her as a customer. He wasn't smiling like he would normally do. He raised his right hand and gave the bump on the top of his head another rub. How she longed to kiss the boo-boos better. She stared at him for a moment before speaking.
"Care to explain yourself!" the ice queen demanded in a low voice.
This statement was not what Chuck was expecting so he thought he would play it with a straight bat.
"I am the head of the Nerd Herd help desk; do you have a problem with an electronic device?"
Chuck wasn't giving anything away, as far as he was concerned, he was now a private citizen working in retail and not a government intelligence officer. His response got a withering stare form one of America's finest agents. Whatever game Chuck was playing was not one that Sarah was going to play with him. She wanted answers and she was in no mood to piss fart around to get them. She was his handler and he had deliberately gone off the grid to avoid her.
"That's not what I mean and you know it!"
"Do you have a problem with an electronic device, or do you require customer service? I can call over one of our Green shirts to assist you."
"Why have you gone off grid?" Sarah's questions started to have a menacing theme. Sarah was now pushing his buttons, she must have pushed the wrong one because she got a response that surprised her, Chuck answered back in a low voice near whisper.
"In case you haven't realised, I'm not a spy anymore! You told me that yourself! I didn't do the Red test so can't be a spy. I failed. I'm out. The Buy More is all I have left. You want further proof? Look! There's Casey wearing a green shirt. Failed spies do not have a glamourous life. We're lucky if we can walk away still breathing."
Chuck paused to catch his breath then he continued,
"Why are you here? Why aren't you in Washington? Aren't you supposed to be helping Shaw take down the Ring?"
The mere mention of that name caused the hair to stand up on the back of her neck, there are somethings in life that you will regret doing, especially later on when time has passed. But now is the time to get the assignment back on track.
"I am here for you! You are still my assignment!"
"Oh." Chuck sounded as if he was a little disappointed, "So you are not here for me, you are here for you. You are here for this! " he said as he pointed to his brain.
That left an uneasy silence between them, they just stared at each other. Chuck's brain started calculating whether or not Sarah would slap him like she did three months ago. She had slapped him in a nightclub and Chuck was knocked out cold. He still had phantom pain from that occasion. Not wanting to get clapped, Chuck decided to change tack.
"Well in that case, Welcome, welcome to the San Diego Buy More. This is my life now. How was the drive down?" Chuck said with a pang of guilt.
"The drive was fine. I've brought a little something with me." Sarah sneered at him as she handed the blue bubble-wrap envelope to him.
Chucks eyes opened wide and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. He was not expecting a mission envelope, let alone the CIA's top agent acting as a courier. Chuck took the envelope and quickly put it out of public view. He put it in one of the drawers. "I don't understand, I shouldn't get these things, I'm not a, I didn't complete.." and then he fell silent.
Chuck stood up and surveyed the store, Morgan was in the Manager's office looking at the accounts, and Casey was in conversation with a couple of green shirts. The store appeared to be quiet as in there was only a small number of customers that the sales staff could easily deal with.
Morgan was hitting the phone, he had to get the suppliers to send him goods to sell, but it wasn't easy because the Buy More was in arrears with their payments.
"Good morning K & S Wholesale Suppliers. Can I help you"
"This is Morgan Grimes from the San Diego Buy More."
The phone went dead. They had hung up on him. It happened a lot to Morgan this morning, He'd ring a supplier and the moment they found out that he was from the Buy More they hang up on him.
Morgan's phone rang, it must have been auto callback, the number from K & S Wholesale Suppliers was displayed on his phones screen.
"Welcome to the San Diego Buy More, manager Morgan Grimes speaking."
"Don Johnson from K & S Wholesale Suppliers." Was the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Well, Don, What can I do for you?" Morgan was very polite.
"I was wondering when you are going to pay us for all the inventory the store has ordered off us over the last six months?"
"Oh. Well that is going to take some time. You see I've been called in by Buy More corporate and I got here this morning. Corporate have instructed me to get this store ship shape but at the moment it is anything but." Morgan was trying for the sympathy angle, but when you owe a large amount of money sympathy comes in short supply.
"Cut your bullshit buddy. When are you going to pay your account?"
"Sir , like 'I said, I'm asking you to be a little more patience while my team and I work on straighten out this store."
"Well perhaps I send someone around to make you consider accelerating your payment." With that he hung up.
And that's how it was for Morgan, angry suppliers had lost patience and wanted their accounts settled. Somehow he would need to arrange a form of refinancing for the store, or else the store would go bust and close for good.
It was frustrating the bejesus out of him. He needed a break so he thought he have a quick chat to Chuck to unwind.
When he tried to leave his office he found his way blocked by three rather large and mean looking men.
At the same time Chuck flashed and Sarah saw fear in his eyes.
"Three Mexican goons are walking into Morgan's office."
Sarah and Chuck could see the trio walk into Morgan's office and one of them closed the venetian blinds.
"I've got this!" Sarah said with authority. She was just itching to belt someone. Talking to Chuck had got her wound up and she need some exercise to release the tension she felt in her back and muscles.