A/N: Ownership of what? Oh, yeah, Chuck.
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Casey threw his bag into the back of the Vic, as Chuck threw his and Sarah's bags into the back of his new Cadilac in the adjacent parking spot.
"Awright, kid," said Casey. "I'll meet you there." He was picking up Forrest on his way to the airport.
"Be right behind you, Case," he said, giving the older man a pat on the shoulder.
As Casey pulled away in the Crown Vic, Chuck could just see Sarah kissing her mom goodbye and heard Ellie and Devon coming out of their apartment.
"Morning, Chuck," said Ellie.
"Hey, El. Give me your bag," he said, reaching out for it to throw it in the trunk.
Sarah arrived and exchanged good morning cheek kisses with Ellie and Devon.
All four piled into Chuck's car, with Chuck driving.
Inhaling noisily, Ellie said, "It still smells new. That new car smell."
They were just pulling away when Emma ran from the courtyard waving to them. Chuck stopped as Sarah put down her window.
"What's wrong, mom?" she asked, concerned.
"Nothing at all. I just heard on the radio. Szell is dead. He hanged himself in his cell using his underwear," said Emma.
Pumping her fist, Ellie said, "YES. Bastard deserved it. Good riddance." She had a huge grin.
Sarah said, "So much for the suicide protocols of the prison, I guess."
"Guess so," said Emma. "Thought you'd want to know."
"Thanks, mom," said Sarah, squeezing her hand.
They pulled out to head to the airport.
Chuck was silent, thinking about the results of what he...what they...had done. Sarah knew exactly how his mind worked. She touched his arm as he drove and said, "The only thing you did was to expose his crimes. The only thing. It was all his responsibility and the coward couldn't face it. You can't take it on your shoulders, Sweetie."
"I know," he said quietly. "I guess you're right."
"You know I'm right," she said.
He gave her a small smile but was still a little subdued.
Twisting in her seat, she said to Ellie and Devon, "Don't mention this in front of Forrest, please. She doesn't know what we got up to with Molly."
"Got it, Sarah," said Devon.
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They were at altitude and on their way to Mexico. Chuck spoke up and said, "Hey, Guys. Listen up for a minute or two. I want to tell you a little bit about the mission." He used his computer to put a picture on the screen on one of the bulkheads of the plane.
"This is Rashad, the patient. I think we've all heard about his medical condition, at least as much as we can at the moment. Unexceptional history. Born in Jordan to middle class parents. Was radicalized after university. Supported the muj in Afghanistan against the Soviets. He's not a warrior, not a fighter for Al Qaeda, more sort of a middleman and fixer, but the IC analysts believe he may be used as a courier between Bin Laden and the rest of the AQ command structure. Making him a key lead to finding basically the most wanted man on earth.
"Two years ago he needed a pacemaker put into his chest to regulate his heart rate..."
"But he still had a heart attack? Even with the pacemaker?" asked Sarah.
Shaking his head, Devon said, "Totally different thing, Sarah. The pacemaker is to correct a problem with the electrical system of the heart. A heart attack is caused by a blockage in the blood flow to the heart. The plumbing system. The two things are unrelated."
"Right," continued Chuck. "Anyway, the pacemaker he has is set up to download its data via a wireless bluetooth connection. The Agency piggy-backed on that ability and installed both a recording device and a GPS tracker. The wireless connection is only good for a relatively short distance, so when we get near him, I can activate a download of the latest data. It's how we intend to track him to Bin Laden.
"With Devon's help, our mission is to find out how ill he is...if he's going to survive his heart attack. And, tricky as this is, we have to do it so he and his friends don't know we were there. We can't have them thinking he's on our lists, being watched or tracked or something, and therefore keep him away from Bin Laden. So, we have to be invisible somehow."
"Can you tell us anything about his friends?" asked Forrest.
"Some," said Chuck. "There were eight people on the flight plan filed by the crew of the jet they were on to go to Tijuana. With a crew of three, and Rashad himself, that leaves four friends of his. That matches the security camera footage I lifted from the servers at the Chihuahua Airport."
"Wait a second, what?" asked Forrest.
"I said it matches. The number of people leaving the plane matches the flight plan," said Chuck.
"No, I meant how you got it. You hacked into the airport's security system? From Burbank?"
"Yeah," he said.
"You can do that?"
Sarah said, "He's the best hacker we have." She made a wide sweep with her hand and continued, "Like, I mean, anywhere. Chuck's one of the top hackers in the world." She looked like she had just swallowed the canary, she was so proud of her man.
Forrest glanced at Casey, who nodded once.
"Ok. Wow. Ok," she said. "Go on."
Chuck put a new picture up on the screen. It showed four men moving across the concrete at the airport, with a plane behind them. One face was a bit blurry, but the others were clear.
"All are using fake passports which didn't have files behind them. I ran the faces through a facial recognition system and only this man was a hit. Mohammed Zahir. Nothing too exciting. A fairly low level AQ guy. Syrian. Muscle. The other three we have no idea. I entered their faces and the fake passport names into the IC computers and got nothing in return. Guess we'll keep an eye out from now on, though."
"Too bad we have to stay hidden on this one. I'd like to take these assholes out. The more we can kill today the fewer we have to kill tomorrow," said Casey.
"Didn't Rumsfeld say we just have to hope we are killing them faster than they are being created?" asked Sarah.
Casey grunted and said, "I guess. Just want to do my bit to help them get to paradise."
Forrest grunted in agreement and extended a hand for a fist bump.
"What's our cover for being in Chihuahua?" asked Ellie.
"I talked to Ben Mattock last night. We are going in as a crew from Castle Studios. We are looking around for locations to film a movie. The Studio will cover the back story if anyone asks."
"That's a good one. Let's us move around without too much trouble," said Casey. "It's what Mendez used in Iran years ago."
"Yeah. The Studio is a great cover," said Sarah.
"So, the next thing to figure out is how to get Devon into Rashad's room to examine him," said Chuck.
"And not be interrupted by the hospital staff or the real doctors...I mean the Mexican doctors," said Sarah.
"That's not as hard as it seems," said Ellie. "I'll go in as a patient. Slight head injury. Concussion possible. They will certainly keep me overnight. Devon can be my visitor. Hell, you all can."
"That could be a dangerous position to be in," said Chuck.
"And you'll have to fake a head injury convincingly," said Forrest.
"I'm a neurologist, Agent Forrest. I can pretend the symptoms of a slight brain injury flawlessly after having seen thousands of them," said Ellie.
"How will Devon stay in the hospital after visiting hours?" asked Casey.
"I'm sure I can think of something, Chuckster. Some closet someplace. An empty surgery room. Steal a white coat from someone..."
"And grab one of those surgical caps you guys wear...cover your blond hair," said Sarah.
"Sure," he said.
"One of us should stay with them inside," said Sarah. "In case anything unexpected happens."
"That makes sense," said Chuck.
"I got that one," said Casey.
"Thanks, Case," said Chuck.
"Yeah. Thank you, John," said Ellie.
"Will you be able to examine him after visiting hours?" asked Chuck.
"Sure. Things ought to be quiet. I'll go in just before dawn. Early for rounds, but what the hell. Piece of cake," said Devon.
"Oh, for God's sake, Devon. Don't ever say that. That's like saying we're making good time when we're on the highway," said Chuck, shaking his head in dismay. His eyes suddenly widened with surprise as a thought hit him. "Oh shit, I have to call Joe."
"Who?" asked Ellie.
"My friend Joe Grant from Stanford. I have to cancel the meeting with Microsoft. Tell him we're out of town."
Forrest looked at them with surprise. 'Meeting with Microsoft?' These people played with the varsity. No doubt about it.
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The rental car company had two Land Cruisers waiting for them at the airport and they drove themselves to the hotel using the GPS in the trucks. Chuck didn't know what he was expecting in a Mexican city, but he was pleasantly surprised. He found Chihuahua to be a clean modern city, distinctly middle class, with what seemed to be a thriving economy. The thought passed through his head that Amy would have liked this city, but he pushed that sad thought aside.
They pulled up to the Hotel Toledo, a pleasant mid-range hotel of the kind to cater to business travelers. Sarah and Casey went inside to check in, while Chuck and Devon dealt with the parking valet. It was early enough in the day and they would have the time to get Ellie into the hospital before the evening. They wanted to get her in during the day, as there was really no way to tell what was going on with Rashad. Chuck had accessed the latest hospital files from the flight and they didn't tell Devon much more than the information he had read the day before.
With their luggage in their rooms, they equipped themselves with their weapons and gear and prepared to stage a bump on the head for Ellie.
To keep up appearances for their cover, they drove around the city for an hour or so, taking photographs of streets and buildings. They found a taco place and had a delicious lunch with some interesting flavors of Mexican soda.
Ellie found a spot in front of a building with some stairs which was located about four blocks from the hospital. They got out of the SUVs and began to take pictures. At the top of the stairs, Ellie seemed to trip. She tumbled down the stairs. Bystanders rushed to her aid as she sat on the sidewalk at the bottom of the steps crying.
Sarah couldn't believe how perfect it looked. If she didn't know any better, she'd have sworn Ellie really fell down the stairs. It didn't look faked at all. Her appreciation for Ellie's acting ability grew appreciably.
Devon was instantly beside her holding her hand. With her other hand she was holding her head. A well-meaning bystander used his phone to call the police.
Within minutes a police car was there with two polite young officers. Devon held a discussion with the men and soon afterwards an ambulance arrived. They agreed that Devon would travel with her to the hospital, just a few blocks away.
The other four members of Team B followed in the two SUVs.
The hospital was a modern five story building with an emergency room on one side and an everyday entrance somewhat adjacent. Ellie was wheeled into the emergency room on a stretcher from the ambulance. The rest of the team congregated in the waiting area, but the nurses allowed Devon to go with her into the treatment room. Chuck and Sarah went to the desk and began to fill out the forms for Ellie's admission.
Devon's translation services were not necessary, as the attending doctor spoke fluent English. He was a handsome young man in his early thirties with the name Ruiz embroidered on his white coat.
"I'm so sorry that a visitor to our city should be attacked by some stairs," he smiled at her gently. "I'm going to have to speak to the local tourist board about that."
Ellie gave him a slightly pained smile and said, "It was entirely my own fault, Doctor. I wasn't paying attention and boom, the next thing I know I'm rolling down the stairs. I deserve whatever aches and pains I have."
"And you hit your head?" he asked.
"Yeah. Got a headache," she said, nodding.
"Other than your head, is there anything that hurts?"
"Yeah, but just bumps and bruises though. I'm sure I didn't break anything. I know what that feels like. It's only the bump on the head. I don't even think it's that serious, but my boyfriend here is a worrier."
"You never know, Babe. La cabeza is nothing to play around with. I'd rather be safe than sorry," said Devon, rubbing her on the back.
"Your boyfriend is right, Ms. Belson. Let's just take a look at you and see what's going on," said Dr. Ruiz.
He shined a light into her ears and seemed to see nothing interesting. He shined the light into her eyes and she shied away a little bit.
"Does the light hurt your eyes?" he asked her.
"No...well, a little. It's very bright," she said.
"Ok. Follow my finger without moving your head," he said, moving his finger around. "Good. Any double vision? Blurred vision?"
"No," she said. "Neither."
"How about your balance?"
She put her hand out in front of her, palm down and wiggled it to show that her balance wasn't terrific. "I'm sure it will be ok. I'm just a little shook up. Kind of tired. It's been a long day of travel. I'll be good after a good night's sleep."
"So, you're sleepy?"
"Yeah. But that's normal after a long day," she said.
Ruiz looked at Devon who said, "No, Babe. You wouldn't normally be sleepy now. Even after traveling all day."
"Ok," said Ruiz. "Are you nauseous?"
"A little. Um...I thought it was what I had for lunch, though."
"Ok," said Ruiz. "I think you might have a slight concussion. I'd like to keep you overnight and see how you feel in the morning."
"No, I can't do that. I have work to do. I'm sure I'll be fine." She moved to get up from the exam bed and seemed to lose her balance a little bit when her feet hit the floor.
Devon moved instantly and caught her by the arm. "Come on, Babe. Look. You've gotten a solid bump on the head and you're dizzy. Let's let the docs keep you overnight. The rest of the team will be fine. It's not like we're getting a ton of work done tonight anyway."
Sitting back down on the exam bed, and giving every indication that the dizziness had concerned her, she said, "Ok. Ok. But I know I'll be better by tomorrow."
"I certainly hope so," said Ruiz. "Now just give me a few minutes to get you a room for the evening."
He left them to take care of her admission. Devon and Ellie shared a look. He said, "I'm going to tell our friends that they want to keep you overnight."
"Ok, Sweetie."
Devon found the rest of the team in the waiting room and they all played their parts as friends of the woman being admitted to the hospital overnight for a bump on the head. They sat to wait for her to be assigned a room.
Within the hour she was moved to a private room on the third floor, one floor down from Rashad.
The rest of the team went up to talk to her in her hospital room. She was in bed and wearing the hospital gown they had provided for her. Some kind nurses came to check on her. Team B stayed crowded into her room to keep her company. Casey went down to the street to buy her some better food for dinner, but when he came back up he seemed to get lost and ended up on the wrong floor. After a nurse asked him if she could help, he realized his mistake and soon found Ellie's room.
Handing the bag of food to Devon, he said quietly, "A large doctor's coat and surgical cap under the food. And one for Ellie."
"Thanks, John," said Devon.
"Did you find Ahmad?" asked Sarah.
"Yeah. He's still in the room upstairs. Only one of his friends is sitting with him. Probably leave when visiting hours end."
"You get the download from his pacemaker?" asked Chuck.
"Yeah. Here," he handed his phone to Chuck, who plugged it into his laptop.
It was a couple of hours later when the hospital's public address system announced the end of visiting hours. Silently Devon, inside Ellie's room, curled his big frame up in the closet and tried to sleep.
Chuck, Sarah, Forrest and Casey left, although Casey doubled back into the building though a side door he had left unlocked.
As they walked out, all four of the American spies noticed a very fit looking young Mexican man with alert eyes watching them leave while pretending to read the newspaper in his lap.
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A/N2: Casey's reference to Mendez and Iran refers to the real life operation to rescue some stranded Americans left in Iran after our embassy was stormed. It is depicted in the Ben Affleck movie Argo (referring to the name of the phony movie they were supposedly scouting locations for).
A/N3: Ellie and Devon, with Casey watching their six, are inside the hospital with Rashad. Sometime overnight, hopefully, Devon will be able to examine the man. What do you guys think? Oh, and is the guy in the lobby significant?