Chapter 40
A/N Okay look this chapter got away from me. As I’ve said before I’m all about the relationships. The intention was to have some action, but they all started talking. Then Blah blah blah the next thing you know people are connecting, being people. So anyway for those of you who are looking for spy action you can skip this part. If you enjoy Charah as much as I do, Have fun.
Update: if you’ve read AHT already you are probably expecting a very long chapter. However in this rewrite I’ve decided to break it up into 4 chapters. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it just as much.
A Heart Torn
A Charah Tale
By Lord Rapier
Edited and guided by CliffM
Chapter 40
Target Acquired,
The Plan (Part 3)
Chuck groans and stretches. His eyes pop open as the most luscious aromas hit his nose. “Yummm! What is that smell?” Chuck steps into the kitchen wearing only the sweatpants he slept in. “Hon, what’s that smell? I want some.”
Sarah smiles at Chuck’s reaction. She steps over to give him a kiss. “Machaca con Huevos, Poblano breakfast potatoes, homemade tortillas, and Pico de Gallo. The coffee is fresh, and I love my husband.”
Chuck takes her in his arms and kisses her passionately. “I have the best wife in the world.”
Gretchen is sitting at the table, her hands wrapped around a coffee cup. “Would you hurry please? Quit fooling around. Go wash up, she’s making me wait for you and Casey and I’m starving. The only thing Casey would eat on the road was burgers and hot dogs. By the way, you don’t need to wear those pants on my account.”
Chuck sticks his tongue out at her and heads for the bathroom.
Sarah turns, “Gretchen Fager, that’s my husband you’re leering at.”
Gretchen laughs, “Quit bragging. You’d better keep an eye on him. I’d wrap myself around that in a heartbeat.”
Sarah laughs right back. “Go for it. I know you never get tired of being rejected. If there’s one thing I know about Chuck. He only has eyes for one woman.”
Gretchen gets up to freshen her coffee. “Again, with the bragging.”
Sarah exclaims, “Gretchen, you’re walking without help. No crutches, no cane. That’s great. Chuck is going to be so happy.”
“Yeah, the swellings gone. Still a touch sore, but usable. Won’t be wearing stilettos for a while yet.” The doorbell chimes. Sarah turns and looks at the screen on the wall. She presses a button, and the door opens.
Casey walks in. “Smells good in here. Hope it’s not more of that Commie food. Red made me crazy wanting to eat that stuff. Thank God, Mickey
D’s is everywhere.”
Gretchen pours him a cup of coffee, “See, I told you.”
Chuck walks into the room fully dressed, “Hi Casey, hope you got some sleep.”
Casey grunts and stares at the plate and utensils in front of him. “Slept okay. I’m starving.”
Sarah puts the food out on the table family style. “Help yourselves, there’s plenty, be careful it’s hot.” She picks up a plate and fills it for Chuck.
“Here Hon, let me know if you want more.”
Gretchen stares at Sarah, “Walker, are you okay?”
Sarah smiles as she places the food in front of Chuck. “I’m great why do you ask?” She bends and kisses Chuck’s cheek before she sits down to feed herself.
“Well… you’re being a little…”
Casey interjects with a full mouth, “You’re acting like his mommy, not a deadly assassin.”
Sarah brings Chuck’s hand to her mouth and kisses it. “I promised my adorable husband that I wouldn’t kill anymore. I made that promise for him and our future children.” Chuck smiles as he fills his mouth with eggs.
“As to being his mommy. Trust me I’m not, maybe you forgot what you walked in on last night. However, he deserves to be spoiled just as much as he spoils me. You two can keep your jealousy to yourselves.”
Breakfast over, everyone helps to clear the table except Casey. He lays out maps, blueprints, and a notebook. Chuck glances over and sees Gretchen walking unaided. “Gretchen, you’re walking.”
She smiles and nods, “I am. I’m doing great Chuck. Sending me on that mission was fantastic medicine. Sarah is right you deserve to be spoiled.” After placing the dishes from her hand in the sink she walks over to Chuck and kisses his cheek. “Thanks again for kicking my ass, and everything after.”
“Are we done with the kumbaya crap? We have an op to plan. A little heads up, it won’t be an easy one.”
The group gathers around the table. Chuck walks over to push the button setting the security protocols and grabs his laptop, boots up and logs on. “Okay this is his house.” Casey points to a photo. “I took some time last night and printed some stuff out. You’d think this big picture window would be a great help.” He moves his finger over to a map. “But that window is facing the river. The closest perch is a quarter mile away. I’ve made harder shots, but I wouldn’t want to gamble with your lives. Plus, I have no idea if that glass is refractive and or bulletproof.”
Gretchen points to spots on the photo. “We couldn’t get too close. That open area in front of the river makes for a wide-open view. The back and sides are no better. There’s an open lawn and a pool. Nothing to cover an approach. To make matters worse we spotted cameras here, here, and here. I’m sure there are more, but we didn’t want to get too close. This guy is the real thing. He picked a very defensible spot.”
Sarah sighs, “I’m very aware how capable he is. Is there any good news.”
Casey leans back and puts a cigar in his mouth.
Sarah cautions him, “Don’t even think about it.”
Casey grunts, “The good news is, as careful as he is he has one routine that may work for us. He leaves his house at least once a day. We tracked him. He goes to a mail service to check a box. It’s at different times each day and he takes different routes, but the trip always takes thirty-four to forty minutes roundtrip.”
Gretchen adds, “There’s more good news. He has a routine on his return. He walks around the property and checks his incursion traps. It takes him just over three minutes, but by watching him we know where they are.”
Chuck looks up from his computer. “I have more good news. I was able to tap into his surveillance cameras undetected. His house is wide open to us. His home defense system is ridiculous. I have a feeling there’s more to it then what’s obvious. We can watch him from here and see what’s what.”
Casey, I want to bring Morgan in on this. He can help us gather info and be our eyes when we go in. He’ll be right here in this room. He’ll never leave the CI building and… you’ll be sitting right here, next to him.”
Casey is shocked, “What the… you’re sidelining me?”
“John, you just told us that you can’t do what you do best. I need an overwatch I can count on to see the storm coming before it hits.”
Casey grunts, “This is payback, isn’t it? For all the times I made you stay in the car.”
Chuck laughs, “No partner, this is me wanting to be sure that Sarah and I will be safe. Plus, we all know it’s never safe to stay in the car. Look this isn’t written in stone. I want at least three days of surveillance before I land on a final plan.
The three days pass slowly for Sarah. Chuck is concerned as he watches her. She strives to keep herself occupied during the day and holds on tight to him in the night. “Baby, I’m sorry to put you through this.” He whispers softly in her ear. “I know how long you’ve waited to see your mom and Molly.”
Sarah moans and snuggles in closer under the covers. “Chuck, I love you. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I understand why we’re going slow. It doesn’t make it that much easier, but I understand. Our daily workouts have helped a lot. I get rid of a lot of energy sparring with you, and I’m learning so much. I Love Watching you putting so much focus on the video you tapped into. It reminds me how much you love me. I know it’ll all be over soon.”
“Yeah well, You’ve been cooking up a storm. Without those workouts I’d be as big as a house.”
Sarah laughs softly, “Sorry Hon. I cook when I get nervous. You realize of course, just because I cook doesn’t mean you have to eat.”
“That’s true, but I’ve enjoyed the family dinner time. The Grimes have been over every night, so we get to spend a lot of time with the twins. Ellie calls every day, so I get to talk to Clara too. I love listening to her talk with MJ and LJ. Watching you with Alex and Gretchen really fills my heart with joy. Maggie seems to be fitting in well. Remy has been understanding as well. He seems okay with her running Cyber Services from here.”
“You’ve given me so much. Our whole family has come together to support me. I… I… I’ve never experienced anything like this before. Half of them don’t even know what’s really happening. I can’t wait to add two more to the family. I know they’re going to love you all as much as I do.”
Chuck sighs, “They don’t need to know. They know that someone they love needs them. Hon, I want you to stay calm. I believe I have what I need to formulate my plan. I’ll be laying it all out tomorrow morning, I want to be in the air as soon as possible. I still have some logistics to work out. I’ve been in constant touch with Diane. She’s giving us all the support she can. My hope is you’ll be hugging your loved ones within three or four days.”
Sarah sighs, “I’m already hugging a loved one. Hon, I’m sorry. I know I haven’t been giving you as much attention in here as usual. I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
Sarah Bartowski, don’t you dare. There is nothing to apologize for. You know it’s all about the cuddle for me. I couldn’t be happier. Let’s get some sleep, things will be getting hectic.”
The next morning Sarah awakens to find herself alone in bed. Her heart skips a beat, “Oh no! Chuck please tell me you didn’t go after him alone.” She grabs a robe and hurries out of the room. “CHUCK, CHUCK, where are you?”
Chuck is sitting at the table working at his laptop. His face grows into a big smile when Sarah comes rushing into the room. “I’m right here Baby. Good morning. I’m glad you finally got some sleep.”
Hurrying across the last few feet she throws her arms around his neck and sobs, “Chuck, you’re safe. Thank God.”
Chuck hugs her back, “What’s all this about? I’m fine. I mean even I can make coffee and a bagel without injuring myself.”
Sarah laughs, “I know Baby.” She drops into his lap and kisses him. “It’s just I woke up and you weren’t there, and I missed you. I needed my morning cuddle.”
Chuck smiles and pulls her in tight. “I get that, my day doesn’t start right without it. I made coffee and I toasted some bagels. I also pulled what was left of Momma’s pastries from the freezer. The team will be up here soon. I’m bringing in Morgan and Maggie. Alex will be coming up too. Sorry I didn’t have a chance to discuss it with you.”
“It’s okay Sweetheart, I’m sorry I’ve been so weird lately. I know you make good decisions. You don’t need my permission. I’m going to wash up and get dressed. Be back soon. I’ll miss you.”
Sarah gets up and heads towards their bedroom, passing a fully dressed Gretchen on the way. She wraps her arms around her friend. “Good morning. Chuck made coffee. I’ll be joining you shortly.”
Gretchen heads into the dining room. Grabbing a cup, she fills it with the fresh coffee and grabs a toasted bagel and a pastry off the plate filled with them. “Morning Boss. What’s up with Sarah? She seems, I dunno, energetic and a little Yelly.”
“Good morning, Gretchen, that’s a nice way of saying agitated. We’re about to go into the field. The end is in sight and she’s a little on edge.”
“A little huh? Like the Grand Canyon is a little hole in the ground?”
Chuck laughs, “Good analogy. The rest of the team will be up here soon.”
The door chime rings. Chuck turns to the panel and opens the door. Morgan, Alex, and Maggie walk in with Casey who wastes no time going at Chuck. “You want to tell me what Alex is doing here? I thought we had an understanding.”
“I gotta say my partners not trusting me is getting old. Everyone grab some coffee, tea or juice and a bite to eat. Sarah will be out in a moment, and we’ll start the briefing.”
The group sits down and chats as they eat their light breakfast. Sarah walks in and Chuck stands. “Sorry to keep you waiting, but I didn’t want to have to repeat myself.” He walks over and pushes the button. Maggie jumps as the shutters close and the doors lock. “Okay, we’re secure. Alex you’re first on the agenda. I’m going to give you a choice. I can read you in…”
“Bartowski, you’re pissing me off.”
“Yes, John, I know. Alex, to continue, I can read you in and I will deal with the wrath of Casey, or you can support the team in the best way you’re able. I need you to run the company. Everyone in the room will be committed to this operation. Each of them will be necessary to keep me and Sarah safe.” Chuck sits down.
Alex looks at Casey then Chuck, then back to Casey. She can see the worry on his face. She watches as he looks at Chuck and it turns to anger. “Chuck, you’re really willing to deal with that…,” she points at her father, “…to include me?”
Chuck nods, “I would, you’re my little sister. I have no desire to make any member of my family feel unwanted.”
Alex nods, “I know that’s not what it’s about. I can do whatever I want with the company? I’m the Boss?”
Chuck smiles, “You’re the boss. Mrs. Sawyer will be there to support you of course. I trust you completely, I’m sure all the partners do. By the way,
Morgan and your dad will be staying here, where it’s safe. If you run into trouble, you won’t be alone.”
A big smile appears on Alex’s lips. “If I’m the boss, can I fire Dad?” The room breaks into laughter.
Chuck nods, “Well, it would have to be put to a partners vote, but by my count it would be a three to one vote. You also have my word that when the mission ends Sarah, and I will personally fill you in. You’ll get the whole story, one hundred percent.” Casey grunts loudly.
Alex gets up and walks around the table to hug Chuck, then Sarah. “You two stay safe. MJ and LJ need their Uncle and Aunt. Dad, you make sure they come home.” She moves over to hug him. He grunts.
Casey nods, as Chuck crosses the room. “You have my word. I’ll do everything I can to back them up.”
Chuck presses the button to unlock the room. He walks her to the door. “Thanks Alex, I hope you know how much worry you just lifted off my shoulders. It’ll be much easier to stay focused on the task at hand. We’ll see you in three or four days.” He closes the door behind her and walks over to reset security.
Casey is sheepish, “Thanks partner, I should have trusted you. I guess I’m a slow learner.”
Chuck smiles, “Not even, you’re a great dad is all. Okay time to get heavy. Here’s the plan. As usual. Shoot me down if I’m wrong. Maggie, I know you’re new to this, but I need to believe you won’t hold back. Sarah and I will be under the gun. We need to see our mistakes before they happen.” Maggie nods.
Chuck returns to the table carrying his attaché case. “I’ve spent the last three days watching Ryker in his home. I believe I have a good handle on his security. I’ve been in touch with General Beckman. Sarah, Gretchen, and I will be meeting up with her in DC. We’re going international. CI has no privileges in Poland. She’ll be bringing in a team. I requested Echo team so that we’ll be working with people we know. Casey, Morgan, and Maggie, you’ll be right here providing overwatch and cyber support. Any questions before I move on?”
Maggie raises her hand, “Um, I have no idea what’s going on how can I help? I know General Beckman, but what’s an Echo team and what kind of cyber support can I provide?”
Sarah looks across the table. “Good questions Maggie. We’re going after a bad man who has been evading government capture for years. He’s threatened our family and he’s extremely dangerous. Echo team is a group of Navy Seals that we trust. They’ve had our backs before, and they’re the best at what they do.
As to how you can help with cyber support. I’ll leave that to Chuck to explain, but I have a feeling that you’re about to get a very advanced training session from The Piranha.”
Maggie bounces in her seat, “No shit? Oops sorry, no way for a VP to act.”
The room laughs, “Relax Maggie you’re with friends. Here’s where you come in. He turns his laptop towards the room. This is the target’s home. It’s well protected, but not good enough. I was able to read his password from the video. I was right his security doesn’t rely on that panel.”
He pushes some keys, and the group can see Ryker cross the room after he enters his password at the panel. He strangely stands at a bookcase for a few seconds then moves into another room. Chuck smiles, “Anyone?”
They all look at him with blank stares. “That bust of Beethoven on the shelf is a retinal scanner. The lasers aren’t picked up by the camera, but it’s the only thing that makes sense. He does that strange stop there every time he enters the home. He also stops there first on the way out. I’m guessing that’s to reset the system.”
Casey is the first to react, “Holy crap, I never would have guessed that. Ask me again why I call you Boss. Do you have a way to confirm that? I’d hate for you to walk in there and be wrong.”
Chuck smiles, “That’s my Head of Security. Once I established what I was looking at I did a deep dive on the software. I had to go slow, couldn’t set off any traps. There were quite a few. I confirmed the bust is a reader and it is tied to the security system. Maggie this is where you come in. You’re going to monitor the security system. If necessary, head off any alarm messages. We’re also going to replace Ryker’s retinal pattern with Sarah’s. You’re going to need to do that on the fly. We have a half hour window to get in before he returns.”
Maggie shakes her head. “Forgive me Boss, but you’re crazy, that can’t be done.”
Chuck smiles as the room breaks into laughter. Morgan pats her hand. “Maggie you just told The Piranha that he can’t do something on a computer. I think what you meant to say was, teach me.”
Maggie looks around the room, everyone is smiling, except Casey who’s sucking on his cigar, nodding. “Boss, will you teach me?”
Chuck nods, “That’s why you’re here. You’ve already gotten past the hardest obstacle. You believe it can be done. Now you have to show me how.
We’ll be working on that later.”
Gretchen speaks up, “Chuck, you’re already in the house. How did you get to Warsaw undetected, and how did you get past his incursion traps? What about his camera’s covering no man’s land? He’s sure to have those rigged with motion detectors.”
“I love my team, great questions. We’re going to fly into Poland in a diplomatic aircraft. We’ll be landing at Baza Lotnictwa Transportowego. It’s a military airfield. General Beckman will be with us. She’s, our cover. We’ll be in civilian rental cars from there. It’s about a four-hour drive.
Gretchen looks at the maps on the table, “Okay I get that. But how do you get past those motion detectors and traps?”
Chuck smiles, “That’s easy, I have a loop recorded that will cover our movements from the cameras. Our chauffer blinds the detectors with a laser and resets the traps after we go past them. From reading the coding in the security system I know that we have about 30 seconds while the system figures out if it’s real or a glitch. That gives Ryker time to get to the panel and turn off the alarm.”
Gretchen is shocked. “Chauffer? You’re going to trust a local to cover your butts? Coming from you, that seems pretty careless.”
“You’re right it would be. If… I were using a local. Perhaps you didn’t hear me when I said we. You’re our chauffer. You found the traps. You’re going to get us past them.”
Gretchen stares at Sarah, “You… you’re trusting me to have your backs?”
Sarah returns her stare, “Do you know of some reason we shouldn’t?”
Gretchen shakes her head rapidly, “No… no reason.” She wipes a tear from her eye. “You guys are the best.”
Chuck can’t help but smile at Gretchen’s reaction. “Okay folks, time to get to work. Casey, you, Morgan, Sarah, and Gretchen are the tactical team. Tear into the plan. Maggie and I are the cyber team, we’ll be looking at what needs done in the digital world.”
The teams split up. The tactical team take over the dining room, covering the table with photos and maps. Chuck and Maggie move into the office area.
“Maggie, welcome to your first field operation. I’m sure it won’t be your last.” He holds up a portable hard drive. “In case you think that you aren’t an important part of the mission, think again. You’ll be covering what I would normally cover. If you fail, the team fails.”
Maggie gasps, “Boss, that’s too much for me. I’m not… I can’t.”
Chuck pats her hand, “Maggie did you think I told you that to scare you?” Maggie nods. “That would be incorrect. I told you that, to remind you, that you’re an intricate part of a team that has total faith in you. If you don’t cover this, I have to. That means I wouldn’t be there to watch Sarah’s back.
Are you ready to get to work?”
Maggie is hesitant, “Thank you for trusting me, I hope I don’t let you down.”
Chuck smiles, “You won’t. I have a gift for you. On this hard drive is an exact duplicate of the security software we’re going to hack. I uploaded it and created a simulated environment for it to operate in. That means we can practice our surgical strike without fear.”
As The tactical team pores over the outside approaches to the house Chuck and Maggie review the coding that controls the security system.
Maggie gets excited, “Stop, look right there. The motion detectors work by discriminating between the background and new video. If we insert a
null point here, we can send the processor into a loop. It will keep looking for that difference getting none, it will keep searching over and over, no alarm.”
Chuck looks closely at what Maggie is talking about. He sits back in his seat and fake wipes his brow. “Whew, it’s too bad you can’t handle this assignment.” Maggie smiles. “I missed that. You just removed the outside team’s time limitations. Not only will that give them more time to get us in. It will also allow them to get closer to the house to cover us and the exits once we’re inside.
Maggie is clearly energized. Holy shit The Piranha just told me I did good. “Thanks Boss, I couldn’t have done it if you hadn’t set up this simulation.
You taught me something I never would have thought up.”
Chuck smiles, “Seems like we can learn something from each other, sounds like teamwork to me. Maybe someday I’ll tell you about the mission where I needed to think up that little trick. Any chance we can use your trick on the retinal scanner?”
Maggie shrugs, “Lets, take a look.”
The door chime sounds. Chuck looks over and Sarah is at the panel. “it’s Alex.” Chuck nods.
The door opens. Alex walks in carrying four large pizza boxes. “I figured you guys might forget to eat. Someone want to grab those other packages outside the door. Don’t get all worked up, Dad. I’m just dropping off the food and leaving. I got you and Morgan’s favorite beer. There’s also soft drinks and other goodies. Chuck, the company is still standing.”
Casey grabs the bags from outside, Morgan grabs the pizzas. Alex reaches into her pocket and hands Chuck some messages. She hands a couple to Sarah and Morgan as well. “Okay guys, let me know if you need anything. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll bring dinner up too. Chinese, okay?”
Sarah walks over and hugs her, “You’re the best Sis. I didn’t even realize I was getting hungry. We may be done by dinner time. Why don’t you plan on bringing that food and the twins up, so that we can all eat together. I’ll give you a call when we’re close.”
Suddenly there’s an outburst from the table, Casey is ranting. “Who the hell put’s pineapple on pizza, it’s disgusting, It’s un-American.”
Sarah laughs, “Thanks Alex, You remembered Maggie’s favorite.” Maggie waves from across the room. “Thanks Alex.”
“You’re welcome, Maggie. There’s also a veggie pizza, no olives.”
“You are the best Alex, Thanks.” Sarah walks her to the door, “We’ll see you for dinner. Thanks again for thinking of us.” Alex leaves and Chuck resets security.
The teams eat as they work. Chuck bites into his pizza and grabs a swallow of beer. “It won’t work here. The retinal scanner is looking for a positive result not a differential. Nulling the result won’t work. We’re going to have to sub in the new retinal pattern, but it has to be done simultaneously with removing the old one. If we pull out a section of code and leave a blank spot the program will set off alarms.”
Maggie nods, “But look here, speaking of alarms. There would be no problem changing the automatic dialer so any alarms going out would go to whatever number we want. That section isn’t monitored for intrusion.”
“Wow, this country is very lucky you’re a white hat. I’d hate to have to go against you in a hack off. By the way how did your attempt to hack into our security go. You never got back to me.”
“That’s because I couldn’t get anywhere. As soon as I found a way in it went away. Your AI is amazing. It’s response time was instantaneous. I know there has to be a backdoor, but I couldn’t find it. I felt like Alice going down the rabbit hole. Any chance you’re going to share that coding with me.”
Chuck smiles, “Hey a hacker has to maintain some mystery if he wants to stay sexy. But when we have time, I may give you some pointers. It’s the basis of what I’m selling to the government to protect their servers. You’ll be in charge of the team that handles the installation. In the meantime, at the rate you’re learning you’ll be putting my AI to shame in no time. Let’s get back on task.”
Chuck stares at the screen, pondering, “What if we use your null point idea to insert the new retinal scans. The processor won’t see it. Then we pull that bit of screening and the old scan at the same time. The processor won’t even notice it.”
Maggie looks at the coding as it sails by her eyes. “Yeah, I see what you mean. It won’t see the insertion and it won’t notice the void when I remove it. I think we’ve got it.”
Maggie sits back, “You know I can die happy now. Sir… don’t give me grief, I know your name is Chuck… I’m honored to sit with you. I’ve learned so much in the last few weeks.”
It’s been my pleasure. You’ve taught me as much as I’ve taught you. It’s nice to have a partner in this stuff. Get started, Use the simulation, practice the insertions and removal until you can do it in your sleep. Printout the coding so you can make sure you aren’t missing anything before you use the FTP (File Transfer Protocol). Remember you’re a surgeon practicing with a very sharp scalpel. I’m gonna go kiss my wife.”
Chuck walks over to the table, “Hi folks, good news I think Maggie and I have figured out how to get around the cyber issues. How’s tactical looking?”
Sarah looks up, seeing Chuck she walks over to kiss him. “You laid out a great plan Hon. If you solved the security problem, I think we’re good to go. Landing at Baza Lotnictwa Transportowego, is genius. It’s a military airbase, the security is tight. All unauthorized outgoing signals are jammed. The hangars are big enough that our aircraft can roll right in. No visual exposure. The S7 road takes us right to our target in Warsaw. The neighborhood gives us plenty of places to park and wait, so we can move quickly when our opportunity opens. Since it’s a daylight op his paranoia works for us. His neighbors won’t have a clear view of what we’re doing. However we will have to park a few streets away so that he doesn’t spot a strange car in front of his house.”
Casey listens as Sarah runs down the tactical plans. When she finishes, he stands up. “Colonel Carmichael, I would follow you into battle anytime. I’m giving you a battlefield promotion that means nothing to the military, but everything to me. You will be known from this moment forward as General Carmichael.” He starts to clap. The rest of the team stands and joins him. Sarah hugs him then joins in the applauding.” Chuck’s face goes red, he waves for everyone to sit down.
Maggie stands next to Sarah clapping. She leans over to whisper, “Who’s General Carmichael?”
Sarah laughs, “That’s the Boss’s cover name. Last mission he was a Colonel. General Casey just gave him a promotion.”
“Ma’am, I hope you won’t take offense, but you people are weird.”
Sarah laughs, “No offense taken, weird is one of the nicer names we’ve been called. Hey family, Maggie thinks we’re weird.” The room breaks out in laughter, then they point at Maggie and start to clap again.
Maggie shakes her head, “I think I’m gonna stick to my computers.” She turns and heads back to the office area.
Chuck finishes the rundown on the cyber situation when the doorbell chimes. Sarah checks the panel, “It’s Alex, I let her know we’d be done for dinner.”
Chuck walks over and turns off the security and Sarah opens the door, as the others put the paperwork away. The twins rush into the room, “Unca Chuck, Unca Chuck.” Chuck is tackled to the ground. The twins are all over him. The three of them laughing their brains out.
Sarah gets down on the floor, “Hey, what am I, chopped liver?”
MJ and LJ look up and in unison, “Auntie Sarah!” They leave Chuck and jump on her.
Chuck acts upset, “HEY! You stole my little buddies.”
Gretchen gets down, “I suppose Aunt Gretchen doesn’t get hugs?” MJ immediately runs over to hug her.
The three adults and two kids are rolling around on the floor laughing. Alex sets out the food she brought in with her. Morgan gets plates and utensils. Casey sits back with a huge smile on his face. Thanks, Bartowski.
A/N So whatdo you think so far. Do you like Chuck’s plan. Are you picturing him behind the nerd herd desk? The team has come a long way. Now be careful who you talk to about what you know. If Ryker hears about the plan, he could bolt. Keep it under your hat. If Sarah can be patient, so can you. Till next time.