Chuck vs the Sentinel part 4
“I have contacted the director of the FBI in Los Angeles. Agent Walker and Mr. Bartowski you will be working with the FBI team investigating this group. Under no circumstances are they to learn anything about the Intersect or that Major Casey is a rogue sentinel.” General Beckman told them after they had contacted about Chuck’s flash.
“Is that good idea ma’am? The FBI hasn’t had a good record when it comes to this sentinel ring.” Sarah asked.
“No they haven’t but they have the latest Intel on the ring. I will not allow Major Casey to fall into enemy hands even if we have to work with the FBI to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Yes ma’am.”
General Beckman signed off after giving them the instructions on where to meet the FBI team in two hours.
“Why would they take Casey? How did they know about him?” Chuck asked.
“Do you think they recognized him?” Sarah asked.
“No I don’t think so. It has to be something simpler than that. I mean I really don’t see this group that’s managed to avoid the authorities for years suddenly deciding to kidnap an NSA assassin even if he is a sentinel. What if they have someone or several people whose only job is to find their targets, and that someone saw Casey had the Buy More or at the apartment because that’s like the only two places besides Castle that Casey hangs out at.” Chuck speculated.
“You might be right. We should check the surveillance footage of the Buy More for the few days leading up to kidnapping. We can go back a few days and if we can’t find anything we can back further.” Sarah said.
“How far back do we keep the recordings?” Chuck asked.
“Here at the Castle we keep them for four days but the CIA keeps hard copies on file from further back since the first day Casey installed them.”
“Hopefully we won’t have to go back too far.”
“We still have to meet the FBI team. Hopefully we will have something for them.”
Chuck and Sarah sat down in front of the screens. Chuck typed in some commands and brought up the footage from all the surveillance cameras inside the Buy More from two days before.
Knowing that Chuck would have to be the one to watch them in case he might flash, Sarah kept track of the time so that they would be able to make their meeting with the FBI team.
An hour later, Sarah recognized the tell-tale signs of Chuck flashing.
When Chuck was done, Sarah went up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What is it?”
“That guy there,” Chuck pointed at the screen to a non-descript customer talking to Casey. “That’s their front man for LA. And what’s more, I got a name.” Chuck said turning to Sarah with a victorious smile. “Ricky Alvarez.”
Sarah nodded and inputed the name into the computer in hopes of getting an address. “Did you get anything else?”
“Yeah, something strange. Does the name Corkscrew ring a bell, cause that came up a few times, but nothing that tells me what it is.”
“I can try to input the name as well but I don’t know what it will give me beyond the obvious.” Sarah said.
The information came up, but they were running short on time so Sarah made hard copies and then the two of them left Castle and headed downtown to the FBI office to make their 8:00 am meeting.
“Maybe I should call Ellie?” Chuck said.
“If you do don’t tell her anything about Casey just yet. Just tell her you stayed the night with me, and if she asks you haven’t seen him.”
“When he doesn’t show up for work Big Mike is going to call looking for him.”
“We might have to let all that fall into place. Let you or Ellie file a missing persons report when the time comes. “ Sarah said.
“He’s a sentinel, we don’t have to wait the 24 hours like they do with adults.” Chuck said.
“Alright. I will talk with the FBI agents and see how they want you to proceed on that. This may take several days.”
“I hope not.”
They reached the downtown FBI office. They hung their Federal Ids on their shirts and took an elevator to the floor they would be meeting the team on.
The FBI team consisted of four Special Agents and their support staff. The agent in charge, Agent Malone, shook their hands and invited them into his office.
“We’ve received word from Deputy Director Scotts that the latest missing sentinel is an NSA agent but did not tell me why an NSA agent is in LA.” Malone said.
“That would be classified, Agent Malone. The answer won’t make a difference anyway. They kidnapped him due to his undercover persona not his real one.” Agent Walker said her face impassive. Chuck recognized her professional mode.
“I see. How do you know this?”
“We have surveillance of a man that our intelligence believes is a front runner for this group talking to the agent. Its not a secret that the agent is a sentinel, its part of his cover, and its quite obvious from the lack of a bonding chain that the sentinel in question is not bonded beyond a level 2 making him a perfect target for this group.”
Sarah handed over the DVD with the surveillance footage along with some hard copies. She also handed over everything she had found about Alvarez. Agent Malone called in his team and they went over the information. The team also brought folders filled with the information that they had managed to get over their years of investigating the group.
In a meeting room, the agents all went over the information while Chuck looked through the files the FBI had for any information on Corkscrew.
In the second file, Chuck saw a picture of an empty cargo container with the letter CS7456-a on the side. At the sight of the container Chuck flashed.
Sarah noticed right away and excused herself and Chuck from the room so they could confer in private.
“What did you see?”
“This empty cargo container. The FBI thought it might have something to do with the kidnappings. They were right. I flashed on it. They are using the cargo containers to transport the sentinels into international waters. They hold an auction online. A Navy computer that randomly listens to radio calls and internet chatter came across the website they were using. It’s not there anymore, I am sure they change with each auction.”
“So they are using ships, which means the docks. But in LA or somewhere else?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know but you might see if there any ships named Corkscrew or any companies that deal with shipping overseas with that name. I still think that’s the key its just not coming together.” Chuck said frustration in his voice.
Suddenly Chuck’s phone rang. Chuck looked at it. “Its Ellie.” He said looking at Sarah.
“Go ahead and answer, I will ask Agent Malone how he wants to handle it.” Sarah said.
Chuck answered the phone.
“Hey Ell.” Chuck answered. “Yeah Sarah’s mom is doing better....no, no I haven’t seen Casey yet, I stayed at Sarah’s....he’s not at work?” Chuck felt horrible about lying to his sister but knew there was no other way.
“I will try and call him….you already tried?….I don’t know if we should involve the police yet….” Chuck looked up to see Sarah come over to him.
“Go ahead and tell Ellie you will call the police. Agent Malone is going to send an officer to the Buy More and to Ellie’s to get the ball rolling.” Sarah whispered.
“Look Ellie, I will call the police and report him missing. I will call if you I hear anything more...yeah me too, bye Ell.” Chuck hung up the phone. “I hate all this lying and sneaking around.” He sighed.
“I know, I am sorry.” Sarah said.
“Have you found anything on Corkscrew?” Chuck asked.
“They are still looking.” Sarah said.
“You know if we had had a level 3 bond or higher this wouldn’t have happened.” Chuck said.
“Why haven’t you?” Sarah asked curiously.
“Because Casey doesn’t want anything beyond a two. Sarah I only flashed on Casey’s military and NSA career but nothing on what happened to him before he joined the military. But something happened; something about the idea of being in a level 3-bond relationship scares him. “
“I can’t imagine anything that scares Casey.” Sarah said. “He’s got quite a reputation as a cold dangerous assassin.”
“Everyone’s scared of something.” Chuck offered.
Sarah smiled, “Yeah I am afraid of spiders myself.”
“Really? You, special agent Walker, are afraid of spiders?”
“We all have fears Chuck, like you said.”
“But spiders…that’s so so…”
“So what?”
“Girlish.” He finished.
“Chuck.”
“Yeah?”
“I am a girl.”
“Well yeah but you’re a CIA agent, master of martial arts, pretty handy with a gun and your afraid of a little spider?”
“When you’ve been in the jungle with a spider the size of your fists with fangs that look like they belong on a saber toothed tiger, then you get to laugh.” She said heading back to the conference room.
“A fist.” Chuck echoed his eyes going wide.
“Is that good idea ma’am? The FBI hasn’t had a good record when it comes to this sentinel ring.” Sarah asked.
“No they haven’t but they have the latest Intel on the ring. I will not allow Major Casey to fall into enemy hands even if we have to work with the FBI to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Yes ma’am.”
General Beckman signed off after giving them the instructions on where to meet the FBI team in two hours.
“Why would they take Casey? How did they know about him?” Chuck asked.
“Do you think they recognized him?” Sarah asked.
“No I don’t think so. It has to be something simpler than that. I mean I really don’t see this group that’s managed to avoid the authorities for years suddenly deciding to kidnap an NSA assassin even if he is a sentinel. What if they have someone or several people whose only job is to find their targets, and that someone saw Casey had the Buy More or at the apartment because that’s like the only two places besides Castle that Casey hangs out at.” Chuck speculated.
“You might be right. We should check the surveillance footage of the Buy More for the few days leading up to kidnapping. We can go back a few days and if we can’t find anything we can back further.” Sarah said.
“How far back do we keep the recordings?” Chuck asked.
“Here at the Castle we keep them for four days but the CIA keeps hard copies on file from further back since the first day Casey installed them.”
“Hopefully we won’t have to go back too far.”
“We still have to meet the FBI team. Hopefully we will have something for them.”
Chuck and Sarah sat down in front of the screens. Chuck typed in some commands and brought up the footage from all the surveillance cameras inside the Buy More from two days before.
Knowing that Chuck would have to be the one to watch them in case he might flash, Sarah kept track of the time so that they would be able to make their meeting with the FBI team.
An hour later, Sarah recognized the tell-tale signs of Chuck flashing.
When Chuck was done, Sarah went up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What is it?”
“That guy there,” Chuck pointed at the screen to a non-descript customer talking to Casey. “That’s their front man for LA. And what’s more, I got a name.” Chuck said turning to Sarah with a victorious smile. “Ricky Alvarez.”
Sarah nodded and inputed the name into the computer in hopes of getting an address. “Did you get anything else?”
“Yeah, something strange. Does the name Corkscrew ring a bell, cause that came up a few times, but nothing that tells me what it is.”
“I can try to input the name as well but I don’t know what it will give me beyond the obvious.” Sarah said.
The information came up, but they were running short on time so Sarah made hard copies and then the two of them left Castle and headed downtown to the FBI office to make their 8:00 am meeting.
“Maybe I should call Ellie?” Chuck said.
“If you do don’t tell her anything about Casey just yet. Just tell her you stayed the night with me, and if she asks you haven’t seen him.”
“When he doesn’t show up for work Big Mike is going to call looking for him.”
“We might have to let all that fall into place. Let you or Ellie file a missing persons report when the time comes. “ Sarah said.
“He’s a sentinel, we don’t have to wait the 24 hours like they do with adults.” Chuck said.
“Alright. I will talk with the FBI agents and see how they want you to proceed on that. This may take several days.”
“I hope not.”
They reached the downtown FBI office. They hung their Federal Ids on their shirts and took an elevator to the floor they would be meeting the team on.
The FBI team consisted of four Special Agents and their support staff. The agent in charge, Agent Malone, shook their hands and invited them into his office.
“We’ve received word from Deputy Director Scotts that the latest missing sentinel is an NSA agent but did not tell me why an NSA agent is in LA.” Malone said.
“That would be classified, Agent Malone. The answer won’t make a difference anyway. They kidnapped him due to his undercover persona not his real one.” Agent Walker said her face impassive. Chuck recognized her professional mode.
“I see. How do you know this?”
“We have surveillance of a man that our intelligence believes is a front runner for this group talking to the agent. Its not a secret that the agent is a sentinel, its part of his cover, and its quite obvious from the lack of a bonding chain that the sentinel in question is not bonded beyond a level 2 making him a perfect target for this group.”
Sarah handed over the DVD with the surveillance footage along with some hard copies. She also handed over everything she had found about Alvarez. Agent Malone called in his team and they went over the information. The team also brought folders filled with the information that they had managed to get over their years of investigating the group.
In a meeting room, the agents all went over the information while Chuck looked through the files the FBI had for any information on Corkscrew.
In the second file, Chuck saw a picture of an empty cargo container with the letter CS7456-a on the side. At the sight of the container Chuck flashed.
Sarah noticed right away and excused herself and Chuck from the room so they could confer in private.
“What did you see?”
“This empty cargo container. The FBI thought it might have something to do with the kidnappings. They were right. I flashed on it. They are using the cargo containers to transport the sentinels into international waters. They hold an auction online. A Navy computer that randomly listens to radio calls and internet chatter came across the website they were using. It’s not there anymore, I am sure they change with each auction.”
“So they are using ships, which means the docks. But in LA or somewhere else?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know but you might see if there any ships named Corkscrew or any companies that deal with shipping overseas with that name. I still think that’s the key its just not coming together.” Chuck said frustration in his voice.
Suddenly Chuck’s phone rang. Chuck looked at it. “Its Ellie.” He said looking at Sarah.
“Go ahead and answer, I will ask Agent Malone how he wants to handle it.” Sarah said.
Chuck answered the phone.
“Hey Ell.” Chuck answered. “Yeah Sarah’s mom is doing better....no, no I haven’t seen Casey yet, I stayed at Sarah’s....he’s not at work?” Chuck felt horrible about lying to his sister but knew there was no other way.
“I will try and call him….you already tried?….I don’t know if we should involve the police yet….” Chuck looked up to see Sarah come over to him.
“Go ahead and tell Ellie you will call the police. Agent Malone is going to send an officer to the Buy More and to Ellie’s to get the ball rolling.” Sarah whispered.
“Look Ellie, I will call the police and report him missing. I will call if you I hear anything more...yeah me too, bye Ell.” Chuck hung up the phone. “I hate all this lying and sneaking around.” He sighed.
“I know, I am sorry.” Sarah said.
“Have you found anything on Corkscrew?” Chuck asked.
“They are still looking.” Sarah said.
“You know if we had had a level 3 bond or higher this wouldn’t have happened.” Chuck said.
“Why haven’t you?” Sarah asked curiously.
“Because Casey doesn’t want anything beyond a two. Sarah I only flashed on Casey’s military and NSA career but nothing on what happened to him before he joined the military. But something happened; something about the idea of being in a level 3-bond relationship scares him. “
“I can’t imagine anything that scares Casey.” Sarah said. “He’s got quite a reputation as a cold dangerous assassin.”
“Everyone’s scared of something.” Chuck offered.
Sarah smiled, “Yeah I am afraid of spiders myself.”
“Really? You, special agent Walker, are afraid of spiders?”
“We all have fears Chuck, like you said.”
“But spiders…that’s so so…”
“So what?”
“Girlish.” He finished.
“Chuck.”
“Yeah?”
“I am a girl.”
“Well yeah but you’re a CIA agent, master of martial arts, pretty handy with a gun and your afraid of a little spider?”
“When you’ve been in the jungle with a spider the size of your fists with fangs that look like they belong on a saber toothed tiger, then you get to laugh.” She said heading back to the conference room.
“A fist.” Chuck echoed his eyes going wide.