Six

"You're going to kill me aren't you?" Chuck said. "Kill you? Why would we do that? Contrary to your low opinion of us we highly regard human life. We don't kill for convenience".

"All's fair in love and war. The life of one for the lives of many. Isn't that the CIA way?"

"And what would you have done?"

"Exactly the same thing. Which is why I don't trust you."

The man sighed. "We're just going to transport you to a safe secure prison for political criminals. Don't worry it's not like most prisons. You will have your own room and cubicles for bathing. And something like room service. You won't even feel like you're in a prison. Don't look at me like that. It's better than the alternative".

Someone else stepped into the room. Chuck recognised her immediately. "Sandy", he said. "Why? Why are you doing this?" She ignored him. Instead she saluted the Director. "All preparations have been made sir. When can we transport the prisoner?"

"I don't understand. I thought you took my sister hostage so that...so that I would be content to be under your thumb. Why are you doing this? What's going to happen to Amy?"

"Sandy did a very good job. However when I heard of what happened I realised that there could be no second chances. If you weren't co-operating now, then well", the man shrugged. He turned to Sandy. "The prisoner leaves in an hour by plane of course. Arthur Pensway's plane".

Then he left the room. Once he was outside he called the Minister of Defense.

"I hope you have some news?" he asked.

"Yes. It is finished."

"No need to talk in code. We're on a very secure line", the Minister said. "You can never be too careful", The Director said.

"And Thomas Hardyman?"

"Already taken care of sir".

"Good job", the minister said. "We'll meet at the usual place, Tuesday seven o'clock, don't be late". Allan chuckled, "Am I ever?"

 

Sandy faced Chuck. "I knew something didn't add up", Chuck confessed. "Really? What was your first clue?" "The fact that the CIA, couldn't catch a single spy and had no plausible leads. The fact that they recruited kids to help them out. They allowed normal civilians to get such information..." Chuck choked back on a few tears. "So what's the official story going to be?" he asked.

"A few years before he was killed your father turned. He stopped helping the agency and started helping VASCO. Your father was the spy

"Fuzakena!"(Japanese, meaning;"cut the crap")

"It's true. Some even theorise he was working for them from the very beginning. That's why he was able to stop some of their operations. Because they let him. To gain our trust. And then some of his predictions started going off the mark. It only took a little while for us to piece it all together. We would have figured it out sooner but we didn't spend a lot of time in missions and he only came when things got tight".

"You're lying!" Chuck yelled. His face was streaming with tears. Sandy looked at him stone faced. "Why would I? You're already done for. Even I'm not that cruel". She paused for a minute to let Chuck get a hold of his emotions. Then she continued. "There will be a fake accident. Arthur's plane will explode and you will die in it. At least that's what people will believe. The official story will be that Thomas Hardyman was the spy. He was definitely involved somehow. He tried to cover his tracks by getting rid of you two. He managed to succeed but was too late. We'd already linked him to VASCO. That way your father's image stays safe, we apprehend another bad guy and there is no social cacophony."

Chuck listened in disbelief to Sandy's explanation. When she was finished he was silent. His eyes were closed, trying to force back the tears.

"I see", he said finally. "We're going to jail because our father was a political criminal so you think we are too. Even if we deny it".

Sandy moved towards Chuck. He blacked out a few seconds after she reached him.

 

He woke up and found himself in a plane. Sandy was sitting next to him. He looked down and realised he was dressed in a dark three piece suit. His binds had been taken off. Responding to Chuck's look of confusion, Sandy said, "You have no military or martial arts training. I alone will be enough to subdue you if you try to escape. Besides we're already high up. So just sit back and enjoy the ride".

As Chuck reclined in his chair , a blonde haired woman came up to him. "Hi, my name's Sheila, we talked on the phone the other day?" she said. Chuck nodded. "You're one of the CIA's best analysts", he said nodding. "On another day I would have been very interested in what you had to say but well that day's not today", he said.

"Well I'm not so sure of that", Sheila said. Amy came running out of nowhere and embraced Chuck. "Amy", Chuck said. He felt like a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. "You're alright", he said. "Thank God".

"Chuck, I think you will be very interested in what these people have to say", Amy said, her eyes filled with enthusiasm.

"I'm listening", Chuck said.

Three other analysts popped up from behind. "They're VASCO", Amy said.

"Now, now don't do that! I guess it's too late to call Spoiler alert!" Sheila said.

She turned to Chuck. But before she could speak she was interrupted by Frank . "Hey buddy, you can relax now. You're not going to jail. In fact we're heading to a private island for awhile where you and Amy will have some plastic surgery, you will be given new identities and then you will be sent to South-America for a month. Then..." he paused looked at Sheila and stopped talking.

Chuck suspended his disbelief for a second. He half-thought this was a ploy to get him to spill the beans on whatever they thought he knew. Well, he would play along. Because if they were VASCO, he wouldn't need to answer any questions.

"Seems like you're in charge here", Chuck said gloomily. Then he turned to Sandy. She hadn't spoken for some time and his mind had been so focused on the others he didn't realise she was still awake. He expected her to be half-knocked out. That was the only way this plan would have worked.

She was awake.

Chuck's mind raced back. " You've had plastic surgery. That's why you look so young. I should have realised. Why? Was that a requirement when you entered the agency? Where you to eye-catching? Or where you compromised and force to change your face?" he'd said.  Maybe it was both.

"Are you...working with them?" Chuck asked. She nodded. "You're VASCO? You're a double agent? How? Why?"

"Because VASCO isn't the bad guy here. The CIA is", Frank said.

"I don't understand", Chuck said for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day. "Okay, we'll back up a little and then let you in on all that happened. Including what we told Chuck", Sheila said looking at Sandy's angry look.

Hours earlier

"We believe that someone close to Desmond was involved. Your godfather, Thomas Hardyman", Frank said. Chuck's heart skipped a beat but he tried his best to remain calm and collected. He was hearing confidential information that Sandy didn't want him to. But for some reason she didn't tackle him. That was odd.

"He, as you probably know, was your father's CFO. And someone like him would definitely have known about your father's activities. He's involved in this somehow. But he's managed to avoid detection so far. Probably thanks to VASCO's numerous facilities."

"We need someone not in the agency to confront. Someone ordinary. We want to see whether he will slip up". So that was where he came in. "You will need Sandy though. I doubt she will refuse to help you. She is supposed to shadow you at all times. Either way she will be able to scoop up anything you missed. Try your best to goad him into talking. And remember don't trust anyone", Kate said. You don't have to remind me.

"We're on your side Chuck", Frank said. The call ended.

2 hours earlier

Director Allan stood in front of Sandy. Sandy looked at him curiously. "What's wrong sir?" She asked. "It's just diplomatic stuff. Those freaking politicians...what happened?"

Sandy recounted all that Chuck said and Allan listened in silence. She could tell that he was very displeased. "I see. Well it seems we might have to terminate his contract. You made two vital mistakes, Sandy. One, you should have tolerated those analysts. And two, you failed to gain Chuck's trust. But you did well to secure him before he put us in jeopardy. "

"Sir, what...what are you going to do to him?" Sandy asked slowly.

The Director laughed. "I'm not going to kill him if that's what you're asking", he said.

 

"The plan was to make you board a 747 and place a dead body in Arthur's jet with some of your DNA. Enough to convince the amateurs that you were cap hoot", Sheila said. "Then the 747 would take you ", she said pointing at Amy and Chuck, "to the prison island".

Chuck didn't bother to ask where or what it was.

"So how did you get me out?" he asked.

Sheila stopped talking. Then she looked at Gary sternly. "Oh right. Sorry. I...uh..I convinced the bombing squad to put a bomb in the wrong plane. This isn't like a normal bomb. There's the normal explosion, the poison and the acid. These three elements make it impossible for someone to escape. And the bomb blast coupled with the acid erase a lot of a person's DNA. Even for the CIA it would take a month before they realise you're still alive. They can preserve the body for that long so that it doesn't decompose".

"I'm assuming VASCO gets the blame for this?" he said. "What I don't get is why VASCO would want me dead".

"Oh Chuck", Amy said. "Haven't you guessed already? You're forgetting about Arcane!"

"What about it?"

"Arcane was the other terrorist group we mentioned in that text message".

"You found out from a text?" Sandy said suddenly enraged. "Hey hey. Calm down Sandy", Sheila said.

She turned to the other three. "Frank and I can handle this. You and Gary should go and start working on the next plan". The two exited the room.

She turned back to Chuck but Frank spoke first. "Gary used a scrambler and rerouting software, so that the orders looked like they were coming from Spiels".

"Who's that?"

"You don't need to know", Sandy said, which was a polite way of saying it's none of your business.

"Sandy was told of the plan much earlier allowing us to divert the bomb", Frank continued.

"Won't Sandy be the first one in the interrogation line after that?"

"Sandy knows her way around. How do you think she got this far?"

"By being a jerk", he said. Sandy slapped his arm with the back of her hand. "Ow! That hurt!" Chuck said.

"I don't think you fully understand Chuck's question", Amy said. "Does Sandy have a proper alibi whilst she's accompanying us? Yes, she does. According to eyewitnesses the plane left a little earlier so Sandy missed her flight and...our father discovered that Arcane and the CIA where one and the same."

"Arcane is a shell corporation that the CIA developed so that they can do shady things without the bureaucracy and accountability that the agency demands. That's their dark secret", Sandy said.

"I've heard all you've said. But this plan still has one fatal flaw. It depends solely on how much faith the Director has in Sandy. Why are you so confident that she would be above suspicion?"

Amy's eyes constricted and her mouth tightened. "Because Chuck, she killed our father".

The words felt like heavy stones. The weight that had been lifted off his chest came back. "What?"

Sandy got up. Chuck grabbed her with his right hand. His left hand was still suffering from the pain of her slap. "Where are you going?"

"I think my presence here would not be good for you. No matter what I say, I'm still the one who killed him. And you won't forget that in a hurry", she said shrugging his hand off. She disappeared into another room.

"Amy..." the other two agents, realising that Chuck probably wouldn't speak to them either, left the room.

"It's okay, Chuck. It's alright."

"Did she join VASCO before or after our dad died?"

"Would it matter?" Amy said. Chuck buried his head in her arms. "All we've got is each other, Chuck", Amy said. "And my instincts tell me we can trust these people. I mean what choice do we have? "

She raised Chuck's head and stared into his eyes almost red with weeping. "She killed Dad. She was...his friend", Chuck said. "It was all according to Dad's plan", Amy said.

Amy took out her laptop from her backpack. She opened it and played a video. The screen was almost filled with their father's face. The two of them sat back and watched the twenty minute video in silence.

 

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[Nana]

That's traumatic, just traumatic.