Chuck/White Collar - 2

[samecgh]

 

Neal woke up with a little pounding in his head. Please don't tell me I'm getting sick. Now would be the... well not the absolute time but still bad. Managing to find an aspirin, he took it with his coffee and ate dry toast with a tiny banana instead of the omelets the chef had been making.

 

Peter picked him up. “We have a problem. The employee that came to us about the laundering is dead,” he admitted.

 

He looked at him. “No one knew about her,” he worried.

 

“No, her name wasn't on any of the papers and the only ones who knew where she lived was the immediate team.”

 

“If they killed her....”

 

“Jones and Cruz are going to be watching June's at night. You're with me during the day. More likely, they had their suspicions and followed her when she was coming to the FBI.”

 

“What about the new agents? From Counterterrorism?”

 

“Lets not jump into that yet. We go through all the outside possibilities before thinking it's someone within the team.”

 

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

 

Casey had the file on Rhonda Jape before Chuck and Sarah were fully prepared for the day. He waited for his team to get breakfast before pouncing it on them. He passed his computer screen to Sarah first. “She was the one that reported the laundering,” he stated, digging into his eggs.

 

Sarah quickly glanced through the report. “I don't see anything that might indicate the assassin. Mike,” she cited, using his alias.

 

Chuck stopped eating so he could look at the report without feeling green. He was still a bit nauseous looking at a dead body, but didn't flash on anything in the photo or the report. “Nothing,” he said, looking down at his cereal before pushing it away. He watched his two partners continue to eat and decided to go outside.

 

The three arrived after Peter and Neal. They were already in the conference room and waiting for the three to begin. “For those that don't know, Rhonda Jape, our witness and employee of Sadako Sushi, was murdered sometimes late last night,” he lectured, “Her sister was worried when she didn't show up for service and went over to her apartment.”

 

'Mike' was going through the FBI report, which was less than the report he had already seen, but ideas came into his head. “Is it possible that she was followed?” he inquired.

 

“We're thinking that, although her place of residence was on the forms for her employment.”

 

“Wouldn't take much to get the information,” 'Benton' noted, “Security cameras around the area?”

 

“Just starting to get the footage. NYPD technically has the case until we can decide it's part of our case. It's been processed by their forensics, but we're going to go over it again,” Peter told him. His computer dinged at him and he checked out his email. “We already have the first video footage.” He found a way to place it on the flat screen and started it.

 

'Mike' and Neal both saw the man at the exact same time. The Intersect brought up his information. Ring member Harold Saxon, codenamed 'The Master'. Responsible for several deaths of political figures and agents of the CIA, NSA, MI-6, and other allies. 'Mike' was the first to pull out, mentally reviewing the information and thinking up a quick misdirection in his actual affiliation. “I remember him,” he claimed, “Saxon, he's part of a small Ring over on the west coast.”

 

“Well, it looks like they're expanding out here,” Peter said. With nothing new to add, everyone split up to go back to their desks. 'Mike' 'SJ' and 'Benton' had been allowed to use a conference room for their work.

 

Making sure the door was closed, 'Benton' turned to 'Mike'. “He's Ring?”

 

“Codenamed the Master, responsible for several agent and political deaths.”

 

“Hanover knows about her meeting with the FBI,” 'SJ' pointed out.

 

“Do you think he'll try to kill the agents?” 'Mike' questioned.

 

“That would bring more FBI agents on his ass for killing a few of their own,” 'SJ' figured, “They might find a way to scare them off.”

 

“Any type of threatening would just make Burke angry,” 'Benton' cited, “He's the type.”

 

“So they'll try to destroy the case. Any evidence that's been collected, falsify others,” 'Mike' piped in.

 

“Discredit,” 'SJ' added, “Neal Caffrey. We need to keep an eye on him.”

 

“Keeping an eye on Larkin's clone,” 'Benton' grumbled, “This isn't what we came out here for.”

 

“We can watch Caffrey. The evidence should also be watched. We need to have a plausible reason to stay here,” 'SJ' brought up.

 

“Let's tell Burke,” 'Mike' suggested.

 

“No,” 'Benton' shot down.

 

“We don't mention the Ring. We say that Hanover might find a way to the evidence, that maybe one of the terrorist groups he's cleaning money for has someone to send in,” 'Mike' proposed.

 

“Burke's clean,” 'SJ' pointed out, “So are the agents in this division. It would work better to have them on our side than not. The Ring's more likely to force an agent to help them.”

 

The three filed back into the main part of the office. Neal was going out, so 'Mike' joined him. 'Benton' walked up to Peters office and knocked before being waved in. Jumping right in, he questioned, “How secure is the evidence against Hanover and the bank?”

 

Peter stared at him before asking, “Do you think Hanover is going to try and somehow destroy our evidence?”

 

“He has connections through his network inside the government. His first thought would be to stop the agents investigating, but he's not going to risk the wrath of the FBI for having you killed. So he's going to try and destroy your case.”

 

“The evidence,” he nodded, “Much of the paper are copies of electronic files. Having the originals someplace where they couldn't touched.”

 

“Away from the main evidence but still within the chain of custody,” 'Benton' supplied.

 

“Also limiting the people that could have access. My immediate team and your team would be the only ones. Locked away from the main holding area,” he suggested, thinking about the calls he would have to make.

 

While 'Benton' and Peter started increasing security on the evidence, 'Mike' was with Neal, helping him get coffee for the teams. 'SJ' was a few feet behind, tailing the both in case someone tried to attack. Neal had spotted her as soon as they stepped out. “So why exactly is your girlfriend following us?” he inquired.

 

'Mike' almost spit out his coffee. “She's not my girlfriend. I mean, she is my girlfriend but she's not following us,” he babbled.

 

“Right, which is why she's tailing us instead of joining us. What, does she think I'm going to steal you away?” he joked. The agent almost choked on his coffee, which caused him to raise an eyebrow while he calmed himself down. Waiting, he turned back to her. “It would be easier if you could carry you own coffee.”

 

'SJ' walked forward and grabbed the little tray from 'Mike'. “You okay?” she questioned.

 

“Fine, fine,” he lied, voice not higher than a whisper. He then stood up and offered to take the tray back. He carefully sipped his coffee while looking around. His eyes fell to a man that was on his cell, but kept glancing at the three of them.

 

Ring. Valist Kruck, former KGB now hired mercenary. Responsible for several attacks on US soil.

 

He motioned to 'SJ' about the man, who nodded and placed herself on the other side of Neal. “Shouldn't you two lovebirds be together?” he asked, not seeing the man that was following them.

 

“We need to get back to the office,” 'SJ' informed.

 

“And they can't know. Interoffice relationships,” 'Mike' interjected. He nodded and went back to his coffee, seeing a man standing a few feet in front of them.

 

Isaf Retch, Mossad agent and Ring member. Responsible for several deaths.

 

He paused and realized that the two agents had moved ahead of him before he shook himself out of it. Both looked at each other until he caught sight. No one said anything as they continued to move toward Federal Plaza. 'Mike' noticed Retch as well, meeting with Kruck and another person the Intersect reported him to be Erigric, former IRA. He glanced at 'SJ' who had finished her coffee and was prepared to fight. His coffee went into the trash and the one for 'Benton' went on Neal's tray for him to carry. “When the men attack, we want you to just head into the building,” 'SJ' informed Neal, “We'll take care of them. Just send a couple of agents for backup when you get up to White Collar.”

 

'Mike' argued before he could even say anything. “They want you, injured, kidnapped, whatever to make sure the case falls apart. We're not going to allow that to happen.” Neal knew he wasn't going to be much help, so he nodded to agree.

 

The three men moved so they were just behind the group, Erigric ready to grab the person that went toward the FBI building. 'SJ' waited until one man was close to him when she turned and slammed into him, lifting his weapon and pushing him back. 'Mike' had paused a fraction of a second before taking down the closer of the two, twisting the wrist and delivering two hits to the mans face before he forced him back with a solid chest blow. The second man approached with a knife. Spinning out of the way, he took the knife hand in his left and kept it in a hold while he kicked the side of a knee, bringing him down so he could deliver a chip to the neck, knocking him unconscious.

 

Neal had almost made it to the door when he was roughly grabbed. Justin Hanover had a gun digging into his ribs. “Mr. 'Halden',” he mocked. He winced when he felt the gun dig in even deeper. “Drop the coffees and walk toward the van,” he ordered.

 

However, whatever was in him had other ideas. Instead of pictures and information, it brought up a complicated move that would remove the gun from Hanover's hand and beat the man. His body started carrying it out before he even knew what was going on. The hand and gun were driven down with his left hand, his right arm slammed into his face, breaking his nose. The momentary distraction allowed him to sweep out Hanover's feet, dropping him to the ground. He kicked the gun away just as 'SJ' and 'Mike' came over, weapons drawn.

 

“You okay?” 'Mike' asked.

 

The headache started kicking up again after his action, but he wasn't physically injured. “Fine,” he replied.

 

“Lets get these guys inside,” 'SJ' suggested, looking over to Peter and the team, who had come out when someone had called up and told them what was happening.

 

“Justin Hanover, you're under arrest for attempted kidnapping,” Peter recited, pulling out his handcuffs and dragging him through the doors. Jones had Erigric while 'SJ' and Lauren walked in Retch and 'Benton' and 'Mike' got Kruck.

 

Neal waited for all of them to head in first before following. He made it up to the office before heading to the bathroom instead of his desk. Locking the door, he paced a few times before stopping and leaning against the wall so he could close his eyes and save his brain for a minute. “What the hell is going on?” he muttered. The information was weird enough, and it was shooting his reaction time. He couldn't control when it activated. If he couldn't control it, then he would have problems working. He didn't even want to know what would happen if someone found out about it. If they even believed what it was telling me. Moz's ideas about secret government projects sound extremely realistic right now.

 

'Mike' knocked on the door, asking, “Whoever has this door locked, could you please unlock?” Neal unlocked the door and moved back to his desk before 'Mike' could ask anything.

 

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

 

'SJ,' 'Benton' and 'Mike' bent over their work, but they weren't talking about the case. “Pretty boy like him wouldn't be pulling off the moves you saw,” 'Benton' commented, “He's not the type. Even if he is a clone of Larkin.”

 

“I know what I saw,” 'Mike' argued, “Besides, it makes sense with what I think is going on. Neal must have gotten on the computer after you and opened the program you couldn't download, which was an Intersect. My guess is two point oh, given the information I read. They somehow were able to extract it and created another.”

 

“Extract it from who?”

 

He sighed, “Bryce. I don't think we actually did recover his body and he was the only other one in the room when the download took place.” I haven't disappeared for long enough for them to get the information out of me and it could have been possible that he still took it in. His eyes were open and he wouldn't have died straight away from the gun wound.

 

“We need to find some way to prove that he has the Intersect. If he does, we have to tell Beckman,” 'SJ' declared.

 

“We'll have to watch him carefully for some of the same indications that he has,” 'Benton' motioned at 'Mike'.

 

“Or we could test him,” 'Mike' suggested, remembering how his father found out he had the Intersect.

 

“You have an idea?” 'SJ' asked.

 

“I have an idea,” he admitted.

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