DISCLAIMER: DO NOT OWN ANYTHING RELATED TO CHUCK EXCEPT CHARACTERS OF MY OWN CREATION.

TITLE: Chuck Versus Dead Man Walking

SUMMARY: Who knew? Bryce Larkin's death was only the beginning of things to come…

As Bryce Larkin laid slumped against the white walls of the Intersect room, sharp blue eyes trained on one Chuck Bartowski and his breathing becoming harsher with each second as he could feel life leaving him, he thought about the ones who mattered in his life. He thought about his parents and family, he thought about Sarah and her courage and strength, about Chuck and his ever lasting compassion. And as the light faded from his eyes, the last image he ever saw was the bright smile of a young boy with blue eyes just like his waving at him. And then…Bryce Larkin knew no more…

"Guys, I know Kung Fu…"

Sarah Walker and John Casey have never been stunned as they are now. Chuck Bartowski, bumbling funny Chuck doing Kung Fu? It's no wonder Sarah looked like she had just seen a ghost. Heck, even Chuck himself felt like freaking out right about now. It had never occurred to him that the new Intersect somehow had given him new abilities, he had just assumed it was the same old thing!

So the three of them stood there and continued to stare at each other in silence before Casey broke the serenity by moving to cuff the bad guys. How he even had handcuffs, Chuck didn't bother to ask nor did he need to know. Turning to look at Sarah, Chuck frowned as he became concerned with her silence. No, Sarah was normally not like this. But before he could ask her anything, Sarah made a beeline for the door and raced out. Chuck blinked in surprise before making his way to follow her.

But as he came to the outside hallway, the scene that greeted him nearly sent him to tears.

Sarah was on her knees as she leaned over Bryce's body, obvious tears in her eyes as her hand gently made to touch his face. And Bryce, his old college best buddy turned nemesis turned friend, just laid there motionless on the ground. The blue eyes once filled with spark and sometimes mischief were now glassy and dead. Chuck felt bile rising in his throat, suddenly the thought of Bryce being dead, watching him die, and now seeing his body just lying on the ground, it made Chuck sick and nauseated. He and Bryce were just starting to find faith in each other again, back to being close friends, and now one bullet had cruelly taken all that away, this time forever. After everything Bryce had risked, he didn't deserve to die. He was too young, heck, they were all too young.

Slowly walking up to Sarah and Bryce's body, Chuck got down to his knees next to Sarah and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He could feel her trembling and shaking. He could understand her pain of losing a loved one. And he knew that just like her, he too felt enraged and angered at the people who took Bryce's life. For the first time in Chuck's life, he felt a flash of hatred, hatred at the people, at this Ring group, that hadn't blinked an eye when they killed Bryce. He had never really thought about revenge, but now he understood those who wanted it, because he, Charles Irving Bartowski, wanted revenge for the death of his friend.

"Don't you touch him!"

She had screamed that when she saw them dragging Bryce's body outside, she had prayed against all odds that he was just simply unconscious, but his stillness and those dead eyes told Sarah everything. Bryce was gone and these people, these spies, had taken away one of the few people Sarah had ever come to trust in her life.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she stared down at Bryce's beautiful face. He was her first true love, he was the first person she ever felt safe with, and she always knew that he would come through for her. Somehow this second death was worse than the first. At least the last time she could make herself think about how Bryce had betrayed her and the country, that he was just another traitor. But now, now it was not so simple. Bryce had been the hero this time, risking everything to protect Chuck and the Intersect. He was even willing to walk away when she had chosen to stay with Chuck at Burbank. Sarah felt guilty, if she had just gone with him, if she hadn't stayed, maybe Bryce would still be alive. In her mind Sarah knows that she couldn't possibly control fate, but she felt like she had let Bryce down.

Gently reaching out to touch his face, Sarah traced his features for a while before laying her hand over his eyes and closed them. Then she leaned down close to Bryce and gave him a kiss on the forehead. She had always known that one day she and Bryce would die on the field, their job came with the risks, but faced with the moment, Sarah couldn't help but wish that it never happened. She never wanted to loose Bryce. Never.

She knew Chuck had appeared next to her and felt the hand had been on her shoulder. She didn't say anything though, what would there need be said? They both cared about Bryce, both were close to him. No word was needed to explain their common grief and loss. But still, Sarah took comfort in Chuck's reassurance, knowing that somebody understood her.

John Casey knew exactly where Bartowski and Walker had run off to, so when he came out to the hallway after making the call for a clean-up team, he was no where surprised to see both of them kneeling over Larkin's body. He stood off to the side, giving the other two some privacy as they grieved over the loss of Larkin, after all, he understood how close they were to Larkin, losing the now dead CIA agent had to have hurt.

Casey had to admit that even he felt a slight pang of sadness at Larkin's death. Sure he and Larkin had never gotten along. The kid was a smart alec and had too much arrogance and attitude for his own good. And between the NSA-CIA rivalry and the fact that Casey had been the one to shoot him the first time around, the two of them never really saw eye to eye on much of anything, except maybe protecting Chuck. Casey had to give Larkin credit for looking out for Bartowski, if anything, Larkin had come through when they had needed him, the kid was reliable in a crisis, and at a time like this, they could sure use Larkin's considerable knowledge. He may not have liked Larkin, the kid was a pain in the ass, but he sure as hell didn't want him to be dead.

Sounds of echoing footsteps reached Casey's ears as he turned and saw a clean-up team arrive. Giving them a signal to be stop and be quiet, Casey decided that he would give Walker and Bartowski a little more time to say their goodbyes to Larkin, the kid at least deserves that much.

Somewhere in a secret base…

A teenage boy sat up on his bed with a gasp. He was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, clearly because of what seems to be a nightmare. Before he could even process what had happened in his dreams, alarms suddenly blared loudly. The teenager jumped out of bed and raced for what looked like video monitors to see many men dressed in black and decked out with guns and many other weapons.

Without missing a beat, the teen dressed himself in record time as he could hear explosions as the gunmen tried to break down the entrance. Stuffing a bunch of computer chips and files into a ready sack, the kid's fingers then gracefully flew over the keyboard.

"Alert Level Five, Protocol Activated" A computerized voice stated loud and clear.

With everything all ready, the kid slipped into a secret passage that led to outside where a motorcycle was waiting for him. As he reached the bike, he turned back and gave one last look before getting on the bike and race away. He was needed in Burbank, he had made a promise.

As the motorbike left the premises in a hurry, an explosion ripped throughout the secret base.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Who is the mysterious child? What is happening? Wanna know? Then please review and all the secrets will soon be revealed!!!