Chuck Versus Season 1
He couldn't believe it. He gripped the wheel of his car tighter as he thought about Bryce Larkin. That bastard had told them he was on drugs, stole Jill from him and ultimately got him kicked out of Stanford! Basically, he'd ruined his life, and that wasn't exaggerating. He was going to be something when he got his Stanford degree, and he was going to have Jill with him, but no. Bryce bloody Larkin had seen to that. He was seething with anger as he finally pulled up outside of Echo Park where his sister lived.
When he'd called her and told her what happened, she'd been extremely disappointed as well as angry, but not at him. She wanted to kill Bryce Larkin just as much as he did. He'd listened to her cursing and swearing. She didn't believe he was on drugs and he was grateful for that, but he knew something was wrong with him.
He knew things he shouldn't. After he'd gotten an email from an unknown sender, with the number 992574317 as their name and opened it, curious to see what it was, he'd seen images and pictures; waking up in the morning to a blasting headache and Bryce standing over him with a concerned look on his face. Since then he'd been 'flashing' on things. It scared him, but he tried to ignore it. After all, he didn't want to think he was going crazy.
''Had a late night buddy?'' Bryce had asked. Chuck had just shook his head and asked for any kind of painkiller. When Chuck had gone to the bathroom to get ready, he'd come back out to grab his MP3 and speakers but he'd stopped at the door as he saw Bryce looking through his emails on the computer. His first thought was 'How the hell did he get into my emails?' where his second was 'Why the hell is he looking through my emails?' He'd seen Bryce open the email from '992574317' and then curse loudly when the screen went black and flickered off. He smashed the keyboard onto the desk and kicked the computer desktop so hard it smashed and the hard drive fell out. Chuck figured it wasn't in his best interests to interrupt Bryce at this moment as he put his face in his hands. He'd slipped back into the bathroom before Bryce could notice he was there, thinking Bryce knew something about that email.
He wasn't that bothered that the computer was dead, Stanford had paid for it and he was probably going to get another one in the next few days. He was bothered that Bryce had destroyed it, however. Why, after reading a random email of Chuck's, would he kill a computer? Computers were like his babies… He hadn't asked Bryce about the incident, and didn't question him even after Bryce told him that he'd 'fallen over and accidentally broke it'.
He shook his head of the memory and took the box full of Stanford souvenirs he wasn't sure he wanted to keep from the passenger seat. He walked through Echo Park and walked over to Ellie's apartment. She had the door open just as he passed the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, and rushed over to him, strangling him in her 'comforting hug'.
She lived with her surfer boyfriend, Devon, or as most people called him, Captain Awesome. Chuck had only met him three times on visits back to LA, but he seemed a nice enough guy, and Ellie was happy, so that was all that mattered.
He saw the tears in her eyes as she apologized after he had sat down on her couch in the living room and just stared at the box that sat on the table in front of him, containing all his Stanford memories.
Devon was working a night shift at the hospital, since he was a Doctor along with Ellie. He smirked; they were quite a match for each other. Ellie saw it and threw him a questioning look.
''I was just thinking how you and Devon are quite a good match, I mean your both Doctor's, you both love the outdoors, and exersize…'' he trailed off and smiled weakly at her.
She seemed to pick up on the fact that he didn't want to talk about Stanford, or Jill or Bryce, because she nodded and started to talk to him about some of the things he had missed when he was gone. He half listened to her, half zoned out. She talked about Devon and her for a while, then her job at the hospital, then onto Morgan. Chuck listened fully when she brought him up.
''Chuck, he'll be really happy you're here'' she smiled. ''He was pretty down when you first left, you know he isn't even thinking about getting out of his job at the Buymore and doing something better?''
Chuck grimaced. Morgan had been working at the Buymore since they had both left college, both going very separate, very different ways. He'd hated to leave him, but Ellie had told him that he had to do what was right for himself and his future. Plus, she'd promised to look after him. That had made him feel better.
''Has he got a girlfriend on the go or is he still bringing imaginary girls to your Sunday dinner's? He joked, smiling genuinely for the first time.
Ellie laughed and shook her head. ''Neither''
Chuck smiled again. Ellie was gradually making him forget about his Stanford crisis, and he was lucky to have her.
''You know, I could call him now if you want. He's probably just sitting on his Ps2 or something'' she said, already knowing the answer.
''How could I miss the chance to see my best buddy?'' he asked her. He kept the smile plastered on his face, but at the word buddy, his thoughts crept back to Bryce. He hoped Morgan would get here soon so he could try and forget again.
She got up and reached for the phone. ''You can do it''
He grinned and called the number he knew off by heart.
''Hey Mrs Grimes, is Morgan there?''
Bryce listened for a while as Ellie talked to Chuck about her life and what he had missed. Once he was sure that Chuck was safe, he walked back out of the apartment and went down to his car. He leapt in and started to drive to the airport. He was going to have to do this quick.
Chuck had the Intersect in his brain, but Fulcrum thought he had it. However, now NSA and CIA knew otherwise. It was their Secrets after all. He grimaced, if Chuck hadn't flashed in front of their professor that just happened to be CIA, he wouldn't be in this situation. He would have to destroy the new Intersect in order to keep Chuck alive.
That or upload it, but he wasn't too keen on having a mark that big on his head. Or in his head rather. He knew he could do it. He could get into the secure facility without raising attention, until people grew suspicious of what he was doing there. Then he'd have to start taking people out. He wouldn't kill them unless he had to; after all, they were on the same side. He thought of uploading it again. If he didn't, he'd be seen as a rogue agent, he'd have to run or try and turn himself in to the CIA to explain the situation. Turning himself in would be hard, seeing as Fulcrum was in every agency. If he did upload it, he'd still be seen as a rogue agent, only one with all the government's secrets in his head. There was a chance they would just eliminate him before he got a chance to share said secrets with anyone else.
If they did give him the chance to talk and explain, they would see him as a working Intersect, but one that was untrustworthy and then he would be killed and Chuck would live for however long until the next Intersect was built. He needed to get out of this alive, which meant destroying the Intersect or putting it in someone else's head. He didn't want to destroy it. As much as he wanted to save Chuck's life, the Intersect in a working agent would save many people's lives.
He shook his head as he stopped the car in the airports parking lot forty minutes later and gathered his bags and passport he'd hastily packed at Stanford. This was so complicated. He tried to think straightforward thoughts.
He'd already booked a hotel in DC. All he needed to do was flash his badge at the security in the airport to get the guns past. He'd get ready in his hotel room and then get a cab near to the secure facility holding the Intersect. The NSA and CIA would know he'd left Stanford and have extra Agents guarding it, probably top of the agencies chain.
Bryce grimaced at that. He didn't want to take out people who were good at their jobs, especially since they were guarding the country.
Once or if he managed to get to the Intersect room, he'd use the power surge option that was there for emergencies. All you needed was the password, which was a random set of numbers. Bryce knew exactly what they were. 992574317. The numbers the sender had used as his name on his email to Chuck. He knew it was from Fulcrum, trying to contact him. He was deep inside the organisation, and his own government were suspicious. Now he was missing, they would guess he was rogue. In a way he was. Fulcrum had tried to send him the Intersect, but had sent it to Chuck instead. He didn't know why, it was a stupid mistake. Most likely it was because whoever had sent it was about to be killed and panicked, sending it to the person whose name was right beside his on his little people of interest list. At least they had attached the new password code for the next Intersect, in case he wasn't the one to see the email. It was going to come in handy now.
He walked into the airport and immediately went over to security to organise a private jet. His CIA badge was sometimes his best friend.
Casey was sitting down on the seats outside the 'Intersect Room'. He knew that a presumably rogue agent might try and destroy it, but right now, after 16 hours of non stop patrolling corridors; he was bored. He sighed and played with his gun again.
No one had tried to get in yet, but apparently the rogue agent was travelling from Stanford, so he was guessing that if anyone was going to infiltrate the facility, it was going to be around this time judging by the distance he was travelling.
He stood up and began pacing the corridor. Beckman had told him about the Intersect, since he was the one guarding it, but she had left out some information he didn't need to know. He respected that; anything for his country.
His thoughts came back to reality as he heard the sound of an alarm going. Shit! He took the safety off his gun and glanced down the corridor.
If it were him infiltrating here, he'd want the best approach, the quickest easiest way. That was why the right side of the building was more guarded than the left, and that was why this rogue agent would try getting in from the weakened side.
He was about to turn the corner when he heard a dull thud come from the room right beside him; the Intersect room.
Of course, the direct… direct approach, would be to actually skip the corridors, and go straight to the room. The ceiling…
He pulled the keys from his pocket and slowly unlocked the door, thanking Reagan there wasn't a click to accompany it. He readied himself, then shoved it to the side as it slid wide open and aimed his gun at the man standing in the middle of the room with a bloodied face.
Who he saw when he looked past the blood nearly made him drop his gun.
''Bryce…?''
Bryce looked up and his face turned from stoic to shock. He stopped what he was doing and looked Casey in the eye.
''Casey…what the hell are you doing here?''
Casey's thoughts were jumbled to hell. Bryce was rogue? Bryce? Bryce? His gun was slack in his hand as he watched Bryce walk slowly over to him.
''Stay where you are Larkin''
Bryce didn't stop walking, he just slowed down.
''Casey, listen to me. I know what you're thinking, but this isn't right. If I don't do this their going to kill someone I care about and I can't let that happen. Their going to kill the other Intersect''
''Shut up and stop walking Bryce!''
''You won't shoot me Casey.'' He was pretty close now…a few more steps. ''I'll knock you out, make it look like you weren't involved''
Casey's thoughts were becoming clearer. He had to do his job…
''I'm not involved Larkin!'' He strengthened the grip on his gun, just as Bryce kicked it out of his hands and threw a punch, intending to knock him out. It made him see stars, but he launched towards Bryce's general direction and caught him at the waist, tackling him down. They skidded across the floor.
Casey felt a pang of regret as he did it; Bryce was only a kid in a way, 20 years old. Casey shook that thought away; he was only 8 years older. He felt Bryce kick his stomach but ignored it. Seeing clearer, he threw a punch at his head. Bryce rolled out the way and Casey's fist connected with the ground. He bit back the yelp of pain threatening to show itself and stood up just as Bryce did.
He noticed him glance towards the podium in the middle of the room. Casey noticed his mistake as soon as he glanced at it and tried to quickly look back at Bryce, but he was kicked in side and he stumbled back and hit the podium as he felt some ribs crack.
Was that a keyboard and a screen? Activate… No…no don't activate!
He looked up at Bryce as he grabbed Casey's collar and brought his hand back to hit him with a regretful look on his face.
''Bryce look at the screen!''
Bryce stopped and glanced at it. His grip on Casey loosened and he let go completely, walking backwards. His gaze flickered towards the door as it closed then towards the ceiling, where a tile was absent and then back to Casey.
''I'm sorry Casey''
You better be downright sorry you stupid kid! Wait, why was he saying sorry now… He glanced back at the screen and then back to Bryce, who was putting on … was that sunglasses? Is he insane?
Then the room went dark for a couple of seconds. Casey stood up straight and reached for his gun, forgetting it was lying on the ground somewhere. Then images appeared on every monitor in the room. As soon as Casey saw them his mind went into some kind of catatonic state. He just stood there, watching as images and pictures were flashing before his eyes, literally. He didn't know how long he stood there, and he wasn't aware of the banging on the door.
When the images finally stopped, the whole room went completely white again. It blinded Casey for a second, before he felt his entire head throb with pain. It made his vision blurry but he still tried to look around for Bryce. There were no black shapes against the white. His head throbbed again and he seemed to hit the floor without realizing he had lost his balance. He then felt a pain in his side. Had that little bastard broken his ribs? He didn't get to another thought as his head throbbed uncontrollably and the Intersect room door opened just as he passed out.