Hehe, I meant to write this last week and got sidetracked O.o Just a little idea that popped into my head during the episode!! Hope you enjoy it!! :D

The crack of the whip was deafening, the sound alone enough to make the other two agents wince in sympathy. A thin, mist-like pattern of blood had stained the floor, tiny, crimson beads gleaming in the florescent light. The air felt heavy, oppressive, and a sickening smell of blood and sweat filled the room.

"Stop it! You're going to kill him!" Sarah cried, tears flooding her eyes as the whip snapped through the air again.

Alexis turned toward her, a dark smirk curling her mouth on one side. "Of course I'll stop." She smiled sweetly and turned her attention back to the young man suspended to the board. "As soon as he tells me who the Intersect is."

Sarah struggled uselessly against her restraints, tears streaming down her face. Her wrists were raw from where they had been fastened together, even more so because of the jerking, sporadic movements she was making in an attempt to break free. "Chuck…" She whispered, begging for some kind of response from the limp man strapped to the board.

The agents couldn't decide what was more unnerving; the startling amount of blood that stained the younger man's back or the fact the Chuck hadn't made a sound in almost five minutes. She had told him to be quiet, begged him not to say anything that would draw attention to himself but Chuck's unceasing desire to be useful and help out had led him to speak out when Alexis made a grab for Cole. She took him instead, knowing that of the three, Chuck was the most likely to break and tell her everything.

Sarah wasn't sure what she wanted more: for Chuck to stay quiet or for him to say that he was the Intersect so the torture would stop. Part of her prayed that Alexis would get bored or frustrated and simply give up on him, turning to either she or Cole. They could take it; they were trained to take. Chuck couldn't.

The computer tech's breathing was harsh and labored, his face pale. A few droplets of blood had freckled his face and neck, sliding down into one another to form a thin stream. His eyes were glassy and vacant as if he were staring at something miles away that no one else could see. Sarah allowed herself a sad smile; she had told him to pass out if the pain became too intense and it looked like he had found a semi-conscious way to accomplish that. She had hoped he would never experience this. Ever. And he was so quiet…so unbelievably quiet that if Sarah hadn't heard the hitching breaths she would have been convinced that he'd simply gone into cardiac arrest.

The whip snapped again and she winced, squeezing her eyes closed as the shredded flesh across Chuck's back was ruined even more.

"For Christ's sake!" Cole growled angrily, his eyes narrowing at the deep, criss-crossing gashes that ripped through the muscles of the computer tech's back. "He doesn't know anything!"

Alexis shrugged one shoulder, a soft sigh escaping her lips as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world. "Everyone talks, agent Barker." She said quietly, pulling her arms back again for another strike.

The hit came hard and fast and Chuck blinked instinctively, his face showing the faintest glimmer of pain. He was lost in the recesses of his mind, the physical pain blocked by something he couldn't control. He'd heard once that in the event of trauma, the brain sometimes blocks out certain areas of the human consciousness to make the experience and little more manageable. He wasn't sure if that's what was happening now but it was working.

Chuck could faintly hear Sarah yelling his name, Cole calling his torturer all sorts of terrible names, but it sounded like it was coming through a set of earmuffs. The world was hazy, swirling around him, and he felt cold for some ridiculous reason. There was a sudden rush of movement behind him, other unfamiliar voices surrounding them. And then one voice that stuck out above the others. Casey…

The computer tech felt something shift in his mind and he was brought back long enough to hear Casey's voice behind him. Relief washed through him; as long as Casey was here everything would be alright. However, the brief brush with consciousness brought back the most overwhelming pain Chuck had ever experienced and he gasped, ice shooting through his veins. Even though he was suspended upright, Chuck felt like he was falling and his head rolled to the side. He saw the ceiling for a split second before his brain decided to do its nifty little black-out trick again and he slipped into unconsciousness.

So was it okay?? Fluffy stuff to come!!