I just found this story that I wrote several months ago (and here I thought my computer had eaten it). It takes place in season three, not long after Morgan has discovered Chuck's secret. Ellie's still in the dark and Team Bartowski is the trio we know and cherish (no Shaw!). It's a story about family and friendship, but most of all love. There's action, suspense, some cute scenes and some scary ones. So read on Chuck fans!
PS-The first chapter is the longest (Sorry, I'd break it up, but I think it's a little too late. You can always read it in pieces though :) Stick with it because the chapters do get shorter, promise. Anyway, hope you like this story, let me know what you think if you get the chance. Reviews are always welcome and very much appreciated!
Chuck Versus the Liability
Part One
Sarah Walker's phone was ringing. If she had been anyone else a call this late might have concerned her. As it was, the ringing sound only served as an annoyance. A big one. She'd already mentally prepared for a quick hot shower and then a good night's sleep. She reached for the phone, taking a second to note the name on the caller ID. Casey. Great.
"What's going on?" She didn't bother with a greeting. Casey wouldn't care.
"Agent Hoyt." Casey kept his voice low. She could hear the quiet hum of the Crown Vic he must have been driving in. "What do we know about him?"
Sarah sighed. Casey had barely left the party and already he was thinking about work. Hell, he'd probably been thinking about work straight through the festivities. He'd just been nice enough to wait until later to discuss it with her. Actually, for him, that was kind of impressive.
"Hoyt's CIA, pretty high up." Sarah slipped her gun out of her purse and placed it on the dresser. She paused a moment to look at a photo Chuck had given her. It was of the two of them, taken at one of Ellie's numerous dinner parties. She wondered what Hoyt would think of such things, mixing the personal with the professional.
"He comes and sits in for the big missions," she continued on, sliding the picture into a drawer. "He likes to compile reports on the agents involved."
"So you think he's evaluating us?" Casey's words were followed by his trademark growl.
"He's definitely evaluating us."
"Well do us all a favor then and keep Bartowski in line." She could hear Casey's car door slam as he spoke. "He may be an agent now, but he's also an idiot."
Sarah almost smiled. As much as Casey tried to hide it, she knew he was fond of Chuck. Their former asset was now a bona fide member of the team. Those from the outside who looked in on their little group rarely saw his true value though. Sure, there was the computer that swirled around in his head. But Sarah knew Chuck brought much more to the table. Unfortunately, she doubted Hoyt would see that.
"It figures that we'd finally get rid of Shaw for a week," Casey was still grumbling. "And now we're stuck with this guy."
"Well we have the courier," Sarah unpinned her hair, letting it fall back to her shoulders. "Once we have the memory card Agent Hoyt will be back on a plane to Washington."
"I'll have that courier talking first thing tomorrow." Casey sounded almost giddy at the thought. "He'll be begging to tell us where that card is."
"As long as he's in one piece." Sarah closed her curtains, but not before taking one last look out over the city. "Good night, Casey."
He'd already hung up. Sarah tossed her phone on the bed. Finally.
It had been a long day and she was perfectly ready for it to be over. She grabbed the robe out of her closet and headed for the bathroom. Just a few more minutes and then she could sink into bed.
Perhaps the blissful thought of sleep had distracted her, or maybe it was the image of Agent Hoyt sitting in Castle-her Castle, waiting to pick her team apart. But for whatever reason, Sarah Walker never heard the footsteps just outside her door. And she was already in the shower when the man slipped into her room.
Sarah closed her eyes and breathed in the steamy air, completely relaxed. Outside on the bed her phone was ringing. A hand quickly silenced it. The call would go directly to voicemail, but the photo of the caller still popped up, lingering for a moment. Bright eyes, goofy smile and a Buy More name tag reading Chuck Bartowski.
Agent William Hoyt prided himself on his work ethic. He had quickly risen through the ranks of the CIA, though his tactics had rarely won him friends. There was a reason he had been chosen to evaluate his fellow agents. He was great at it. He spotted problems quickly and he wasn't afraid to point them out. A team was only as good as its weakest link afterall. And this latest team had several candidates for that title.
Agents Walker and Bartowski, Colonel Casey…None of them had reported back to Castle after their evening out. Of course he had told them not to, but still, a good agent would have checked. And had any one of them done so then they would've known that the courier they had brought in was awake and maybe, just maybe, ready to talk.
Hoyt regarded the man. He'd been unconscious when Casey had dumped him in the interrogation room. Now he was alert, clearly anxious. One foot tapped the floor incessantly as his eyes darted around. He had no recollection of how he had gotten here, no knowledge of who they were or what they wanted. Hoyt could use that to his advantage. They needed to find that memory card. They needed to find it now.
Casey was distracted. It wasn't an excuse, merely the truth of the matter. It was the cake of course, the perfect slice of chocolate cake wrapped in tinfoil, that he'd nearly dropped while opening the door to his apartment. Amazingly enough, Morgan had made the cake. And more amazing still, it had actually been good. Casey lived mostly on frozen burritos, so the loss of any other food item could be considered tragic. And in his effort to save the cake, he had to admit that he'd been distracted. And that's how the guy got the drop on him.
The man was dressed all in black. Typical assassin. He held a gun in one hand, a silencer twisted neatly on the end. He'd been hiding behind an old bookcase, but now he raised the gun in one swift motion. Casey ducked. Suddenly his door had a new peephole. Crap. It was late. There were civilians asleep in the apartments around him. He didn't want one waking up with a hole in his head.
Casey dropped his cake and dove for the guy.
Sarah turned the handle on the faucet and waited as the water slowed to a trickle then finally stopped. It was then that she saw it. There had been a sliver of light coming under the bathroom door, but now something, or someone was blocking it. Perfect. So much for her good night's sleep.
Sarah toweled off quickly, then grabbed for her robe. Whoever it was, they weren't getting the satisfaction of seeing her naked. It was bad enough her gun was on the other side of that door. She glanced around, looking for any sort of weapon. There were scissors on the vanity. She'd used them to cut the wig she'd been wearing the day before. Now they were her last line of defense.
She took a second to tighten the knot on her robe. Then with scissors clenched tightly in her hand, she turned suddenly and launched herself at the door. With one strong kick, she knocked it clean off the hinges. It hit the intruder square in the face. Surprise.
The guy let out a grunt. He stumbled backwards, flailing wildly as he landed on her bed. Sarah charged after him. She knew he must have had a gun somewhere and then she saw it. It had fallen over near her dresser. She let go of the scissors as they both dove for it. Unfortunately for her, he reached it first.
The man turned on her, ready to fire, but she was ready too. Her foot shot out into a perfect side kick and again he was off balance. It took only one punch to knock him into the wall. A painting nearby fell to the ground. And then the wall started shaking as unseen fists pounded it from the other side. Her neighbors weren't happy.
"What the hell is going on over there?"
If only they knew. Soon enough the police would be called. The man must have realized that. Already he was heading for the door. She thought about following, but instead turned back for her gun. Her phone, where had she put it? It was still on her bed, hidden under the blankets the man had disturbed.
Sarah reached for her gun and hurried to dial Casey at the same time. It was then that realized she had a voicemail from Chuck. As she pressed the phone to her ear, she leaned out the doorway. The man had disappeared. And then suddenly Chuck's words registered. He was in trouble.
Had Agent Hoyt not been in with the courier, he might have seen exactly what had happened inside the Burbank Buy More. A series of surveillance cameras picked up the action. By the time it was over one man lay dead in the DVD section. Several others had fled the scene.
A grainy monitor in the corner of Castle was divided up into quadrants, each section showing another camera angle from the Buy More. In the bottom left corner you could see the dead man. And in the upper right, laying not too far away, was Chuck Bartowski.
Unfortunately for him, Agent Hoyt missed all of this. Several hours later, when he got around to checking the footage, all record of the event would be gone.
The door wasn't locked. That was the first thing she noticed. In fact the Buy More doors, which usually parted with a quiet hiss as she neared them, were already open. Casey, the ever security conscious Buy More employee, would have never left the place in such a state.
Sarah's gun was already out. She moved slowly, pressing herself against the wall just long enough to peer through the glass doors. She didn't see anyone. The place was empty.
She dialed Casey's number again. It rang several times before going to voicemail. She didn't leave a message. She wasn't quite sure what she'd say if she did. She stole a glance at her phone and redialed Chuck. And suddenly the silence in the Buy More was broken. She could hear music playing. It was the theme song of some movie Chuck had tried to get her to watch. It was also his ringtone. Sarah pushed through the Buy More doors and hurried towards the sound.
And then she tripped. She'd been prepared for many things, an attack maybe, but not a body. She didn't recognize the bloody man on the floor. But the bullet holes in his chest were hard to miss.
Sarah quickly untangled herself from the man's outstretched arm, not bothering to check on him. He was already dead and even if he wasn't, she still wouldn't have cared.
"Chuck?"
She saw him next, a short distance away. His eyes were closed. But there didn't seem to be any blood.
"Chuck!" She kneeled beside him. No answer. She reached out and shook him, then patted his face. "Chuck? Are you okay?"
Suddenly his eyes flew open. He gasped.
"Sarah!" He sat straight up as if he'd just woken from a nightmare. "Sarah, oh my god, I thought you were dead."
"Why Chuck? What happened?"
She helped him stand. He was a little shaky on his feet and she quickly grabbed his arm to steady him.
"I don't know, it's all kind of fuzzy." He reached around to the back of his head, then winced as she examined the bump that was forming there. "It was something he said."
"Who said?"
"The guy who came in here." Chuck's words slowed as his brain seemed to catch up to what he was saying. "We were just about to leave and-"
His eyes widened and Sarah could swear she saw the blood drain from his face.
"Oh my god." He wasn't even looking at her. Instead he stared straight ahead at no point in particular. His next words came out in one ragged breath. "Oh my god."
It was as if someone had shot off a pistol. Chuck took off running towards the door, Sarah chasing after him. She finally caught up with him fifty feet into the parking lot. He stood there under a lone street lamp. Besides her Porsche, his was the only car in the lot.
Chuck turned slowly, looking in all directions. She'd never seen him so scared.
"Chuck!" She grabbed his arm again, forcing him to face her. "What the hell happened?"
He just shook his head in disbelief.
"They're gone."
TWELVE HOURS EARLIER
Chuck Bartowski had many things to be thankful for. And of those many things, there was this: the outfit he was wearing, the job he was currently doing, none of it was real. He had long since outgrown this phase of his life. But still all the orange and brown was giving him flashbacks, and not the warm and fuzzy kind.
"Hi there." Sarah stood at the counter, wallet out, seemingly ready to order.
Chuck must have looked like the typical dead beat twenty something. Standing behind the cash register, trying not to breathe in the aroma of fried foods, staring at a beautiful girl he could probably never have. He had to remind himself that while this had once been his life, it wasn't anymore. Now his life was full of danger and excitement and that beautiful girl wasn't quite so far out of reach.
"What can I get you?" Chuck reached up to adjust the lovely, brown Frosty King hat that sat on his head. The logo in the center matched his ugly orange shirt. How had he gotten this job while Sarah got to play the sweet and overly flirtatious customer?
"Well that all depends…" She smiled. Okay, so this role was perfect for her. She leaned in and dropped her voice, but the smile stayed in place. "This isn't working."
"No, it's not."
Chuck could hear Agent Hoyt's voice in his earpiece. Already he didn't like the man. Even with the recent addition of Shaw, Chuck had always thought of Team Bartowski as a trio. At least Hoyt had stayed back in Castle, but that certainly hadn't stopped him from micromanaging them over the radio.
"Jansen isn't making a move," Hoyt said, as if that wasn't totally obvious.
Chuck looked over at the customer in the second booth by the window. All the intel pegged him as a low level courier. But the memory card he was supposedly ready to sell had to have been pretty important. The CIA didn't send big, fancy agents like Hoyt unless the mission was critical.
"I don't think the buyer's going to show," Sarah said quietly.
"Do we even know who the buyer is?" Chuck pretended to take her money. It was a sad fact that he could still operate a cash register perfectly.
"No." Hoyt muttered. "We were hoping to get him when he bought the card. Two birds and all."
"Give us a few more minutes." Sarah straightened, her voice getting a little louder, her demeanor more flirtatious.
"So…" She flashed a smile at Chuck again. If the courier was watching, he must have been jealous. "You want to give me a tour?"
Chuck grinned and went around to open the door for her. She followed him back behind the counter and through a maze of ice cream machines.
"Well let's hope we didn't get dressed up for nothing," Chuck whispered. "Casey might actually implode."
It was true, poor Casey didn't look happy at all. He was trapped on the other side of the counter, squeezed between two booths with a broom in hand. Chuck might have looked like a loser, but the horrible outfit suited Casey even less. Brown and orange were not his colors. And patience was not one of his many virtues. They were lucky he hadn't impaled any of their obnoxious customers with that broom handle yet.
"This is so weird." Chuck shook his head, glancing around at all the various grills and fry machines. "I worked at a place just like this in high school."
"Really?" Sarah seemed surprised. Somehow that made him feel better.
"Yeah, after Dad left I needed a job to help Ellie with the rent."
"You're a good brother, Chuck."
"Well she was trying to work and stay in school and take care of me." Chuck had almost forgotten how hard things had been. "It seemed only fair."
"Well you've both come a long way," Sarah reminded him. This was true. Ellie's path had always been obvious, but back then, working behind the counter, Chuck could never have imagined the life he had now.
"Ellie used to come over to the restaurant between classes and we'd talk about the future. I think she was worried I'd get stuck in some dead end job."
Chuck thought about that as he tossed a burger onto the grill.
"Which is probably what she still thinks."
"I doubt that."
"Sarah, to her, I'm just another employee at the Buy More."
There was no getting around that fact. All the other important people in his life knew his secret. But Ellie, the person who'd practically raised him, was probably wondering where she'd gone wrong.
"Chuck, I'm sorry."
Chuck slid the burger off of the grill, flipped it onto a bun and added the necessary toppings.
"Don't be." He sighed. "At least the Buy More looks better than this place."
Sarah nodded and reached out to adjust his name tag. There was even a little smiley face next to the "Charles." She pressed her lips together, suppressing a laugh.
"Although I like this outfit better."
Chuck grinned, he had to give her that one. And then he suddenly made a turn towards the shake machine.
"Ellie always loved these milk shakes I'd make."
Sarah watched as he handled the machine like an expert. She seemed oddly impressed.
"I'd mix up all of the toppings. Seriously, she was obsessed with them."
Chuck spun around and proudly handed Sarah a Styrofoam cup.
"For you."
"Alright you two," Casey's voice suddenly came over their earpieces. "How about a little less reminiscing and a little more catching the bad guys?"
Clearly the outfit hadn't softened him any.
"I think the Colonel's right." Now it was Hoyt's turn to weigh in.
Crap, Chuck had forgotten about him. He never failed to tell some personal or embarrassing story when government agents were listening in. He put the milkshake down, making a mental note to come back for it later.
"Alright." He reached up and pulled off his hat, messing up his hair a bit. They did have to sell it, afterall. Then he took Sarah's hand and they made their way back to the counter.
"Thanks for the tour." She winked at him.
Their courier was still in the booth, clearly impatient by this point. He checked his watch. Chuck knew he'd been sitting there for an hour already. The buyer wasn't coming. In fact the courier was the last customer in the place. Perfect.
Hoyt's voice crackled over the earpiece.
"Take him."
Chuck nodded to Casey. The man had suffered enough. He might as well get to do the honors. And so as their courier wadded up his trash and headed for the door, Casey turned to follow. He leaned the broom up against the trashcan, then pulled out the tranq gun that he'd carefully hidden under his vest.
The courier was two steps from the exit when he passed the hallway that led to the bathrooms. Casey shoved him sideways, so anyone outside couldn't see what he was about to do. And then just like that the courier was sprawled on the ground.
Chuck grimaced. He didn't even want to think about how dirty that floor was. But at least this mission was done for now.
"So," He glanced back at Sarah. "How about that shake?"
The box was large and shaped like the refrigerator it was supposed to be carrying. It was the perfect way to smuggle the courier into Castle. The Buy More was getting a shipment today, hardly out of the ordinary.
Casey grunted as he lifted the box onto the dolly. Chuck's effort to help was met with another grunt, this one seeming to convey amusement.
"Fine, have at it, big man." Chuck couldn't wait to see how he got that box down the stairs. He and Sarah would be waiting at the bottom to find out.
"Agent Walker."
They were barely into Castle when Hoyt appeared.
"You didn't see anyone out of the ordinary approaching the restaurant?"
"Everyone going into that place was out of the ordinary." Chuck smiled then realized too late that his attempt at friendly conversation was lost on Hoyt. And Sarah looked more annoyed than charmed.
"I waited here for half an hour." She approached a screen with various maps then pointed to a street next to the Frosty King. "But I didn't see anyone suspicious."
"And you?" Hoyt turned to Chuck. Oh, so now it was his chance to talk.
"No flashes."
"Well, that's disappointing."
Indeed. Chuck collapsed into one of the chairs. He was thankful to be back in Castle and away from the smell of fried foods. But he was not so thankful to be back in Hoyt's company.
"Maybe the intel was wrong." Sarah sat down across from Chuck, but Hoyt remained standing.
"Or maybe you scared the buyers off."
"Agent Hoyt, with all due respect, this was your plan," Sarah reminded him. "And I don't think they made us."
"Oh, because you two were so great at playing young lovers?"
"I actually thought we were." Chuck leaned forward in his chair, his eyes darting from Sarah to Hoyt. "I know you haven't been here long, but Sarah and I are pretty good at this."
"I can see that." Hoyt half smiled. It was clear he remembered Chuck's earlier conversation with Sarah. Apparently sharing details of one's personal life was frowned upon. People's friendships, their stories, their histories, Hoyt didn't care about any of that. He was one of those annoying by the book types. A professional. But an annoying one.
"None of this changes the fact that we still don't know where that memory card is," Hoyt had started up again. Just the sound of his voice was grating. "The courier didn't have it on him."
"What is on that thing, anyway?"
"That's classified information, Agent Bartowski."
Fine then. This guy certainly wasn't winning any friends.
"Heads up!" Casey called out.
Chuck leapt out of his chair as a huge box tumbled down the stairs behind them. Casey slowly followed it down.
"Is that what I think it is?" Hoyt regarded the box with dismay.
"He slipped." Casey hardly seemed worried as he unpacked the box's contents. Jansen, the unfortunate courier, didn't move. Chuck sat down again and swiveled his chair to face Hoyt.
"In his defense, we did ask for an elevator earlier this year."
Casey actually smiled at that. And then he tossed Jansen over his shoulder and headed towards the interrogation room.
"Nice job, Colonel," Hoyt yelled after him, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"He wasn't going to wake up for a few hours anyway."
Casey and the courier disappeared. The room fell silent. It was awkward. Finally Chuck stood up and checked his phone. He was already late.
"And on that note…" He moved forward and patted Hoyt on the shoulder like an old friend. "Listen, I had a great time today." Lies, all lies. Hoyt seemed to know that. "But duty-family duty actually-is calling."
"Agent Bartowski-"
"I already cleared it with the general." Chuck grabbed his Buy More jacket and slid it on easily. "I need tonight off. And Casey-" He gestured at Casey as he came back into the room. "Casey said that the guy would be out for awhile, didn't you buddy?"
Casey gave a barely perceptible nod.
"Well then my work here is done."
Chuck felt way too satisfied walking out on Hoyt like this. He knew it wasn't a good idea, but he just couldn't help himself. The job was going well, he and Sarah were in a good place and he had big plans for the evening. He was feeling unusually confident, even under Hoyt's watchful gaze. And maybe he was simply defending his territory. Their team ran a certain way, a way that worked for everyone involved.
"I'll be back first thing tomorrow." Chuck headed towards the stairs. "Sarah, I will see you tonight at eight."
"I have some supplies to pick up." Casey gave Hoyt another unwelcome pat on the shoulder as he moved past him.
"I'll see you both at oh seven hundred." Hoyt was clearly displeased. Neither Chuck nor Casey bothered to look back as for once they were on the same page. Their march up the stairs was a silent show of solidarity that Hoyt could not have missed. Chuck lowered his voice as they finally reached the door to the Buy More.
"Thanks Casey."
Another barely seen nod from Casey.
This was how a true team worked. They stuck together. Take that Agent Hoyt.
"Quite a team we have here."
Sarah hated the way he used the word "we." She wondered what exactly the general had told this guy. Was he suddenly in charge of them? Hoyt had only been here two days, but he certainly acted more like a boss than a colleague.
"Look, Agent Walker-"
"Sarah." If they were going to be working together for any length of time, she might as well try to be nicer. It might get her farther in the long run.
"Alright then, Sarah-" He finally took a seat across from her. He folded his hands and leaned forward a little, clearly sensing her unease. "I know we might have gotten off on the wrong foot here, but I have a mission to complete."
"This memory card seems pretty important."
"It is."
She wasn't sure if he was going to continue. He didn't seem to know what to say. Then finally- "Look, I'll be straight with you."
"I would appreciate that."
"I have a secondary mission to evaluate this team." He held up his hands as if defending himself. "Nothing bad. As far as we can tell you've been doing terrific work here. But obviously Chuck Bartowski's an important guy."
"In more ways than one." Sarah wanted to make sure he understood that. Chuck wasn't just the Intersect.
"Of course." Hoyt turned towards a monitor in the corner. There was the surveillance footage from the Buy More. Chuck could be seen in one corner, heading over to talk to Morgan. "Your boy has a lot of distractions though."
"He has a life," Sarah corrected him. "And it makes him a better agent. He understands what the stakes are."
"The fact that he was so eager to get out of here tells me he doesn't."
"Look Agent Hoyt." Now it was Sarah's turn to lean across the table. "Tonight happens to be important to Chuck."
"And to all of you apparently."
"Yes, I'll be there. Yes, Casey will be helping out. We do that." Her words came pouring out faster than she meant them to. "We help each other. It's good for the team and it's good for our cover."
"Look, I didn't mean to make you angry."
"You haven't."
She was obviously lying. Hoyt could see that.
"I have a lot of work to do tonight." He stood and moved over to a small laptop he had set up. "We don't know who was planning on buying that memory card, but we have teams monitoring several prospective buyers. I'm going to go over some of their intel, see if we can put the pieces of this puzzle together."
"Would you like some help?"
"No, I think I'll be fine." Hoyt turned his back on her. His fingers were already flying over his keyboard. She'd basically been dismissed.
"And what if the courier wakes up?"
"The colonel's right, those tranqs were strong." Hoyt looked at the large, steep, staircase. "And his little tumble probably didn't help any. He'll be out for awhile."
"Alright then," Sarah stood. "Call us if something comes up."
"Don't worry, I will."
Why in the hell had he taken the Nerd Herder? Seriously. If he was trying to look like a grown up with any potential of ever having a real job, this was not the way to do it.
Chuck glanced over at his sister in the passenger seat. She didn't seem bothered by the way this evening had turned out so far. But Ellie was also pretty good at hiding her disappointment. Between her parents and her occasionally absent brother, she'd had a lot of practice.
"El, I'm sorry." Chuck watched as she took a sip of her drink, the shake he had bought her at the fast food place he'd worked at in high school. Oh god. She wasn't quite meeting his eyes. "I know dinner didn't go exactly as planned."
"It's no big deal Chuck, really."
"Well no, it is." He slowed the car at the next stoplight. "I mean it's your birthday and I wanted to do something special."
How had he forgotten to make those dinner reservations? And why hadn't he just called Sarah? The CIA could certainly pull a few strings. But then again, if Hoyt found out he was using his job to get a table at a restaurant… That wouldn't be a fun conversation.
"Chuck really," Ellie smiled as he snapped back to attention. "It's okay."
"I can't believe I took you back to that horrible place." He shook his head as he drove on, hoping that he could pull this night back from the brink. "Why didn't you stop me?"
"I thought it was sweet."
Oh god, she was serious.
"Are you kidding me?"
"Chuck, you worked there for two years so that I could go to school and we wouldn't be homeless." He was coming off better now, apparently his ongoing occupation at the Buy More hadn't completely ruined Ellie's view of him.
"And besides, I always enjoyed our dinners there." Again, she was being totally honest. "Between your school, and work and Morgan time, I never would have seen you otherwise."
That was true. This was all true. He'd never realized how much she'd apparently valued those crappy fast food meals they'd shared. Chuck managed a smile of his own.
"Morgan always was high maintenance."
"Plus he was going through that phase back then, remember?" Ellie rolled her eyes. "Where he kept hugging everyone."
"That was just you."
Ellie nodded as she swallowed the last of her shake.
"That should not have surprised me."
Oh Morgan. He and Ellie had gotten Chuck through a lot. It was amazing to look back and remember a time before the Intersect. He'd gotten so consumed in this exciting new life that he'd almost forgotten the joys of his old one. Simple things, like eating terrible food with his sister-that to him was just as important as any mission.
And then just like that the spy life came back.
He'd noticed the van behind them several blocks earlier. It seemed odd that it was still there. Chuck took a quick turn just to be sure. The van disappeared from view, just for a moment, and then suddenly there it was again, taking the turn with them.
Chuck slowed down. Maybe if the van got closer he could see the face behind the wheel. Maybe then he could flash. If they were in trouble he wanted to know how bad it really was. He glanced over at Ellie again.
"What?"
She could read the concern on his face. Chuck checked the rearview mirror. He still couldn't see the driver. It was time to make a decision.
"Chuck-"
He hit the gas. The van behind them accelerated also, faster than he had expected. Before he knew it, they were almost bumper to bumper. Chuck glanced in the mirror one more time, hoping to flash.
Suddenly a swirl of images passed in front of his eyes. But it wasn't the driver's face he saw. There were facts, diagrams, pictures of steering wheels and engines and gears. Was that a race car? And then the flash was over. And Chuck had just become the world's most badass driver. He suppressed a smile. Awesome.
Chuck yanked the wheel hard. The tires skidded. He could smell the burnt rubber, but the car made the turn. The Nerd Herder flew down the alley, the van in hot pursuit.
"Chuck, what are you doing?" Ellie's eyes had widened considerably. They sped through a yellow light as she grabbed at her seat. "Seriously, you need to slow down now."
But he didn't. He couldn't. Another car pulled out in front of him and he swerved quickly to avoid it. And now he was in oncoming traffic.
"Chuck!"
He tried to block out the yelling, but he was obviously scaring the hell out of his sister. He pulled the steering wheel to the right and hit the accelerator again as they veered into the correct lane. The van was now two blocks back.
"Ellie, hang on."
He took a quick left turn, then another right, hitting the brake just long enough to keep them from ending up on two wheels. Ellie was suddenly silent and he couldn't see the look on her face. He didn't want to.
Chuck jammed his foot on the gas and the speedometer jumped again. He heard the engine straining to shift gears. He took one more turn and suddenly they were alone. The van was nowhere to be seen.
Chuck hit the brakes and let the car slow to a halt. He turned the engine off. The neon glow of the Buy More sign lit up the car as he finally dared to look at Ellie.
"Sorry… there was a tailgater."
Had he really just said that? Ellie simply nodded, her eyes focused on some point out in front of them.
"Chuck." She took a deep breath and pried her fingers from the handle above the door. "I am totally taking back that race car game you asked for last Christmas."
Fair enough.
Chuck glanced around the parking lot, realizing that his car had just advertised to the world where they might be going. Again, strike two for driving the Nerd Herder. If the guys who had followed them had any brains at all, they'd be here soon enough. He quickly unlocked the doors then hopped out of the car.
"Come on, let's go."
"Where?" Ellie leaned forward and was finally able to see their location. The store was dark, but the sign was probably visible from space. "Chuck, why are we at the Buy More?"
"I forgot something."
"Well, I can wait in the car."
That was definitely not a good plan. He moved around the hood quickly and opened his sister's door for her.
"I don't think that's a great idea." He tried to pass it off as good old sibling protectiveness. "It doesn't seem safe to leave you out here alone."
"We're in Burbank."
"Still." He flashed her a smile. "Safety first."
Well if she hadn't thought he was insane before… Ellie reluctantly got out of the car.
"Grimes!" Casey stood slowly, willing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He could hear a crackling sound over the radio. Count on Morgan to use some Buy More piece of junk when he had perfectly good government issued radios in his car.
"I read you, Casey."
Morgan sounded nervous. Casey should have known he wasn't up for this mission.
"Have you secured the package?" Casey paused and flattened himself against the wall, trying to peek around the corner. He could just make out some movement across the room. Probably civilians, but it could also be that their targets were early.
He suddenly realized that Morgan hadn't answered him yet.
"Grimes!"
"I have the package." Morgan was breathing heavily, obviously running. Of course he was late.
"Listen to me very carefully." Casey raised the cheap little radio to his face, the better for Morgan to hear the seriousness in his voice. "Do not drop that package, do you hear me?"
"It's heavy."
"Which would be your fault, not mine," Casey hissed. "You volunteered for this, remember?"
"Don't worry, I got it."
The radio crackled again, then went silent.
"Grimes?" Nothing. Casey cursed under his breath and stole a glance around the corner again. There was no sign of him. "Morgan!"
"I'm here." More static and then- "Sorry, I thought I heard something for a second there."
"Was it the sound of your own footsteps?"
"Yeah," Morgan didn't seem to catch the sarcasm. "Maybe."
Casey resisted the urge to bang his own head into the wall. And to think this kid was his boss at the Buy More.
"Alright, here's what I need you to do." Casey spoke slowly. He didn't want to confuse Morgan. He could see his tiny bearded form huddled behind a refrigerator thirty feet away.
"You need to get that package to the table. It's at your three o clock position."
"Where's that?"
"Do you know what a clock is, Grimes?"
"Sure, but I've gone digital," Morgan sputtered, his nerves continuing to get the best of him. "You know, pretty little numbers on the iPhone."
"Take a right idiot!"
"What?"
"Walk five steps forward then take a right." Casey watched Morgan and waited. He wasn't moving. "You do know which direction right is don't you?"
"I can't do it man. It's too dangerous. They could be coming right now!"
"Morgan, either you deliver that package or I will deliver you through a window."
"It's too soon," he protested. "We should just wait."
"Someone's coming!" Now it was Awesome's turn on the radio. "Morgan, go!"
"Guys-"
"Go!"
Apparently two voices yelling at him had the desired effect. Morgan was off and running, the package balanced carefully in his hands. He stumbled once and Casey's heart dropped. But then just like that he righted himself and the mission seemed to be saved.
"Woodcomb," Casey whispered back into the radio. "You good on your end?"
"I got this man."
Morgan took one more step, nearly falling into the table as he threw the cake onto it. He dove behind a display case as the doors to the Buy More came open. Devon flipped the lights on. Dozens of people suddenly appeared as Casey pulled the cord to drop the balloons.
"Surprise!"
Ellie jumped, grabbing her brother's arm as he led her through the doorway. And then suddenly she smiled. Casey smiled too. Mission accomplished.
"Wow." Ellie looked around in amazement. The last of the balloons fell at her feet as her friends clapped wildly. "Just… wow."
Chuck couldn't help but grin as Ellie reached over to hug him. At least the night hadn't been a total loss. Thankfully the boys had come through for him.
"Happy Birthday, El."
"You're the best brother ever." She was actually giggling. Her eyes were all shiny and Chuck realized she was crying as well. "Terrible driver, but awesome brother."
"And speaking of Awesome…" He gestured towards Devon who was heading down the aisle towards them, a big bouquet of flowers in hand. Ellie let go of her brother and rushed towards her husband in a fit of excitement.
"I thought you had to work!"
"On your birthday?" Devon pulled her in for a long hug. "Come on, babe. I wouldn't miss this."
"I still can't believe it." Ellie shook her head as Devon handed her the flowers. Roses of course. "Chuck, your boss is gonna kill you."
"Nah, what he doesn't know can't kill me." Chuck could only hope that was true. "Besides, Morgan's the assistant manager and he's in charge for the evening."
"Where is that furry little fellow anyway?" Devon glanced around, leading Ellie through the crowd. Various friends came up to greet her and there were hugs and kisses all around. And then they reached the table with the ridiculously large cake. It was three tiers high and covered in chocolate frosting and candles. The words "Happy Birthday Ellie!" were scrawled expertly across the top. Ellie stopped dead in her tracks.
"Oh my god, it's beautiful."
"Yes!"
Even from across the room, Chuck could hear his friend's exclamation of joy.
"Do you really like it?" Morgan practically leapt over the display he'd been hiding behind. His words were coming out faster and faster as he hurried over to Ellie.
"I swear, I practiced for like a week on this thing. This is number eight and I think this one might just be perfect." He looked at Ellie and it was so totally obvious that he adored her. "Because really, you deserve a perfect cake."
Chuck swore he saw Ellie wipe a few more tears from her cheeks. She put her arm around Morgan and the two of them took another moment to admire his creation.
"It's amazing."
Ellie seemed truly happy. So far, so good. Unfortunately, Chuck couldn't forget the van that had been following them. Of course, of course he couldn't get one fun night with his family, not without some job related madness getting in the way. If he had to leave now to deal with this, he didn't know what he'd tell Ellie.
"Sarah!"
Chuck spotted her over by the big screen TVs. Already a few of the guests were playing a lively game of Rock Band and Sarah was watching them with fascination. Clearly she'd never tried it. If they had time later, Chuck would have to fix that.
"Hey." He gently pulled her away. "We may have a problem."
"What problem?" Casey was suddenly there too. He pointed a finger at Chuck. "You specified the type of cake, the color of the balloons, the games. Now if there's a problem, that's on you."
"I didn't mean the party." Chuck definitely needed to clarify. "The party's great."
Casey nodded and there was the tiniest hint of a smile. Chuck stared at him for a moment. Wow, in another life Casey could have been a party planner. Weird.
"What's the problem, Chuck?"
Sarah's voice snapped him back to attention. Chuck led the team behind a huge stack of DVDs. The music had already started blaring, so luckily no one would be able to hear them.
"I think we were followed."
"By who?" Sarah poked her head out from behind the display. Devon had been in charge of the guests. There was no way they could tell who belonged and who didn't.
"I don't know." Chuck shook his head. "I saw a van, but it was dark and it was hard to see with all of the headlights."
"Great job, Bartowski." Casey sighed in disgust, already in mourning for his perfect party. He turned and headed towards the home theater room. Chuck rushed to follow him.
"Where are you going?"
"Back to Castle to get my big guns." He shoved past several party goers. "I figure they might come in handy if a group of armed terrorists crash your sister's party."
"Wait." Sarah stepped out in front of them. "We can't get to Castle from here. Hoyt secured all the doors into the Buy More."
"What? Why?"
"He knew about the party." She had to shout a little as the music came up again. "He was worried somebody might find their way in."
Casey made a face.
"What kind of operation does he think we're running here?" He was truly offended now. "Does he really think we'd let these people…" He trailed off and Chuck turned to see what had caught his eye. Casey let out a low growl.
"Chuck, what kind of car does Jeff drive?" Sarah had seen them too. Chuck shook his head. Of course.
"He drives a van."
Of course.
He turned to regard his team. This was embarrassing. Now Casey really was smiling.
"Thanks." Chuck nodded. He could take his lumps. He'd just been involved in a high speed chase… with Jeffster.
"I got this."
Sarah and Casey quickly disappeared as Jeff and Lester approached. In fact the entire crowd seemed to part as they made their way across the Buy More.
"Charles," Lester spoke first. Jeff stood there with a blank stare as Lester slowly began to circle Chuck. "So we meet again."
"What are you guys doing here?"
"I think the real question is, why weren't we here earlier?"
"Because you weren't invited." And that was totally true. Chuck had spent half of his morning reminding them of that fact. The other half had been spent making sure that Morgan kept the location a secret.
"We left Happy Hour Chuck, which is the only time that Jeff really comes alive."
Jeff gave a quick nod of confirmation. Clearly the alcohol was still flowing
through his brain, but Lester was just getting started. He pressed his finger into Chuck's chest as he attempted to shove him backwards. The attempt failed, but Lester wasn't giving up that easily.
"We left so that we could go and stake out your sister's apartment-"
God, hopefully Ellie never heard that.
"We left so that we could get in Jeff's smelly van," He was really ramping up now. "With god knows what bodily fluids on the carpet-"
Ew.
"We left-" Lester's voice nearly broke as it reached a pitch that few humans could hear. "We left so that we could follow you back here to our place of employment?"
"That sounds about right."
"You could have saved us three hours, man!" Lester reached out and grabbed his shoulders. He shook Chuck, apparently trying to get through to him. "Three hours in Jeff's van!"
"And you could have listened to me when I told you that you were not invited," Chuck reminded him. "You could have spent those three hours in the bar instead of stalking me to find this party."
Lester let go of him then turned and grabbed the Rock Band microphone from a passing partygoer. Suddenly his voice was back to normal.
"I'll take that as an apology."
He and Jeff walked away. One of Ellie's friends looked over at Chuck.
"Interesting guys."
She had no idea.
Lester was faster than Chuck had expected. He and Jeff had managed to get their "Jeffster!" banner unfurled and were halfway through hooking up the sound system when Casey caught wind of their plan.
"Buddy, really, it's not worth it!" Chuck called after Casey as he chased Lester down.
"Yes it is!" Casey muttered. Lester took a sharp turn into the Home Theater room and they both disappeared.
"Alright then." Chuck pushed himself up onto the Nerd Herd desk. This was perfect. From here he could see everything, including Jeff, who was huddled inside an open freezer, hugging his keyboard. Oh well, Casey would find him soon enough.
Happily, no one else seemed to notice the commotion. Devon was over at the karaoke machine, serenading Ellie with an 80's classic. A large group of her friends had gathered around to witness the event and Ellie was blushing like crazy. Seriously, Chuck was going to have so much to tease her about tomorrow. This was the mother lode.
Devon finished the song with one long, off-key note and the ladies went wild. He was obviously a popular guy. But in the end, he reached out for Ellie. And that was all Chuck needed to see.
"Nice work, Agent Bartowski."
Sarah had snuck up beside him. She really did look lovely tonight. Her hair was pulled back and the blue dress matched her eyes perfectly. Best of all she was smiling, seemingly relaxed after a long, crazy day.
"I don't think Ellie's going to forget this night any time soon."
"That was sort of the plan." Chuck patted the spot next to him on the desk. "Hop on up."
She did just that. Chuck held out a small bag of popcorn to her. The machine had been one of Morgan's better ideas. Sarah took a handful and together they sat there, feet dangling, munching on popcorn.
"This is so much better than I thought it would be." Chuck marveled at the scene. "I mean I figured we could do it, but honestly, putting a party in the hands of Casey and Morgan…"
"That's what I call trust." Sarah tried not to act surprised as Lester then Casey went charging right past them.
"More like insanity," Chuck corrected her. "But the good kind."
And as if on cue, Morgan appeared next to them.
"That-was epic!" He managed to gasp. He was out of breath, having just jammed on the drums in a twenty song Rock Band gig. Chuck clapped him on the back.
"I have to hand it to you buddy, you totally pulled this off."
"Well you and Awesome seemed busy," Morgan coughed as the air finally returned to his lungs. "And I figured we could shake things up a bit."
"Interesting choice of locale." Sarah grabbed some more of Chuck's popcorn as Morgan turned to look at her, having suddenly recovered. He was only too happy to share the genius of his plan.
"Are you kidding?" He seemed shocked that she might be. "It's perfect! Who's going to expect a surprise party at the Buy More?"
Chuck watched his sister as her friend gently pushed her up to the karaoke machine.
"Certainly not Ellie."
There was a loud crash as Lester ran head on into a Beast Master. Casey managed to stop short before there was a full blown pile up but several bystanders got caught up in the mess. A large display of DVDs rained down and Morgan clapped his hands together.
"This is so great! The 'you break it, you buy it' rule still applies." He punched Chuck lightly on the arm. "Do you know how much money we could make off this thing?"
Between the drunken guests and the pricey electronics, Chuck was guessing a lot. He never got a chance to answer Morgan's question though. His best friend had apparently spotted Ellie standing alone in front of the microphone. Uh-oh.
"Is he-?" Sarah stopped short, her mouth dropping open as Morgan made a mad dash for the karaoke machine.
"Yep."
Something told Chuck that his little friend was cueing up a duet. Ellie looked over at her brother. But Chuck just shrugged an apology. He couldn't save her from this one.
The music started and Morgan grabbed a second microphone. Ellie tried to hide her face in her hands as he threw an arm around her and started to sing.
Chuck could feel Sarah shaking beside him, trying so hard not to laugh. But finally she couldn't help it anymore.
"I'm sorry," she giggled as Morgan's singing got louder. Holy crap, was that country? "This might just be the best party ever."
Chuck started laughing too. Ellie was going to kill him, but it was totally worth it.
"Sarah, I honestly can't argue with that." Chuck offered her some more popcorn and together they watched the train wreck that was Morgan's love for Ellie… set to music.
It was well past midnight when the party finally wound down. Most of the guests had left already. Devon had a procedure later that morning, so he'd ducked out early, taking a very drunk and very vocal Morgan home with him. Chuck had heard him singing right up until Awesome had dumped him in the car. Sarah had said her goodbyes a few minutes after them.
Amazingly the Buy More showed no signs of the party they'd had, which was good considering it'd be open for business in just a few hours. It turned out John Casey was a one man clean up crew. Chuck had been in his spotless apartment, so really he wasn't that surprised. But he was definitely appreciative, especially since the eventually unavoidable Jeffster! Concert had involved clearing three aisles for a stage.
"Good party, huh Bartowski?" Casey strolled over carrying the slice of cake that Morgan had so carefully wrapped up for him.
"Thanks so much for your help."
"Well," Casey smacked him on the back. "Now you owe me one."
Chuck didn't want to know what that meant. But he had a few guesses. He was secretly rooting for a job taking care of the famous bonsai tree. The other tasks he could think of weren't nearly so pleasant.
"I'll finishing locking up." Casey tapped the key ring on his belt. He was all business now. "Just make sure you set the alarm then leave out the back door."
"Will do." Chuck thought about saluting, but decided against it. Probably a wise choice.
"You getting out of here soon? Hoyt's expecting us early tomorrow."
"Oh." Chuck's face fell. He'd forgotten about the new agent one story below. "Do you think he watched this whole thing from downstairs?"
"Probably." Casey hardly seemed bothered by that. "I disabled the store's security cameras, but not the ones we watch from Castle."
"Great." He might have mentioned that earlier. "I'll make sure the Buy More ones get turned back on.
"I can do it-"
"No, it's okay." Casey had already done enough for them. "I'll do it. I have to go wake up Ellie anyway." The birthday girl had long since fallen asleep in the home theater room. "But if you could…"
Chuck nodded to their last two guests. Jeff was staggering towards the door, carrying a passed out Lester in his arms like a baby. Casey saw them and let out a growl of disgust.
"Leave no man behind, right?" Chuck tried to smile. Casey shook his head, giving Chuck his angry eyes as he turned to go. With one hand he half guided, half shoved Jeff out the door. Chuck could only hope that Casey would direct them to a taxi and not the middle of the street.
"Hey thanks again for the help!"
And the doors hissed closed. Casey clicked the lock into place as Chuck sighed with relief. They'd made it through. Finally it was quiet.
Wow, what a night. Chuck was almost giddy thinking about how well everything had gone. It had started out a little rocky with the fast food dinner, but truly, this might have been the best birthday party he'd ever had for Ellie. It helped that he'd actually forgotten to throw several of them in the early years, so there was decidedly less competition, but still… Not bad for a busy spy slash Buy More employee.
And tomorrow back to work… Chuck pondered their latest mission as he collected up a few stray Rock Band instruments that Casey had missed. Aside from Hoyt's presence, the job seemed routine enough. Once they got the courier talking he would lead them to the memory card and quite possibly the buyer. Two birds, one stone as Hoyt had said.
But before any of that could happen, Chuck had to close up, get home and get to bed. He made his way to Big Mike's office, trying to calculate the amount of sleep he could still get tonight. It wasn't going to be much. Hoyt would not be thrilled when he stumbled into Castle tomorrow looking like a zombie. Oh well.
Chuck slipped into Big Mike's chair and switched on his computer. It was ironic that in an electronics store, their manager had the slowest computer known to man. Chuck yawned, waiting as the machine hummed to life. Years went by and then finally the login screen came up. The password: Norman. Chuck smiled to himself. Aw, Big Mike, don't ever change.
It was easy enough to pull up the surveillance system-this was hardly CIA security-and ten minutes later Chuck had eight different views of the Buy More, both inside and out. The store cameras were officially back on.
He glanced at each of them, wondering if Jeff was still staggering around out there. But he was long gone, probably headed off to the bar down the street. Another camera showed Ellie sound asleep on the couch. It was time to go home.
Chuck stood and was just reaching to turn off the computer when he saw headlights on the screen. The camera in the parking lot caught the van as it pulled in.
"Oh no." Chuck's heart sank. It looked an awful lot like the van he'd seen earlier that night. And now several men clad all in black were jumping out of it. None of them was Jeff, he was certain of that.
"Oh god." And now came the full blown panic. He could still see Ellie down in the bottom corner of the screen. "Oh god, oh god."
Chuck flipped off the lights in Big Mike's office then crawled out through the door. The home theater room was in back. He didn't have a lot of time.
Ever so quietly he slid his phone out of his pocket and started dialing. Sarah's phone rang twice before going to voice mail.
"Sarah!" The bad guys hadn't gotten in yet, but he knew they must have been standing right outside the front doors. "Sarah, I'm down at the Buy More and I really, really need you to get here now. I've got five, probably heavily armed guys breaking in as we speak."
He hung up then tried Casey. Nothing. And then there was another sickening realization. No one had set the alarm yet. Even if these guy got in, which they most certainly would, there would be no police called, no cavalry coming. Chuck was on his own. He took a deep breath and made a mad dash for the Home Theater room.
Ellie was still asleep when he threw open the door. Luckily they were hidden by the long row of curtains that lined the glass walls. Chuck peered between two of the panels. Three guys were still fiddling with the doors at the front. The other two were probably headed for the back entrance.
Okay, don't panic, he thought to himself. There was a trap door in this room. He crawled around on the carpet until he found it. A perfectly placed trapped door that was… he yanked on it once, then twice… locked. It took Chuck a moment to realize what had happened. Hoyt! Hoyt had locked them out.
Oh god. He scrambled over to the coffee table and reached under it, searching for the weapons stash. Nothing. Hoyt had managed to turn this place back into a normal Buy More at the worst possible time.
Chuck sat there for a moment, trying to breathe. There was no more time. He had to make a move… but Ellie. He looked over at his sister. There was no choice but to wake her.
"El," He crawled over to the couch then reached out and shook her. "Ellie? El, I need you to wake up."
It took her a moment. Ellie was nothing if not a deep sleeper. But finally her eyes opened. She blinked a few times as everything came into focus. And then she smiled.
"Great party, huh?"
Chuck tried to smile back. That was a no go.
"Yeah, well, it was."
"Was" being the operative word here. Ellie sat up and Chuck kneeled in front of her, trying to think of a way to convey the seriousness of this situation without terrifying his sister.
"Listen El…" he started off slowly, his brain trying to supply the right words. "Everyone's gone, but it looks like…"
He stopped.
"What?" Ellie waited for him to continue. How could he put this?
"There was this memory card this guy brought in to be fixed a few days ago." He thought up the best lie he could. "And these other guys they want it badly. They're kind of irate actually. They were calling all day about it."
"Chuck, what are you talking about?"
"Well, those guys are here. They're here and I need to go out and talk to them."
"What?" Ellie was clearly confused, as well she should be. "Why?"
"So I can get them to go away."
It was the best he could do. Right now the Buy More had only two exits and both of them were covered. There was no way he could sneak his sister out of here.
"Do you have your phone?"
She shook her head. "I left it in the car."
Chuck reached for his and was surprised to find that it was missing. He must have dropped it on that last sprint through the aisles.
"Chuck, is something wrong?"
"No." And the lies continued. "No nothing's wrong. But Ellie, I need you to promise me that you'll stay inside this room. Just stay here on this couch." He hoped that she was getting this. "No matter what you hear, do not leave this room, okay?"
"Chuck, this sounds crazy."
"It's not." He tried to shrug off just a little bit of the danger. "I just don't want to piss off these guys any more than we already have."
"Okay." She still sounded uncertain. But he managed to smile, a big confident smile that put her at ease. Sure, everything would be fine. They'd go home and eat left over cake and all would be well.
"Alright then." Chuck stood. "I'm just going to go talk to these guys, see if maybe we can work this out."
Ellie nodded. She still hadn't moved from her perch on the couch.
"Just stay here," Chuck couldn't help but throw that reminder at her one more time. "No matter what."
As he snuck out of the home theater room, he was already having second thoughts about his plan. Maybe he should have stayed with Ellie. Maybe they should have tried to hide together. But there was no way these guys would leave empty handed. They'd start looking for something and if he and Ellie were found… No, this was the better way. No matter what happened he had to keep his sister away from these guys.
The doors hissed open. The first three men were inside. Chuck had made his way over to the hallway and now he did an about face, acting like any other employee who was just locking up.
"I'm sorry, you'll have to come back tomorrow."
He was hoping to flash on just one of the men. He desperately wanted to know who they were, what they wanted. But the familiar rush of information didn't come. These men were probably low-level thugs, hired guns insignificant to the mighty Intersect.
"Seriously guys," Chuck tried again as the men came forward. "We're closed."
"This-" One of the men held up a shiny black pistol. "Says you're not."
"Whoa," Chuck continued his act as the increasingly frightened store employee. It wasn't hard. "The cash is in the register. Take all you want."
"I think you know that's not what we're here for."
And now it was confirmed. This was definitely about the memory card. Someone had seen them working at the fast food place. These men hadn't just stumbled into the Buy More by accident. They had come here looking for him. There was no pretending otherwise.
Chuck tried to size them up quickly. The two men who were presumably at the back entrance hadn't made their way to the main floor yet. But the three in front of him looked like formidable opponents. One had a large scar across his cheek, probably from a fight he had certainly won.
"Where is it?" Scarface asked.
"It?" Chuck was stalling-badly. Maybe Sarah would get his message. God, he hoped Sarah would get his message.
"The card." Scarface growled. Apparently he was the leader as the other two remained mute. That only made them scarier. "We know you have the courier."
The man stepped forward pointing the gun directly at Chuck's face.
"Okay, sure. We have the courier."
"This was a simple business transaction." He nodded at his guys who fanned out on either side of Chuck. "Now I don't know who you are or who you work for. I don't care."
"You just want the memory card."
"Exactly." The man actually smiled, his scar scrunching up on his cheek. "I just want the memory card."
There was no way Chuck could give them something he didn't have.
"It's not here."
"We saw your entire team come into this building tonight." The man's smile was gone. "You guys were having a meeting."
"Actually we were having a party," Chuck corrected him gently. Clearly they must have seen that if they'd been hanging around. "Sort of a break after a long day's work, you know?"
Chuck tried for a little levity, hoping not to seem like a threat. And until he flashed, he actually wasn't. Sarah had to be coming soon, right?
"That memory card is here."
Scarface seemed pretty sure of himself. The guys on either side of Chuck began closing in. And out of the corner of his eye, he could finally see the last two men making their way in from the back. Well at least they were all accounted for now.
"It's not here." Chuck held his ground. "I swear. Maybe we can find it, but-"
"I don't believe you." Scarface smiled again. His grin was missing a few teeth and Chuck shuddered to think what had happened to the other guy in that battle. Why the hell wasn't he flashing?
Scarface nodded to his minions and Chuck knew instantly what was coming. He dared not look back at the Home Theater room.
"Search the place!"
Chuck closed his eyes, just for a minute. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
"Tear it apart if you have to."
The rush of images came fast and furious. Diagrams, pictures, snippets of video from all styles of fighting. Chuck could feel his whole body relax as the Intersect took over. After failing him most of the evening, it was finally coming through when he needed it most.
Chuck blinked as the world came back into focus.
"And you-" Scarface raised his gun. His finger neared the trigger but Chuck was no longer afraid.
With one swift kick, he sent that gun flying across the room. Scarface had no time to react. Chuck lunged at him and punched him in the face as hard as he could. His fist connected perfectly. The man doubled over, probably mourning the rest of his teeth.
"Get him!"
The man's voice cracked as he yelled to his guys. Chuck went for a low kick this time, taking Scarface's legs out from under him. He fell back hard and didn't get up.
One down.
Now Chuck had everyone's attention. They came at him like a swarm. He gasped as one of the men landed a punch straight to his kidney, but the pain lasted only a second and his adrenaline surged. This was a fight he could actually win.
A second man crumpled to the floor, but Chuck had no time to celebrate. He grabbed a nearby DVD player and swung it at a third attacker. There a loud crack as the machine smashed into his shoulder. But that could hardly be heard as the man howled in pain. One arm now limp at his side, the man turned and took aim at Chuck with his opposite fist. But it was a halfhearted attempt and Chuck easily sent him flying with a back kick.
Three down.
Chuck was now watching for weapons. As planned, he hadn't seemed like a threat at first. He had caught them off guard. But surely those with guns were now motivated to use them. Within seconds his suspicions were confirmed as he saw a shiny black object out of the corner of his eye. Its owner was too far away to disarm.
Chuck stopped abruptly and held up his hands. He just needed a moment to think.
The man holding the gun had red hair and freckles. He'd come in from the back, so Chuck hadn't really gotten a good look at him before. But now he alone held Chuck's focus.
"Where's the memory card?" His voice was higher than Chuck had expected. The man seemed young, not so scary except for the gun. Maybe he'd just stumbled into this line of work, maybe he wouldn't shoot.
"He asked you a question." The fifth and final attacker, the red headed guy's partner, came up behind Chuck. This man was no youngster. His goatee had just a hint of grey and his hair was clipped short. He had to be ex-military. He held his own gun with a sure, steady hand.
Two guns, both pointed at him. Chuck swallowed hard as his mouth went dry. At least they'd stopped their search of the store.
"I said I could get it for you."
"Tell us where it is." Mr. Goatee was not messing around. His crazy eyes made Casey's look downright jolly in comparison.
"I don't-"
Chuck was suddenly interrupted by a blast of loud music from the karaoke machine. Morgan's favorite duet startled all of them. It was just the distraction Chuck needed.
He dove at his goateed attacker, but the man quickly realized what was happening. He stepped aside at the last second and Chuck's momentum carried him forward into a rack of audio equipment. Before he knew it, he was down on the ground, his feet tangled in cables.
The red headed kid had jumped back, clearly surprised by this turn of events. But the other man, he merely smiled. He took two steps closer and Chuck knew what would happen next. This was it, this was how he was going to go out, on the floor of the freakin' Buy More. The man raised his gun and Chuck waited to see if his life would flash before his eyes. And there it was-a flash-not an Intersect flash-but a flash of memory… his mother leaving, his apparently crazy father taking him for ice cream, Morgan beating him for the first time at Pac Man-that still stung-and Ellie-Ellie!
She wasn't a memory. She was there, right behind the man standing over him. The Rock Band Guitar was clutched in her hands like a baseball bat. And that's when she swung.
Wow. The little plastic guitar broke easily against the man's temple. The gun dropped to the floor as Chuck looked on in amazement. But this guy wasn't done yet.
"Ellie, run!" Chuck yelled to his sister as the man suddenly spun around on her.
Ellie took off across the Buy More, with Mr. Goatee hot on her heels. Chuck hurriedly extricated himself from the cables surrounding his feet and was about to go after them when he finally remembered his youngest attacker. The little red headed fellow who had seemed to pose the least threat of all… But now there he was, gun raised, like a kid playing Duck Hunt, taking aim at Ellie as she raced for the back hallway.
He shouted to his partner, his voice sounding much older now.
"I got her!"
Chuck didn't need the Intersect. Every instinct he had told him to kill this guy. He leapt forward, tackling the kid around the waist. He heard the shot go off right next to his ear as they both fell to the ground.
The gun had gone off. Chuck's brain struggled to process that fact. The gun had gone off.
The red headed kid had hit the floor hard and was no longer moving.
Chuck slowly, ever so slowly, got to his feet. He glanced around the store, across the racks of DVDs and CDs, over the various appliances, through the aisles of electronics… He didn't see anyone.
"Ellie?" He hurried forward in the direction he had last seen her. "El?"
His heart nearly stopped when he finally caught sight of her. There she was, kneeling over Mr. Goatee. The man was gasping for air as blood poured from a hole in his chest. That kid had accidentally shot his own partner. Thank god.
"Chuck?" Ellie looked up and saw her brother. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." He managed to breathe again. "Yeah, are you?"
Ellie nodded. Chuck watched as she slid her jacket off then crumpled it up.
"Ellie what are you doing?
"Trying to stop the bleeding." She pressed her jacket back down on his chest, just above the bullet hole. "What the hell happened?"
What exactly could he say to that? His mind was still stuck on the image of that little red headed monster using his sister for target practice.
"These guys…" Chuck glanced around, checking to make sure that the rest were still down. Nobody was moving. "There's something bad on that card. And they want it back now."
"Did you call the police?" Ellie was watching her patient carefully. His breathing was getting more ragged. "Tell them we need an ambulance."
Chuck finally came out of his daze. Ellie was in full on doctor mode, but it was time for him to take control of the situation.
"Look El, we really need to get out of here."
"We can't just let this guy bleed to death."
Chuck actually had no problem with that. But there was an even bigger issue here. This guy had friends, friends who could be waking up any minute.
"These people are dangerous." He wanted to get her attention but she was too busy trying to get a look at her patient's back. "I know you're trying to help, but-"
"I don't think the bullet went through." She totally wasn't listening. Chuck glanced around hoping that one of the men had dropped a weapon nearby. He knew he should find a gun in case they needed it for protection. But there was nothing in sight and he didn't have time to waste searching the Buy More. Besides, he wasn't even sure he could use it. No, this was simple, he reminded himself. They just needed to leave. Leave, find the team and regroup.
"Ellie." Chuck took a firmer tone. "We need to go."
"I got this."
"We need to go-now."
"Chuck, no."
"Yes."
"No!" As the older sibling she was pulling rank here. "I need to do my job and you need to calm down."
"Ellie-"
"Chuck, stop!" she yelled, a flash of anger crossing her face. Clearly he had pushed her too far. "Just call the police!"
He automatically took a step back. Ellie was tougher than she looked and at times she could be downright scary. She must have seen his expression though, because her voice softened immediately.
"Chuck, you didn't do anything wrong. They can't say you're responsible for any of this." She held his gaze and Chuck suddenly understood that she was worried about him. "These guys were attempting to rob you and you were defending yourself and me."
Ellie's own words suddenly caught up with her. He could see the doctor side of her slipping just for a minute, as she realized the enormity of everything that had happened. It was a lot to take in. She leaned forward and peered under the racks of CDs. It was clear she was counting the bodies off in her head.
"Chuck," she sounded kind of amazed. "You took out like five guys."
Chuck almost smiled at his sister's tone. There might have been a touch of twisted pride in there.
"Well technically, you helped."
Ellie glanced up at him again.
"Where did you learn to do that?"
"That's what I'd like to know."
The voice instantly triggered a flash. Explosions, lots of them, so many that his head started to pound. Then there were the various weapons, carefully packaged into shipping containers bound for ports unknown. And finally a name. Jacob Dugan. Bad, bad guy.
Chuck's eyes opened just in time to see his sister's startled expression. Dugan had somehow snuck up behind him and now Ellie was staring up at them both. Still, she didn't move. She continued to kneel next to Dugan's bleeding henchmen. Chuck turned so that he was standing in front of Dugan, effectively blocking his sister from view.
Dugan made no move to get past him. The man was older, though still an imposing figure. He was maybe an inch or two shorter than Chuck, nicely dressed and solidly built. His smile had probably charmed quite a few ladies, but clearly there was another, much darker, side to him.
"Nice work here, Mr. Bartowski." He actually clapped his hands together. "Five guys, a new record, I'd imagine."
Unfortunately for Chuck, four of those guys were beginning to stagger to their feet. Apparently the sound of their boss' voice was highly motivating. It didn't help that a few more guys had joined them.
"Really, I'm very impressed." Dugan was laying it on thick. "And your sister, a doctor? What a talented family."
"Leave my family out of this."
"That, unfortunately, I cannot do."
Chuck watched as Dugan slowly reached behind his back and pulled a gun from his waistband. Then he dropped his hand, letting the gun tap lightly against his leg.
"See we like to learn a little about the people who steal from us."
And now Dugan finally stepped around him, forcing Chuck to scramble backwards. Gone were the skills the Intersect had momentarily granted him. He was tired and mentally drained. Dugan seemed to sense that.
"For instance you, Charles Bartowski," he continued. "Son of Steven, brother to-" He nodded at Ellie. "This lovely young lady here." Dugan looked from Ellie to Chuck. "And your friends, Miss Walker and-"
"I already told you guys," Chuck interrupted. He had to say something, anything. They were in trouble here. "Just give me some time and I can get you your memory card." There were now nine men surrounding them. He looked down at Ellie who still hadn't moved. "And she can patch up your man there and-"
"Don't bother." Dugan suddenly lifted his gun. Chuck reached down and yanked Ellie to her feet just as Dugan took aim and fired another shot into his own man. Ellie gasped. The guy she had been trying to save was no longer in need of her help. Dugan had killed him.
Dugan wiped his gun against his pants.
"I never liked him." He smiled at Chuck. "Crazy eyes, you know?"
Ellie looked as if she might be sick. Chuck had seen a lot, but he was equally horrified.
"Now if I did that to him…" Dugan's voice was suddenly full of menace. He lifted his gun and pressed it into Chuck's chest. "Imagine what I will do to you."
"Chuck-" Ellie grabbed his arm.
"Wait!" Chuck held up both hands and took a step back, making sure to stay between his sister and the gun. "Wait! I know where it is. I can take you there, I swear."
It was an outright lie, but it no longer mattered.
"I'll go with you guys right now," he said then nodded at Ellie. "Just leave her here. She doesn't know anything."
"Chuck, what are you doing?" Ellie immediately started to protest, but a second man raised his gun and she quickly fell silent.
"I thought you might be able to help me." Dugan gave him another sickening smile. "That's why I chose you and not the rest of your people. They're being taken care of as we speak."
Chuck's mouth went dry. And now he remembered. Neither Sarah nor Casey had picked up his calls.
"What did you do?"
"I don't like to leave loose ends." Dugan dropped the gun to his side then abruptly stepped back. For a second he looked again like just another customer perusing the store. He slowly made his way over to the Nerd Herd desk then reached out and picked up a business card.
"Computer specialist." He read the title under Chuck's name. "Nice, honest work."
Chuck wondered what would happen right now if he flashed. Could he honestly take out nine guys with nine guns and not get himself or his sister killed? There was no way, maybe if it was just him... But he wouldn't be able to protect Ellie too, he simply couldn't move that fast.
"Here's my problem with your plan, Mr. Bartowski," Dugan started towards him again. " I don't believe you know where my card is yet. If you did, you would've given it up by now."
Chuck felt his chest tightening. Dugan was calling his bluff.
"And I don't feel like driving around with you all night on some wild goose chase." Dugan glanced down at his gun and Chuck had to force himself to keep breathing. "But I believe that if I ask nicely you, and only you, will find my card and bring it to me."
"I can do that," Chuck said quickly. Somehow he was going to figure this out, he just had to take it one step at a time. And the first step was surviving. "I can definitely do that."
"Good, so I'm going to give you the time that you asked for." Dugan nodded at his men and suddenly Chuck could see the whole thing unraveling. "And a bit of motivation."
Their game plan had changed and he had figured it out just a little too late.
"Wait, no!" He whirled around as one of the men suddenly grabbed his sister from behind. "Ellie!"
Dugan smiled then raised the butt of his gun. With one quick swing, he brought it down on Chuck's skull.
"We'll be in touch."
Those last words echoed in his brain as Chuck's world went dark.
"Sarah!" She came into focus all at once. Her hair was wet and had fallen across her face, but it was definitely her. Chuck was sure of it. "Sarah, oh my god, I thought you were dead."
"Why Chuck? What happened?"
He was surprised to find that he couldn't answer that. Normally his response would have been immediate, but here… here something was missing. He tried to think back. Why had he been so worried about her? Everything had gone well, hadn't it? The dinner, the party, the karaoke machine. But his head… wow did his head hurt.
Sarah helped him up and Chuck's hand automatically went to the back of his skull. There was a definite bump forming there. What the hell? He suddenly heard himself talking, trying to answer her question.
"It's all kind of fuzzy," he was saying. But there was some reason he'd been so concerned about Sarah. He tried again to recall the evening's events and there it was-a man's face. "It was something he said."
"Who said?"
"The guy who came in here." Chuck listened to his own words, still unsure of what they meant. "We were just about to leave and-"
We.
All at once Chuck remembered. He hadn't been alone.
"Oh my god." He was staring straight ahead to the place where that red headed kid had been standing. And now there it was, that kid firing his gun, Ellie working on his bleeding partner, Dugan coming in. "Oh my god."
How much time had passed since then?
Chuck ran for the door. He could hear Sarah chasing after him, trying to get him to stop. But he couldn't stop, not until he knew. Chuck scrambled between the two glass doors and sprinted out into the parking lot. The van was gone. His sister was gone.
It wasn't possible, was it?
He turned slowly, looking in all directions. There was the Nerd Herder he'd pulled up in so many hours before. And there was Sarah's car. But otherwise the lot was empty.
"Chuck!" Sarah grabbed his arm. "What the hell happened?"
He just shook his head in disbelief.
"They're gone."
"Who's gone?"
Chuck wasn't even sure he could say it. He tried once, but his voice caught in his throat. Sarah could see that he was in trouble, so she grabbed his face in both hands and looked him straight in the eye.
"Somebody came here?"
"Yes." He nodded. "A group of men came here."
"Did they want the memory card?"
Chuck nodded again. He needed to breathe to get the air back into his lungs so that he could answer.
"So what happened?" Sarah asked again. He closed his eyes then opened them, trying to focus on her face. Sarah, the girl he could trust with anything. "Chuck, just tell me what happened."
"They took her," he nearly choked on the words. "They took Ellie."
