"Whack!"
With a sickening sound, the whip moved through the air, hitting its target dead on.
Flesh ripped, skin curled and blood trickled steadily to the concrete floor, painting the grey surface below.
Not a sound was heard, absolute silence throughout the abandoned building.
Chuck thought he would pass out soon, he couldn't take it much more. He'd already told him about him being the Intersect. Yet the torture continued with no end in sight. Why?
He opened his eyes and looked at the scene in the building. Sara was tied up next to him, doing her very best to brake free and Casey….Casey…. That was the most painful thing to watch.
Casey was being held up between two poles, tied to his wrists with thick chains that were old and rusty. Blood seeped through the tearings in his skin, involuntary muscle spasms jerked his body and he was barely standing up, weak from pain and blood loss.
And then there's the "bad guy", a fulcrum agent known as Marcus, with a fetish for torture, letting his whip crack every few minutes just for the fun of it. Chuck could see Sara fighting with her restraints, tearing at the ropes until her wrists was chafed.
"Just you keep fighting darlin'……" Marcus thick southern accent was filled with mockery.
"I'll get to you in a minute sweetheart. I just want old Johnny boy to get a taste of his own medicine, remember Johnny?!"
That statement made Chuck feel lightheaded and he was rewarded with a flash from the past. Apparently, Casey had caught Marcus during a mission and given him one hell of a beating. Casey's weapon of choise?
An electric high power cable, rendering Marcus with scars visible from outer space. Casey had been decorated once again and Marcus had been thrown into a maximum security facility. Obviously he had gotten out, unbeknownst to Casey.
Chuck shook his head and was taken back to reality when he heard the whip slash through the air again. He turned away, not able to keep looking as Marcus kept torturing Casey.
"please…..please….." Chuck started chanting slowly to himself. He was starting to feel desperate and very light headed. All that blood coming from Casey's body made him feel queasy, to say the least.
"WHACK!"
Marcus had let the whip work again, keeping up the pace with a smirk on his face.
And still no sound from Casey. This time he slumped even more, it was then Chuck realized that it was just the restraints that was holding him up. Maybe he'd fainted, or…..Chuck accelerated into to full panic mode.
"CASEY!! CASEY, WAKE UP!!" Chuck screamed, desperately trying to get a reaction from the immobilized NSA-agent.
"Awwwh!" Do you wanna help your friend, boy?" Adam smiled at Chuck, laughed when he kept shouting Casey's name.
"He's not going anywhere….and neither are you…."
Chuck stopped screaming at Casey, temporarily realizing the uselessness of shouting at someone who was probably….dead…… Tears started streaming down his face, this situation was beyond anything he was able to handle.. He just wanted out, away from this awful place and he wanted desperately for Casey to be alive. He had to help Casey somehow, he owed it to him. Even if it was Casey's job to protect Chuck, he still felt in debt Casey.
But what could he do? His mind raced, looking across the building, at Sara who was doing her very best to get free of her restraints and at Casey's limp form, still accepting the occasional crack of the whip.
"HEY! Yes, you! You evil fulcrum guy!" Chuck couldn't believe what he had just said as Marcus turned to face him.
"Chuck, NO!" Sara begged him to be quiet but his mind had a will of its own.
"Take me instead, you….you coward! That's right, I called you a coward, I'm not sure why, but I said it!" He would've sounded at least a bit more convincing if his voice hadn't cracked halfway through the sentence.
Chuck kept talking, hoping that it would take Marcus' focus of Casey, and it worked. Marcus moved up to face Chuck and he kept babbling as if his life depended on it. Inside he was panicking, wondering what the hell he was doing. It always seemed so brave in whatever movie this happened in, in real life though, not so cool…..
"Listen here, boy….I've got no problems with torturing the three of you until dawn, just for the fun of it… And don't think you're getting away with it, because of that brain of yours. That's all I need, just your brain, I don't have to be all that careful with your body….."
A sickingly sweet smile spread across his face, a smile that made Chucks stomach turn.
"Oh…" Chuck felt a sudden urge to pass out.
"NO! Take me, Marcus! " Sara shouted, desperation obvious in her voice.
"NO! No, no, no don't listen to her! Take me" Chuck had no idea why he had just said that.
"Easy folks… There's plenty of me to go around!" Marcus laughed and went over to stroke Sara's cheek.
"You will both get your turn, but I think I´ll start with you….boy…..Leave the ladies for last"
Marcus smiled and went to stand behind Chuck, keeping a gun to his back. He slowly loosened Chuck's restraints and so he was free. Free to be tortured. And he was too scared to try anything brave; Casey would've ambushed the guy, boldly fighting over the gun, but not Chuck….
Marcus pushed him forward and they walked slowly until they reached Casey.
"Sit down." Marcus ordered.
"What?" Chucks brain didn't register the words; he was too focused on Casey.
"SIT DOWN! And if you move, I´ll shoot Johnny boy….."
Chuck slumped down, getting a better view of Casey from this angle and it wasn't a pretty sight. It looked like there was hardly any skin left on his back, and the whip had reached both his neck and face. Casey's face was drained from all color, his mouth hung open and dried sweat and dirt covered every inch of his body.
Tears returned to Chucks eyes, clouding his vision, Marcus cut Casey loose and he landed on the floor with at loud thud. Not a sound, not a movement came from him and Chuck let go of the small amount of hope he'd kept of Casey being alive.
Marcus dragged Casey aside, giving him a few kicks as he dumped him beside Chuck.
Chuck reached over and stroked Casey's cheek.
"Casey? Please be alive, please, please….."
Chuck was yanked away from Casey and dragged towards the chains, getting fastened sooner then he thought possible.
" Be happy, boy! Isn't this what you wanted? You've "saved" Johnny boy and your girl….for now that is…..! " Marcus had leaned in, whispering in Chucks ear.
"No, no! This is not what I wanted! No, I wanna get out of here, going home, getting a nice breakfast, I wanna be everywhere but here!" Chucks ramblings were cut of with a powerful blow to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He tried to catch his breath but the pain made it hard, not to mention the fact that he had his hands tied up in opposite directions.
"Now….Intersect…." Marcus pronounced every syllable carefully, whispering in his ear.
"Let's see what you're made of."
"Please, Marcus right? Don't do this, ok? I'm not….just don't….please let us leave….."Chuck begged.
He then felt his shirt being ripped apart from behind, revealing his back and he gasped from chock.
"Please don't do this, Marcus? Please, don't hurt me, please….." Chuck knew he sounded pathetic, but he didn't care, he was absolutely terrified.
Chuck could here Marcus back away from him, and somewhere in the distance he could here Sara shouting. He felt his body started to shake, not able to control it Chuck closed his eyes.
Suddenly, a bright white flash shot through his conscience. The pain shot through his body like nothing he had never felt before. He wasn't able to make a sound; it felt like the pain would never end. No wonder Casey hadn't screamed. It had hurt too much.
Chuck could hear Sara scream, before it suddenly stopped… Sara went quiet and he could only hear his own breathing and Marcus footsteps, circling him….
"Don't you like it, Chuck?" Marcus lifted his chin and smiled, a big smile, seeming content.
Chuck felt like he was unable to answer, he thought, or hoped, that he soon would pass out from the pain.
"…..please….." Chuck managed to whisper.
"…please, don´t do his….please stop….." Chuck said through the tears streaking his face.
"Why Chuck? Why shouldn't I? This is my reward for chasing you and your team of keepers halfway across the globe? If your precious major Casey had told me the truth instead of keeping his mouth shut, this wouldn't have happened. " Marcus looked annoyed and yanked Chucks chains.
"…please Marcus, just don't……" Chuck kept begging, it hurt so much, one more whip and he would join Casey on the floor.
"Don't what Chuck? Don't use this?" Marcus waved the whip in front of Chuck, mocking him.
"Ok Chuck, I won't use the whip…."
Chuck sighed deeply, even though an evil voice inside his head told him this wasn't the end.
"I'll just use these instead…." Marcus smiled wickedly, and held up a couple of jumper cables attached to a battery.
Chuck froze.
Marcus leaned forward with the cables in his hands, Chuck tried to squirm away as the contact plates came closer. Marcus placed the metal endings against Chuck's abdomen and Chuck screamed at the top of his lungs.
Marcus lifted the cables and looked at Chuck.
"You pathetic excuse of a man….." Marcus kept mocking him, still with a sly smile on his lips.
"…….just kill me…..please…..!" Chuck begged.
"No, that won't work, now will it Chuck? I just want that brain of yours, remember?"
Marcus leaned forward once more, preparing to shock Chuck again.
"BANG!"
A loud gunshot echoed through the building and Chucks eyes flew opened. Marcus was on the floor, writhering in pain as another shot was heard. Marcus took a direct hit, both his knees shot to hell.
Chuck scanned the surroundings, trying to find the source of the gunshots and that's when his heart almost stopped.