Author's Note: Here comes part three. Thanks to those of you who are following along, I hope you're enjoying it! I'll try and get more up soon.

Chuck Versus the Liability

Part Three

"Walker?"

Sarah coughed. It felt like a pound of dust had settled into her lungs.

"Walker, where the hell are you?"

She could hear Casey's footsteps somewhere close by, but it was hard to see through the cloud of smoke that surrounded her. She could still feel the heat. Somewhere nearby the building was burning.

"I'm here." Sarah rolled onto her stomach and managed to push herself up onto her knees. She glanced around and suddenly realized that she was outside. The force of the blast had knocked them through the door.

"I can't say that wasn't fun." Casey appeared, his hand outstretched. She took it with gratitude and groaned as he helped her up. Already she could feel a huge bruise forming on her side, but nothing seemed broken.

"You okay?"

She looked him over. One of his sleeves was in tatters. A red gash could be seen through the ribbons of fabric. But Casey barely seemed to notice.

"I'm fine." He wiped a spot of blood from his lip. "You?"

"Great," Sarah muttered. Casey nodded as they both turned to survey the damage.

The building was still there but someone could have driven a car through it now. The back wall, where the explosion had originated, had a gaping hole in it. An equally large crater reached out to the property line. The evidence was gone. The man who'd attacked her was certainly dead… along with anyone else who'd been in there.

Casey turned and kicked at a pile of debris.

"You should have told me." He sounded momentarily drained. "I'm your partner. I'm the one who's backing you up."

"I know." Sarah stared at the ground. "Chuck didn't want Hoyt to find out."

"Well I'm sure as hell not going to tell him." Casey shook his head in disgust. "You and Bartowski, you have your little secrets and it's real cute and all, but this is serious. That girl's a civilian and she's our responsibility too."

"They want the memory card, Casey."

"Of course they want the damn memory card." Casey started back towards the car. Sarah, still barefoot, struggled to follow him. "But we can't give it to them. Hell, we don't even know if Ellie's still alive."

Casey opened the passenger door for her, but Sarah hesitated. She wasn't sure how she would explain this to Chuck. They didn't know any more now than they had this morning and if anything the situation seemed even worse. A surge of emotion suddenly hit her and she found herself blinking back tears. The events of the day so far had left her exhausted and she took a deep breath, trying to keep herself in check. She glanced back once more at the smoldering building.

"I'm not saying she's dead." Casey knew exactly what Sarah was thinking. He leaned against the Crown Vic, still holding the door open for her. "We just need to come up with a better plan. There's no way we can let the guy who did this-" he nodded towards the building. "-get whatever info is on that card."

"I know."

She could feel her phone vibrating in her pocket. She slipped it out then sighed as she realized who the caller was.

"It's Chuck."

"Well answer it," Casey said. "Tell him we don't know anything yet."

Sarah hit the button on the phone.

"Hey Chuck."

"Sarah!" Chuck sounded relieved. "Oh see, I knew you'd pick up. I don't know why I was even worried. You're Sarah, right? You cannot be killed."

"Chuck, what are you talking about?"

"Dugan said he killed you guys."

"What?" Sarah whirled around. Someone must have seen them walk into the building. And if that was true, then that someone could still be watching. Sarah hurriedly jumped in the Crown Vic and nodded for Casey to do the same.

"Chuck, when did you talk to him?" She heard the car's engine come to life. Casey hit the gas and the tires let out a long squeal as they left the burning building behind.

"He just called. He wants me to bring him the card."

"What about Ellie?"

"I talked to her, but just for a second."

Sarah closed her eyes and sighed with relief. At least they knew she hadn't been in the building.

"Sarah, he wants me to come alone," Chuck lowered his voice and Sarah could almost hear the wheels spinning in his head. "And he's already tried to kill you guys twice."

"Chuck hold on," Sarah needed to slow him down. This was all going way too fast. "We don't even know where that card is."

The Vic suddenly swerved as Casey leaned towards the phone.

"Don't you give him that memory card, Bartowski!"

"Casey's right." Sarah hated to admit it.

"You told Casey?"

"Of course she told me." Casey could apparently hear him. "When you nearly get blown up, it's nice to know why."

Sarah yanked the phone back and Casey finally straightened in his seat.

"Chuck, listen," Sarah turned towards the window, putting a few more inches between her and Casey. "If you even look at that courier, Hoyt will stop you. You'd be a committing a crime."

"A big one!" Casey couldn't help but add. Sarah made a face at him. This wasn't helping.

"Just stay at the Buy More until we get back," she started again. "We'll come up with a plan-"

"Sarah, she's my sister."

"I know, and that's why we're doing everything we can." She stopped short of mentioning the memory card again. That was a sticky situation. Of course the easiest way to get Ellie back was to hand the thing over, a simple trade. But there had to be another way.

"Chuck?" She waited for him to respond. She knew this was killing him. "Ellie's gonna be fine."

"I know." He sounded disappointed. "I'll see you soon."

Castle was empty. Hoyt hadn't returned yet. But a team would be coming for that courier shortly. And with the courier went the memory card. And with the memory card went any hope of saving Ellie. There was no way Dugan would return her without seeing it first. Chuck had a huge decision to make.

He knew he could trust Sarah, Casey too. He knew that even if they wouldn't admit it, in the end they could probably get him that card. But first they would have to go over their options. The card was the absolute last resort. But that would take up precious time. And if for any reason either one of them changed their minds, if they told Beckman or Hoyt, then Ellie would die.

He had worked for the government for three years. He believed in what he did. And he believed in his team. But that was his sister out there, his sister who'd done nothing wrong, who'd simply been caught up in their operation. She was his family and he wasn't sure that Casey or Sarah could really understand what that meant. They lived in a world of assets and enemies, not family and friends. But it was his responsibility to bring Ellie home. They took care of each other, no matter what. It had been that way long before he'd ever entered the spy world and he wasn't going to let his job change that.

Chuck slipped into the break room and headed straight for the bank of lockers against the wall. He knew exactly what he had to do.

"Where you off to in such a hurry?"

Morgan poked his head into the room. He saw Chuck standing by the locker and suddenly his eyes widened. He quickly stepped through the door, closing it behind him.

"You have a mission, Chuck?"

"Not exactly, buddy."

"Hey man, I can help." Morgan stepped forward, eager to offer his services. "Whatever you need, wing man, look out…"

Chuck thought about that for a minute. He had no way to know when Hoyt might return. But if he caught Chuck talking to the courier, then this would all be over. Losing the job was one thing, but he couldn't risk losing access to the Castle and the information inside.

"Alright." Chuck opened the locker then punched in the code. The door to Castle slid open without a sound. He stepped aside and let Morgan enter first. His friend had a huge grin plastered across his face. If only he knew.

Chuck was okay. At least Ellie could be sure of that now. He was alive, unhurt and apparently in possession of the world's most important memory card. She still didn't get it. Someone must have dropped it off at the Buy More to be repaired, but come on, what could possibly be on it that was worth all of this? And just how far would these people go to get it back?

Ellie had overheard most of their conversation with Chuck. Her nausea had finally passed and she was able to think clearly again. She knew that she had to find a way out of this. She'd tried the window, but it was locked. And even if she could break through, it was a long, long way down if she fell.

The leader, the one they called Dugan, stood in the corner of the room speaking to the man with the scar on his face. Curtis, she reminded herself of his name. She'd been wary of him from the very beginning. He'd been watching her for a while and now, even as he talked to his boss, his eyes lingered on Ellie. It gave her the creeps. She knew his interest had nothing to do with a memory card. Dugan glanced from Curtis to Ellie and seemed to realize where this was heading.

"What are you looking at?" he demanded. Curtis finally snapped to attention. He gestured at Ellie.

"Come on." He grinned as if they were all in on some joke. "We coulda grabbed the angry guy, or that goofy kid, but you wanted her."

Dugan didn't respond immediately and Ellie started to feel sick again. As scared as she was of Dugan, suddenly Curtis seemed like the greater threat. And if Dugan left now, she was going to be in very big trouble.

"Come on boss," Curtis tried again.

"We're not playing games here," Dugan finally growled. "And I certainly didn't bring her here for your amusement."

Ellie tried to slow her racing heart as the argument grew more heated. They abruptly switched to some other language and now she could no longer follow along. She eyed the door across the room. One of the men had left it open a crack. There was no way to tell where it led, but she knew that if she could get to it, then maybe she'd have a chance. One thing was for sure, she couldn't stay here.

At some point long ago, when she'd been working late nights at the hospital, Chuck had insisted that she take a self-defense class. Now she tried to think back. There had been all this talk about escaping bad situations, but truly she'd never imagined herself in a situation like this.

Curtis had stepped forward. He was yelling at Dugan, clearly not ready to back down from this fight. Ellie wondered if Dugan was still armed. After what had happened earlier at the Buy More, it didn't seem wise for Curtis to go up against his boss. But the man wanted something very badly and she knew exactly what that something was.

It was time to go.

Dugan pushed his man back and Curtis stumbled, landing hard on the floor. It was all the distraction she needed. Ellie ran for it. Dugan saw her immediately and spun around to catch her, but she shoved the steel door at him, smashing him into the wall.

"Get her!" he shouted.

Ellie raced down the hallway. She was barefoot, her shoes lost somewhere between the Buy More and here. And because of that she ran even faster, her feet flying along the cool steel beneath her. Her heart was pounding, but somehow she knew she would make it. She had no idea where she was, but as she turned a corner she could see a door at the end of the hallway. If she could just get to that…

She screamed as someone grabbed her from behind. Curtis had caught up to her. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up off of the ground.

"Where do you think you're going?" he laughed. She could feel his breath on the side of her neck. Ellie was terrified. She threw her head back, and caught him right in the jaw. He let go of her for just a second and she stomped on his foot as she dropped to the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" He doubled over as she elbowed him hard in the stomach. Still he got a hold of her arm, nearly taking her down to the ground. But at the last second she managed to squirm out of his grasp.

"I'm gonna kill you!"

This wasn't some idle threat, Ellie realized. The man was angry now. She might have survived an encounter back in the room, but things had changed. She'd picked a fight and now if he caught her she knew she was dead. Ellie spun around and as he stood she punched him right in the throat. That was one thing she definitely remembered from self-defense class. Always go for the airway. Happily it worked. He fell to his knees, gasping.

Ellie's entire body trembled as she quickly backed away from him, the relief washing over her. She had beaten him. She was going to get out of here.

And that was when she turned… and found Dugan there waiting. He was standing in front of her, calm as can be. There was a large gash on his forehead from where the steel door had hit him and a trickle of blood ran from his lip. She had hurt him at least. But there would be a price to pay for that.

In an instant, he grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her into the wall. Ellie winced, blinking back tears. She'd almost made it to the end of the hallway, but almost wasn't good enough.

"I don't think he'll be bothering you anymore." Dugan nodded towards Curtis who was still wheezing behind them.

"And I'm going to excuse this for now," he continued on, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Because you were scared and my colleague here was being very rude."

Ellie just nodded. There was nothing she could say at this point.

"But let me tell you one thing…" Dugan's voice dropped to a near whisper. "If you try this again, I'll really give you something to be scared of."

A shiver ran down her spine as he leaned in closer.

"Trust me little girl." He smiled. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"So here's where you'll be looking." Chuck pointed at the large screen overhead. He'd called up all of the Buy More and Orange Orange surveillance cameras. From here Morgan could see anyone who entered Castle.

"Got it." Morgan swiveled in his chair, unable to keep still. He was clearly excited. He reached out and tapped a few keys on the keyboard in front of him. Immediately the view on the screen changed. The interrogation room camera was up and Chuck could see the courier pacing in the corner.

"Just don't touch anything."

Chuck quickly changed the cameras back. Morgan yanked his hands off the keyboard and nodded, all serious now.

"You can count on me." He actually saluted. Chuck slipped in his earpiece then nodded to the little box that looked like a speakerphone.

"If you see anyone, just let me know, okay?"

"I am on it."

"Great." Chuck tried to sound confident. But it was hard to project something he simply didn't feel. He gave his buddy one last slap on the back then headed down the hallway. His first stop was the weapons locker. He pulled out a gun then checked to see if it was loaded. It wasn't. Chuck reached for the ammunition, then hesitated.

He'd come up with a quick and simple plan on the way down to Castle. The courier wasn't going to give up the information he wanted so easily. Chuck would need to persuade him through whatever means necessary. He'd seen Casey do it before, but interrogation by brute force had never been Chuck's style. The Intersect, with all its flashy karate moves and weapons training could do it for him. But he'd have to make sure he would flash.

There was one way to force the Intersect into working. If his life was absolutely in danger, if there was no other way out, he knew, or at least he hoped, that it would take over. He'd become the better, stronger, less feeling version of himself. He could be Casey and get exactly what he needed. But there was no way to trick his own mind. For the Intersect to kick in, the threat would have real.

Chuck reached for the ammunition and loaded it into the gun with one swift motion. He was ready.

"Mr. Jansen."

The courier turned to regard him as he entered the room. He smiled at Chuck. It was unnerving.

"You too?" The man laughed. "Everybody wants to know where my memory card is. I guess you guys don't talk much, huh?

"Let's make this easy." Chuck took a step forward, the gun in his hand clearly visible. "Just tell me where I can find it."

The courier actually seemed surprised by his request. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall.

"Tell me what I get for my trouble."

Chuck raised the gun and pointed it at him. The muzzle was mere inches from the man's face.

"You get to not die."

Jansen smiled again and actually took a step closer. He was calling Chuck's bluff. This was all just a game to him.

"No deal."

Chuck wanted to beat the crap out of him. He really, really did. But all of the kung fu, the fancy fighting skills… it was all locked away, deep in his mind. Besides, this man wasn't armed, wasn't actually a threat to him at all. And at his very core Chuck simply couldn't hurt a defenseless person standing in front of him. Jansen wasn't the one who had Ellie, he was just the guy in Chuck's way.

Chuck slowly lowered the gun. It was time to let the Intersect do its job. He needed it to take over, to make him a spy that could get a job done, not a brother whose emotions were getting the best of him.

Chuck put the gun on the table, then stepped back again. Now he definitely had Jansen's attention.

Morgan sat there and watched the whole thing unfold. He couldn't help it. As soon as Chuck had left him, he'd switched on the Interrogation room camera. This might be his one chance to catch his buddy in action. But what he saw baffled him. Hadn't Chuck seen enough movies to know that you never gave up the gun?

Jansen was surveying the situation, obviously confused. But he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. He lunged for the gun and Morgan nearly leapt out of his chair. But Chuck was calm, still, and Morgan could see what was happening. He was flashing on something. Jansen's actions, the threat he had suddenly become, had caused Chuck to flash.

And then everything changed. Chuck launched himself at Jansen just as the courier got his hands on the gun. Chuck kicked him first, backing him up against the wall, then jammed the table into his body, trapping him there. The gun clattered across the floor.

Jansen grunted, clearly in pain. It took all of his effort to shove the table back and wriggle free. Morgan sat transfixed, wondering if he should go to Chuck's rescue. But then Jansen tried to get past Chuck and Chuck easily caught him with a punch to the gut. He threw Jansen across the table, one hand to his throat. Chuck certainly didn't need any help.

"Where's the card?" The tone of Chuck's voice gave Morgan the chills. "Tell me where I can find it."

The courier coughed. It sounded like he was actually choking. Chuck grabbed the man's jacket with both hands and dragged him off the table, pinning him against the wall again. Morgan had to remind himself that this was the Intersect at work. This was Chuck's job. But still…

"You have about ten seconds to talk."

"I want to speak to Hoyt," Jansen gasped. Chuck lifted him a few inches off the floor. Morgan couldn't believe it. When the hell had his friend gotten so strong?

"This is me asking you nicely." Chuck's fingers were turning white as he held the courier there. When the man didn't respond, Chuck shook him, slamming him into the wall one more time.

"I hid it…" Jansen finally gave in. "But I can tell you where to go."

The courier was still wheezing and Morgan couldn't quite catch what he said next. In fact he didn't want to. This was not the Chuck Bartowski he'd signed up to see. His old friend had morphed into someone barely recognizable.

Morgan reached over and turned the monitor off.

So now he knew where the memory card was.

Chuck let go of Jansen and the courier slumped over, grabbing at the wall for support.

"You people are crazy," he muttered, his words barely audible. "How many times are you gonna come in here?"

Chuck ignored him. His limbs were suddenly heavy. His movements felt slower. He took a few steps back as Jansen stumbled forward into a chair.

"Go on and take it."

Chuck didn't respond. Instead he reached down and picked up the gun. He quickly emptied the ammunition in case Jansen got any more big ideas. But the man was obviously defeated.

"This job wasn't worth it anyway." The courier continued. "I don't need that much blood on my hands."

He wished so much that Jansen hadn't said that. Chuck had spent the last half an hour trying to look past the obvious flaw in his plan. Whatever was on that card was dangerous and handing it over to Dugan would have huge consequences, and not just for him.

Chuck didn't want to ask, but the door had been opened.

"What exactly is on that thing?"

Jansen shrugged.

"I thought it was the same old stuff, some list of military targets or agents or something."

Apparently that wouldn't have been enough to trouble him. Jansen just shook his head, staring down at his hands. Chuck hadn't even noticed the ring on his finger.

"But this buyer…" Jansen sighed. "I don't know his name, but I've heard stories. He'll do anything for money and he holds a serious grudge too. He took out an entire hospital wing on a contract killing, then murdered the guy who didn't pay him in full."

None of this was making Chuck feel better. Some bad guys had a code. And some, like Jansen, had just the tiniest hint of a conscience. Dugan clearly had neither.

"That card was stolen from some big wig scientist." Jansen twisted the ring he was wearing. "I looked the guy up. He's scary smart all into biology and physics and stuff. Last anyone knew he was designing a weapon."

"What kind of weapon?" It was another question Chuck hated to ask, but the words came out anyway.

"I don't know." Jansen looked up. "But I guess you're about to find out."

"Chuck, what happened in there?" Morgan was on him as soon as he left the room. But Chuck kept walking, side stepping his buddy.

If there was any hope of saving Ellie, Chuck knew he'd have to think like Dugan, to focus on one objective and to hell with the rest of it. It would make him no better than the bad guys he was trying to stop, but already he had one foot over the line here. What he'd done in that room, forcing the info out of the courier, it was something he'd never thought himself capable of. And now it was time to decide just how much farther he was willing to go.

"Morgan, I can't talk about this right now." He stared straight ahead, his eyes focused on the stairs that would help him escape.

"Chuck wait." Morgan chased after him. His excitement was long gone, replaced by concern. "Let me in man, what's going on?"

"It's nothing, buddy."

Chuck hit the end of the hallway and punched a code into the keypad by the door. They were back in the break room. The darkness of Castle was behind him and he winced as he came out into the bright lights of the Buy More.

"Chuck-" Morgan hurried out after him as the locker door started to close.

"It's spy business."

But apparently that wasn't a good enough excuse. Morgan suddenly jumped in front of him, forcing him to stop in his tracks.

"Chuck I have known you most of my life," Morgan's tone was dead serious. "And I can tell you right now that it's a lot more than that."

They stared at each other for one long moment until finally Chuck broke.

"It is." He felt a surge of frustration. And then it all came spilling out, everything he was thinking, everything he was feeling. He couldn't stop it.

"It is more than that." Chuck had to drop his voice to keep from yelling. "It's being a spy, it's having all these people that you need to protect, people you love and some people, a whole world full of people, that you don't even know."

Morgan stayed quiet as Chuck pushed on. His anger at this entire situation had finally boiled over.

"For instance, here's an important question for any good spy." Chuck spun around and yanked his locker door open. "You have someone you care about-"

"Like Sarah?"

The question caught him off guard and Chuck shook his head.

"No, not like Sarah. Just someone, someone who's important to you." Chuck found his keys and shoved them into his pocket. "But that person's in trouble and the only way you can help them is to sacrifice-" he stopped short, then slammed the locker closed. "To sacrifice something big."

"I'm not sure I'm following."

"It's the greater good Morgan." Chuck turned to face his friend head on. "Which do you choose, yourself and what you care about most, or the greater good?"

Morgan continued to stare at him for a long, long moment. Chuck thought he might actually have an answer, but then he just blinked and shook his head.

"I got nothing for you." Morgan sounded genuinely apologetic. "I'm no good at these morality puzzles, you know that."

Chuck sighed. He didn't know what he should do, who he should listen to. Sarah and Casey would be back soon, but then again so would Hoyt. And Dugan was waiting and the memory card was just out there, no one having claimed it yet.

"Ellie!" Morgan said suddenly, grabbing Chuck by the shoulders. His friend smiled as if he'd just found the answer they'd both been searching for. "You should totally ask Ellie, she's great at this kind of stuff."

Chuck didn't know how to respond to that. But Morgan just kept nodding, sure he had helped in some way. Maybe he had. He clapped Morgan on the back as he headed for the door.

"Thanks buddy."

Chuck wasn't at the Buy More. Casey had done a quick run through, but Jeff and Lester had long since taken over the Nerd Herd desk and Chuck was nowhere to be found. Dammit. Casey didn't know whether to be pissed at Bartowski or proud of him.

He caught up with Sarah in the yogurt shop and filled her in on their latest problem.

"Let's hope he's in Castle." Sarah was already entering the security code. There was a single beep and the door came open. Casey followed her inside.

"You think he'd talk to that courier?"

Sarah didn't even need time to consider it.

"Yeah, I do."

They were at the top of the stairs when Sarah suddenly stopped. Casey nearly ran into her. Already though, he could see what the issue was. Hoyt was down on the main floor, standing over a computer terminal. He didn't bother to look up at them.

"You're too late." Hoyt's fingers flew across the keyboard. He nodded towards the large monitor on the wall as a small quadrant of surveillance footage expanded to fill the entire screen. There was Chuck, pulling a gun on the courier.

"Your boy's long gone."

Casey and Sarah couldn't help but watch the interrogation play out. Chuck had clearly flashed and there he was fighting like the spy they'd trained him to be. Casey would never admit it, but he was a little impressed. Sarah just seemed alarmed.

"You don't know the situation." She shifted her gaze back to Hoyt. "You don't know…"

"What?" Hoyt finally turned around. "About Dugan? Or about his sister?"

Sarah looked over at Casey, then back to Hoyt.

"That's where you're wrong Agent Walker." Hoyt tapped a single key with his index finger. The screen went black. "I know everything."