A/N: Well, here it is, a new chapter. I did manage to get some writing done this weekend, although I'm not sure when the next one will be up. Hopefully it will not be too long. Thanks for all the reviews and for kindly looking the other way that Chuck manages to get a huge stroke of good luck last chapter. Also, thanks to the TheJusta for the beta work once again. He was to make sure I do not run into any time paradoxes, which, considering the way my brain works, is probably pretty difficult. Any mistakes are still mine. Standard disclaimer of me not owning Chuck in any sort of way still applies. As always, enjoy and keep reviewing.

Chuck vs. The Grid

Chapter 4

July 19, 2010 Langley, Virginia

The phone on the nightstand was buzzing. Sarah Walker instantly woke at the change in the room. She reached over and grabbed the phone.

"Walker, secure."

"Ma'am, he's been spotted."

Sarah immediately left the comfort of her bed and started gathering her things.

"Rita, I need you to alert the team. We need to be in the air in 30 minutes. Umm…" Sarah was flustered.

This was the first time she had heard anything on Chuck since the disaster in Charlottesville over three months ago. She had been careless, more wanting to find Chuck for personal reasons than for the CIA and it had cost him dearly. She hoped that he would forgive her but she would never forgive herself.

"Don't worry ma'am. I've got the Leer standing by awaiting you and your team for takeoff to Flagstaff."

"What happened? I thought he was gone for sure after…after…" she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge Charlottesville.

"My contacts tell me the NSA said that Orion could be found at some location in Flagstaff. They found out he was in contact with an ex-CIA agent with friends in both the CIA and NSA. That's why he was always turning up whenever there were any leads on Orion. Anyway, the NSA found out, set a trap and waited for him. Well, he must have figured it out before they got to him. He took out three NSA agents and wounded about five more. He was injured but managed to escape."

Sarah let out a huge breath. She didn't realize that she had been holding her breath the entire time Rita was telling her story. She allowed a small grin to form on her face. Beckman would be livid that Chuck managed to escape, again. Her career was on the line. She and Director Bennett of the CIA were in a war over the Intersect. Beckman had dispatched Casey to find Chuck, while Bennett had sent Sarah after him, again. They both wanted the Intersect and they weren't going to share this time.

"Okay, I'll meet the team in 15 minutes. Thank you, Rita."

Sarah hung up the phone. It was only now that she realized it was about 3:30 am. She quickly took off her Stanford night shirt and got changed into a more appropriate ensemble. She was going to be meeting Casey in a few hours. There was no way he was expecting her to be there this quickly. Thankfully Rita had friends she could trust who worked for the NSA.

Their last op together to find Orion in Oklahoma City had been the last straw in friendly play between the NSA and CIA. Had it not been for Chuck, both of them would have been dead. Each agency then decided that the only way to find Chuck was to begin their own individual searches, thus pitting Sarah against Casey. Sarah was wondering how he was handling the strain of looking for Chuck. It hadn't been easy for her.

***

Dec. 27, 2008 Castle

"Hello," Casey said gruffly into his phone. He hadn't slept in about 24 hours.

"Casey. I have one request. I know you're an honorable man. Please leave my family out of this. They have nothing to do with this. You want me, come get me." Casey's eyes widened as he listened. The moron had already made a mistake and called him.

"Chuck, listen, this isn't going to end well."

At the mention of Chuck's name, Sarah immediately ran and took the phone from Casey.

"Chuck, please, you have to come home." She was pleading to him.

"I'm sorry Sarah. I have to find him. It's the only way I can get the Intersect out and live a normal life. If you meant what you said, you'll understand why I'm doing this." He hung up. Sarah had to stifle a sob that had been threatening to claim her since she first heard his voice.

"I got a trace. It's moving east across Arizona. Idiot probably thought I couldn't trace a prepaid phone. I'm going to alert Beckman." Chuck had been so careful planning his escape. 'There was no way he would make a mistake like that,' thought Sarah.

As Casey was calling Beckman, Sarah's phone rang.

"Agent Walker, this is Sheriff Thomas. I believe we found that car you were looking for. It's behind a diner a few hours north of Burbank just off the I-5. The diner is called The Bird Feeder."

"Oh, alright. We'll get someone up there quickly to take a look at it."

She and Casey hung up their phones at the same time.

"That was a sheriff. They found the car," Sarah said, answering the questioning look he was giving her.

"Oh, right. Well, why don't you go look into that and I'll take care of Arizona." Casey was eyeing her. She didn't appear to want to argue with him, which seemed strange since she was never going to see Chuck again once the NSA got him. He found this odd. "Why aren't you fighting me on this?"

"Because," said Sarah confidently, "Chuck isn't in Arizona. It's a trick. He's been too careful to make a mistake like that. The best lead is the car at that diner. Probably hitched a ride. If I can find out who he went with, I can find out where he is going."

Casey gave her an appraising look. He doubted that Chuck would be that clever. He had interacted with him for a year and a half now. Casey was always one step ahead of Chuck, not the other way around.

"Fine, you follow your 'heart', I'll follow the evidence."

They both gave each other glares before leaving Castle and heading their respective ways.

***

Outside Tucson, Arizona

"General, this is Casey. It looks like Bartowski fooled us."

He was holding the prepaid phone Chuck had purchased. Not surprisingly, the driver of the mail truck was extremely nervous when he was stopped by three government SUVs and a little bit angry that he was thrown from his truck, handcuffed, being charged with aiding and abetting a fugitive. A subsequent search found no Chuck hiding amongst the mail, but did find a package that contained the source the Casey's anger.

"What? What's going on?" Beckman was livid. Not only had Bartowski not slipped up, but he had managed to fool them again, allowing him to get further away.

"It appears he programmed one phone to call a second one, which upon being called would call us. So the phone that called us wasn't the phone he was talking on, meaning we would trace a phantom and not him."

"So, do we have anything else?"

"Agent Walker is investigating the diner where the car Chuck stole was found. It appears that he hitched a ride. Walker will do her thing to see if she can get some information out of those truckers."

"Okay, Major, get back to LA as soon as possible. Also, did Bartowski come into contact with anyone suspicious who could have given him his intel, thus prompting him to run?" Beckman needed something. This was going to be all on her. It was her team that lost the most important intelligence asset in the world.

"No ma'am. After going over surveillance, the only character out of the ordinary Chuck came into contact with was Dick Johnson, the scientist he gunned down. But if he knew something about the Intersect, why would Chuck have killed him?"

"Because maybe Bartowski didn't want anyone to know where he'd gotten his information. I'm going to do some digging on this guy, see if he had any ties to the Intersect or anyone involved with it."

"Roger that, General." He hung up, shaking his head. He had underestimated Chuck.

***

The Bird Feeder Diner

Sarah was inside interviewing the hostess. She knew the car was no good. Chuck hadn't left anything important in there.

"So, did he say where he was going? Give any indication that he was meeting someone?" Sarah asked politely.

"Nah," said Pam, "Just ordered some breakfast and got a ride from somebody. He was a runner for sure. He had that look in his eye. Always looking out the window, always thinking. He actually seemed a little happy. Strange, right? Most people who run are usually scared out of their minds."

Sarah thanked the hostess for her time. 'Well, that was a waste,' she thought savagely. 'Not going to make this easy for me, are you Chuck?' She was walking up to a group of truckers who were looking directly at her, not actually believing what they were seeing. They started getting out money and passing it amongst each other. One man seemed to be collecting most of it. Sarah frowned a bit, getting a somewhat angry. Did they think she was a hooker or something? Despite her feelings towards the group, she made her way over to them.

The man who had all the money spoke up when she got close. "So, you really showed up? I figured since most were betting against it, the best way to make money was to bet for you. Thank you very much."

Sarah was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Buddy of mine said a beautiful blonde would show up at this exact diner within the week. He said she'd ask about a kid who was running." He grinned at her shocked expression, while most of the other men were looking at anything but her face.

"Who said all this?" Her mind was racing. 'How much had Chuck spilled? Did he say anything to compromise me?'

"My buddy Roy. Here," he let up into the cab to use the CB radio. "He wants to talk to you."

Sarah put the little piece of plastic up to her mouth. "Hello, Roy?" She was totally put offguard.

"So, this is the famous Sarah. I must say, you sound as beautiful as you looked in the photo Chuck had."

Chuck's name got her to refocus. 'Find Chuck. Where he is going, who he is after?'

"Do you know where he is? I really need to find him."

"Ah, he said you would come looking for him. He must know you really well. Can't believe he would run from you. He really is hopelessly in love. The way he stared at that photo. Man."

Sarah softened at hearing that, however she plowed ahead with her questions.

"Do you know where he is heading?"

"Nope, can't say that I do. Dropped him off in Eugene. That's where I live. It was Christmas Day and I was looking to get home. Figured I would give the poor kid a lift. He just said he wanted to get as far away from LA as he could."

"LA? He told you where he was from?"

"Yeah. It was a long drive and we did a bit of talking. Asked him why he was on the run on Christmas. Said something about job troubles, and he mentioned you. Said you were the best thing to happen to him and that he loved you, but he needed a change. You were the only thing keeping him in LA and your job wouldn't let you leave. He decided that he couldn't take it anymore and just left."

Chuck didn't tip his hat to anyone. She thought his personality might allow him to open up about his plans to whoever gave him a ride, but it hadn't. "Thanks for your time," Sarah said softly. Not only had Chuck escaped, but she had nothing.

"No problem, Sarah. I hope that boy finds what he is looking for. He seemed desperate."

'He is desperate,' thought Sarah as she turned off the CB. Not only had Chuck managed to fool Casey into thinking he was in Arizona, he left her nothing here. He was dropped off in Eugene, two days ago. He could be anywhere by now. Plus, he had let the truckers know she would be coming, on top of letting them hear his sad story. He had turned them against her before she had a chance to charm them. She had underestimated Chuck.

***

It was after sunset when both Casey and Sarah had returned to Castle. Neither one of them had anything good to report. Chuck had effectively gone off the grid. They didn't know his mode of transportation, where he was going or who he was looking for. They had no idea how to begin a search when they had no idea where to look.

"Can't believe that idiot got me to think he was in Tucson?" Casey was shaking his head. "He is a geek after all. Shoulda known he would try to use our methods of tracking against us."

"It's nerd," Sarah corrected him automatically. Casey grunted, acknowledging her. "And he turned everyone against me before I even got there. Told them I was the reason for him being trapped in LA with the job he hates. Everyone took pity on him. I didn't stand a chance to charm anything useful out of them, not that I would have gotten much. Chuck has been too careful to let anything important slip."

Beckman then appeared on screen. She had a small smile on her face. Casey and Sarah looked hopeful. Maybe there had been a sighting of Chuck.

"Well, after some digging, it appears that Dick Johnson actually worked on the Intersect project in its early days." Everything on him came up on screen. "If Chuck got his information about finding someone to help him take the Intersect out, it would have came from him."

"Aren't there about 15 people that worked on the Intersect? How do we know which one Chuck is looking for?" asked Casey, looking at the files on Johnson.

"Because," Beckman started hesitantly, "there's only person who has worked on the Intersect, past and present, who is unaccounted for. His code name is Orion. He was pretty much the creator of the Intersect. It was almost entirely based on his work and theories. However, he faked his death, purged his files and completely fell off the grid."

"Why would he run?" Sarah asked, confused.

Beckman seemed to be contemplating on what to say. "When the Intersect was first created, the whole encoded images idea was a theory. Orion believed that a human being could absorb the data, just like Bartowski has. However, the first attempts of a download were…unsuccessful."

"Unsuccessful how?" Sarah could sense Beckman was skirting the issue.

"The first few subjects were unable to handle the amount of data in the images and became incapacitated. Immediately, Orion and his staff tried to shut down the project. They tested their theory and believed it to be wrong. However, the thought of Intersects being in agents was an idea the NSA and CIA would not let die. They wanted to keep testing. Orion, along with his team, objected and anyone who tried to speak out against the Intersect was dealt with. Johnson disappeared and Orion supposedly died in a car crash. The remains were too degraded for a positive ID, but it was his car and the body was similar to Orion's build. We have concrete evidence of where the rest of his team is, but not Orion. That must be who Chuck is after."

"We also believe that Fulcrum has plans to build their own Intersect and are currently searching for Orion as well. It is imperative that we find Orion before either Fulcrum or Bartowski. Bartowski can't meet Orion. He's the only one that has proven capable to handle the download."

"Wait, you don't want the secrets out of Chuck's head?" It was Casey that spoke up now.

"No, Major, I don't. He's far too valuable. That's why the standing order is to bring him in alive. He processes things much better than the computer could. While he may not be as effective as he was in the field, he will be effective none the less."

Noting no more questions, Beckman ended the teleconference. Sarah and Casey looked at each other, not quite sure that they had heard right.

'They never had any plan to eventually help Chuck,' thought Sarah. 'They were going to use him until he died. Then they would find the next poor soul and do the same thing.' Now knowing the General's plans, part of her wanted Chuck to actually succeed and never be heard from again, if only so he wouldn't have to face what Beckman had planned for him.

Casey, on the other hand, was shocked at what his government had done. Sure, there had been times when unsavory things had to be done, but it was for the greater good. This, this was different. A human Intersect wasn't necessary for espionage work. Sure, it helped a lot but they could still get the job done without one. He wondered how many before Bartowski and how many after would have to deal with this.

Both Sarah and Casey glanced at each other. They both had jobs to do but neither was sure what they would do if they actually found Chuck. Would they take him in as they were supposed to or would they sacrifice themselves, their careers, all they fought for and believed in to help the nerd? They knew what the other was thinking and neither had an answer.

***

Chuck was sitting in a crummy motel on the Idaho/Montana border. The weather outside was getting progressively worse and Chuck was having trouble keeping the Charger on the road. He never really had to deal with snow and ice before so he was getting a firsthand education. He opened his luggage and pulled out the clippers. The first thing he had to do was cut his hair. He decided to just buzz it. Since he was going to be wearing a hat most of the time, he didn't mind so much that his hair was going to be all gone.

He went into the bathroom and took one last look at himself. He ran his fingers through his hair one final time. 'Sarah loved running her hands through my hair,' he reminisced. The thought brought a smile to his face. He stared at his hair a bit longer, and then set to work. After 10 minutes, Chuck's hair was the shortest it had been in the past 10 years. He ran his hand over his head, feeling the tips of his hair tickling his hand. He sighed and decided to get some rest. As he made his way to his bed, he felt somewhat naked without the curls covering his ears.

Just as he had changed into his night clothes, his sat phone went off. Chuck got nervous. He wasn't expecting a call from Roy for at least a week. Had Sarah found him and gotten it all out of him? Did Roy's loyalty always run to the CIA first, friends second? He hesitantly picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Chuck. It's Roy."

"Roy, why are you calling me so quickly? There's no way you could have heard anything about Orion."

"I haven't. I just called to tell you that your handler didn't suspect a thing. Although I thought your other guy, the NSA droid you talked about, would be there. I guess it was just her."

Chuck allowed himself a smile. "Casey was somewhere in Arizona this afternoon."

"Arizona? Why would he be there?"

"I sent him there. I called, but routed the call through another phone that I sent to Arizona. If he traced it, like I believe he did, then he went to the phone. I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he figured out what I did."

Roy was laughing. "Good for you, Chuck. Now, I want you to know that you are always welcome here. I know Lily seemed a little rude when I brought you, but I told her your situation and…"

"You told her?" Chuck interrupted loudly.

"Listen, Chuck. Trust me, she is someone you want on your side. Anyway, she says you're welcome anytime. Just make sure you call before hand. Popping in would be a big mistake."

Chuck grinned. "Roy, I don't know how to thank you. I mean…"

"Don't worry, Chuck. If I get that beer from you, I'll be happy. So, you know where you are heading first?"

"Yeah, I've always wanted to travel. Well, in Europe more than just across the states. I got a few places I want to see and things I want to do here stateside though. Figure now is as good a time as any to see some sights. But I'm gonna lay low for awhile."

"Good Chuck. The heat is going to really be on for a while. I'll call you when I hear word about Orion. And take care of yourself."

"Don't worry Roy. I will. See ya."

Chuck hung up the phone. He was glad he had Roy. As much as he wanted to believe he could do this alone, he knew that was impossible. He needed friends and Roy was the best friend he had right now. He grabbed the 9mm and put it under his pillow. Then he laid down and finally fell into an uneasy sleep.

***

Dec. 30, 2008 Keystone, South Dakota

Chuck awoke bright and early. The fact that the windows in his room were drafty and the wind was whipping around 50 miles per hour may have had something to do with that. He made his way to the bathroom to relieve himself and warm up in a hot shower. He let the water run over him as he closed his eyes to think. He was sure that he was in the clear with regards to Casey and Sarah. If they hadn't found him by now then he had successfully vanished. Now it was up to him to stay that way. He had been careful when he filled up for gas. He was wearing his hat, the sunglasses, and always kept his head down. The heavy coat also distorted his build. Any place that had a camera Chuck knew he was going to have to play it carefully.

He ran his hand over his face. The cold, blustery air that had blown on it briefly seemed to stimulate his facial hair growth. He knew it wouldn't be too long before he had a beard like Morgan's. He laughed at the thought. Morgan's beard was one of the reasons he didn't keep one. He tried his best to do the opposite of what Morgan did when it came to matters like these. Ellie's persistent nagging that he would never land a woman looking like a bum was also a reason he kept clean shaving. It felt kind of nice to not have to worry about little things like that anymore.

After another 20 minutes in the shower, Chuck decided to get some breakfast. He was sure he saw a Denny's when he drove in last night. After Chuck got dressed, which included wearing jeans, a t-shirt, sweatshirt, his coat, his hat, his sunglasses and his 9mm in back of his pants, he went outside to face the brutal winds that had only intensified since he had woken up.

Once inside the cozy atmosphere of the Denny's, Chuck took a look around. His plan when he entered any building was to see if he flashed on anyone. If he did, he would just use the restroom and leave. If not, he would carry out his business. Since he didn't flash this particular morning, Chuck decided his business was to pound a Grand Slam breakfast. Chuck took a seat next to the exit. Not only so he could quickly get away but also so he would be able to watch everyone who came in. After 30 minutes, Chuck's belly was considerably full. He had just pulled out his wallet when a Middle Eastern man walked through the door. Chuck felt his head start to tingle and then he flashed. The man's name was Samir Raheem. He was linked to terrorist attacks all over the world but nothing ever stuck to him. 'What is he doing here?'

The waitress came over. "Can I get you anything else?"

Chuck barely registered what she said. "Ummmm," he looked up at her and she just glared at him. "No, I'm good." He dropped a bill on the table and quickly left. He hurried back to his hotel room and started packing. He needed to leave before the authorities showed up. 'But what if they don't show up?'

'Look, this is not your problem,' he told himself.

'But that man may be planning to blow something up. I have to stop him.'

Chuck fought with himself for about a minute before decided to hop in his car and tail the man. He couldn't just let this guy kill innocent people when he could have done something. He was sitting in the Charger just across the street from the Denny's. He pulled his binoculars from his spy bag to see if Samir was still in there. He was and Chuck noticed he too was enjoying a Grand Slam breakfast. 'I guess that meal is just universally popular,' he told himself. He watched Samir for another 20 minutes before Samir got in his Saab and left.

Chuck hoped that Samir led him to his safe house. Chuck's Charger kind of stood out and he knew he would be easily spotted if Samir drove around for awhile. Luckily for him, Samir just drove about a few miles east of Keystone to a secluded farmhouse. Chuck watched him drive down a dirt path that was about a half mile long and in between a small growth of trees. Chuck got out of his car and took his spy bag with him. As silently as he could, he crept along the path to get a view of the house.

Once Chuck was able to see the house for himself, he took position behind a tree. He wondered how many men where in this particular cell. Using his thermal goggles, he could see five distinct heat signatures. He quickly took the thermal goggles off and switched to his binoculars, looking to see if he could flash on anyone. He flashed on the third member of the team he saw. He saw schematics for a bomb and details of blasts in Baghdad and Brussels. To the left of the farmhouse was a barn, which the man had just entered. 'That must be where the bomb is,' he told himself.

Chuck quickly made his way back to the car he abandoned along the road. It was pretty desolate out there and Chuck doubted that ten cars went past that house in a day. It was the perfect place to plan an attack. But why here? They were in South Dakota of all places. 'Mount Rushmore,' he thought. 'They're going to attack it on New Year's Eve…shit.'

He quickly got out his last prepaid phone. 'I'm going to have to invest in these things,' he told himself because this one wasn't coming with him, not after he made this call. He dialed his favorite number and waited for an answer.

"Hello," said a sleepy female voice.

Chuck smiled when he heard it. It was so nice to hear her voice again. 'Focus, dipshit. Terrorists, bombs, death.'

"Sarah, 315 Wilson Highway, a few miles east of Keystone, South Dakota. Samir Raheem and four others are building a bomb, which I believe they are planning to detonate at Mount Rushmore on New Year's Eve."

"Chuck, is that you?" She sounded hopeful, even a little bit happy.

"Sarah, come to that address and stop them."

"Chuck, how do I know that this isn't another trick of yours, to throw us off your trail?"

Chuck knew they had no idea where he was. "You still sound half asleep, which means you're still in LA, which means you have no idea where I am." He paused, waiting for her to say something. She didn't respond, so he continued. "I'll leave the phone on so you can trace the call. It will be on the ground just outside the driveway to their location."

"Chuck? Chuck, wait dammit!" But Chuck had already dropped the phone and gotten in his car.

***

Sarah Walker's Hotel Room

Sarah heard the sound of a car driving away. 'No,' she thought, 'He's gone again.' She felt like he had briefly returned, just by calling her. She didn't end the call and dressed at record speed. In no time, she was at Castle tracing the call that was still ongoing on her phone. It came back to just outside Keystone, South Dakota, just like he said. She hung up rather reluctantly, severing the tie that had recently connected her to Chuck again.

She dialed Casey.

"Casey, secure."

"Walker, secure. Get to Castle, Chuck just called me. And tell Beckman we need a briefing. There may be an attack on Mount Rushmore tomorrow night."

If Casey was confused, he didn't let on. "Roger that."

In no time, Casey was inside Castle. "What the hell's going on?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Chuck called me this morning and…"

But Casey interrupted with a grunt and sneered, "I knew his lady feelings would get the better of him."

"He called to say that he flashed on a guy who is a suspected terrorist. He said a group is planning an attack on Mount Rushmore tomorrow night."

"Well then, it's imperative we find out whether Bartowski is being sincere or sending us in circles again," said a somewhat disheveled Beckman, who had just appeared on the monitor.

"I traced the call," Sarah started. "He kept the link between the phones. It is exactly where he said he was."

"What did he say about this attack?" Beckman inquired.

"He said," Sarah thought back. She was so surprised to hear his voice that she hadn't paid that much attention. "Samir Raheem, I think, and a group of others were planning an attack for tomorrow night at Mount Rushmore."

"Well, Samir Raheem has been linked to dozens of bombings all over the world and the latest chatter has put him here in the states. Could Bartowski have faked all this? Gotten the information elsewhere?"

"I don't believe so, ma'am," Casey said quickly. "Bartowski may be a lot of things, but this is something he wouldn't joke about."

"And, I already asked him about that," Sarah said sadly. "He knew we were still in LA. He knows we have no idea where he is."

Beckman's eyes narrowed at that. How could that imbecile have outsmarted all of them and completely disappeared?

"Either way," Sarah continued, "I think we have to investigate. It's too important not to."

Beckman agreed. She would put out word to all local officials to monitor that area and wait for her team to arrive. However, if they were just wasting time and this was some sick joke by Bartowski, she would be beyond furious. Within a half hour, both Casey and Sarah were on a government jet to South Dakota to investigate.

***

A Few Miles East of Keystone, South Dakota

It was still afternoon when Casey and Sarah made their way to the end of driveway. Sarah looked down. Sure enough, the phone was still open on the ground, just like Chuck said it would be.

"We've been watching the road all day. No one pulled into or out of that driveway. This road doesn't get traveled on much. In fact, I'm not sure people even know there is a farmhouse back there. It's pretty secluded, a perfect place for them." The local police chief was updating Sarah and Casey.

"Is the SWAT team ready?" Casey asked, grabbing extra clips of ammunition.

"Yes, Major. Awaiting your orders."

"Okay." Casey marched over to the SWAT team. "Listen, we have five hostiles. They are likely armed with automatic weapons. There may also be a bomb on site. It is unclear whether or not it is working order, so we will assume it is. They will likely detonate if they see us coming in. We go in small. We also need to surround the place. Make sure these guys do not escape."

The team quietly made their way through the trees, fanning out once the house came within sight. Sarah saw a couple of men sitting on the porch smoking. She thought she heard sounds coming from the barn. "Casey, the bomb is likely in the barn," she said into her watch.

"Yeah, I agree. You think you can get in there and take out whoever is in there. Two on the porch. I'm sure I saw someone upstairs moving around. That means at max, two in the barn. Can you handle that?" Casey quipped.

"Yeah, I can handle it," she retorted. Sarah, now in full agent mode, moved over to the left to get into position. She startled a couple of SWAT members when she appeared out of nowhere. She shook her head at how jumpy they were.

Now on the left side of the barn, she couldn't see the house. There was a window in front of her, which would be her entry point. The SWAT team watched in amazement as the one woman on the team made her way to the barn by herself. She looked inside carefully. There was indeed a bomb in there. She saw one man working on it. It wasn't complete, but it was close. She propped herself on the window ledge and quietly made her way inside. She softly landed from the window ledge in an abandoned horse stall. She listened intently. She heard the one man working, but also footsteps. She pulled out two throwing knives. She had a pretty good idea of where her targets were.

She leapt out quickly from the stall into the middle of the barn. She hit the man working on the bomb in the throat. He fell backwards clutching at the piece of metal sticking out of his neck. His companion pulled his gun, but a knife to the arm made him drop his weapon. Sarah quickly ran over to him, dropping him to the ground with a well placed kick to the head. He started to yell but Sarah covered his mouth, pulled out a third knife and ran it across his throat. She kept her hand on his mouth until he stopped struggling. She stood up, her stomach feeling queasy. It had been so long since she had acted so violently, with the sole purpose of killing her target.

"Casey," she whispered, "barn secure. Two men down. Bomb not operational."

"Good work." Casey then got on the radio. "Move in on the house. Still small though. We don't know what they have inside."

The two men on the porch had gone back inside. Casey and the SWAT team quietly made their way to the house. They saw three men sitting on a couch watching television. Casey had the team hold up on the porch. He held up one finger, then two, then three. Once the third finger went up, Casey and team stormed the house. One of terrorists pulled a gun but a shot to the head from Casey killed him. The other two were tackled and handcuffed as the rest of the SWAT forced their way into the house.

A half hour later, government officials were sifting through the house, trying to see if there was anything to connect Raheem to the other bombings they believed him to be a part of.

"Yes, General, the threat has been neutralized. Three dead, two in custody. The bomb was nearly complete when we arrived."

"Good work Major, be sure to thank the…" Beckman stopped. It had become so common to offer Bartowski thanks when a mission was successfully completed.

There was an uncomfortable silence. "Thank Agent Walker for her excellent work today."

"Don't worry, ma'am, I will." The call ended.

"Thanks Chuck," Casey muttered to no one in particular.

***

Keystone, South Dakota

Sarah was trying to see if anyone had seen Chuck. Maybe they could figure out what he was driving or if he had made any changes to his appearance. All Raheem had said was that he couldn't understand he'd been caught. Their plan had been perfect. No one even knew they were there. He said he went to a Denny's in that morning under questioning by Casey. He didn't know why that so important.

Sarah pulled into the Denny's and went inside. The hostess greeted her. "Where would you like to sit, smoking or non smoking?"

"Umm, no, I'm here to ask some questions. Was this man in here earlier?" She pulled Chuck's Buy More employee photo.

"Well, I just got here, so I don't know. Hey, Susie. Come here." She motioned Susie over. "She worked this morning," she told Sarah.

"Did this man come in this morning?" Sarah held up the photo.

"Hmm," pondered Susie. "Maybe. Had a younger guy come in this morning, but he was wearing a stocking hat and sunglasses. Wait, no I remember. Yeah, he was here. I remember his eyes. So pretty." Sarah frowned. "I remember because that foreigner came in and he was more interested in him than me. I was hoping to get his number." Sarah was both pissed that this girl was hitting on Chuck and happy because it was a solid lead.

"Did you see what he was driving?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"Umm, he walked in. Yeah, he didn't drive." Sarah deflated a bit.

"You remember anything else about him? Did he look different than in this photo?"

"Hard to tell. He had a hat on, like I said, but his hair was definitely not this long. And he wasn't clean shaven either. Had a little bit of growth. Left me a big tip too. What a sweetheart."

Sarah shook her head and left. She had something, but not much. Chuck had changed his appearance a little. A beard and short hair, like there weren't a ton of 20 somethings out there with that look. 'Short hair,' Sarah thought sadly, 'I really miss running my hands through his hair. The smile on his face when I did was totally worth it. Plus it was something to hold onto when things got heated.' A smile crept to her face as she thought about some of their steamier kisses.

"Wipe that stupid school girl grin off your face Walker." Casey had been dropped by the local police chief. "You find out anything?"

***

March 3, 2009 Outside Salt Lake City, Utah 2:00 AM

Chuck was speeding down the highway.

"Shit, shit, shit." He was cursing the pain and his foolishness. Had he really thought he could take out a team of nine on his own? 'God, you stupid shithead,' he cursed himself. 'You're lucky to be alive.'

He pulled the sat phone out of his spy bag with a bloody hand. He quickly dialed Roy's number. While waiting for an answer, he dug into the bag for some painkillers. He found some ibuprofen. He popped the top, brought it to his mouth, and started chewing as the pills emptied out of the bottle.

"Hello?" said a disoriented voice. It was female.

"Lily, is that you?" 'Where's Roy?'

"Who is this?" asked a nervous voice.

"Lily, it's Chuck. I need help." 'If Roy's gone, I'm out of ideas.'

Her tone instantly changed, something Sarah's would do on occasion, from nervous to ready for action.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"I'm in bad shape. I can't go to the hospital, but I need help. I don't know who else to ask." His teeth were gritted in pain.

"Chuck, where are you?"

"North of Salt Lake City, driving this thing like I stole it."

"Meet me in Boise City at the Super 8 motel. I'll get the room."

"Okay. Lily, thank you so much."

"Chuck, just focus on getting to the hotel. Thank me after I've had a look at you and fixed you up."

She hung up. Chuck put the phone in the passenger seat. It was then did he realize how far a drive he had and how much pain he was in. The stab in his left calf was killing him. The slice on the back didn't feel great either and he was certain his right wrist was broken. The other bumps and bruises seemed to hurt even more than they should have. He looked at his reflection and saw he was sporting a black eye.

"You fuckin' idiot," he muttered to himself.