Chapter 9: The Red Test

Kayla was trying to keep herself composed, as the dust filled her nostrils, and pricked her eyes. The only thing that she could rely upon not to freak out was her training, so she tried to fall back on those days.

So far the only thing that had filled her ears the first seconds after the explosion had been the complete and utter silence, something she had always enjoyed but now just freaked her out. She really wanted to hear her partner scramble back upon his feet, or hear him shout out to her that he was ok. But as much as she listened all she was greeted by was the silence.

Ultimately the silence was broken, by the sound of bullets penetrating the walls around her, as she could hear a few yells and screams coming from the Italians. She could even make out the distinct sound of a male laugh, which caused her blood to boil. Knowing that they probably were laughing about the possible death of her partner, could have caused her to go in a frenzy. It once did, when her former partner had been hurt, but now she just knew she had to get to the other side.

Getting up on her feet, she ducked down as she ran to the other side, as the dust finally began to settle a little. Still it was hard to make out the contours of the major, with all the debris, and dust still clouding her vision. As she neared him up to 5yards, she could hear a soft groan coming from him, as he seemed to compose himself. Sitting back up as he ran his hands over his face.

She couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped her lips as she slid herself in front of the older agent. Looking him over carefully she could see several bruises already forming on his face, from what she assumed were hits from the debris, but what worried her more were the deep cut on his left arm, and the slightly distant glazy look in his eyes.

Knowing she had to take control of the situation, she took a firm grasp on his shoulders, before talking. "Come on John, we got to get out of here." She stated softly, but with a commanding voice.

He grunted in response, as he tried to raise himself to his feet, while still clutching to his assault rifle. To her it seemed like he was a bit wobbly, so she immediately reached out with her free hand, and started supporting him. With a small struggle, while she occasionally shot a few rounds back at the way they came from, they reached the Cave entrance behind the lobby. Despite the pressure of the situation, she had little problem flicking the light switch in the right order, to cause the floor to open.

As they started to descend the stairs, she could feel the older agent regaining some of his composure, as he started leaning more and more on his own feet. She couldn't help but feel relieved she might not be in this alone anymore, that the burden of protecting them would not fall just upon her shoulders.

As the door behind them finally closed, hiding once again the base that had served them and the many teams before them so well, she could hear the sounds of explosions rattling through the house, accompanied by the distinct noise coming from debris colliding with the floors. It caused her to pick up the pace slightly, as she could feel Casey's breath level out a little more which each step.

Finally reaching the base section of the building, she saw Morgan anxiously filling up some black back packs, he himself now also dressed in full black clothing. And again she couldn't help but feel a little bit of relief wash over her, as she was grateful that the man had at least remembered their emergency protocol. That he had at least saved them the time.

"You almost done here Morg?" She said with a somewhat tense voice.

He glanced at them, his eyes widening a little at the sight of the major. "What happened to him?" He asked with a concerned voice.

"Nothing serious, now are we ready to go?" The older agent said gruffly.

"Almost, just let me do these two little things." He said as he walked over to the console, and typed a few more commands. "There, we got five minutes to get out of here." He said, while he looked at them, meanwhile strapping one of the back packs on. Walking away from the table, he handed one to each of the two agents, as they started making their way to the built in escape route.

It didn't take them long to reach the escape route, which would lead them into the woods a few miles from town. It had been one of the reasons for the CIA to buy this place, and convert it in their local office. Now the three people in the room were grateful for the CIA's prudence in choosing it's location.

Without hesitation Kayla pulled open the big metal door that would lead them to safety. The long corridor that arched up slightly was dimly lit, and even had it's own power source, in case someone would cut off power to the mansion. It was narrow, but it was still better than having to crawl through air ducts.

Finally reaching the end of the corridor, with only a minute left to spare, she pulled down a small lever. Slowly the ceiling made way for the late morning sky. The thick leaf canopy of the forest, allowing a few rays of sunlight to fall through. Rays that instantly warmed her body a little, and helped her mind come to peace.

Needing to take a short break, they sat down in silence, as soon as they had finally cleared the last few feet of what had been their base. A base that had served them shortly, but well. It was what she had gotten used to, burning bridges. A far cry from the stable life she had once experienced. She could see the tenseness in the eyes of her comrades, the same tenseness she was sure she had in her own. It had been present inside of her since the alarms had started blaring through the house. Now all that remained was silence till an explosion would fill the air.

It didn't take long before the sound of a huge explosion filled the area. Their view was obstructed by the trees around them, which was slightly comforting as it meant that there was very little chance they would be seen. Taking in the fact that their mission had just probably ended, she turned once more to her partner, who's arm was still bleeding.

Throwing off the back pack she had been given, she rifled through it, looking for a small field first aid kit. She would have to clean out, and stitch the wound. Finally finding it, she walked over to the major, who was sitting on the ground going through is own back pack, taking out several clips for his assault rifle, and side arm.

She sat down next to him, and spoke softly. "Let me take care of that cut John."

He gave her a silent nod, as he continued taking stock of what they had with them, as she went to work.

X-X-X-X-X

Silently they made their way through the darkness of the night. The clouded sky adding to the darkness. It matched how the three spies that were approaching the Ring facility were feeling. The only sounds filling the darkness were the sounds of their rhythmic and slightly heavier breathing, and the sound of their feet grinding against the dirt.

Chuck could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his mind constantly switching between what could happen to his sister, and what could happen to them. Despite all of the experience he had amassed over the recent years, he had a lot of trouble to prevent himself from freaking out. Every now and then he glanced over to his two companions, he could see that they felt similar. From what he could make out in the darkness, he even noticed that Sarah's face was more tense than he had seen before. Not even the Longshore situation had gotten such a response from her.

As they started to really come close to the fence that surrounded the complex, Orion motioned them to halt their movement. Knowing the seasoned agent wouldn't force them to stop without reason, they knelt in the dirt, as both Chuck and Sarah eyed the slightly older man with curiosity. Without saying a word, he moved his sleeve up a little, revealing his trusted wrist computer. They could see him enter a few commands, before he returned the garment back in it's original position.

"Camera's" He whispered so soft that Chuck had to make an effort to even make it out. With that Orion raised back on his feet, and once again started moving towards the fence, forcing the two younger spies to follow after him, while all three of them kept looking around them. All scared that they would be spotted, and it would be game over. Though Chuck realised that it would only really be the end of Sarah. His father and he himself would be valuable for any Ring agent to shoot. Not that being captured by The Ring would be a fate better than death. Actually he was pretty sure he would rather die.

While still trying to keep his mind from going to the fears that were coursing through his whole being, they reached the fence. As if nothing had ever split their team up, he instantly threw his backpack from his back, and quickly found the wire cutters she had brought with her from Langley. He was glad she had been the wiser one of the two, as she had actually been smart enough to think things through slightly before rushing to the other side off the country.

It didn't take her long to cut a gap in the fence that would be big enough for them to crawl through, but still would be hopefully too small for anyone to notice. Silently she handed the cutters back, which he returned to it's previous place. He could see her throw her own backpack off, and in a small ditch, before she started crawling through the fence quickly followed by his father.

He himself checked one more time if he had all he would probably need with him. When he was quite certain he did, he closed the bag, and threw it with the other one that had belonged to them. Then he started crawling through the fence himself. Scraping his hands and knees on the ground, while he could feel his side scrape past the fence a little.

It was only a few more yards, before they would reach the only viable entranceway. He could see Sarah looking around the area, before she turned back to the two men. "Ok we'll go across one by one." She whispered. "Just make sure to cover." She added with a nod. Before either men could respond, she started crossing to the entrance, making sure to keep low as she did.

He could see that she immediately took a defensive position, her beloved Smith and Wesson out and ready, as her eyes seemingly kept darting across the terrain. He himself gripped his tranq gun tightly, as his father started making his way across.

His father had only made it half way when Chuck could see a sentry starting to turn the corner towards where they would be entering the building. Knowing that time was off the essence, he aligned his weapon with his target, taking a quick deep breath, making sure to steady his breathing, before squeezing the trigger lightly, firing two darts in quick succession.

A soft sound resonated from his weapon, as the darts left the barrel, both seemingly hitting the agent that was dressed in jeans, and a simple cotton summer jacket. He could see the agent moving his hand to his shoulder area, probably surprised by what had just happened, before he fell to the ground. A soft dud filling the night sky, as the agent hit the dirt. It was definitely not the plan to start taking men out so early, but he had no choice in the matter.

Signalling to Sarah before he went over, he dashed over to the man that he had just incapacitated. He knew he needed to move him out of sight, in the hope no one would find him, or miss him. Perhaps they would be able to get deep inside the facility without anyone spotting them. Within seconds he reached the man, but he had no idea where he would have to take him.

It didn't take Sarah long to join him, both looked at each other for a second, communicating a little without words. Both knowing that they were lucky that they had spotted him in time.

"We need to drag him over there." She whispered at him, while she pointed at some bushes.

He nodded before speaking. "Take his feet." He simply stated.

It didn't take them long to drag him relatively out of sight. A Ring agent would have to look at the bushes for a few seconds to find the man. They just hoped by the time they would, that they would be out of there, with Ellie in their safe hands. And if not, then with having at least gotten revenge for what they had done.

Silently they ran to where Orion was waiting for them, clearly on edge. When they reached him, they all seemed to take a second to steady themselves, for what they feared would be one of the biggest and most important fights of their lives. There would be no second chances on this one.

Slowly Chuck opened the door, while peering through the ever widening opening. Trying to make out any possible enemy operatives. As the door finally opened far enough for them to slip through, they did exactly that, before closing it. Looking around they saw a large number of crates, though they had no idea what they contained, he was certain that it wouldn't be good news. It unnerved him that they had to ignore it, and that The Ring would more than likely get away with it.

They started making their way through the maze of crates, but didn't get far, before they were greeted by stairs leading up, while there was still a significant part of the complex on the ground floor behind them. Looking questioningly at the other two agents, he waited for them to speak. As this was the part where they had more experience, and his mind was too filled with worry to formulate a plan.

"Chuck," Sarah started, her cobalt blue eyes fixed on his, "you and your father go upstairs, I'll take down here."

His eyes glanced over the stairs as he took a deep breath, then turned back to her. "Ok." He whispered back. Looking into her eyes, he wasn't sure what to do. He realised this could be the last time he saw her, he didn't want to end it like this. Not the way it had been between them over the last months. But he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do so he just spoke "Just be careful." He finally said in a hushed voice, as he and his father got out of their crouch position to move again.

But just as he was about to move he felt someone grab his collar, and spin him around by his arm. Before he realised what had happened, he could feel her lips crash upon his own. He wanted to pull her in closer, and deepen the kiss as he forgot where they were in the moment, but just as he was about to move his hands to pull her in, she broke away. Forcing him to look in her eyes. He could see the same worries and confusion in them, as he had felt himself. It was unlike anything he had seen in those cobalt blues orbs before. "Stay safe Chuck." She ultimately said, as she moved into the darkness of the warehouse, and he and his father moved upstairs.

X-X-X-X-X

She had put some distance between her and her team, shortly after she had taken care of Casey's injuries. It had surprised her a little, how deep the cut actually was. She expected that there would be a scar once it had healed. His other injuries had not been as bad, though she did have the suspicion he had a slight concussion, he seemed to be a lot sharper now. Just like she had felt, and seen his footing return, she saw the fire and determination in him return, which was something she was thankful for.

Now though she had distanced herself, under the guise of wanting to take a look if someone was following them. There were too many questions running through her mind. How and why The Ring's supplier had suddenly gotten wind of what they were truly doing there. She figured someone must have ratted them out, and the most logical suspect would have been Chuck. There was just one problem with that theory, and that was that she could just not imagine him being a traitor, let alone someone that would cause the death of his own team. She knew after all that the lanky nerd was against killing. So why then would he kill people that had been loyal to him?

In truth, she had planned to see if she could reach Shaw, and arrange for some back up to get them out of this situation safely. But she wasn't sure if she could anymore. The more distant she put between herself and the two men that were in the small forest with her, the more she began to grow uneasy with that idea. She didn't know why, but she wasn't so certain anymore about trusting either him or Beckman, after what had just happened.

Realising there was only one way to get the answers she sought, she decided to go back to Casey and get the answers. He knew more, she was certain of it. And no matter what she needed to do she would get answers.

She left the crest of the hill she had been occupying for the last few minutes, and went back to her team. Glancing over her shoulders from time to time, to make sure that there wasn't anyone around. Not only didn't she want any Ring agent or one of Borelli's henchmen to find them, she knew in her dirty grimy clothing, she was a strange sight. It would look rather suspicious.

After a few minutes she almost reached the small area they had settled down in for the moment. She could see Casey sitting on a small log with his back towards her, while Morgan sat on a similar one a few feet away from him. As she closed the gap, she accidentally stood on a small twig, causing it to snap. The sound immediately alarmed the major, who spun around, his weapon ready to fire.

When he saw who it was, he put the safety back on. "You got to work on your movement Mitchells." He stated gruffly, before turning back.

She glared at his back. "At least they need to hear me before they spot me major." She bit back.

"What are you saying Mitchells?" He asked threateningly.

"I'm just saying, it kind of looks like you let yourself go a little Casey." She said with a small smirk, as she settled on a rock across from the major. He was about to talk again, but she interrupted. "Look that's not what I want to talk about John." She stated earnestly.

He gave her a small grunt in reply causing her to sit forward a little. "Listen John either you tell me what's going on with Chuck, or I'm going to call Shaw to help us. I need to know who I can trust John, and to do that I need to know the truth." She said softly, as she settled her gaze on his.

She could see a flare of anger in his eyes, as he shifted a little uncomfortable. He sighed a little while he clearly thought about what he could say. To add to her earlier position, she started playing around with her phone. "What do you know, the middle off the woods and still got a reception." She mused out loud, with a small smirk on her face. To her satisfaction, she could see she had gotten to him.

"Fine" He huffed. "What do you want to know Mitchells?"

"I already told you John, I want the truth. I'm done with all the secrecy. I'm not going to get holes shot in me for the sake of the wrong side. So give me the professional courtesy, and tell me the whole story. You can start with telling me where Chuck is."

Casey hesitated a little before finally speaking. "Chuck went to safe his sister."

She was about to speak again, when she was interrupted by Morgan. "What?" He exclaimed loudly.

Ignoring the bearded man, she pressed on with her questions. "Then why do Beckman and Shaw think he's gone rogue with Walker?" She asked with a low voice.

The older agent sighed a little before speaking. "Listen carefully, Chuck's identity is top secret Mitchells. Only eight people know his real identity and are still alive. Two off those people are Shaw and Beckman. You do the math, why they would want you to think that he's gone rogue?"

She couldn't believe what he was telling her. Chuck's identity top secret? And he seriously questioned even Beckman's loyalty, what made this guy so important that even General's became untrustworthy? "It has to do with the intersect doesn't it? Did he design it or something?" She asked slightly bewildered.

"Design it? He is the intersect Mitchells." Casey stated gruffly.

Her eyes widened at hearing that. From what she had heard, she had thought no one could handle such a thing in their head, which was part of why the CIA had never pursued it at least that's what she had been told. So they had lied to her more than just a little, but to hear it was in the head of her partner, was just mind boggling. "So you're saying Chuck has a computer in his head?"

Casey let out an annoyed grunt.

"How can he handle a computer in his brain?" She asked with some confusion in her voice.

"That's not important right now. The thing is, someone that knows Chuck's real identity has taken his sister. They called Walker, and her and the moron are on a suicide mission to save her. Now you can either trust me, and ask whatever more questions you have later. Or you can try to call Shaw, who is probably the person behind all of this, and I'll shoot you while you're at it." He stated menacingly, while he got up, and glared down at her.

She rose to her feet, not wanting to have him towering over her. Glaring him in the eyes, she considered things for just a second, before deciding to trust the older agent. "Fine, what do you want to do?"

He smirked at her, "What do you think?" He began, while he hammered a fresh magazine in his M4. "We're going to get some pay back." He finished with a low voice.

She couldn't help the smirk that came across her own face. "Lead the way." She replied, while they started making their way through the woods.

X-X-X-X-X

She was slowly trying to find herself a way through the labyrinth of crates, that filled the warehouse. She had only just left Chuck and his dad, knowing it was probably the wise thing to do, to let them go together. There was a definite fear that gripped her, a fear that she wouldn't see him again. A feeling that if they wouldn't meet again, they really had wasted a lot of years. It was why she had kissed him. She didn't want to leave on the terms they had been on, if they had no more time, at least they had had another moment like that.

Sadly that was what a lot of their relationship had been, stolen kisses in life or death situations. And she scolded herself for letting it get to such a situation. Just like she scolded herself for getting herself distracted, while she was progressing ever deeper in the warehouse. Finally she let her eyes dart across the surroundings, as the lighting grew slightly more dim, and the crates seemed to be stacked up higher.

Deciding she needed to take a moment to canvas her surroundings, she settled herself with her back against one of the crates, while she looked around a few corners. She was just about to move again, when she had something drop. Immediately she took the safety off her weapon, and began frantically looking around her, as the uncomfortable feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. It was far more tense than she had experienced in previous missions.

Looking through a row of crates into the direction from where she believed she had heard a sound, she saw a shadow flash through the background. She momentarily hesitated, unsure on wether or not to shoot. Ultimately she decided against it, not wanting to make any more noise as needed, as she started creeping forward again. Careful not to make a sound, while she let her eyes roam her surroundings constantly.

She had only progressed a few more yards, when she heard another sound, this time coming from the opposite direction the other one had come from. Instinctively she took cover behind a few crates, as she peeked around the corner. She could see another figure flash past in the distant. This time she did not hesitate, as she fired off a round. Within moments the silence was filled with a painful groan coming from the place she had aimed at.

Not wanting to stay and become a sitting duck, she decided to start moving up a little faster. Still keeping an ever vigil eye on everything that happened in the area. Occasionally hearing sounds, and still hearing the agent she had hit groaning from time to time, with an occasional expletive between them. She was sure they would soon be all over her. She just hoped she would have time to get out of the dreadful position she was in before that happened.

It didn't take long for that hope to get shattered. She hadn't even moved for half a minute, when she heard the distinct sound of wood shattering next to her. It didn't require a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on. She instantly switched directions, running into one of the other rows of crates, adrenaline now coursing through her veins as she tried to find a point from where she could retaliate for that shot.

Glancing over her shoulder she could see another shadow flashing by, causing her to fire off a few rounds in the direction, but this time all she heard was the shattering of wood and concrete. She picked up her pace, as she thought she almost reached the end of the labyrinth. But she was greeted by a few barrels pointing from the end of the row. She barely managed to dive out of the way, as a few shots were fired in her direction.

Realising she was pinned down, she knew she would have to try to fight through it. It was the end of the line. And her thoughts once more went to the tall lanky nerd, that she had cared about so much. It dawned on her that she really might never see him again, but the least she could do, was take out as many Ring agents as she could in the mean time. Perhaps make it a little easier for him to escape safely with his family.

She looked at her gun one more time, trying to find some focus. Trying to find the inner strength to get through this. Trying to find something, some kind of idea of plan. But his thoughts seemed to be clouded with regret.

Hearing a few people approach her position, from several sides, she felt her determination returning to her body. Gripping her gun more tightly, she swung herself around the corner, firing of a number of rounds in quick succession, at the figures that were approaching her. In the dim light, she could see their shocked expressions, as they fell to the ground, clutching different parts of their anatomy.

Again she darted forward, trying to reach her objective, trying to get herself out of this situation. She could hear several bullets whistling past her, some cracking the wooden crates that she ran past, others continuing their course. She reached the end of the rows, and felt a small form of relief as she figured she would have more of a chance there. However, as she was about to see where she had ended up, she could feel something pierce her skin. Causing her legs to give out. The last thing she remembered seeing, was Shaw standing over her, with a smirk upon his face, as the lights slowly went out.

X-X-X-X-X

Chuck and his father made short time of heading up the metal stairs. Both careful to tread as lightly as they could on the stairs, trying to prevent the enemy operatives from picking up any sounds. Though to them every step sounded like thunder in the middle of a quiet summer evening.

At the end of the stairs, they found the metal overpass, that seemed to lead in a hallway. The overpass was badly lit, making the metal barriers at both sides a much needed necessity. While they started to make their way towards the narrow hallway at the end of the overpass, he looked down into the sea of crates that Sarah was now going through. He tried to make out her position, but he couldn't look past the sea of wood, the poor lighting not helping his search.

It didn't take them long to reach the narrow hallway, and despite the added benefit of no need to worry about people spotting them from below, he couldn't help the uneasy feeling about being in such confined spaces in the current situation. The lack of room to seek cover making him feel like he was trapped. He imagined the Romans in the Teutoberg Forest must have felt similar, though of course they had the added fear of missiles being hurled in their direction, and cold steel cutting through their flesh.

Slowly he followed his father down the hallway. Every once in a while they would encounter a metal door, but he trusted his father to know where they were going. There was no way he would question the seasoned agent, that had been so effective at evading capture for so long.

They made a right turn at the end of the long hallway, and he was surprised to be greeted by another long corridor, but this one split into three more. They were about to move further, when he heard muffled sound of gunfire coming from the lower levels of the building. He felt the distinct urge in his gut to rush back and see if he could help him, but apparently his father noticed the look on his face.

"Don't even think about it Charles." He hissed, with a pointed look. "She's more than capable of taking care of herself, unlike your sister."

He only nodded in reply, motioning his father to continue. He couldn't help the uneasy feeling that gripped the pit of his stomach as he continued. There was this constant whisper in his head saying that she wasn't taking care of herself, as the shooting seemed to intensify.

Ultimately they reached the first of three corridors they could walk into, the other two options beyond their current position. His father peeked around the corner, while he himself kept looking behind him. Somehow expecting someone to show up. Except for the shooting down stairs it had been too quiet so far.

His father turned to face him again, and started to whisper. "Two guys outside one of the rooms. Seems worth a look."

Without talking, he moved past his father, and took a look for himself. At the end of the long corridor there were indeed two agents, looking sternly around them. It seemed odd to him that they had not moved, that they had not responded to the shooting. It was like it screamed that it was some kind of trap.

"Why aren't they reacting to the noise down stairs?" He whispered to his father.

"If she's in there, they are probably under orders to stay put. She's their sure fire way to get the intersect Charles." The older man stated.

With a deep breath he turned back, knowing that his father was probably right, even if he still felt uncomfortable, he took out his tranq gun. He didn't know how his father had survived this long in this business, he had never seen him carry a gun, all he seemed to run around with were his gadgets. It amazed him somewhat.

Slowly he moved the gun around the corner, before following after it himself, careful to stay low, and hide himself as much as possible in the slight hint of shadow that was around their position. He squeezed of a few darts in quick succession. Most seemed to hit their targets, as the men quickly succumbed with a loud dud.

He looked back at his father, and gave a quick nod, before they rushed down the hall. Both desperate to reach the room the two agents had been guarding. The covered the distance in seconds, both with a slightly heavier breathing. Both anxious to see what was behind the door.

Tediously slow Orion moved to open the door, while positioned away from the door itself. Something that would prove to be a wise decision, as the opening door was soon riddled with bullets coming from an automated weapon. Both Bartowski men, immediately pushed themselves against the wall, as bullets filled the air around them. A few rooms behind them another door flew open, before they knew what was happening a barrel was pointing out.

Chuck threw his back up piece to his father. The older Bartowski immediately set to work, firing a few darts into the room, which was quickly followed by the sound of someone collapsing. While Chuck fired off a few shots towards the other room, but all that he hit was part of the metal door.

Without even thinking about it, he ran towards the room that was about ten yards away, ignoring his father's call to take cover in the room they were standing by. As he came within a few yards, he could feel a few rounds rip his clothing, and he could even feel one bullet scraping the flesh of his side. He was just thankful the female agent was firing blindly. Clearly too afraid to open the door fully. When he finally reached the door, he swung it open, and against his usual standards, let his fist collide with her jaw, while he registered the bewildered look on her face. He hated that he had to hit a girl, but he didn't feel there was a choice. To finish the situation off, he fired two darts into the woman's torso, to make sure she wouldn't come back to haunt them.

Before he even noticed it, his father was at his side, and immediately began inspecting the wound that the bullet that grazed him had created. The older man looked at it with some concern in his eyes, while Chuck didn't really feel bothered by the wound, even though some blood was coming out of it. "It's not that bad Charles." He ultimately said. "But if you pull a stunt like that again, I'll kill you myself."

"I had no choice dad." He shrugged, not wanting to fight, while the people he loved were still in danger, he instantly turned away from his father to check some of the other rooms in the corridor.

It was a strange sensation for both Bartowski's as they opened the few remaining doors in the particular corridor. Every room was dark and empty, and every time they felt a combination of relief of not another unwanted surprise, and disappointment that they still hadn't found Ellie. They knew with the commotion they had created that time would be off the essence before more people would be there.

They pushed on, and decided to both take their own corridor. Chuck taking the middle one, while his father took the furthest one. Both went their own way in silence, keeping an ever vigil eye on their surroundings

Chuck tried to keep his ears trained on his surroundings, as he rounded the corner. Clutching his weapon tightly. Not wanting a repeat of the previous situation. Not wanting to come this far and then lose. And definitely not wanting to fail those that he loved. It had always been a thing that he had feared, disappointing people, and letting them down. He had hated that the most about his expulsion from Stanford. The look on his sister's face when he came home, but that paled in comparison to what he feared he would see now.

It caused him to walk a fine line. A fine line between not pushing too hard, and throwing away his caution, and hurrying enough. He so desperately wanted to find her. He so desperately wanted to keep her safe. This was exactly the thing he did not want happening, and yet here they were. Almost his entire family, and the woman he loved fighting for their lives. A stab of guilt hit his heart, even though he knew it wasn't his fault.

Quietly he opened the first door, but was once again greeted by darkness and silence. He closed it, the soft clank of the door shutting filling his ears, and filling his heart with dread, like every sound did. His heart still pounding in his chest as he went on. He reached another door, and this too was empty. He only had two more doors to go. His heart rate seemed to pick up a little more.

He decided to go for the one on the left, ignoring the one that was situated fully at the back. He slid the bolt to the side, and started opening the door slowly, when he could hear slightly heavy and erratic breathing coming from the other side. His heart jumped a little, as he was relatively certain that it was her behind the doors. Still he was on his guard, holding his weapon ready to take out any possible threats.

Opening the door, he gasped at what he saw. "Oh my God Ellie." He practically shouted nearly in despair, at the sight of his sister, who was strapped to a chair, gag in her mouth, bruises on her face, small cuts under her eye and on her face, while also her arms seemed to be bruised.

Without hesitation he rushed over to her, ripping the cloth out of her mouth, as she succumbed to tears of relief. Not even bothering to remove the ropes from her arms, he gently held her face in his hands, and forced her to look at him. "Sssssh, it's going to be okay Ellie. We're going to get you out of here." He said soothingly, before letting go of her face, and cutting through the ropes.

When he finally had released her hands, she swung her arms around him, pulling him in tightly as she sobbed uncontrollably into his shirt. She didn't even say a word, she didn't have to. The state of her body revealed more stories than her words ever could. He felt his heart break at the sight of her, and at the heart wrenching sound of her sobbing. Slowly she grew a little more quiet, causing him to pull away from her a little.

"We have to get out of here El." He stated softly, but with determination.

She nodded shakily, as she tried to get out of the chair. With a loud groan, she rose to her feet. Just as they left the room, they faced their father.

"Dad?" Ellie croaked out, but Stephen seemed too flustered to answer her, though Chuck could see the pain in his eyes. It was clear that his heart broke at the sight of her, just like his own had.

The older man shifted his gaze to his son. "Charles we need to get her out of here." He stated softly.

"I know dad." He answered in a hushed tone. "Come on El, just lean on me." He said to his sister, as they began walking, hopefully towards the freedom they all craved.

X-X-X-X-X

It hadn't been an easy road for the team to get to Borelli's mansion, the hill they were situated upon had been rocky, and especially Morgan had some difficulty navigating a path across the rocky path, even slipping a few times, due to loose rocks.

Ultimately they had made their way into a small bushy area near the Italian's mansion. Not wanting to make a scene by walking through the neighbourhood with automated weapons, they needed to be careful, and prevent being spotted.

They finally reached the hedgerows that signalled the edge of the Italian's property. It would be easy to get in to the gardens that gave access to the mansion itself, the only question would be if there would be any guards around the premises.

They settled down in a crouch next to the few feet high hedgerows, discarding the back packs, and checking their equipment one more time. Needing to make sure they wouldn't run into logistic problems. Unfortunately their equipment didn't include the technical equipment they were used to, to get into their video surveillance. They really had only brought rudimentary stuff.

Making sure they had enough ammo with them, Casey gave Morgan a pointed look. "You stay here moron." He stated gruffly.

"You are kidding, what am I supposed to do here?" Morgan asked in annoyance.

"Stay out of our way, and stay alive." Casey replied with a light growl, as he turned towards her.

"Let's go Mitchells."

He got up to his feet, and she followed suit. But while the older agent started walking past the hedge, looking for an opening they knew was there somewhere from earlier surveillance, she turned to Morgan for a second.

"Sorry Morg, but it's really for the best." She stated softly, placing her hand on his shoulder briefly.

Though he couldn't get the disappointment off his face, he replied with a small smile. "I know."

She gave him a small nod, as she ran after Casey. It didn't take her long to catch up with the major, who was in his usual silent and slightly cranky mood. She had to admit though, that she was feeling the same way. This assignment had gone from great to crap in no time at all, and it was something that disappointed her. She had really enjoyed working with these people, in this area. She really doubted they get a chance to work together. In fact she suspected that she'd never see Chuck again, and even seeing Casey or Morgan again seemed unsure.

She didn't know why, but not seeing the last one again was what disappointed her the most. She had really gotten attached to the short man in a short time, in no small part because he could make her laugh, and forget about the life she had chosen. The life she wasn't so sure about anymore.

Sighing a little, she tried to ignore the uneasy feelings in her stomach, not just about the end of the mission, but also about what they were doing now. The nerves and tensity becoming more apparent with each step.

It didn't take them long to find the small gap they knew was there. Casey crawled through it first, gun trained in front of him, with a look on his face that showed he was eager to get revenge. He had muttered something about a Bartowski and wounds. She hadn't been exactly sure what it meant, but he seemed more angry than usual.

When he signalled the all clear, surprisingly without any gun fire, she went in after him, and was greeted by an almost eerie silence, only broken by the sound of their feet on the grass, and the crickets that were as active as ever.

As they progressed to the house, they noticed how quiet it was. The usual guards weren't around, and their didn't seem to be any activity inside either. There wasn't even a response when they started walking up the marble stairs, causing both Kayla and Casey to look at each other oddly, both with an uneasy feeling. They had expected to be greeted with a wall of lead at this point.

Silently they opened the oak door, the seasoned soldier taking point, his gun at the ready. She followed after him, her own gun ready for action as well, while she looked down the sight. But like the areas they had gone through before, this one was empty as well. She could hear the major sigh in frustration.

"What the hell is going on here?" He asked annoyed.

"I don't know John, but we won't find out standing here." She replied, while moving past him.

They started going through the house, and found the first few rooms empty.

"Maybe we should check out his office?" Kayla suggested.

Casey gave her an affirmative grunt, causing them both to go upstairs, through the corridors she had gone through only a week or two prior, though back then it had been under better circumstances. She had even allowed herself to talk a little with Chuck, but now she was silent, and tense, her heart rate slightly elevated, a small layer of sweat across her skin.

She followed the major up the stairs, and into the final corridor, where she had incapacitated the guard the previous time she had been there, but again they found nothing but emptiness. The uneasiness they felt was growing with every step they took, when finally they arrived at the office. In stead of barging in, Casey put his ear on the door, trying to see if he could hear something. After a few seconds he turned back to her.

"Well he's definitely in there." He whispered.

"All right then, what do you want to do?" She responded.

"What do you think?" He answered her with a low voice.

Without giving her a time to respond, he kicked open the door, ready to open fire on anyone in the room, but to their surprise, there didn't seem to be any need, as the Italian was sitting behind his desk, a bottle of strong liquor in front of him. He only looked up at them for a second, before returning his gaze to his glass.

"Figures." He slurred out, the alcohol clearly affecting him.

"What figures?" The major asked agitated, stepping closer with his gun fixed on the Italian.

"All my men died in the explosion… yet here you are."

She was taken a back by it, she had hoped they had taken some if his men out, but to hear they had actually gotten all of them it seemed almost too good to be true.

"So you two…" He started pointing his finger to the both of them, "here to finish the job?"

"We just need names Borelli, give us what we need and we might let you walk." Casey stated with a small smirk.

"What names?" The Italian replied.

"Stop playing coy." She replied threateningly. "Give us the names of your suppliers and we'll go."

The Italian sighed, clearly thinking about what he should do, before he reached over to a drawer in his desk, causing the two agents to move their finger to the trigger, both ready to shoot at any false move. The Italian didn't mind, or didn't notice, as he opened the drawer and took out a black notebook. Giving it one last melancholic look, he threw it at Casey.

"Here, now you need anything else?"

Casey inspected the notebook, and smirked pleased with the results. "Yeah, who ratted us out?"

Again there was conflict in his eyes, but again the Italian surprisingly opened up. It seemed like every time he decided he just didn't care anymore.

"His name was Senor Shaw. He gave up your boss Carmichael."

Despite the fact that Casey had persuaded her to distrust her superiors, this shocked her, and so she looked at the major with slightly widened eyes. But in stead of telling her he told her so, he just let out a grunt, before speaking. "Come on, we need to get out of here and call Walker."

"Right." She said, as she followed him out of the room.

They had hardly made it halfway back to the stairs, when they heard the sound of a small calibre weapon being fired. They shared a knowing look, as they went back to find their partner.

X-X-X-X-X

The three Bartowski's had made it back to their car without any problems. Their had been two more agents that had decided to grace them with their presence, but they had been taken care of without any difficulties, even though Ellie's eyes had widened at the abilities her brother had displayed in the situation they had found themselves in. Now they had found themselves waiting at their car for the last five minutes, waiting for Sarah to show up, their communication not having worked through out the mission for some odd reason.

Chuck was starting to feel anxious as he started pacing, while Ellie was sleeping in the back of the car, fatigue had finally caught up with her. He knew something had happened he could feel it in his guts, not to mention she was never slower than him. Even with the intersect she was by far the superior agent, when it came to missions like these. He looked at his dad, biting his lower lip a little. He knew his father wouldn't be glad with this.

"I'm going to find her." He stated abruptly. "If I'm not back in 30minutes, you two get out of here. If we don't make it to the rendezvous by tomorrow you get out of there. I'll know how to contact you."

"Charles,-" His father started, but Chuck interrupted him.

"I know dad, but if this was mom you'd go in there as well. I need to do this." He stated with an intense look in his eyes.

His father sighed, before he nodded. "Be careful Charles."

He gave his father a hug, as he whispered in his ear. "I will, just take care of her." He said before he pulled away from the hug, instantly running back towards the facility they had just left. If it really was Shaw that was behind this, he would probably be waiting for him by now. He would know that Chuck could never leave behind the blonde agent.

He once again crawled through the hole in the fence, and without looking he ran towards the entrance. Despair was starting to creep into his system more and more, with every yard he progressed towards where he hoped she was still alive.

He rushed inside, hardly giving it a second thought, as he chose the opposite path from the one he had chosen before. He was now rushing through the labyrinth of crates he had seen her enter before. The one he had felt uncomfortable by before. He had felt like he should have gone down to help her, and he now cursed himself for listening to his father. What if something really bad had happened to her? The creepy silence only fuelled the fear, he knew that it had to mean she wasn't pinned down somewhere.

He kept on walking, looking around himself, while the distinct feeling came upon him that he was being followed. However every time he looked back there was no one there. For a brief moment he even considered just shooting at something, but he was down to his last few darts, and he wasn't sure if he had it in him to pick up an actual lethal weapon. He wasn't sure if he could really do it. What would he do though if her life depended upon it?

He crept forward, clutching the tranq gun tightly, his hands moist from the nerves that were coursing through him. He heard some noised around him, but decided not to react on them. He really didn't want to get in a situation that he would be pinned down or something.

He passed a few more rows, when suddenly at one of the last rows, he felt something connect with his face. Before he even knew what had happened, he fell on his back, his gun flying out of his hand, just out of his reach.

He needed a moment to compose himself, but the man that had hit him didn't give him a second, as he jumped upon him, and again let his hand connect with the lanky nerd's jaw. Chuck could feel the familiar sensation of a flash come over him, as he could see several martial arts figures appear in front of his eyes. With a smirk on his face he came out of it, as he instantly blocked another ferocious punch, holding the man's fist in his own, as he threw his other fist towards the man's eye. His hand collided with the man's face, creating a cracking noise, as the man was thrown back. Chuck rolled to his side, picking up the weapon he had dropped moment earlier. He tried to fire of several darts, but only one came out, filling him with a feeling of dread.

As the man that had ambushed him nearly successfully collapsed unto the ground, he arched over, breathing heavily, adrenaline and fear rushing through his veins, as he pulled the clip out of his weapon. As he expected he was out, and there was little he could do about it. The only other ammunition was with his father, but he would never reach her in time if he went back. He went over to the man that had attacked him, and took the weapon he had with him of the man's waistband, with slightly trembling hands. He really hated guns.

Taking a final deep breath, he took the safety off, and started running towards the end of the row. When he finally reached it, he could see a small door at the side, and started moving towards it slowly.

X-X-X-X-X

She slowly opened her eyes, the headache that usually accompanied being hit by a tranq dart, being an immediate indication that she was still alive. Even though she was grateful for that, she couldn't help but wonder why that was the case, not to mention that she wasn't happy with the situation she was in, the straps around her arms and feet being a good give away that she wasn't going to like this.

The room she was in was relatively stale, a lot cleaner than she had expected from a room in a warehouse, and the feeling of dread came across her that perhaps she had been moved to a different location. She wondered what they would do to her, though she couldn't imagine what they wanted from her. Yeah she was a relatively high up, but she had little information, the Ring should know that. And if they had the intersect's identity her use plummeted even further.

Before she could progress with her thoughts, she was interrupted by a man entering the room. It was a man she had known far more intimately than she had ever hoped she would, at least she had thought she knew him, but to see him there, was just something she found disgusting. She hadn't even known why but part of her had hoped it wasn't him, that perhaps she hadn't been completely wrong, but now he was here, and judging by the look on his face, he was enjoying it.

"Good to see you awake again." He stated amused.

"Why are you doing this Shaw?" She bit out, ignoring his comment, even if she did wonder how long she had been out.

"All in due time Sam, all in due time. For now I'd like to show you something."

She glared at him, feeling another stab of regret that she had ever told him that damned name. He looked at her amused with her response, taking a flash drive out of his pocket.

"You know I've been deceived for so long Sam, but then they opened my eyes."

"What are you talking about Shaw?" She asked confused, while she tried to jerk her arms out of the straps, but they didn't seem to budge.

"I'm talking about my wife Walker." He stated annoyed while he came closer to her, running his hand over her face.

She felt repulsed by his mere touch, but he didn't care, as he continued talking.

"I've always thought they killed her, but it turns out I was wrong. Turns out it was you." He said, as he hit her in the face.

She could feel a little blood running into her mouth, and she tried to spit it at him, but he just laughed while shaking his head. "Allow me to show it to you Walker."

He walked over to the small table, and put the flash drive in the notebook that was situated on top of it. She could see some seemingly random footage show up on the screen, it was footage of some woman, but she had no idea who it was. Then the picture switched, and revealed a bridge in Paris during the night time. She still tried to constantly jerk her hands out the straps, as she kept on watching. She then saw something that shocked her, she was brought back to the worst night of her life, as her five year younger self shot a woman on screen.

"Oh my God" She whispered softly. "That… that was your wife?" She chocked out.

"I'm going to destroy you and the CIA for what you did to me Walker." He said, as he took a small knife out of his pockets, and started to run it over her bare shoulders, and neck.

Before he could get any further, the door flew open, and revealed the tall lanky nerd that she loved so much. Even though part of her was glad to see him, she had hoped he would have been safe. She instantly felt Shaw pull up his weapon, while she could see that Chuck had a lethal fire arm in his hands. She wasn't sure how that had happened, but she couldn't help the feeling of fear that filled her. She didn't want him to do this.

"Step away from her Shaw." He said through gritted teeth.

"Or what? You are going to kill me?" The other man replied amused.

She tried to connect her eyes with his. When she finally succeeded, she saw a strange look in his eyes. It was a strange form of tensity, it was a fear, and an uncertainty. It was then, when she really looked in his eyes, she could see he was new to this, that he really had not killed anyone before. It was a look she had seen in agents before they had actually been forced to make their first kill. It almost resembled the look she had seen on the video just moments before. She felt so much remorse for not believing him, though she also couldn't help but feel the momentary relief, that he really hadn't changed, but now he was in the situation that he might be forced to actually kill someone. No matter what happened though, she would be with him through it, she would not abandon him again.

Chuck ultimately interrupted her thoughts. "If I must." He said with a slightly shaky voice.

"This isn't you Shaw. You don't have to do this, we can just walk away." He continued, taking a step closer.

"Actually I can't Chuck. Walking away isn't going to take away the pain from her killing my wife."

"And killing her will?" He replied with disbelief.

"No but it will be justice." Shaw stated with determination. "Now either you leave, or I'll shoot you both."

She was desperate to get out of the bounds that held her in place, but as much as she fought them they didn't budge.

"I'm not leaving Shaw." He stated firmly, as he once again focused his eyes on her.

"Well then, you leave me no choice." The seasoned agent stated.

Both men raised their guns, pointing them at each other. Then as she finally managed to free one of her arms, the sound of gun fire filled her ears, as her eyes widened.