Don't own Chuck
The sun was high without a cloud in the sky as Chuck and Sarah left the Sands parking lot. Sarah was driving while Chuck was using the tracker trying to get the exact GPS position where his mother was located. According to the his readings Mary had been stationary now for a while at the Federal Courthouse so they made their way there through heavier than normal downtown traffic heading for South Las Vegas Boulevard.
"Take the next right," said Chuck "that should get us headed in the right direction and we can bypass some of this traffic. I was thinking when we get there we can park across the street in the parking garage."
"Good idea, there's some recon gear in the back under the seat," said Sarah as she pushed buttons on the radio. Then there was a click and the back seat lifted up.
"What's all this?" said Chuck as he looked over the small arsenal of weapons Sarah had stashed under the seat. "Honey, Love, Dear our daughter and Clara were sitting on top of all this not mention Ellie and Awesome."
"So they're locked away and safe. You do remember the thirty foot rule? There has been more than one occasion when a little fire power came in handy."
"I know but Sam and Clara played back there. You can't tell me we need all this like the grenade launcher and the RPG do we really need to carry them around. I don't want to sound like Devon but are they safe and let's not forget to mention the grenades for the grenade launcher."
"Well it's kind of dump to carry one without the other," said Sarah and Chuck had to admit she was right. "Besides if we were being overrun by bad guys wouldn't you like to have them instead of having to say I wished Sarah hadn't listen to me and taken them out."
"You know this new attempt at humor I appreciate," said Chuck as he smiled. "Needs a little work but you're getting there."
"Well I could've try to become a cannibal," she said she smiled at him. Chuck leaned over and kissed her. "And what's this about attempt? I think I'm doing good mister. Jesus, this traffic isn't letting up seems like we're about to come to a standstill."
"I wonder if there was an accident. What do you think we should try and go around?" said Chuck as his phone rang he looked down. "It's Alex. Alex we're stuck in traffic here what have you got for us. Any luck on that video we sent you? … Okay Casey I'm putting you on speaker. It's Casey."
"I heard," said Sarah. She was starting to lose her cool in the bumper to bumper traffic she was thinking about hitting the sidewalk but that would end whatever stealth plan they had of getting in undetected.
"Guys you can yell afterwards, said Casey. "But we got a facial recognition hit on a guy with Lester, Maxwell Harlin, also known as Mad Max."
"So why should we yell? Who's this guy anyway? I'm not flashing," said Chuck as he looked over at Sarah and she shook her head. She hadn't either."
"That's because he's been small time up until now. He's ex-special forces, a mercenary for hire…. Well there's no good way to tell you this but his last employer was the Gentle Hand."
"I thought they were all gone, disbanded after we took down Augusto Gaez and Amy?" said Chuck but Sarah made a look at the mere mention of Amy's name then she shook her head no.
"There were rumors that there were people high up in certain Latin American countries that were behind the Hand and that they continued on afterwards. But with the CATS being disbanded and then us well… We've been busy doing other things and the girls have had things they're involved in too.
"People high up you say are behind the Hand, like a back hand," said Chuck.
"Which is what you need if you don't listen up," said Casey. "Well, we know what Carina's involved in and it isn't just five o'clock tea or getting her crumpets buttered..."
"Guys mission at hand," said Sarah. "John is there more you wanted to tell us? John can you hear me? Chuck what just happened."
"The line dropped. I don't have a signal," said Chuck as he checked Sarah's phone too. "You don't have one either what's going on? Do you hear that?"
"Yeah that's the sound of small arms fire and it's coming from ahead. "Hold on," Sarah said as she ran up on the sidewalk and sped down the street honking her horn to get pedestrians out of the way. "Chuck, there are vests back there put one on and grab a weapon."
"What about you?" said Chuck as he strapped his on he realized he was protected but she wasn't and if they went in hot… No she needed a vest on too.
"Kind of busy right now," she said as she took out a row of tables at a sidewalk café, "hard to drive and put one on Sweetie." This was totally unacceptable for Chuck.
"No, not if you drop your seat back and get ready on three, you raise up and I slide underneath then I take the wheel while you move over."
"You've got to be joking," said Sarah as she looked over at him but his face said he was as serious as a heart attack. He wasn't going to budge.
"You're as important as I am and I won't wear one if you don't," said Chuck. He was adamant and if there were any doubts he undid two of the Velcro zips.
"Why do you have to be so pig headed sometimes," she said as he undid another strap. "Oh… You're exasperating sometimes… Okay but be careful going over the gearshift."
"I'm pig headed because I love you and someone has to think about your safety. Before you say it, you're valuable to me so on three raise up and we'll switch.
The SUV they were in swerved crossing over the center line going into the other lane. Horns blasted and drivers yelled especially from oncoming motorists as they switched out but Chuck brought the vehicle under control before they caused any accidents. Then he moved back over in their lane. Now with Chuck in the driver's seat Sarah was able to get ready and after putting on her vest then she assembled the Barrett.
"Go ahead and say it," said Chuck as he looked over at her as she clipped the scope on. "You can say it; I told you so about bringing everything."
"I'm not that kind of girl. Some girls bring too many clothes so I guess maybe I bring too many weapons but like they say, better safe than sorry," she said as she locked the clip in place housing the first round.
"Christ! Look ahead," said Chuck as they drove into what looked like a war zone.
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The CH47 lifted off from the roof swinging backwards dropping its tailgate at the same time. Inside on mounts were two M134 Miniguns. Each weapon was a six-barreled machine gun the spun around as it fired armor piercing rounds at a high rate of fire, 2,000 to 6,000 per minute, each. The armored vehicle was peppered and so was the van along with all the other cars parked outside the courthouse. There was a panic as vehicle after vehicle exploded. Everyone had to run for cover as bullets and shrapnel flew in the air. Max's gun crew laid down cover fire for Rusty and his men so they could make the pickup site.
"Come on," yelled Rusty. "Amy keep up, this us is not the time to fall behind. Killer, where's Killer?" Rusty didn't see him anywhere.
"I think he got hit I saw him go down back there," said Joe one of the men that was supposed to be protecting him.
"You two were supposed to be watching him. Crap Max is going to have us for this. Keep on moving and don't stop. Move it, Now!"
"I've got some unfinished business," said Amy as she laughed breaking away for the group. She wanted a little revenge before she took off and she saw Mary through the dust and smoke Amy raised her pistol to take aim. "Hey Mary Bartowski," yelled Amy. Mary turned. "I recognize you from what I heard in prison. You're Chuck's mother. This is a wedding gift for Sarah," said Amy firing. Mary took the hit in the side as she was turning.
"Mary," yelled Diane as she jumped on top of her shielding her with her body. Kenny saw the whole thing from cover and came out charging emptying his clip firing at Amy ignoring the hail of lead flying by him. She was forced to retreat disappearing in a cloud of dust and smoke. Max brought the chopper down to ground level to recover the last of Rusty's people.
"Come on let's go," yelled Augusto as he grabbed Amy by the arm and led her to the chopper then kissed her as he shove her on board. The gun crew continued to fire even after every one had boarded.
Down the street a Black SUV pulled up….
"Stop," yelled Sarah as she jumped out of the still moving vehicle with her Barrett. She fired the first round quickly from the hip without aiming. She still managed to hit the cockpit; inside she took out Max's co-pilot. Sarah got what she wanted which was to get the pilot's attention and draw fire from the Marshals and the General's men.
"Oh crap! Get back inside now," yelled Chuck. Sarah hopped in just as the chopper began to swing around. For a second Sarah thought she saw Amy and Gaez inside but that was crazy or was it but things were happening too fast.
"Is that? No it can't be…" she started to say. "No go, go, Chuck!" she yelled as the chopper opened fire. Chuck dropped the SUX in reverse and backed up as fast as the vehicle would go. He drove it across the street, jumping the curb and then backed threw a clothing store window, taking out the manikins on display, as a trail of bullets followed them.
"Are you okay? Talk to me please," said Chuck looking out the windshield at a torso of a half-naked female manikin smiled back at him. "Not you."
"What? I'm fine Sweetie," said Sarah as she fought to get out retrieving the Barrett from the backseat where she had tossed it getting in. "Do you see anything?"
"Up on the parking garage I saw a flash of light, there's a sniper," Chuck grabbed a pair of binoculars from the back. "On the East wing he's set himself up a perch."
"I got him," said Sarah as she cleared the body parts off the hood and set up for the shot. "Okay now steady," she said to herself as she looked for something to give her wind direction. She calculated distance and angle in her head she didn't need the intersect for this.
"The chopper's coming around to retrieve him," said Chuck as he looked through the binoculars. "If you're going to take him…"
"I know I see him I'm waiting for him to get up and there he goes he's about to board," she said but it was now or never. She squeezed the trigger and there was a loud bang that echoed inside the shop. The weapon jerked and ejected the spent round. The brass casing made a metallic ping as it hit the hood but in the binoculars Chuck watched the man's arms fly up and his body get propelled forward. The chopper lifted the gate and flew away without him.
"What just happened," asked Chuck as Sarah slung the Barrett over her shoulder. "Christ the place looks like Afghanistan or Beirut."
"I don't know but let's go and find out," said Sarah. Something tells me this was what Casey was trying to warn us about.
Climbing out of the shop they heard screams and crying as people started walking out and about in the street shell-shocked. Fires raged as vehicles burnt giving off black acrid smoke making it difficult to see and to breath. In the distance they heard sirens heading their way coming from all directions. Then out of the haze and smoke Sarah saw a familiar face.
"Hey isn't that Kenny over there? Kenny," yelled Sarah. He turned hearing Sarah's voice and saw them then ran straight over.
"Sarah, Chuck… I don't know how to… well need to tell you," Kenny started to say but they cut him off.
"Can you tell us what's going on? I thought I saw…," Sarah started to say Amy but stopped. She saw the look on his face. "Kenny what is it? Tell us." He just looked over at the General kneeling over Mary.
"Oh my God Chuck," yelled Sarah as she took off running. It was like his brain didn't register what she said and only after he saw Sarah run did he realize she was gone. He turned and walked over in the direction she ran. The smoke made it difficult for him to see then all of a sudden it cleared and he was looking at his mother wounded lying in the middle of the street.
"Mom! Jesus, out of my way," said Chuck as he pushed the General aside. "Let me look at her. Oh no Mom, no."
"Chuck, she's…" Sarah said as she put her hand on his shoulder.
"She's my mother, General find out where the medics at. Kenny, get me some water I need to flush out the wound. Intersect, Dad don't fail me." Chuck check for vital signs she had a weak pulse but rapid heartbeat. She'd lost a lot of blood.
"Here's the water you asked for. We've got comms up ambulances are still ten minutes out."
"She doesn't have ten minutes," said Chuck as he felt Sarah's hand on his shoulder. "I can't wait." He ripped her blouse open then flushed out the wound with water but it wouldn't stop bleeding. "Sarah hand me a knife," he said as he reached into his jacket with his bloody hand taking out his flash. "Here pour some on the blade it will have to do for now as a disinfectant."
"Here let me help you. Tell me what you want me to do," said Sarah. There was a reason doctors aren't supposed to operate on loved ones. She worried what this would do to Chuck.
"She might move I need for you to hold her down. I'm going to open the wound to get my fingers inside," he said as he began to cut. Without anesthesia she twitched and it took both Sarah and Kenny to hold her.
"Okay here we go," he said as he inserted two fingers. He found the bullet and removed it but the wound wouldn't stop bleeding. "Sarah let Kenny hold her; I need for you to pour more water." Flushing out the wound this time with the bullet removed he felt it, an artery had been nicked. It took everything he had to hold it together as he felt his mother's warm blood pulsating out of her artery on his hand. But he did what he had to do, he pinched it off.
"The medics are here," said the General. "They will transport her to the hospital."
"Then they're going to have to take us both I can't let go. Sarah if you want you can stay and help Kenny and the General. I'll be okay."
"Are you sure? Chuck if you need me?"
"I'm sure besides you know where I'll be and they need you here," said Chuck as the paramedics arrived and loaded them up. Sarah watched as they closed the doors then took off. After they left she turned back to the General and Kenny.
"Now can someone explain to me what the hell Amy and Gaez were doing on that chopper other than trying to kill us?" But before either could answer one of the General's men in black came over interrupting.
"Ma'am we found this one passed out with the members of the hit squad we downed. He says he knows you Agent Carmichael," said the man in black.
"Lester, we've been looking for you. Jeff's been worried," said Sarah. "Yes leave him with us; I'll take responsibility for him."
"He's their tech guy. The same guy who helped master mind this escape," said Kenny. "I'm sorry but he's going to have to come up with some good explanations if he wants to stay out of prison."
"Prison, me? Why? You've got to believe me this was all Jeffrey's fault. I was kidnapped, shanghaied, forcible taken. I feel violated I ate non-kosher foods. I feel so dirty."
"We can't track the chopper," said another one of the men in black reporting into the General. "It's like it's invisible. They must have some sort of stealth technology."
"Stealth, smealth," said Lester. "Whatever that means… Anyway they don't have any stealthy thing or the like. The computers in the area control towers all have a virus that automatically cancels the call sign of their chopper so it will never show up on the screen."
"Pray tell who wrote this virus and how was it delivered if all the tower computers have closed systems," said the General as she crossed her arms and stared at Lester with her eyebrow raised.
"Ops maybe too must information," said Lester as he swallowed. "Well if I were going to do it I'd attach it to a file sent to the towers as a radar update from the FAA. But it would be a self-eradicating virus that will disappear."
"I wonder who could've written such a virus and come up with that idea? Some reason Mr. Patel I think your list of charges just started growing," said the General.
"I know Mad Max mentioned going across the border once the job was done. If you set up satellites to watch the border with Mexico then drop all the choppers they have listed from the radar computers. You could use only one computer say from Las Vegas International then the only aircraft left will be theirs."
"Mr. Patel you might just have skirt serious prison time. Marshal, do you feel like putting together a posse? I'll give you the manpower."
"You give me the authorization and let me take a few of my men then I'm your man," said Kenny looking around. A little payback was in order he thought to himself.
"Sarah I'd like you to go with them. You know how the Gentle Hand operates as well as you know the escapees. However, if you don't want to I understand I can call the Colonel in but that will take time. Time we don't have."
"I have only one question did Amy shot Mary?" asked Sarah and both Beckman and Kenny nodded. "Then let me go to the hospital and check on Chuck. Kenny you can pick me up there afterwards."
"This is not a revenge mission to exact some sort of law of retaliation. We do not believe in an eye for an eye but then if they put up resistance I expect the proper force will be used. With that I need to bring you up to speed," said the General. "I'll give you a ride to the hospital and we can talk on the way. Major work with the Marshal to get this team ready we need to be in the air as soon as we've got a lock on that chopper. Mr. Patel you're with me too."
"Oh momma."
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Chuck was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital but because of the traffic build up, all the roads were blocked. The cars had no place to go so they couldn't get out of the way of the ambulance making the siren and lights useless. To make matters worse Chuck could feel her pulse beat faster as her heart tried to pump the little blood she had left but her blood pressure was dropping. She would soon go into cardiac shock then he'd have to let go for the paramedic to defibrillate but if he did that she really would bleed out. The saline solution they had her on just wasn't enough she need a transfusion and Chuck knew it.
"Okay this is what we're going to do," said Chuck. "I'm the same blood type as my Mom so we're going to set up a blood pump. You're going to setup up an IV like you're going to give her blood except you're going to use a pump. I'll explain how you're going to do it. After that you're going to put an IV in me. The same thing except the pump will pump my blood into her."
"Are you crazy? You'll both risk bleeding out," said the paramedic. "No I won't do it. We'll end up with two patients when we reach the hospital."
"If she goes into cardiac shock I'll have to let go so you can defibrillate. When I let go she'll bleed out then I'll take my gun and put a round through your head. Now which case scenario do you like best?"
"Tell me how to set up the pump."
The Paramedic did as Chuck instructed and set up the device connecting them both together. Normal Chuck would've been squeamish as the sight of blood but he'd seen so much today and the only thing he was thinking about was his mother.
"Chuck, Chuck." He heard Mary calling his name but he had a terrible headache and felt extremely light headed but opening his eyes it worked she was conscious. "Chuck what are you doing?"
"What does it look like? I'm keeping you alive. I swear what some people will do to get out of paying for a meal. Don't think you're getting off that easily."
"Why are you and I connected to that machine? Christ you're giving me your blood. Chuck you've got to stop, please don't."
"You gave it to me, the least I can do is give a little back and for once neither of us shot each other which is a small miracle in itself," said Chuck as they both laughed.
"Oh, stop that hurts," said Mary feeling his hands in her side.
"I know," said Chuck without thinking not that he could. He was having difficulty concentrating and was getting very tired.
"How much blood have you given me? You need to stop this is hurting you," said Mary as she turned the Paramedic. "Turn off that machine right now."
"You touch it… Well remember what I said. Check with the driver and see how much longer before we're there. Mom, just relax and let me take care of you. You really don't have a choice."
