Five Days Ago: City Streets
"Turn left." Walker leans forward in the passenger seat. Her eyes are locked onto Robert's car several lengths ahead.
Casey gasses the pedal as he turns through the intersection. For the past forty-five minutes, they'd been tailing Robert's convertible around LA.
Robert's was an awful agent. How could you not pick up on the tail after an hour? She was getting reckless. Casey smiles.
They pursue her car down increasingly more suburban streets.
"You said she was dead." Casey accuses.
"There wasn't a pulse. That says dead to me."
Casey grunts.
Sarah narrows her eyes. "It's not like we hung around to wrap up the investigation."
They turn right.
Casey looks at Walker. "You and Larkin get your lady feelings fixed up?"
"I don't think it's your business."
"It is when it affects the job."
Sarah sighs. "Then you have nothing to worry about. Whatever it was that Larkin and I had was over the minute he attempted to steal the Interest the first time."
"Heh" Casey turns the car left.
"He didn't trust me."
"I didn't think fu-shit!" Casey slams on the breaks. Walker braces herself on the dashboard. The car screeches to a stop as an Amtrak barrels through the rail crossing.
Casey gets one more glimpse at Robert's car as it turns down another street, before the train blocks their view.
Across Town:
Bryce unlocks the hotel door. He reaches down and lifts up Chuck's computer. He hauls it into the room and sets it down on the floor by the mini table in the suite.
He sets about plugging in the computer and connecting it to his laptop on the table. Bryce sighs as he opens decryption software to start breaking into Chuck's desktop.
Once that's set, Bryce leans back in his chair and stares at the screen. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out the photo of him and Chuck at Stanford. He's been doing this a lot lately.
Those were much better times. He can't help but wonder if he'd let Chuck be recruited how things would be different. What if Project Omaha wasn't a fucking mess? Would they work missions together? Would he still be with Sarah?
He thoughts turn dark as Sarah reminds him of Jill. When had Fulcrum gotten their claws into her? Was it the same time he was plotting his betrayal? Is that why she was so willing to crush Chuck's heart then? Or after, when Orion made the terrible mistake of revealing he had family?
Bryce should have kept a much closer eye on Chuck once Orion came to him several months ago about the Intersect. The least he could have done was check. What was perhaps worse was Orion's lack of intervention in his children's lives.
They'd all messed up.
The computer beeps. The screen goes black and a white cursor pops up.
Location Secure?
Bryce types a quick response. Yes.
Words pop-up on the screen. Sending intercepted files.
A window pops up briefly in the corner of the screen, signaling a new file download.
Bryce responds: Received. He hesitates. Did you know about Jill Roberts?
The words fade from the screen. Bryce holds his breath for a moment before Orion's response shows up.
No. The word dissolves before: I was distracted. There were bigger concerns.
Bryce sighs. Bigger than your son?
Orion's response takes much longer. Yes.
I have his computer. We need to break into it. Fulcrum was handling him for another reason.
Orion's response is much quicker. Can you access files?
Bryce shakes his head and then remembers to type. I'm not a skilled hacker. Casey is our best shot.
Sending a special package. Use package to access files.
Where?
Two words pop-up: Burbank Buymore.
Three Hours Later: Hotel
Sarah sits in front of Bryce's laptop back in the room with the boys standing behind her as they debrief General Beckman and Director Graham.
"While we lost Roberts, we were able to narrow her location to the Meadow Brooks Subdivision. Security cameras near the entrances to the neighborhood indicate Roberts hasn't left." Sarah says.
Casey joins in. "Nothing in Roberts' background reveals a connection to any current homeowners."
The General nods her head. "You will continue pursing leads the bodies recovered from the dumpsite and investigate this lead with Roberts. We'll regroup in 120 hours. Dismissed."
The General terminates the video call.
Sarah moves to get up. She pauses twisted in her seat. Casey is staring down Bryce.
"What now?" She asks.
"Numb Nuts here, didn't report the computer or the hard drive. I'd like to know why."
Bryce crosses his arms. "There's a leak."
"What?" Sarah exclaims.
"Think about it. It's the only way Jill didn't die. We didn't stick around the restaurant after we neutralized her. The CIA containment team did. They processed the site and were responsible for handling the bodies."
Casey grunts. "That's plausible."
Bryce looks at Sarah. "If we reported our acquisition of Chuck's computers, we could ruin an advantage we desperately need. There's something on those computers that will fill in some of the blanks."
Sarah stands and moves over to sit on the bed. "But we can't access the hard drives."
"I know…" Bryce hesitates as he looks between his partners. "That's why I've asked Orion to help."
"Orion's wanted by the CIA." Casey snarls. He advances on Bryce.
"Casey! Wait!" Sarah moves to stand between the men. "Let him explain. I think we can trust him."
Casey grunts. He steps away from Bryce.
Bryce mouths thank you to Sarah.
"The first thing you need to know is there's a package being delivered to Chuck's best friend at the Burbank Buymore. This package can get us into the computers…"
Four Days Ago: Outside The Burbank Buymore
Bryce looks at Sarah from the driver's seat of a dark suburban. "I'll meet you at the loading docks.
Sarah nods and enters the Buymore.
Bryce rolls up the window watching her go in before driving the car around to the service entrance. He parks the suburban and scopes the area.
No one is around.
Bryce pulls a ball cap around his head climbs out and heads to the employee door.
He leans up against a post by the door. He pulls out a phone and shoots off a text to Casey.
After confessing to Casey his past relationship with Orion and Orion's connection to Chuck, Bryce was able to clear the air about several things. It was first time in a long time where he was able to come clean about most things.
With everything on the table, they were able to come with a game plan. Sarah and Bryce would handle cracking the computers and getting the package from the Buymore while Casey would complete surveillance on the subdivision.
Bryce still needed to lie low, so Sarah would collect Orion's package.
The employee door banged open.
None other than Morgan Grimes came bursting out the door. Chuck's childhood friend puffed his chest.
"What the hell do you want?"
Bryce locks eyes briefly with the towering blond behind Morgan.
"Morgan, this is an emergency. We really need your help." Bryce says pushing off the post.
"Ellie said if you can around again, I was supposed to call her first." Morgan pulls out his phone.
Bryce can't remember Morgan having this much of a backbone in the past.
"Morgan this is a life or death emergency. You can't call Ellie. Not about us being here."
"Why?"
Sarah interrupts. "Because we believe they people who took Chuck are watching the apartment."
Morgan's eyes open wide. "What?"
"If they know we're hanging around, they might do something hasty. You understand what I'm saying Morgan?" Bryce picks up.
Morgan's shoulders slump. "Yeah."
"Good." Bryce sets his hand on Morgan's shoulder. "We have a favor to ask. There was a special package delivered here this morning. We need it."
"You mean the Roark Instruments R7 laptop?"
"Is that what came today? Who was it addressed to?" Bryce asks.
"It was really weird. It was addressed to Chuck. But he's not worked here for months. Well, I guess not weird. We still get stuff all the time addressed to Chuck. I had to hide it from Lester and Jeff."
Sarah moves in closer. "We need that computer. Can you get it for us?"
"Uh, sure. Wait here."
Four Days Ago: Undisclosed Location
Chuck is trying really hard to avoid hurling. He presses his sweaty head into his arms. It's one of the few times he's been thankful for the blindfold. The darkness keeps the nausea at bay.
Today was awful. Scratch that, the last several days have been awful and he hadn't believed things could get worse.
Since watching Jill be taken away, Chuck's daily routine had completely changed.
They'd begun experimenting on him. At least that's what it seems like. He's been dragged back and forth between his current residence and a large white room with a single black medical chair. Each time, they pump full of drugs and connect leads to his forehead. They flash images on the screen, ask him questions. Sometimes he wakes up strapped down to the chair, not sure how he got there. Other times he's sure he's not even awake when he's in that room, but the migraine he gets from being there is pulsing.
There's no telling what they're measuring, but he knows that they're building to something.
Chuck accidentally gets a whiff of the bleach-scented air. He struggles to hold his stomach down. Oh god. Don't hurl. The smell of vomit would make him sicker.
He spends most of his time in a drug-induced haze. His concentration has spiraled down. When he's lucid, he thinks of his sister and Morgan. He tries to ignore Jill's engagement ring burning a hole in his shirt pocket. If he thinks of her, he starts to imagine all the horrible things Tommy must be doing to her. And Chuck can't do anything. He's totally helpless.
Chuck jerks violently as a hand ruffles his hair. Someone's in the room.
"Hiya, Chuck. How're you doing?" Tommy asks as he pulls his hand away.
"Splendid." Chuck whispers.
"Hmm" Tommy's hand reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out the wedding ring. He drags the edge the small diamond across Chuck's face drawing blood. Chuck holds his breath.
"Pretty ring. Family heirloom?"
"My grandmothers."
"Very sentimental."
"What'd you do with Jill?"
Tommy chuckles as he slowly drags the ring along one of his chained hands. "Don't worry. She's alive. Being a good girl."
"What are you doing to me?"
"Making sure you're special."
"Special how?"
He starts to drag the ring down his other arm.
"Are you a good boy, Chuck?"
Chuck swallows, actively trying to not barf all over Tommy. "I try."
"Ahh. The sedatives do a real number on you, don't they? Tell you what. We won't administer anymore if you can answer one more question."
Chuck nods his head.
"How do I get in contact with Orion?"
"Who?"
"Orion." Tommy twists the ring into Chuck's neck.
"I swear I've never heard that name before."
"You'd swear on Jill's life?"
Blood is dripping down Chuck's neck.
"I have no clue who you're talking about."
"Pity." Tommy pulls the ring away from his neck. Chuck feels it fall back into his pocket. Tommy gives it a pat.
A second later, Chuck loses consciousness as Tommy delivers a sharp blow to his head.
"Your pops really left you as easy pickings."