Library Tower Elevator - Tuesday 11:53 a.m.

"This day just keeps getting better and better." sarcastically remarked Casey as looks up and around the elevator.

Chuck shoots a look over at Casey. They are both in another hair raising situation again in which they have to somehow escape before they die but this time an innocent civilian is involved. The weapon of choice is now an elevator as they were previously locked in a car that exploded along with a barrage of bullets unloaded into a house have failed. It's a situation considered somewhat disappointing by their antagonist the Ace of Spades aka Mr. Roboto.

He can't help but think the situation all 3 of them are in is similar to the elevator scene in the movie Speed. Chuck hopes a bus isn't involved and they might have to jump a large gap he thinks to himself. Mr. Roboto is most definitely the Dennis Hopper character that is holding a grudge and its up to Reeves and Daniels to get the hostages out of the elevator but in this case they are the hostages and will have to somehow find a way out.

Thinking about it, Casey wouldn't compare him to Reeves or Daniels but rather Bullock's character because in his eyes he doesn't see him as a guy who can pull off being fearless and manly. He has heard his girlish screams so many times over in the past that the burly NSA agent would not be surprised to hear it but it would be expected of him being in a highly volatile situation where there is zero chance of them surviving.

For the most part, the two of them have been able to escape by the skin of their teeth. It hasn't been easy as it not only taken a physical and mental toll, but an emotional one as well. Chuck knows that if he is able to get through this entire situation hopefully unscathed reality is going to absolutely hit him right in the face dealing with the death of his friend/teammate Travis Riley and his wife Shannon.

However, he will have to deal with that later because as of right now he, Casey, and Vance have at least 7 minutes to figure a way of the elevator. An elevator that is not only approximately 72 floors above the ground, but one that has the escape hatch welded shut similar to that of the Honda at Mulholland Drive. Its going to take much more than shooting the hatch with a gun in order to get out of this he thinks to himself.

Chuck can feel the anxiety starting to build within him, especially now that he's in a considerably enclosed space. He has never been the type of person to be claustrophobic because he has been locked in a trunk at least twice in his life, which is a dubious distinction that he doesn't want to be proud of. Yet, due to the circumstances he's beginning to feel it to the point where he's freaking out inside.

The man who has cheated death countless times before may not possibly come out of this alive. Its at this point, he's beginning to have a mini panic attack. He can feel as if the entire elevator getting progressively warm causing his heartbeat beating faster, leading him to be somewhat bit lightheaded to the point where he wants to puke but restrains himself from doing so. As this is happening, he's can see from his point of view the walls around him slowly closing in on him.

Chuck's internal mini panic attack is growing to the point where its going to be a full blow panic attack that explodes into an a huge freak out. If there were a brown paper bag anywhere in the elevator he would most definitely use it to breathe into because he's about to hyperventilate. The grip he has on the side metal rails grows increasingly so much so he can quite possibly break it out from the wall he's leaning back against.

He can't hold it together any longer and just as he's about to scream out he suddenly gets hit in the stomach causing him to lean forward a bit all-the-while holding the area hit. Chuck looks over to his left and up to see Vance looking down at him. "You okay?" Vance asked with a deep, husky tone to his voice.

"I'm…uh…fine." responded Chuck. "You doing okay."

"I'm fine. Are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out or something."

Chuck is about to responds when Casey interjects his thoughts into the conversation. "He always has that look on his face and when it comes to passing out he's a master at it." stated the NSA agent. "You should show him your move Bartowski." he added

A nervous smile appears on Chuck's face as he glances from Casey to the hulking man to his left. "Maybe later Casey. I think we should find a way out of here first don't you think." he nervously answered. "We need a miracle to get out of this." said Chuck shaking his head looking straight at the escape hatch that is welded shut.

"The little guy is right." Vance responded placing his hand on top of Chuck's head like a basketball and then shakes it. "What's the plan?"

"Agent Casey and I are trained government agents. We've been through tighter situations than this so don't worry." replied Chuck looking up at him.

"I'm not worried because I used to be in the military. Marines."

"Marine Corp, special forces. Oorah!" responded Casey. Vance responds back with one of his own. "Serve in Afghanistan?"

"2001-2004."

As the two men are talking, Chuck can't believe they're swapping war stories at a time like this. He looks down at his watch to see that they now have 5 minutes left and counting leading him to interrupt the two. "I hate to break up the conversation guys…" he said holding his watch up in his left hand and pointing at the time with his left finger. "…but we're kind of in dire straights here."

"Relax Bartowski." grunted Casey.

Vance and Chuck suddenly witness Casey unbuckling his belt causing the curly haired business owner to slowly turn and look up at Vance who also has the same confused look on his face as he does. Chuck turns back to look at Casey who now has his belt gripped in his right hand. "Casey, what are you doing?"

"Getting all 3 of us out of here." he calmly stated.

XXX

Library Tower Elevator - Tuesday 11:53 a.m.

"How exactly is your belt going to get us out here?" questioned Chuck expressing confusion on his face.

Casey opens up his right hand a bit to let his belt dangle in front of the Chuck and Vance. He turns it around showing a Velcro compartment in back. The NSA Agent pulls the Velcro down to reveal a medium length red wire and some type of medium length grey looking play doh. "Primacord and plastique…" he calmly stated with a hint of a smirk on his face. "…instant problem solver."

Chuck feels a renewed sense of hope at what Casey just said. If there was a time where the man who has always been known to break things instead of fixes them now would be the right time for him to do his thing. He could always count on him to pull a trick out from underneath his sleeve or in this particular case his belt in order to get out of a dicey situation.

What else is Casey carrying that I don't know about? It amazes him to no end at the things that spies are able to conceal from others until it is needed. For him, it boggles the mind the amount of high tech weapons that can not only be hidden from view on a person's body, but also be in plain sight where a mark doesn't realize what he or she is holding or looking directly/indirectly at.

He remembers the night of Ellie and Awesome's wedding when he and Sarah were alone in his bedroom the amount of weapons that were on her before they were about to have sex. He still couldn't figure out how she could conceal a black retractable staff similar to that of comic book character Daredevil aka Matt Murdock on her person knowing she was nearly naked.

It took a total of 10 minutes to remove all the weapons on her person with the last thing removed were simply clothes. To be perfectly honest though, it was rather an enjoyable experience as it was considered foreplay for the both of them, which would inevitably become a routine for the two of them after coming home from a successful mission. His thoughts of romantic evenings pasts were suddenly broken by the sound of a husky voice that resonated within the elevator.

"We just a certain amount to blow the escape hatch open." said Vance. "Do you have detonating device?"

"Negative." replied Casey. "We're just going to have to wing it."

"Wing It!? This is not the time to be MacGyver Casey!" quickly responded Chuck.

"How about I just use you as a battering ram instead Bartowski?" grunted the government agent. "Unless you have a better idea in that head of yours then I would like to hear it." he added slapping the back of his head with right hand.

To Vance, the way he slapped Chuck in the head is similar to that of a certain character from one of his favorite tv shows NCIS where Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs slaps his team upside the head in order to get them in line. From his point of view, the way Casey slapped Chuck upside the head it seemed to him he's possibly done that before a time or two, especially to the curly haired man standing in front of him. He would also bet that like the character Gibbs he too would have a list of rules for others to adhere by.

In any case, if Casey is considered Gibbs, then Chuck would be possibly McGee instead of DiNozzo because in his mind he looks to be the nerdy type who is comfortable around computers instead of the quintessential ladies man. The big and husky head of security of the Library Towers wonders if there is a female agent on the team that is their Ziva, which there certainly is the form of one Agent Sarah Walker who is currently in Castle.

As the two men continue to "discuss" things out, Vance momentarily stands there watching the interaction between the two of them who he just met. They have certainly worked together for quite a while he thought to himself. If anyone on his team talked to him like that they would either be reprimanded on the spot or fired because he doesn't tolerate back talk from his own people.

The situation between the two men begins to get heated leading Vance to literally pick up Chuck as if he was a baby up in order to move him out of harms way to the complete surprise of the brown hair business owner to where he places himself in the middle of the two men. From the intense expression in Casey's eyes and the clearly audible grunt directed at the skinny agent Vance acted before the situation turned ugly.

"Hey…" bellowed Vance pointing at the two of them. "…we're all working as a team here fellas so focus." he added slapping Chuck and Casey in the back of the heads.

Casey did not expect to get slapped in the back of the head especially one so hard coming from a big brute such as Vance. He was so used to giving slaps upside the heads to not only his men who served under him in the military, but also to new recruits of the NSA at the training facility, which he thoroughly enjoyed doing. It became a guilty pleasure of his to walk up behind a new recruit and catch him or her not paying attention.

Without a doubt, it was the first time to be on the receiving end for once and hopefully the last time. In his mind, as big as Vance is, he could easily take him down with a swift kick to the knees and then knock him out with a knee to the face, which he decided not to do because they were after all on the same team. Plus, he was right as they needed to work together in order to get out of the elevator quickly before time runs out.

Casey grabs the plastique taking a chunk of it for himself and then immediately gives the rest it to Chuck. "Chuck, carefully roll it into a 4 separate long lengths in order to wrap around the sides of the hatch." As Chuck takes the plastique and carefully rolls it, he grabs the red Primacord handing it over to Vance. "Cut several fairly long lengths of cord in order to attach to the main cord that will not only be wrapped around tightly to the piece I have in my hand but to the other pieces that will be places around the hatch as well."

"What are you going to use to set it off?" asked Chuck. "Like you said before, you don't have a detonation device."

"Primacord consists of a high speed fuse with an explosive core so…"

Vance immediately interjects. "So we're going to have to shoot it."

"Affirmative." replied Casey.

"Isn't it dangerous since we're in such an enclosed space?" inquired Chuck with great concern on his part.

"It's a risk we're willing to take Bartowski." grunted Casey. Upon saying that Vance nods at the decision leading Chuck to hesitantly do the same. "Let's hurry up and do this because we don't have a lot of time."

XXX

Castle - Tuesday 11:57 a.m.

Bryce is sitting at his computer intently focused on the small individual screens in front of him. His attempts in locating an image of the Ace of Clubs haven't come up with any results whatsoever causing him to be considerably frustrated. The time spent staring at the computer screen has caused eyes strain and not only cramped fingers but a cramped neck due to having his head stuck in one position for quite some time.

He stops for just a brief moment in order to crack his neck bringing him some relief whereby easing some of the tension and stress he's been experiencing sitting at the computer. He rotates his neck clockwise and this hangs his head rubbing the back of his neck. The man who was kicked in the face for telling Sarah the truth could still feel the after effects of it leading him to rub the right side of the face.

It was a reminder of how serious she truly is concerning her relationship with Chuck. He has never before seen how committed she is to something or someone for that matter other than the to job itself. The look in her eyes told him all that he needed to know because it was a look that he always wanted to see coming his way but unfortunately its directed to his former frat brother.

The position he's now in as the guy who didn't end up with who he considers the girl that ultimately got away is an unfamiliar one. As he sits there leaning back in his chair rubbing the back of neck, he can't help but think how envious he is of Chuck for being the guy who can absolutely give everything to her that he could never be able to give because he's not the type to settle down.

I am not the marrying type. For Bryce, admitting to himself that marriage isn't for him shows he and Sarah were never really going to be together in the end. As a partner in the spy game, she could always count him to back her up providing tactical support on a mission is familiar territory for him but when it comes to providing emotional supports its unfamiliar territory. Plus, he isn't the type to be faithful either.

Essentially, the word monogamy is considered a foreign word to spies especially to Bryce who used the opportunities he was given to hook up without her knowing. As much as he was in a so called relationship with Sarah it didn't stop him from hooking up with one Agent Carina Miller. For the two of them it was mainly about sex with no emotional attachments to speak of, which is how they both liked it.

To him, Carina was and will always be trouble with a capital T. The minute he met her he felt a vibe coming from her and truth be told it was a steamy one. As much as he wanted to throw off her advances her powers of persuasion could not be resisted, which was the one thing she was clearly good at. A guy would be an absolute moron not to resist Carina and if he did he would either have to be stupid, have strong will power, really in love or all of the above.

Like him, Carina isn't the marrying type as well. Bryce knows she's kind of woman who will tie you up in a good way but then will leave you tied up as she takes something you worked hard to get in order to use for her own personal use to get ahead in the spy business, which has happened on several occasions. Thankfully, he was never left in a hotel room in Prague tied up and gagged on the bed like Casey.

A hint of a smirk appears on his face at that particular thought causing him to shake his head a bit. There were times whenever the three of the them teamed up she would purposefully flirt with him in order to have he and Sarah fight just because it was fun for her. That is who she is and a part of him was attracted to the dangerous, wild side of Carina but he was also attracted to the closed off, sweet side of Sarah.

Its at that point, Bryce thinks of old that old saying that rings true…you can't have your cake and eat it too when it came to her and Sarah. He gets through his head that Sarah is no longer interested in him and even though he's disappointed he know he brought it on himself. Still, when one door closes another door opens as he has Carina's number and they could hook up somewhere like old times with absolutely no strings attached.

Bryce takes in a deep breathe and then looks up at the screen to where he suddenly catches something on one of the individual small screens. He immediately clicks on it punches a few keys in order to rewind the footage. Bryce leans in closer to the screen as he reviews the footage to the point where a smile appears on his face. "Gotcha." he muttered under his breathe.

XXX

Library Tower Elevator - Tuesday 11:58 a.m.

Chuck hands the last rolled up plastique explosive wrapped in Primacord to Vance who places and then presses up against the left side of the hatch. All 4 sides of the hatch are now surrounded with Casey's middle piece set in the middle of the hatch. Vance attaches the 4 Primacord wires together and sticks it into the plastique keeping as close to the wire in order for a clean upward explosion hopefully without any shrapnel flying downward that could possibly injury one or all of them in the process.

"A minute and a half!" Chuck frantically stated.

"Okay, get ready." barked Casey.

Casey knows that as tight a space they are in they can't hide anywhere in order to avoid the blast. The escape hatch itself is located in the back far right corner and they have to situate themselves as far away as they can, which is to be at the far left kneeling down up against the wall with either their back turned away from the blast or facing forward so as to move quickly as soon as the blast occurs.

Chuck and Vance ready themselves as they are up against the left side of the elevator tightly hug the corners. Casey has no choice but to stay in the middle between the two men and after getting into position he aims his weapon straight at the plastique embedded in the middle of the hatch wound tightly with red Primacord. He shields his face with his left arm and just before he shoots he warns the two men on either side of him its go time. "Fire in the hole!" he hollered.

The NSA Agent fires and hits his target causing a chain reaction that makes not only a significant upward impact blowing the escape hatch completely off its hinges, but it has also caused somewhat significant damage to the inside of the elevator as well. Its within the smoky aftermath of the blast several faint coughs are heard suggesting that all 3 men are still alive.

The first man to immediately get up is Casey who is a bit groggy but quickly recovers the best he can. He quickly looks up to asses the damage and then quickly checks on Chuck who is also a bit groggy and seemingly unharmed but before he stands up he finds a piece of shrapnel embedded just a few inches from his head. He doesn't have time to freak out as Casey grabs him by his collar.

"Bartowski, get up there now!" he ordered.

"What about Vance!?" he said pointing at him.

Casey quickly glances at Vance through the smoky haze and from what he can see he's okay. "I got him!" replied the grizzled military vet. "Just get topside and onto something stable because this elevator is going down with or without us in it."

"I'll see you…"

"Move it Chuck!" screamed Casey.

Chuck pulls downs his sleeves to cover his hands and then with the assistance of Casey he pulls himself up. Upon getting out, the first thing he sees is the mechanism to release the elevator that is now counting down from 30 seconds. Chuck quickly hollers down to Casey into the elevator as he climbs up on a ladder within the confines of the elevator shaft. "50 seconds Casey!" he screamed down into the enclosed space.

Casey hears Chuck's echoing voice within the elevator shaft as he goes over to get Vance who is leaning against the wall holding his neck. He thinks he may have suffered a neck injury due to the impact of the blast but when he clearly sees him, he knows the reason why he's leaning against the wall holding his neck. He sees two pieces of shrapnel are embedded in the right side of his neck causing blood to flow out. From the looks of it, the shrapnel hit an artery telling him he's not going to make it for very much longer.

He doesn't have time to think as he quickly grabs Vance and moves him over to the opening. "Come on, we're getting you out of here!" he firmly stated

"Go on without me." he screamed batting away his had stopping Casey from helping him.

"No! We're marines and nobody get's left behind!" he screamed back.

Vance suddenly drops to the floor of the elevator as he's losing not only strength but consciousness as well. "Promise me one thing…" he struggled to say taking a quick breath. "…one marine to another."

"What is it?"

"Get the bastard who did this for me." he replied as he reaches up with his left hand.

Casey reaches up and tightly grips the left hand of his brother in arms looking directly in the eyes. "I promise." proclaimed one fellow marine to another.

In that moment, the life slips away from Vance and as much as he wants to take his fallen brother and give him a proper burial he knows he has to just say a quick prayer. He does so and then closes Vance's eyes. He then lets go of his hand after hearing Chuck screaming his name once again. Casey immediately jumps up and after taking one last glance back down at Vance he pulls himself out of the elevator.

He's standing on top of the elevator walking towards the same ladder that Chuck is currently on when it suddenly falls but luckily he grabbed it before he fell. He quickly steadies himself placing his feet on the rungs. The two men watch as the elevator they were just in falls down and disappears into the darkness below. Casey knows he's going to have to call in NSA cleaners for potential injuries to civilians below.

As he looks down, he hears Chuck's voice calling down to him. "Where's Vance?"

"He didn't make it." replied Casey shaking his head. He climbs past Chuck and up towards the elevator door of 73rd floor.

There is a brief moment of silence as they honor the memory of their fallen comrade in arms but that silence is soon replaced by a loud rumble causing both men to feel it to where they immediately look down. Chuck and Casey see a red fireball instantly appear to where it rises up and rises up fast. The tired and somewhat beat up NSA agents quickly jumps into action prying the elevator door to the 73rd floor open with the same knife he gave Chuck to cut the interior of the back seat with.

"Casey!" screamed Chuck who is focused on the fireball heading directly for them.

Casey ignores Chuck and uses all the strength to pry the doors open. When he has enough space he tells him to move quickly and does so stepping over Casey squeezing himself through the small space provided. When he drops over to the other side, he quickly stands up pushing the elevator doors making enough room for him to pull Casey up and into safety with the fireball vastly approaching.

Chuck grabs Casey's hand and with all the strength he has pulls him up. He helps him to his feet and slaps Casey on the right shoulder. As they both momentarily stand there in the opening, they both glance down to see the fireball quickly rising up right below them. Casey immediately grabs Chuck and dives falling back for cover as the flames shoot into the 73rd floor but is inevitably blocked by the elevator door.

XXX

NOTE: SORRY FOR THE DELAY FOLKS. I'LL TRY TO GET THE NEXT CHAPTER OUT AS QUICKLY AS I CAN. AS USUAL PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT.