A/N: I would say that I am sorry for disappearing for so long and not updating, but I know that is just not good enough. The plan is to have a couple chapters over the next week or so. I hope to conclude fatal flash in the next week or two. Thanks for the messages encouraging me to get my act together.

Chapter 11

Three days later…

Chuck had been playing games and watching movies for the past few days, usually with either Dr. Williams or one of the nurses that were in charge of his care. Not surprisingly, it had not taken long for the staff of the CIA facility to grow quite fond of Chuck, and nearly all were on a first name basis after only few days. What the staff had failed to realize was that Chuck was not only learning their names and what their kids were up to in school, but he was also learning every detail of their routines. Chuck learned when each guard would make their rounds as well as when their shifts ended. On one occasion he was even able to watch a nurse type in the code to unlock his door. She had been a little careless as she was batting her lashes at Chuck, having fallen victim to the Bartowski smile. Unfortunately even with all this information he was still nowhere close to finding a way out of the ultra secure CIA building. He may be observant, but a highly trained spy he was not.

Chuck woke on the third morning to the sounds of an argument taking place just outside of his room. He immediately crept over to the entrance of his room in order to find out what was going on. Although he was unable to make out what was being said, he was able to see Dr. Williams in a heated exchange with Director Graham through the small window in his door. The exchange finally came to and end when Graham turned and stormed down the hall leading away from Chuck's room. Dr. Williams, who had remained outside the door shaking his head, turned and gave a half smile to Chuck, apparently aware that he had been watching the whole time. Chuck took a step back as Dr. Williams entered his room.

"What was all that about?" Chuck asked, having become quite comfortable talking to the doctor over the past few days.

"I am sorry that you had to see that. I hope we didn't wake you."

"Actually I was hoping to get an early start to my day. I have a lot of boredom to fit into my schedule today." Chuck smiled as he joked with the doctor. "No harm done. What had the director so upset?"

"Oh, it was nothing really. Nothing for you to worry about anyway."

"I don't know. It seemed as if it had something to do with me, and if that is the case I have a right to know."

The doctor stared into Chuck's eyes for a few seconds before nodding to himself. "Actually you're right. It did have to do with you, and you really should know what is going on." The doctor led Chuck further into the room away from the door. "Chuck, we were arguing about you. The director has some important information that he wants your special help with, but I told him that you are just not ready yet. You have healed really well as far as we can tell, but I feel you still need a little more time before we can be sure that flashing is truly safe. As you could see that is not exactly what the director wanted to hear. He got angry and started questioning the amount of time that I and the rest of the staff have been spending with you. He said something about you having a tendency of compromising agents."

Chuck couldn't help the grin that came to his face. The mere mention of how he and Sarah had become so close over their time together instantly warmed his heart. Dr. Williams noticed the smile, "Anything you would like to share Chuck?"

"What? Um no. I was just thinking that he is probably just jealous, since he has the people skills of a constipated badger."

"You are probably right. You shouldn't have any other problems tonight as the badger has gone home for the night," the doctor chuckled and turned towards the door. "Even so, you need to watch out for yourself Chuck. Not everyone here has your best interest in mind."

"I will," Chuck said as he sat on the bed and turned on the tv, only to turn to the doctor as he was about to close the door, "Oh and Doc…Thanks." Dr. Williams paused for a second and merely nodded before leaving Chuck to himself.

---

Sarah had made the drive to Washington in a time that would have won any Cannonball Run. Of course using night vision goggles and driving without her headlights on made her excessive speed a lot harder for the local authorities to notice.

She had spent a couple days looking for any leads as to where they were keeping Chuck. She had a few contacts that she trusted, but no one had heard a thing. Her last plan of action led her to the street next to Director Graham's rather large home just outside of D.C. She had figured since no one in the CIA had heard anything about Chuck or the intersect, that Graham must be handling this personally. That would also explain his absence from the last teleconference.

"He must have no idea who he can trust with knowledge of the human intersect. Of course he wouldn't have had to worry about that if he wouldn't have taken Chuck away from me in the first place," Sarah thought to herself as her grip on the steering wheel tightened considerably. Originally she had planned on a more direct approach to getting Chuck back. A bust in the front door of the Director's home and pull out his finger nails until he told her where Chuck was kind of approach. Fortunately, she was able to calm herself in the final few hours of her drive. For right now she would be patient, though if she has her way by the time this is all over, the director will have no need for a manicure anytime soon.

She had only been outside of the Director's house for a few hours that morning before she saw some movement coming from the house. The director and a few agents exited the house and entered a black standard government issued SUV. The director had been speaking on his phone and was obviously not happy. Through her long distance surveillance equipment she could hear him saying that he would obtain more information for them to go on one way or another within the next few hours.

"I don't know what you are up to but if you hurt Chuck you are going to need more than a couple babysitters to protect you," Sarah said to herself as she put the car in drive.

---

Sarah was able to tail the SUV unnoticed to what looked like an ordinary dairy farm at least an hour outside of the city. She had taken position on the top of a small hilltop a short distance off. She watched the director enter a silo near the middle of the farm through her binoculars. That must be the entrance to where they are keeping Chuck.

---

The door to Chuck's room violently swung open, as director Graham followed closely by an irate Dr. Williams came hastily into the room.

"I told you he is not ready for this." Dr. Williams was screaming at the director.

The director never even glanced at the doctor. "Mr. Bartowski we have been made aware of a very serious threat to the President of the United States of America, and we need your help to stop it."

"You don't have to do it Chuck," the doctor's voice, although not as loud, still contained a definitive edge to it.

Chuck, dumbfounded by the entire scene, sat in his bed speechless. He looked from the director to the doc and the back to the director. "I…I don't know. The doctor said that I need more time to heal."

"Mr. Bartowski I understand that you are not pleased to be here, but it is your duty to…" the director was interrupted by Chuck's aggravated response.

"My duty! My duty! You have got to be kidding me. I did not sign up for this. I never asked for any of this, in fact quite the opposite. But even so I have done everything I could to help the greater good over the last year. And what did that get me; a one way ticket to the underground version of club med from hell. Don't tell me about my duty, because I have already given up more for this country than any of you have had to." Chuck only stopped his rant when he was out of breath.

The beeping of an alarm indicating a dangerous increase in blood pressure got the doctor's attention. "Enough already! If you do this director and you could cause serious harm to the intersect. You could be without an intersect all together if you don't stop right now."

The Director stared coldly at the doctor "In situations like this one must be willing to make sacrifices." He turned his attention to Chuck before saying, "Operation Potestas."

Chuck's eyes glazed over as he grabbed his head. A few seconds into what appeared to be a very painful flash his nose began bleeding. Dr. Williams rushed to Chuck's side and began coaching him to take deep breaths to no avail. Chuck had slumped back into the bed and gone unconscious.

---

Outside Sarah had been acquiring as much intel as she could. She now knew how many men were stationed around the perimeter of the farm. There were at least 10 men at different stations as well as a couple of men on ATV's scattered around the perimeter. As far as she could tell there was no way she could sneak into the main compound without being noticed. She was going to have to find some other way in or think of some sort of diversion without putting the whole place into lockdown.

---

"Damn it! Now look what you have done. The intersect is not worth a damn if Chuck dies." Dr. Williams said as he frantically checked Chuck's vitals.

Graham gave the doctor a long hard look before looking back to Chuck, "Is he going to live?"

"Yes. It looks like he just passed out due to the pain. A normal flash would have been painful in his condition, but it had to be excruciating for him to flash when you already had his blood pressure through the roof." The doctor pulled his stethoscope from his ears and visibly relaxed, turning to look at the director with anger apparent in his expression. "It looks like he is going to be fine…this time."

"I want to know the second he is awake. We need to know what the intersect provided." Graham did not leave a chance for argument as he turned and walked from the room.