A/N: Hey everybody. It's been a super busy week for me in the FF world. I've updated four or five times, and I published another new story, called "All Over Again" which I received a lot of compliments, reviews, and PM's for, so to all of you that reviewed, I sent out a quick little thank you message. I really do appreciate all the reviews guys, as it lets me know what you think, and it makes the hard work worthwhile. Alright, I'll stop boring you guys now, here's Chuck's red test.
Chapter Fourteen: The Red Test
CIA TRAINING FACILITY: DC, 4:00 PM
Months, weeks, and days had passed. They'd all been leading up to one faithful night. This was what made you a spy. This was what distinguished you from the common rabble. This was what could land you a spot on Sarah Walker's exclusive, elite CIA team, along with John Casey, Hannah Smith, Carina Miller, and one other lucky agent other than yourself. It was a handpicked team, the best of the best. And being Sarah's boyfriend? That gave Chuck absolutely no advantage.
To most of the students, it was simply pulling a trigger. Doing it in a time effective manner was a plus. To Chuck, it'd be far different than expected. And it was only a matter of time until it was revealed.
Currently, Chuck made his way to his girlfriend's quarters for what he imagined was the last time until he knew where his fate lied. Nervously, he raised a shaky hand to knock. But before he could force his fist to make contact with the wooden barrier that stood between him and his love, the door swung open, revealing Sarah herself. Throwing her arms around his neck wordlessly, she pulled him in, hugging him tightly as she kicked the door shut. She knew how nervous he was, and how he felt. She'd been there, and she'd reacted the exact same way. So that's how they spent their last couple of hours together before Chuck had to leave for the red test. Cuddled up on Sarah's bed, the two simply held each other, as if the pain he had was mutual.
When the last minutes came before Chuck's departure to the restaurant where he'd be following the mark, he stood. Standing beside him, Sarah gently took his cheeks in her palms, bringing his face low so that she could kiss him ever so gently. Smiling comfortingly against his lips, she gently pulled away, staring straight into his eyes.
"Do you trust me, Chuck?" she asked gently, as she held up both his hands.
"Always…" he replied, now calm under her touch.
"Then you'll be fine, I promise. And when this is done, everything will be okay."
Chuck smiled and hugged her closely. "Bye for now Sarah." He said gently.
"I'll be watching over you Chuck. See you tonight, and good luck…."
With a final, loving kiss, he departed, leaving to the entrance of the facility, where he was to be picked up by a cab and dropped off at the location.
-0-
"Nervous, Walker?" Hannah asked gently, as the two of them got into the van. They were to drive near the train station, where the hit would take place. Casey would be joining them as well, as each of them had an assigned student to watch on surveillance, making sure nothing went awry.
"Yeah, but I'm not the one who should be…" she sighed, glancing up at Hannah. They were only talking so openly because Casey hadn't arrived yet.
"You can relax. We'll be there, and he's got a camera on his jacket. If anything goes wrong, we can be out there in minutes."
"It's not that, I just worry about him….emotionally. I hope he can take it…he's really not a killer, he's not wired that way." Sarah explained what was troubling her so deeply.
"None of us are. We do what's right because it's for the betterment of society. That's all there is to it." Hannah gave her no chance to argue, not that she could anyway. Hannah was right, and Sarah just had to accept it.
Hannah was to watch Bryce, and Casey was to watch some girl Sarah didn't know. They'd gone through the same process with all the other students, and these were their last three. Sarah prayed that everything would go normally.
"Here comes Casey." Hannah murmured. "Let's get serious, Walker." Turning her attention to the wheel, the two girls watched as Casey greeted them with a traditional grunt and started the engine up, speeding out of the parking lot.
Sarah glanced out of her window.
-0-
Chuck took his seat at the Train station restaurant, watching as three men entered. He was told that each of them were supposedly agents of a new enemy group called "Fulcrum". Keeping his eye on the wrapped napkin before him, he saw that a Glock was slipped inside, hidden from view. Glancing to his left, a few tables down, was Bryce, who'd already taken his gun. To his right, a few tables down was a blonde girl Chuck also recognized from the academy. So these were his opponents. Blinking, he glanced over at the Fulcrum table. To the left, he found his assigned man. Thomas Baker. He was a CIA agent, selling secrets to Fulcrum. That was his one, fatal mistake.
Glancing at his food, a simple bread roll, he took a bite slowly. He could still hear Sarah's instructions clear in his mind. He was to wait until Baker separated from the group. Chuck was to corner him, and with his silenced gun, shoot him and be done with it. He tried to steady his shaking hands under the table, knowing full well that Sarah was watching on the live feed from the camera sitting on his jacket pocket, hidden from view.
Almost an hour passed. Chuck even began sweating a little. Then, it happened. He rose. Baker got up, excused himself, through a twenty on the table, and turned, heading for the men's room.
-0-
"Uh, excuse me, I'll be right back…" Sarah began, rising from her seat in the van.
Hannah turned towards her, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't allowed to leave.
"Bathroom." Sarah lied, eyes pleading with Hannah's.
Hannah nodded. "I'll cover Chuck for you, since Bryce's mark hasn't left yet."
Thanking her, Sarah left quickly. She was only going to observe, she told herself. But somehow, she didn't buy it.
-0-
Chuck waited until his man was almost out of sight before quietly rising; making sure his gun was there, and following him out. Chuck tried to quicken his pace, as he was quickly losing sight of the man. Suddenly, he almost tripped, making a noise as his shoe hit a metal, and public trash can. The mole ran, and he ran fast. Leaping up, Chuck cried, "Wait!" Darting after him, Chuck pursued him at a high speed, as the man made a random turn out into the train yard, where hundreds of freight trains were parked.
He made a sharp turn, pulling his gun out. Chuck raised his as well, hoping to god no one would have to shoot. Suddenly, a shot rang out. Chuck squeezed his eye's shut. Waiting for a cold, gripping pain, he found nothing. Then, he heard a voice, making him open his eyes.
"Alright, enough is enough." The voice said, and in an instant, Chuck realized just who it was.
-0-
"Oh my god…." Hannah breathed, glancing at Chuck's cam. There, standing before him, gun smoking from a recent kill was none other than Bryce Larkin. "Bryce, what the hell?" busy trying to keep track of Chuck for Sarah, she hadn't kept an eye on Bryce, who ever so quietly slipped away, smashing his camera in the process.
"Casey, come on! Walker needs help!" she cried, reaching to open the door. As the van door rolled open, Hannah's jaw dropped. There were three men standing there, each with guns trained at Hannah.
"Freeze!" One called, grinning. They all bore the same Fulcrum badge on their jackets. Hannah put up her hands. They hadn't seen Casey in the driver's seat because they were parked in the dark.
"Where are the others?" One man asked, eyes taking in Hannah lustfully.
"They left to go help the other students…." Hannah lied, making it sound like a shameful confession.
"Hmm, she talks. You know what? We might just let you have some fun after this." The leader smirked. "Until then, stay still and shut up."
Hannah glanced down, not daring to look towards Casey, who was staying low in the driver's seat. He was their only hope.
-0-
"Bryce, what….what are you doing?" Chuck asked in shock. Standing before him, smoking gun aimed at Chuck's head in one hand, Sarah limp in his other.
"What did you do? Let her go!" Chuck yelled, taking aim for Bryce's head.
"Woah! Easy there, Chuck. Don't make me shoot her." He grinned devilishly.
"What do you want, Bryce?" Chuck spat venomously, trying to keep his hand from shaking.
"Me? I'm here for the same reason as you, Chuck." He smirked. "This is my red test, and you two are my marks."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Chuck snapped.
"Fulcrum, Chuck. They pay you pretty handsomely to do a little undercover work for them." He said nonchalantly. "This is just my test of loyalty….if you will."
"What does Sarah have to do with this?" Chuck snapped.
"Well, my bosses wanted one dead, and one girl, because they like to have fun….." Bryce smirked, as Chuck watched him in absolute horror and disgust. "Sarah is just that girl, Chuck…" Bryce smirked, taunting him. "I'll bet they'll have a lot of fun with her, more than you could do for her anyway."
Chuck clenched his jaw, glancing back. Where the hell was Hannah for back up?
"Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention this, but uh…you're team….well, my boys just took care of them…"
Chuck stared at Bryce in horror. This was an absolute nightmare. He had to shoot, but Sarah was too close. He simply couldn't risk it. But provoking Bryce wouldn't work either. He needed to stay alive, as Sarah's last hope.
-0-
Hannah heard the quietest of shuffling. Biting her lip, she hoped they wouldn't hear Casey put in the key. She had no idea what his plan was.
Suddenly, the entire van shook as the engine roared to life.
"What the hell?" An agent demanded, about to say something else when Casey sent the car flying back, then made a sharp right in the empty lot, speeding into all three men as Hannah quickly grabbed her gun. Leaning out the open door, she shot all three of them lying on the floor, just to make sure.
"Shit." Casey grunted. "That was close."
-0-
Chuck heard a distant car screech. Almost three seconds later, Bryce's hand shot to his hear as a sharp, high pitched squeal sounded from the comm. earpiece in it. In that second, Chuck's life changed. As Sarah dropped to the floor, Chuck fired three consecutive bullet's straight into his chest. One, two, three. Falling behind Sarah with a thud, Chuck instinctively ran over, picking up his drugged, unharmed girlfriend. Sarah, blinking tiredly, went totally limp in Chuck's arms. She was safe now, and this terrible night was but a memory.
-0-
Sarah blinked slowly, eyesight still slightly blurry. Blinking twice, she glanced down, finding herself in her bed at the academy. Glancing up, she saw Chuck, who immediately came over, sitting beside her on the bed.
"Hey, you're up…." He murmured ever so gently, as if he were talking to a baby.
"Uh…..I…." she groaned. "What happened?" she finally asked. "I came out to help you, and Bryce was there and, he had a gun, and….." she trailed off. Chuck just watched her with sad eyes.
"Oh my god, he tried to kill me…but you, you shot him…you saved me…." Sarah mumbled slowly, getting louder with each word. "You saved me…." She whispered, her love for him seeping into every word.
"I had to, it was the only way, but I'm still-"
"Chuck…." Sarah began slowly, sitting up. "Shut up and kiss me."
Chuck obliged happily, grinning as the two pulled each other together for the most loving, softest of kisses they'd ever shared. Pulling away, Chuck couldn't help it. Against her lips, between kisses, he mumbled "I…Love….you… Sarah…"
Reciprocating his exact feelings, Sarah did the same. When the two were finally able to part slightly, Sarah asked Chuck just what happened.
"It turned out to be a set up by Bryce." Chuck began gently. Sarah nodded, paying full attention. "He expected you to come out for me. He broke his own camera so Hannah couldn't see him. Teaming up with Fulcrum, he drugged you, and dragged you over to where I was chasing my mole. He shot the mole…..I guess because he was expendable…." Chuck frowned disapprovingly.
Sarah held his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Clearing his throat, Chuck continued. "So he wanted to take you back for his bosses…" Chuck said through gritted teeth, unable to stand the mere idea of Sarah being used or harmed. "And needed to kill me, because I was his red test." He explained. "They'd been watching us for months….." Chuck sighed.
"How'd you save me?" Sarah asked softly, kissing his hand gently.
"I….I'm not sure. From what I've heard from Hannah, she was stuck in the van with guards outside. They hadn't seen Casey, so he gunned the engine and ran them over." He explained. "Hannah made sure they were dead but….I guess when Casey ran over the guys, he ran over the comm. link, and even I could hear this high pitched noise that shot from Bryce's link. So when he reached up instinctively to stop the noise, he dropped you and I just…did what I had to." Chuck explained.
Sarah listened in awe. "You're truly my hero, Chuck…." She breathed, kissing him gently on his lips.
"How do you feel?" Sarah asked softly, hugging him tightly.
"Me? Sarah, as long as you're safe and by my side, I'm good. I'd do anything for you…." Chuck professed with a love Sarah had only dreamed of.
"I know Chuck…and so would I." Sarah promised as the two cuddled on the bed, waiting for whatever was next. And whatever it was, they were ready to take it on, together.
A/N: Okay, so that sums up the first little arc. I don't really have more planned so should I just kill it here with an epilogue and be done with it? Or should I move on? Sorry for the crappy chapter, clearly I'm no good at action, and I despise writing it. So, let me know what you thought of the chapter and if I should continue or not in a review, as I'll be basing my answer off those. Thanks a million for reading. You guys rock, and this wouldn't be possible without you. As always, have a good one.
-LLC