A/N: Many thanks to all that read, reviewed and/or followed my story. Thanks goes to garnetflint for filling beta reader duties once again.
Chapter 25
"Morgan, who am I looking for again?" Anna asked her boyfriend with practiced patience. They were huddled behind one of the remaining crates trying not to look suspicious after Morgan told her about the so-called Pyrotechnics Inspector. Normally she'd chalk his suspicions up to too much bad sci-fi but considering the events of last night she decided to take him seriously. Also, she wanted to avoid looking like a hypocrite for indulging in her own paranoid fantasies about her slaver ex-boyfriend leaving behind spy cams and other unwanted "gifts" while hiding out from the law. She absolutely hated that two-faced shit some girls got away with.
"The guy that looks like he's posing for GQ," Morgan told her. "Right over there by the snow cones." The too well dressed man had his back to them but to Morgan he stood out like a beacon. He was just standing there like he was waiting for someone.
"Hmmm... I admit that he looks too expensive for the occasion but that doesn't exactly put him in my bad books," Anna whispered to him. "He could be one of those richie-riches that overdress for the island. You know how people that don't live near the water underestimate the humidity."
"Yeah but he was claiming to be an inspector and doesn't know anything about pyro!," Morgan whispered back. "He bought my line about you using thermal detonators hook, line and sinker. "
"You do have a point. But do you think it's related to Sarah's stuff? For all we know he's just a crappy thief looking to rip off the festival."
"But he looks so familiar. I don't know why but..." Morgan began before a revelation hit him like the wrath of Thor. "Of course! He's using Chuck's old moniker!" he exclaimed. Anna's brow furrowed in confusion as Morgan continued. "When we were younger we'd come up with stories about what we want to be when we grew up. I was Yor Hammersmith, Zombie Narwhal Hunter, and Chuck wanted to be Charles Carmichael, computer specialist turned rock star, and international man of mystery."
"Oh, I get it now. Did Chuck even play an instrument?" Anna asked him.
"Yeah, the guitar. Was pretty good at it too until Sanford happened," Morgan answered her as he gave a pointed glare to the oblivious Bryce. "After all that stuff, Chuck didn't have the heart for it anymore. I think he used to play for Pig-Swill Jill and he didn't want to be reminded of her. "
"Ugh, now I want to shave her bald and tattoo a wrestler's mask on her head. Too bad she's on the run for cooking meth, eh Morgie?" Anna joked. She was going to say more but the sight of a woman wearing an equally expensive dress moving toward the man caught their eye. The wide brimmed hat she wore covered her head and obscured her face, but sadly did nothing to keep the sun off her. Her dress, a shade of purple, accidently accentuated the sweat stains accumulating on her back and her armpits.
"Definitely not dressed for the weather," Anna murmured to her boyfriend.
The woman spoke to the man Morgan identified as Carmichael and Anna could tell that he definitely wasn't happy to see her. His body tensed up like he was expecting a million ninjas to pop up and he spun around to face the woman. Anna noted two things about the man. Number one, he was trying to act relaxed around her and failing miserably. The hat wearing lady must be his ex or someone he clearly wasn't friendly with anymore. And number two: he looked exactly like the mug shot posted for Mr. Montebloom's killers. She squinted at the man and for a moment he did bear a slight resemblance to Chuck if he had sold out and started acting like a rich jerkface.
Anna ducked back behind the crate pulling Morgan with her. "Holy crap Morgie, he was on TV! I mean he was one of the guys with the picture for the cop call number. "
Morgan smacked his head. "Of course! How could I have forgotten? And here I was thinking he must have been an evil Chuck from alternate reality."
"He kinda does if you squint but without the gross goatee," Anna agreed. "We got to get the cops here and now, otherwise Chuck's going to take the fall for killing Smiley Dom. Morgan, you remember the number for the hotline?"
"Sorry Wild Bunch, I wasn't paying attention to it. I thought it was a ploy by the bad guys to nab Chuck so I tuned it out," Morgan said regretfully. "But I do know Mal's number. I figure I call him and he can bring the boys in blue."
"Good idea baby," Anna said before giving him a peck on the lips. "You ring 'em up and I'll make sure to keep the preppies from leaving."
Morgan frowned at this. "Are you sure that's a good idea? The girl could have a bazooka in her handbag for all we know!"
"But if we don't do something there's a chance they'll get bored and wander off. With this crowd it could take forever to find them again," Anna replied.
"Curses, she's using logic!" Morgan thought to himself.
"Well... you do have a point," Morgan conceded. "Okay, we'll do it your way, but I will say that I 100% support the option to head for the hills if you even have a suspicion that they might want to hurt you. I don't think your dad would want you being roomies with him in the hospital."
"Alright, you win. Can't say living under the same roof as dear old dad again appeals to me right now. But if anyone asks, there were like 10 snipers aiming at me if I backed off. I did not wuss out and run, got it?" Anna asked forcefully. She did have a rep to worry about after all.
"Cross my heart, "Morgan began, " and sealed with a kiss," he finished as he stole a kiss from his girlfriend in the heat of the moment. In the back of his mind his past self gave him the thumbs up for being that smooth.
"Wish me luck you loon," Anna said with a smile as she practically skipped over to their quarry.
Anna made her way over to the two cautiously, using the crowd to get closer without standing out. She grabbed a coke at a nearby vendor (with employee discount thankfully.) and pretended to stare at the Ferris Wheel behind the duo while she sipped her drink. Curly and hat-girl were arguing about something alright, her appearing to be a cold trout while he looking like he was about to blow. The girl was about her age, and bore a slight resemblance to Jen from the party except she had a sharper nose, wore an excess in makeup and felt the need to wear a ton of flashy jewelry. Jen had the sensibility to dress down for the island and a sense of humor that Ms. Trout (as she dubbed the lady) lacked. From her experience, Anna knew to hang back until the two ran out of steam before approaching.
"...why can't you be professional about this?" Anna caught the Ms. Trout hissing to her compatriot. "It's what you're best at after all!"
"What do you think I've been doing this whole time?!" the man snapped back. "Ever since the higher ups transferred you I've been nothing but civil. I've tried everything to make this whole operation go smoothly but you've done nothing but give me grief. Nothing seemed to be enough for you. I miss a step and you're on my case. I finish a job flawlessly and I don't do it fast enough. "
The woman sniffed."All I'm doing is pointing out that you're not up to snuff for the job. You've been outside of your wheelhouse since you got that promotion and it shows. The number of times the others had to cover for you is getting ridiculous! If you had any sense left you'd have quit by now instead of letting your ego get in the way of the team."
Curly chewed on her words for a moment. He looked like he wanted to break something but saw the need to hold back. His face went from angry to thoughtful before transitioning into sadness. "Sam, what are we doing? You and me I mean. How did we get this way?" (Odd, she didn't look like a Sam, Anna thought to herself.)
Anna shook her head. These two had history alright, the bad kind. She loathed to get involved in someone else's messy business but she wasn't willing to let these two get away with wasting Smiley Dom. Chuck's freedom was riding on this after all, and Morgan's happiness, Sarah's happiness and hers too. These preppies are going to learn firsthand that things aren't always going to go their way. So she'd wait as long as possible until the conversation started to wind down.
"You decided the job was more important than me. I've burned bridges for you, for us and then you disappeared for months without telling me," the woman, Sam, bitterly replied.
"They didn't give me time to! If I wanted the training I had to go right there and then. You know that there's no second chances in our field," Curly answered defensively. "I thought you'd understand."
"I tried to but considering the fact that the next time I saw you, you had some blonde bimbo wrapped around your arm and you were using an alias was just too much. I'm afraid that my understanding has its limits when my boyfriend is getting cozy with someone else. "
"She was a... client, nothing more. We chatted for a bit, she had too much to drink and I brought her to her room just like I was supposed to. Why would you think that I slept with her unless..." he trailed off.
"Charlie, what are you saying?!" Sammy cried in shock.
"All of those business trips Sam. You'd go on so many, saying that they were so great. Now I wonder why. I remember how distant you were after came back from them and it felt like we were back where we started. Like I was a client," Charlie said frustratedly. "Was I just a client to you the whole time?"
"Jeez, are these guys spies or teenagers?" Anna thought to herself. "Ah screw it, I'm sick of this soap opera crap. Another minute of this and I'll be ready to snort a lit roman candle." She downed the rest of the coke to bolster her spirits and made her way over to the embittered ex-couple. She paused to toss the cup out nearby, buying herself seconds to steel herself to the coming unpleasantness.
"Mr. Carmichael?" Anna asked him politely. Sammy the Red spun around to face her as Carmichael looked up at her. The man was surprised for a moment so she dove right in. "Yeah, you. My assistant told me you were looking for me and he pointed me out to you. Good thing he spotted you since I tried your office but nobody picked up. Guess you should fire your secretary or whoever you got manning the phones."
Sam said nothing but her glare spoke volumes. It spoke of jealousy, suspicion and a touch of hate. Major trouble lay ahead if she tweaked this one's nose.
"Ah yes. You're the one heading up the fireworks display this year, if I remember correctly. I'm Charles Carmichael," he said as he took her hand. Charlie moved in to kiss it but Anna gripped his hand and shook it like a watered down martini.
"Anna Wu, purveyor of all things explodey. This your lady friend?" Anna asked him as she nodded to Sam.
"In a matter of speaking," Carmichael told her reluctantly. "Even if we do seem to butt heads more often these days."
"Guys tend to be buttheads at time so I'm not surprised. Don't you agree Ms...?" Anna joked to the woman as she stuck her hand out.
The redheaded woman starred at it like a rancid pie for an awkward minute before replying, "Claire Fontaine". Sensing that no handshake was forthcoming Anna let her arm drop. Charming to say the least.
"Ah, that makes that two names that red answers to," Anna mentally noted. "How truly troubling. Well, at least I can confirm that Morgan wasn't grasping at straws here."
Carmichael fidgeted with his handkerchief for a moment. He wasn't one that dealt with awkward situations too well it seemed. "So now that the introductions have been made let's get down to business, shall we. Would you mind giving me a tour of the grounds first? I need to take a look around first before I bring in the equipment. "
Now that got Anna's hackles up. Why does the stiffs want to bring outside equipment in for? She dealt with fireworks for Pete's sake, not a nuclear reactor! Out loud she said, "Alright, but I'm going to need your Inspector's number first. Got to check it out first otherwise it's my neck on the line."
Carmichael laughed. "Sure, you can, but it's just going to waste the committee's time. They want everything set up by 5:00 and we both know that we got a lot of work ahead of us, so why don't we just get to it?"
Ah yes, the old "act like I'm supposed to be here" tactic. It might work for some lowly minimum wage slave but for someone in the IT field it was plain as day. Carmichael might have pulled it off if she wasn't aware that tactic was how Kevin Mitnick, hacker extraordinaire, managed to penetrate so many businesses.
"Sorry, but as they say south of the border 'No way José'. We had problems last night with somebody trying to rip us off and I'm sure the committee would prefer that I don't half-ass the security measures. Fork over the Inspector ID or you can wait for tonight to see them along with everyone else," Anna said as she tapped her foot in impatience.
As she reached into her pocket for her cell phone Anna felt something flat and hard jammed right into her kidneys. "It looks like you needed that refresher at Charm School Charlie. Good thing I'm here to clean up your messes again."
"Wow, you really are a judgemental bitch. Did anyone ever tell you that or were they too busy ogling you to notice? No wonder Charlie here dumped you like a hot potato the first chance he got," Anna muttered.
"Shut up and listen," Ms. totally not Claire Fontaine said. "Talk again out of turn and I'll empty this gun into you. With this crowd nobody would notice until I was long gone. Nod if you understand."
Anna did and then added, "Did she always try to knock you down Charlie? She seems like the type that gets off on making people feel shitty."
"Not always..." Charlie began.
Sam reacted by pulling Anna's ponytail back and jamming the gun further into her back. "Do you think this is a joke?" she growled.
"I thought it was my turn to talk," Anna hissed between her teeth. "You got to be more specific about these things. I'm not... Ouch quit pulling damn it! I'm not a fraking mind reader here!"
"You are going to get us into the storage area without a peep. Once inside you are going to admit a van into the garage. If you deviate from this or try to alert anyone you will die. Ask any questions and you will die. Follow our instructions and you might get to live. Say 'yes' and only 'yes' if you understand."
Anna rolled her eyes and uttered, "Yes". In hindsight Morgan might have been right to be cautious but then again hindsight was a pain. She prayed that he'd been able to contact Mal and that help was on the way.
She was being marched back to the storage area when her foot came down on a beer bottle and caused her to slip. The people on the island love their beer after all. Well beer and littering apparently. Redhead didn't share this appreciation however and she hauled Anna back on her feet by grapping her hair. "I'm going to go bald at this rate!" she thought and cursed her capturer in Spanish.
Anna hadn't gone two steps when something went splat all over her and Sam. Warm nacho cheese coated them both, and Sam recoiled in shock. Anna sensed her opening and elbowed the woman square in the face before ducking behind a stand. As she ran she heard a gunshot behind her but that didn't even slow her progress. Anna ducked into a snack vendor's stall where she hid behind a cotton candy machine that looked older than she was.
Taking the opportunity to take inventory of herself, Anna happily noted that she indeed avoided being shot. She did however have blood on her elbow but she just figured that she nailed the spy in the nose when she elbowed her. The guy running the stall noticed too but Anna managed to calm him down. "Don't worry, it's not mine," she joked and the guy couldn't help but laughed. Dark humor does go a long way when you're scared stiff or so she told herself.
Once the giggles had stopped, Anna volunteered to scout the area out. She went out the back and peered around the corner. To her relief the boys in blue had gotten there in time. They surrounded Carmichael and his ex with their guns at the ready. Sam lay on the ground with a hole in her shoulder either going through shock or trying to avoid pissing the cops off. "So she was the one that got shot. Good to know," Anna noted to herself with satisfaction. She was afraid Red had tried to shoot her and hit someone else instead. Plus she was feeling vindictive towards the woman for the hair pulling.
Morgan stood there alongside Mal, with a couple plastic cups full of nacho cheese in hand. It must have been the spicy kind since Carmichael YELPED (of all things) when Morgan tossed one in his eyes when he made like he was going to reach into his pocket. So he was the one that distracted the wench with the cheese before. She never knew that Morgan could have pulled off such a perfect toss and for once she wished they'd take up Ultimate Frisbee. They so would have kicked ass at it.
Morgan caught her eyes and put on his goofiest smile as he gave her the thumbs up. Anna couldn't help but reply in kind. She stopped these jerks from messing with her friends and maybe even helped save the day. Maybe things were turning around after all.
0-0
Chuck and Sarah had gotten lost a few times looking for the exit to the building since neither had been conscious when Shaw and his lackeys dragged them here. Chuck's internal map sadly was out of date and twice they found an exit walled up. For once though luck was on their side as they stumbled upon where Shaw had stashed their possessions. Chuck was in the middle of dissembling his iPhone looking for unwanted transmitters and bugs while Sarah took stock of her seized assets. Her wallet and keys were there along with the PPK pistol allocated to her along with a few other things that caught her eye, a radio transmitter, an scoped rifle she couldn't identify, and a Smith and Weston pistol that was identical to the one she used in Burbank. Hefting the piece she looked at the serial number only to feel a chill go up her spine. It was the same gun!
Sarah's "spy senses" were going nuts now. Instinct caused her to open her wallet and she went through its contents. The her cash was there along with her driver's license and... her CIA ID. She knew it was the genuine article by the dent in the corner it got from when Bryce lost his keys and Sarah used her card to jimmy the deadbolt. Somehow Shaw, or whoever he was working for, had managed to retrieve it from Langley without raising any alarms. They went a long way to gain genuine proof that she was in Intelligence, hell they wanted a big red sign saying that she was a spook. And since this mystery party was expecting her to be neutralized...
"Oh hell. Chuck, I think they're were planning on planting this on me!" she exclaimed.
Chuck was already putting his phone back together when he looked up. A glance at the table caused him to Flash on the transmitter, identifying it as an explosives detonator. "Oh no. Sarah, do you remember anything from when you were grabbed?"
"No," she admitted reluctantly. "I was out the whole time until Shaw woke me with his supervillian antics. They could have smeared my fingerprints over an armory's worth of weapons and I wouldn't have noticed. We got to get rid of everything that could classify as a weapon here, now while we have time. "
Chuck looked confused "Why? You think they were planning on framing you for something?"
"They might have done so already. Help me gather everything here." Sarah said as she grabbed the guns.
Chuck lead Sarah to a remote corner of a warehouse and pried open a grate for her. Sarah used an unconscious goon's shirt to wipe down the weapons for prints and shoved the weapons inside as far as she could. Even the PPK went inside out of fear some innocent soul had been killed with it. The only thing Sarah kept was her ID card. She felt the inkling of a good cover for their kidnapping coming to mind and like she was apt to say, the best covers often contained a grain of truth.
Finally the two of them were outside but still Sarah was not happy. Chuck was safe and sound but her father... she couldn't bear to think what was being done to him now once Shaw was no longer able to communicate with the kidnappers. Chuck sensed she was still tense and tugged on her arm to get her to stop pulling him.
Chuck gathered her in his arms as she spun to face him. "What's wrong?" Chuck whispered to her. "You think there's more goons out there?"
"No," Sarah sighed. "It's my father." She told him that her father had been taken by Shaw's men and what they were planning on doing to him since she refused to tell them about Host 616. That she'd picked Chuck's life over her father's and that she was certain his demise would not be brief. Chuck gave her a quick peck on the lips and gave her his warmest smile.
"It's not over yet. We got three things on our side. One: Shaw was playing cat and mouse with me so they won't be expecting him to call anytime soon. Two: I have Shaw's cell. He's bound to use it to call these guys and he's arrogant enough not to worry about me getting it."
"That's for certain. But what's point three?" She asked hopefully.
"We got Orion on our side."
Chuck gave her Shaw's flip phone and dug his own iPhone out. He quickly texted "Flynn's Arcade" to a number his father had him memorize for emergencies and moment s later his phone buzzed.
Sarah leaned in as Chuck took the call. They were immediately greeted to the sound of the Orion modulated voice. "Charles, what's wrong?" his father asked calmly. Even without the voice modulator his father wouldn't let worry enter into the equation.
"I'm alright but a man's life is a stake. I need your help locating him so that we can send the cops to rescue him," Chuck explained.
"I might be willing to help but first you must tell me who I'm looking for. If one of your agents pressured you into bailing one of theirs out I'm going to have to pass," his father replied. Now here was the part Chuck dreaded. His father wasn't exactly Sarah's biggest fan to begin with and her father wasn't the type of person he would respect. Chuck wasn't sure if he could convince him to help but he had to try.
"It's Sarah's father," Chuck said. "He was taken by people looking to coerce Sarah into giving Host 616's identity. Shaw was planning on having him tortured while he made Sarah watch."
The line was quiet for a moment but Chuck could practically hear the gears turning in his head. He could rationalize her reasons for why she did it as protecting an asset but he couldn't ignore the fact that if Chuck was right she'd chosen his son's life over her own father's. For someone that had lost his family for over a decade he couldn't stand by and let some else loose theirs too.
"Shaw you say, as in Daniel Shaw? Funny, my findings paint him to be a true believer," Orion said offhand as he furiously typed into a nearby keyboard. "Considering the fact that we're having this conversation now I know he's not there with you. Do you know where he is?"
"Sure do. I left him duct taped in a broom closet. I shot with him some of that miracle Twilight Dart stuff so he won't be bothering us anytime soon."
Stephen was shocked to say the least. The reports also painted Shaw as a very deadly operative that had accumulated a high body count. Still, Charles wasn't one for tall tales or empty boasts so it must be true. How he managed such a feat without even getting a yellow belt in Karate was sure to be quite a tale. "A pity. We could have used him to buy us more time, or at least give us the location of the hostage."
"I wouldn't worry about time right now. Shaw was planning on carrying out his version of The Deadliest Game with me so he'd probably told them he'd be unavailable for awhile. I also picked up a burner phone off Shaw so we can just pick out the recent numbers from it and track these guys down." Chuck turned to Sarah, "Hey Sarah, what's the last number dialed in?"
"It's 555-195-6501. Shaw dialed it a few times already so it got to be it!" she exclaimed.
Orion heard her on his end and ran a tracer on it. Moments later he had a location. It was an old Picante Pollo restaurant in New Mexico. He always suspected something unruly was happening in the back of those Fried Chicken places. "Okay Charles, I found the last location of that cell phone. I'm going to broadcast shots have been fired there over the police frequencies so they'll really pick up the pace. I'll also try to arrange a safe place to put him in the interim but I'll need to get him to trust us. "
Chuck silently passed the phone to Sarah. She immediately knew what to say."Tell him that Sarah MacReady's still expecting that ice cream cone for winning the spelling bee, so he better stay put until she can cash in."
"I'll call when I have news," Orion said before hanging up.
Sarah handed the phone back to Chuck wordlessly. Things went quiet, not the hostile type nor the comfortable one. It was a the tense kind where you weren't sure what could happen .
Eventually Chuck decided to break the silence. "So, Sarah MacReady. Was it one of your aliases or..."
"It's the name on my birth certificate," Sarah admitted to him. Chuck couldn't help marvel how much of an impact such a simple sentence could have. This was big, really big! Sarah was always so secretive about her past that sharing such an important detail was momentous. Still, now was not the type to drive this home.
Chuck shot her his warmest smile. "I always knew the name Sarah suited you well. Whenever I hear about an old alias you went by it just didn't seem fit for me."
Sarah found herself smiling despite her situation. "Thank you. It was Graham that chose my name for me when he recruited me, I guess it was his way of saying 'I know everything about you', but still I was actually glad he chose Sarah as my new identity's name. My mother was the one that named me when I was born and I was happy that I got to get back that little part of her even after all these years."
"Your mother..." Chuck said hesitantly. "I never heard you talk about her before. Did... did something happen to her?"
"She passed away when I was eight," Sarah told him flatly. She'd toyed with shutting down this line of question but in the end she found herself wanting to share. Chuck had been so forthcoming with her in the past about his life and she knew she could trust him with the more painful parts of her life. "The doctor said she got cancer in her lungs. My dad thought it was just a persistent cough at first but after the second month she was having trouble breathing."
Sarah paused for a moment to swallow the lump forming in her throat. This was why she always kept to herself in the past. Her emotions were volatile things that had threatened to overwhelm her, and that always served to make her a liability to her father and later the agency. Chuck, being no stranger to grief, clasped her hands and waited for her regain her equilibrium. Some things you can't hurry no matter what.
"I wish I had some happy memories to hold on to of her but all I can remember was how frail she was in her final months. I vaguely remember playing in the tag with her when I was younger. Dad said she was a track star in college, just like I became. I'd love to have known her in her prime instead having my clearest memories of her being bedridden for two years. "
"Maybe you can ask your dad about her when this is all over. He must of loved her dearly to have married her, so he must be chock full of good memories to share," Chuck suggested.
Sarah considered his words. Her father had gone without even mentioning her mother for most of her childhood and teenage years, but maybe... Maybe he just needed to be prodded. Chuck told her one time that too many people mistake pessimism for realism and that's why they're miserable so often. Perhaps she could use some of that optimism he had in abundance, that things could work out and she'd get the chance to mend the relationship with her father like Chuck was trying to with his. Absentmindedly she brought one of Chuck's hands to her lips and kissed it softly.
A buzzing was heard and Chuck used his free hand to pull his phone out without taking his eyes off of her. He took one look at the screen and showed her its message. She couldn't recognize the number but the message was clear. "RJM says no problem but SM will need to bring the ice cream. Prefers Chunky Monkey if possible."
"He's okay," Sarah whispered to herself. She pulled Chuck into her arms and kissed his curly head. Chuck didn't get a chance to hear her but he got the message loud and clear. Orion got the job done in his usual effective manner. Chuck wasn't sure how he was going to thank him but he figured covering the ticket for Tron Legacy when it finally comes out was a good step forward.
"See, I knew things would work out,," Chuck said in his upbeat manner. "Now all we need to do is get back into town and..."
"Wait, we still need to deal with Shaw and his lackeys," Sarah brought up. Chuck tensed up for a moment but she put him at ease. "I meant that we need to get them into custody. I don't feel comfortable leaving Shaw unattended, especially since he has an idea what's going on."
"But how are we going to explain all of this?" Chuck asked.
"With this," Sarah said as she pulled her ID card out. "I'll use my real identity to explain my involvement in all this. The CIA was collaborating with the cops on this so they won't get suspicious about Agency presence on the island. I'll say that I was on vacation seeing you when I got the alert and had to report in so I can explain how I know about the nuclear material. Shaw was a traitor looking to sabotage the investigation and kidnapped the both of us to coerce me into telling him how much I knew. "
"Okay, but what about how we got loose? I don't think I can lie that well for the nice police officers not to notice," Chuck brought up.
" We'll keep in the elaborate cat and mouse game Shaw was playing with you to keep your story consistent with the camera equipment inside plus explaining why you weren't bound and could escape. You managed to overpower Shaw, let me loose from my chains and I proceeded to use my Black Belt in Martial Arts to neutralize the rest of his men."
"I'll say that I owe my escape to my encyclopedic knowledge of MacGuyver episodes. Well that and you're naturally badass," Chuck said bashfully.
"You charmer," Sarah said as she gave him one more peck on the lips. She took the phone from Chuck and dialed 911 while she scanned the area. Chuck slumped against the building's wall and let out a breath. Maybe things were turning around after all.
A/N: I remember that Chuck used to have a guitar sitting in the corner of his room during season 1 so I assumed he used to play. And Sarah's birth name is an indirect reference to The Thing since I like to imagine her father was using the name R.J. MacReady when she was born (staying in the "using the protagonist's name from John Carpenter movies " area).