Chuck vs. The Proposal
To recap the previous chapter: Alex finds out about how Team Chuck deals with the aftermath of missions, which can be a real battle of the mind. She also finds out how they are able to keep themselves from completely breaking, which is to be with the people who really love them the most. She also finds out that when it comes to her father who has been a broken man for years and has slowly pieced himself together by fighting what he feels is important and hears from Sarah that its her. As for Morgan, he finally wakes after being tased unconcious and has a discussion with Packard who thinks he is a potential recruit that Casey is training. Thinking its still a challlenge, Morgan runs with it and reveals that he's analyst who also has a secret weapon to his advanatage. Meanwhile, Casey continues to agitate Dalton in regards heading into Iranian Terriority then leaving him high and dry to deal with the mess afterwards. So what's in store for this chapter and what does Mel Brooks' Young Frankstien along with Mary Shelley's Frankenstien have to do this. Also, how are Robert Downey Jr's and Bendict Cumberbatch involved as well? Read and find out! Anyways, hope you enjoy the read and leave a comment to share your own thoughts on this particular chapters. As always, reviews are awesome.
Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment I truly appreciate it. Please continue to do so as it gives me the incentive to write more chapters.
I don't own Chucj.
Dungeons and Dragons
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"What's your secret weapon?" inquired Packard with utmost anticipation. His total focus on the small bearded man sitting just a few feet away from him on his right.
Morgan knows full well he doesn't have a secret weapon other than pulling out pop culture reference out from nowhere, which has had years of experience doing. In his mind, his mouth has gotten him into more trouble for what it's worth without even thinking it through evident by the past times he's been beaten up in grade school, high school, community college, and not to mention working in Buy More. In any case, he has to utilize both his mind and mouth in order to keep the man sitting off to his left hooked in until Casey comes to his rescue or least hopes he does he thinks to himself.
He recalls the last time that he saw him was when they were at the about to jump off the cliff at the Falls when reached for his phone that he dropped. It's that boneheaded maneuver in which it caused Caseyt o slam into him and he was pretty much the last thing he saw before it was lights out after being tased for the second time in his life. For him, he knows that the big guy by hell or high water will somehow find a way to track him. Plus, if he were somehow low jacked he would most definitely have an easy way to find him like Chuck did with Sarah bracelet when she was taken by the villainous and not to mention late foe Kirk Archer.
In that moment, he suddenly realizes that he does have the ability to be tracked by the watch that Chuck gave him in case of an emergency. A real emergency such as being kidnapped by Casey's buddies for the challenge he's being put through instead of being killed by him for just getting on his nerves because of the challenges he's been passing like this one for instance. To him, the hulking government agent doesn't know that he knows he's in a challenge and that the challenge is to outsmart him in overcoming any challenges that he thinks will give up entirely because of how much of it is practically a mental game.
To him, he has to be smarter and equally as cunning to stay toe to toe with Casey even going so far as being 2 maybe even 3 steps ahead of him he thinks to himself. While sitting here, he knows that he's playing Casey's game from the moment that he agreed to his proposal back in his apartment. Without a doubt, he's had control every step of the way up to the point on the cliff and that's where it ultimately ends. It's that knowledge in which he clings tightly too because he knows for a fact that it's his own game that he's now playing and in total charge of right now, which his future father-in-law had to take into account.
The training wheel are off, so to speak, to the point where he has been the reigns to dictate his fate the moment he woke up in the helicopter. In a way, it's like the choose your own adventure books he had as a kid and the choices in whatever path you chose ultimately dictated if you either ended up with an ending that was leading to unfortunate defeat or one that you lead you to worthwhile victory. It's a choice that an individual such as himself would have to be chosen wisely because it's a very critical move that is considerably detrimental to the challenge itself.
Also, it's like playing a live action version of Dungeons and Dragons like he and his hetero life partner Chuck used to play as kids. Granted, they've started up playing in the past but never got back to it because life and responsibilities pretty much got in the way. Of course, Casey is considered to be the Dungeon Master because is the game or in this particular challenge organizer whereby creating the overall scenario of the given adventure up to a point. Now, that he isn't given out any suggestions, threats, or any instruction of any kind whatsoever it's up to him to make the critical decisions.
As much as it's deemed a game that is usually confined in one area like a family room or game room, Casey is using real word concepts and not to mention events in order to heighten his state of awareness. Granted, he'll be in the know by way of communication with his military buddies who are part of his challenge and although he's not presently with him, his presence can certainly be felt whereby being in control in a certain capacity of every aspect of the game itself.
Yet, the tables have turned and although he is control from a distance he has now taken control of his part of game. For the most part, it's his to lose if you make any dumb decisions or acts irrationally just to prove he can't be outwitted and/or outsmarted by a crafty, military veteran such as Colonel John Casey. What he primarily has to do is be patient and make every moment count knowing that all eyes or on him because any mistake on his part will put his proposal to Alex in serious jeopardy, which is the sole reason he's doing this. He loves her that much to put himself through something such as this.
So, if Casey is the dungeon master in this real life version of Dungeons and Dragons then what character am I? It's that particular thought in which he quickly run through mentally of all the characters associated with the games itself.
Barbarian? I don't consider myself a fierce warrior who has entered a battle of sorts. Nah.
Bard? True, I can from time to time belt out a favorite 80's tune like Peter Cetera's Glory of Love from the movie Karate Kid but doesn't help him any in this situation. Scratch that.
Cleric? I'm not the priestly champion type who has the ability to wield diving magic in service of a higher power. Nope. Not this guy
Druid? Another priest who wields the powers of nature and adopts animal forms. Next!
Fighter? Although I'm a master of combat in the world of Call of Duty in Xbox with master level expertise in skills, weaponry, and armory it won't be any use being that he's clearly outgunned in every sense of the word. I'd be slaughtered in seconds.
Monk? Jackie Chan or Jett Li harnessing the powers within my body in order to achieve a physical and spiritual nirvana. Only in my dreams.
Paladin? Holding on to a sacred oath that I am bound to as a holy warrior. Maybe.
Ranger? Arogorn, Lord of The Rings type, combatting threats in far off lands in his travels. Definite no.
Sorcerer? Unless magic card tricks are a way to be used in a manipulative fashion I'm SOL. David Blaine I am not.
Warlock? Again another magic caster but also has bargaining skills. Keep going.
Wizard? Another magician type who has vast knowledge sort of like Gandalf, which I am not. I shall pass on!
Artificer? Unfortunately,I don't have the ability to unlock magic in objects or be a supreme inventor. Yeah, fat chance.
Blood Hunter? So a marvel character like Blade or DC character like Morbius who embraces dark knowledge along with the darkness to destroy evil. I wish but still badass.
After mentally running through all the characters, he is left with one character that in a sense best represents him. Unfortunately, he has to give it a bit of a tweak being that it's a rogue who is characterized as a scoundrel using stealth and trickery to overcome obstacles and enemies. Describes him to a T. In that moment, Morgan reaches up placing his two right finger against his right temple and with a look absolute seriousness gives his response.
"I'm psychic." he firmly stated with utmost confidence expressed in his voice.
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"You're shitting me." Packard retorted with disbelief in his voice.
"I shit you not." he answered back shaking his head.
"Prove it. What's this whole situation about?" questioned the man with a charming smile.
Morgan Grimes is usually the type of person who gets himself in way over his head pertaining situations so much so that he's been able to live to tell the tale. Granted, he's nursing his wounds after experiencing a physical beating but lives to tell the tale nonetheless. Fortunately, this isn't the case as he begins to channel his inner Shawn Spencer from the hit tv series Psych to try to intricately weave his way into getting Packard to believe he in fact has psychic abilities.
So as he gets into his dungeons and dragons character of a rogue or in this particular case a psychic, he continues pressing his 2 right fingers against his right temple and then squints a bit looking directly at him. He's doing this in order to by time and once he's able to surmise or get it completely out of his ass knowing he doesn't have a clue what he's doing. Regardless, he ventures forth with sheer confidence and a bit of worry on his side.
Essentially, the one obvious thing he knows is that Packard and his 2 cohorts are playing the part as a bitter former teammates. So he has to hone in on what could have happened between Casey and the 3 of them that they still harbor resentment with the grizzled government agent. So, he zones in what the resentment could possibly be about and then it hits with the one thing that guys have a tendency to beef over.
"This is over money isn't it?"
"You could say that. Casey owes us big time."
Well I got that right and that was pretty much the easy part he thinks to himself. A soft bottle statement if there ever was one. In his mind, he just has to dig deeper and trust that I can notice any tells to where he's providing the answers himself…freely. He continues on and starts formulating on why their beef is over money.
"Poker…" He instantly stops with the added dramatic effect of closing his eyes. Also, placing his left up immediately as well. "…No. Not Poker. Something to do with the money owe you." Of course, the type of business they are in leads Morgan surmise that it could possibly involve a situation they all 4 were perhaps in the middle of that ended very badly. "A mission..." he firmly stated. "...in a far off place." It's at that point, he tries to pinpoint the place in question. Knowing Casey he's been on mission in a tropical jungle area and in the desert. So he takes a deep breath in that moment to choose the later. "I see images of a camel or a desert that stretch for miles." he said gradually opening his eyes. His 2 fingers lowering to down inevitably resting on his lap.
"Mission in Iran." replied Packard. "…Casey must have keyed you on the gold that was rightfully ours." he added with a firm nod.
Morgan is momentarily silent as he is freaking out with amazed excitement at how its working in his favor. So takes another breath in order to calm himself down and continues on.
"He never keyed me in on anything of the sort. The agency basically sent me to go train with Casey to basically toughen me up physically. They already know I have the brains and not to mention the special ability to assist them on, as well as off the field." Morgan keenly explained.
"What else do you see?"
Once again Morgan, continues to put on a rogue-esque performance and reaching up to place his 2 right fingers on his right temple. This times he stares at Packard instead of closing his eyes. "I see…" He pauses for moment then continues on with the information that he has. Now, he throws something risky at him and hopes that it work. "…Trial. A crime was committed. Guilty."
"Astonishing." stated Packard in bewildered amazement.
"You didn't by chance escape and go underground like the A-Team?"
"Another team that Casey lead? Wouldn't put it past him." wondered Packard.
Morgan is about to answer when a voice is heard that leads both men to turn their attention to their right. It's Mackintosh. "Nah Pac." After taking a moment to yawn and stretch he speaks up again. "The A-Team was an 80's hit tv series with one of the stars being Mr. T. You know…" he said "…I pity the fool!" added the lanky teammate giving his impression of the 08's icon catchphrase.
"Again Mac…" retorted Packard with a grin. "…not a nerd like you." he said shaking his head towards him.
In that instance, once he heard "nerd" a faint smile appears on his lips knowing full well that the guy who somewhat resembles Chuck in build may very well be the type of person who enjoys every nerd, as well as geek culture.
XXX
So far Morgan has been able to Shawn Spencer his way into making Packard into believing he's actually a psychic. Although, he doesn't have his version of Burton "Gee Buttersnaps" Guster aka Chuck Barowski by his side he knows that he would most definitely be rooting him on using his fake psychic abilities. Hey, in the world of Dungeons and Dragons the character of Shawn Spencer would fit perfectly in that world as a rogue he thinks to himself. A rogue with the ability to use any sort of trickery to try stealthy and safely maneuver their way around in a highly dangerous situation.
In his mind though, it's not actually a highly dangerous situation but rather controlled chaos put together by the Dungeon Master Colonel John Casey. His 3 military buddies that he chose were most definitely for intimidation and not to mention instill a sense of fear to throw him completely off balance. True, the large tattooed tank does instill a sense of fear and if here were a D&D character he would certainly be the Barbarian. He has the physical build for it knowing that he's there mostly as the muscle of the trio, which is very smart on the hulking NSA Agent's part.
Morgan's thoughts on the Barbarian turn to the man named Packard. A suave-ish, smooth talking, older looking Prince Charming type from Shrek 3 who quite possibly is a combination Fighter exhibiting strength and possibly dexterity and a Paladin with charisma mixing in hints of underlying wisdom. Of course, he has take charge leadership like qualities and being able to handle an ogre like Barbarian tank with tattoos is considered a challenge in itself even though he's has just met the man a few hours ago.
Now, his mental attention on Packard is averted to the possible doppelganger of the former nerd herd leader. It didn't take long for the lanky member to be characterized as an Artificer. A character in the D&D world as a inventor and judging by his body type along with his pop culture reference knowledge he may very well keen on the electronics side of being nerdy just like Chuck he thinks to himself. It's that particular characterization of the apparent nerdy individual named Mac that will initially help him hone in on as a way to further his charade in portraying himself as a Rogue or in this particular case a psychic.
In that instance, he interjects himself into the conversation going on between Pac and Mac after he hears something about him being a psychic.
"So Mac..." The conversation between two men suddenly stop causing the attention on each other turn towards Morgan. He then reaches up once again placing his 2 right fingers against his right temple. "...I sense you're an inventor. Weapons..." he added motioning towards the taser clutched in his hand."...and technology. Am I right?"
"This guy for real?"
"100% real. This could be very good for us."
As another conversation between the 2 continues on about a potential possibility Morgan sees another opportunity to keep convincing him that he's the real deal, which seems to be surprisingly working. In that moment, he clearly picks up on the greed that they is truly beneficial for them if they were to able to use him for own twisted purposed. Unfortunately, they would find themselves losing everything if they placed all their bets on him, which is something he has taken into consideration if that ever happens. Hopefully that doesn't happen he thinks to himself. His thoughts concerning the matter of being used the way Zach Glaifianakis' character Alan Garner in the casino scene from the movie The Hangover 2 are broken by the sound of Packard's voice saying his name.
"So Morgan."
"What's up guys?"
"We could use a guy with his abilities." He once again flashes a charming smile towards Morgan. "What do you say? Once we settle things with Casey and get our retirement come work for us instead of being an analyst for the agency. To them, you're just another lemming who they can absolutely control. You don't have to be someone working behind the scenes and don't get credit for it. However, with us you can better utilized and not to mention always get the credit you deserve." he firmly added pointing to him." So what do you say?" Packard suggested briefly glancing at Mac.
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A couple of hours have gone by as The Bird of Prey streaks through the skies of the Pacific Ocean. Although the aircraft's outer façade looks beaten up, it's continuing to hold up the best it can for a very important mission once again. The same can be said for the 4 individuals inside as well. As a concerned Alex takes the opportunity to get a nap in with the long trip ahead and Travis is in the middle of a phone call with his wife, Chuck is standing in front of somewhat functioning flat screen in the conference room area of the aircraft. His focus is transfixed on the blinking red dot signifying Morgan's location heading to somewhere in Iran that Casey is hopefully already heading to as well.
While standing there continuing to stare at the blinking red dot, his feels a hand on his right shoulder breaking his concentration. A soft smile appears on his lips leading him to speak up in a whisper. "El has always been right."
"About what?"
"We should have completely left the spy business behind once we found out you were pregnant."
"We did."
"And yet, here were are again." retorted Chuck shaking his head. A sigh of disbelief expressed. "It's like the total opposite of the Magnet."
In that moment, Sarah steps up and faces her husband. "Ellie herself said she was wrong about that. No matter what our family does in order to avoid being caught up in something spy related of whatever your sister knowing how much helping people means to you. She can't ever fault you for that, especially knowing how much of a support system you actually have around you. It has given you...us...all of us a meaningful purpose."
After hearing that, Chuck expresses a soft smile. Once he does, he reaches up places his hands on either side of her checks. The happily married couple wrap each other in a gentle kiss that lost but a few loving moments. Its not long before their lips separate leading both to touch forehead with Chuck closing his yes. Afterwards, he continues on.
"If something happens to Morgan..."
"Don't think like that babe." responded Sarah in a whisper stepping up and facing her husband.
Chuck is silent for moment continuing to stare at the blinking red dot on the flatscreen. He then briefly looks down and then turns to face Sarah.
"We know how Casey is when it comes to dealing with Morgan, especially when it involves Alex." he whispered back. His brief attention on the young woman in question comfortably dozing off on the couch by the window of the plane. "Yes, we supported him to go for it but at what cost?" he added shaking his head.
In that instance, Sarah reaches up with both hands placing them on either side of her husband's cheeks. She makes sure to direct his attention down towards her. "Hey..." Her efforts to have him lock eyes with her fail but it doesn't deter her. "...hey look at me." After a few second, he locks eyes with his blonde beauty. "Morgan knew what he was getting himself into. He wanted to accept Casey's proposal to prove more to himself that how much love he has for Alex. You of all people would have done the same thing with my father if the shoe was on the other foot."
"I just hope proving himself does land him in way over his head. He has a tendency to prematurely find a way to make the situation even more complicated that once he hops on it steamrolls into something totally like the bus in the movie Speed starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Granted, the bus needed to stay above 50 miles an hour and if it drops below that it explodes. Plus..."
"Chuck."
Unfortunately, that doesn't get his attention as he goes on."...who knows what kind of diabolical Dennis Hopper like villains were dealing with here. Sure, we know they're Casey's former teammates..."
"Chuck!" she whispered loudly. This time it works.
"Yeah. I was spiraling again wasn't I?"
Sarah simply nods in response. Afterwards, she reaches down taking his husband's hands with a sense of hopeful reassurance. "He's going to be fine. We're going to get him back."
"Not if Casey gets to him first." he said wrapping her arms around her husband's waist.
"That's what worries me." responded Sarah doing the same around her neck.
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