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The Alteration
"Been a while, Golden Boy!" Casey flashed a sickeningly sweet smile towards both of them. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your new friend?"
"Sure, as long as you get some Nunya medicine for that stalk-itus of yours." Chuck rolled his eyes in annoyance. His day had gone down the drain ever since the Rambo wannabe showed up at Ft Belvoir this morning. He had been dragged to Ft Meade like a criminal, was threatened with being cloistered inside a bunker, and then dropped off in the middle of nowhere like trash. In addition, he and Sarah had been assailed by a group of assassins. Thanks to what was almost certainly a serious incompatibility issue between his two Intersects, he was beaten to the brink of death by their leader and survived only because Sarah came to his rescue in the nick of time. And after all that, this jerk wouldn't even allow him to have a moment of romance and normalcy.
Darn! What did I ever do to deserve such ridicule and disrespect from these people?
He could totally feel his inner Sith calling to him. Joining the dark side had never felt so tempting.
"Chuck... we better leave. Don't provoke this man any further. He is extremely dangerous," Sarah said desperately, her voice reeking of fear and anxiety as she pointed her own weapon towards her NSA counterpart.
For what felt like the hundredth time this past day or so, Chuck was dumbfounded. What sort of reputation preceded this man for it to have such an effect on Sarah Walker of all people?
"Hey. I'm only here to check up on Golden Boy and ask if he'd like a ride back home." Casey smirked, slowly moving closer to them. "A smart young man like you, Chuck, should do his best to avoid hanging out with the likes of her."
"Oh, I see." Chuck nodded and turned glum. So this is all about that stupid inter-agency rivalry. Also, he waits until now to offer me a ride home? Screw that.
He let out a sigh. He had to try and talk some sense into him, knowing the ill-tempered man may not take it well.
"Casey, I may not impress you much but it might surprise you to know that I know enough about the whole Intersect situation. We should let our superiors sort this out like responsible adults instead of engaging in this... gunslinger business. Leave the Wild West stuff for the movies. And trust me when I say there's bigger fish to fry than this inter-agency pissing match for possession of the Intersect."
Casey looked downright murderous. "I don't know why you've softened up to this CIA skank, but you need to consider your friends more carefully, moron!"
An infuriated Chuck turned red-hot from hearing that remark. For the first time, he felt determined to teach that jerk a lesson. Nobody insults or messes with Sarah on my watch.
"She protected me when it really mattered, which makes her more of a soldier than a petty, hateful individual like you could ever be!"
Hey. I am right here! Sarah wanted to call out. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel appreciative towards Chuck. The blood ran to her face – not for the first time where he was concerned, despite the fact she was not given to blushing. Especially in a situation like this. Sarah felt like she was running a fever.
Casey, on the other hand, seemed a bit too pleased with himself as he spoke further. "Good for her. I'm a Marine. More importantly, Bartowski, you're making a huge mistake here. I doubt you know what kind of skeletons your new friend might have in her closet. So let me just give you some juicy details about her career. Especially in regards to... her former lover."
Sarah was starting to get incredibly upset and angry. She barely held her tears back, tightening her grip on her preferred firearm.
"He is wrong, Chuck! Whatever he says, don't listen! I will never betray you." She pulled him back by holding onto his shirt.
"One sentence says it all. Just one sentence." Casey remained adamant.
"NO! Don't make it personal with me, Casey! You might not live to regret it!" Sarah yelled in a half-threatening, half-pleading manner. She was on the verge of a meltdown.
"Here's the thing, Chuck. Agent Walker and your good ol' roommate from Stanford did some... very interesting stuff together. Some bad... some freaky bad." Casey's smile turned menacing towards the end.
Chuck remained silent. Casey waited patiently, bearing a smug smile on his face. Sarah's face was red and she sniffled back a sob. She felt ashamed and couldn't look Chuck in the eye. Who would in that situation? She tried to think of a good explanation, to no avail. Her head hung low. She seemed like she really wanted to disappear right there and then. The pounding in her ears was silenced, as if her heart had stopped beating.
Today could have been the best day of my life, until this... all this had to happen.
Needless to say, seeing Graham's Wildcard Enforcer like this brought nothing but great satisfaction to Casey. He had defeated the so-called ace of the CIA without engaging in hand-to-hand or armed combat. He couldn't help but give himself a pat on the back for doing his homework a bit too well.
And yet, to both agents' shock – despite receiving such big news – Chuck hardly reacted. He only wore a frustrated, tired look on his face. The Intersect bearer looked into Sarah's eyes, which clearly exuded desperation and sadness.
"Assuming I am this supposed jealous boyfriend of yours like my NSA friend believes, even though we were never together in that way... how did that end up happening?"
Sarah shriveled under that look of his. It reminded her of all those times when her father felt she let him down. Not angry, not hateful; just very disappointed. She had to speak the truth. It was the only thing that made sense.
"He was recruited in the agency under a top secret military project so I never got to learn...his real name until...he went AWOL and decided to go rogue. He didn't even tell me ...he attended Stanford to begin with. I thought.. there was a vulnerable, human side to him. He wanted to help out, to be a good man like you," she said quietly. "that's why...we eventually started dating later down the road. Trust me Chuck, If only I managed to learn about his real...
"Were you ever going to tell me about this?" Chuck raised an eyebrow, interrupting Sarah before she could continue further with her clarification.
Sarah couldn't process everything that was going on in her head. She remained silent.
"So... one day, it just happened." Chuck repeated her words and began to nod, then sighed. "Depending on how you look at a person, their worth changes. I guess you saw something in him while he was still a loyal agency operative and a reliable partner, and you only got to learn about him being the same scumbag who ruined my life back at Stanford, after he fully gave into the dark side . Fine, I get that. That's not a big deal. Though, as a friend, I would have preferred hearing about stuff like that from you first."
Sarah looked incredulous, her eyes widening in shock and disbelief. "Chuck... I betrayed the bond we once had. I should have been more careful about the man who was supposed to be my partner and boyfriend . I should have known he was using a cover name, just like me. Everything I knew about him was a lie, still I decided to put my faith in him. How could you take everything in stride just like that?"
Chuck held out his hands in a "what else you were expecting me to do" gesture as he shrugged nonchalantly.
"Eh. I guess I tend to go beyond people's expectations a lot these days."
Casey frowned, staring at Chuck with a miffed expression on his face. This was not how he expected the revelation of Walker's past to go. He was so going to murder the analyst who claimed Stanford was Bartowski's hot button, and that his resentment of Larkin could be used to keep the CIA out of the loop. Unfortunately, the mind games he worked so hard to play were all for naught.
"I commend you for your positive mindset, Golden Boy." The NSA's ace operative called out to him, a condescending sneer emerging on his face. "But it's so damn unrealistic."
Instead of replying, Chuck focused on the black onyx bracelet around Casey's upper arm, triggering a flash. Francis "Frank" Mauser was a career soldier and member of the Wolf Pack – the US Government's foremost counterterrorism unit, comprised of the best operatives from all branches of the military and intelligence agencies. It was a team responsible for resolving some of the worst hostage crises in recent times, saving over a thousand lives and killing many more terrorists.
The very same team which had gone rogue and was responsible not only for the recent theft of the next-gen tank plans, but their smuggling out of the US with aid from the Demetrios shipping business.
The very same team whose former second-in-command, Special Agent Tommy Delgado, recruited Bryce Larkin to steal the government Intersect for FULCRUM.
The very same team which had brought in a certain notorious bomb-maker to do some... pretty explosive stuff in a celebratory 60th anniversary NATO event.
Chuck felt a sharp pang in his head and his heart was pounding. Oh man! What now? It probably means whatever's coming is really bad!
He really hoped it wouldn't come to that. He really wished he could ignore it. He knew the terror, whatever it was, was quite intense.
One thing was certain – he had to confront it, one way or another.
If he informed both agents of the government Intersect inside his head, he might find himself under far more government scrutiny than he already was; if he didn't, a lot of people might end up dying.
On the surface, it was a tough decision to make. Ultimately, given his character, Chuck's choice was obvious.
I hope you don't get too mad, Admiral...
...xxxxxxxxx...xxxxxxxxxx...
Casey growled darkly. Bartowski was spending too long dealing with his headache. It was time to bring an end to this assignment and move on.
"I don't know what you are trying to pull here, Mr Bartowski," he grunted. "You think too highly of yourself. You may have some potential but you aren't that special."
Chuck gave an exasperated sigh. He was beginning to get restless. "Let me explain this in layman's terms. Our minds can absorb information depending on our interest with regard to what it's about. If the information is exciting one can absorb it faster and better. It's the flow, the rate, the volume of information a mind can take in. There have been many discussions about accelerating or enhancing this process in the field of neural engineering and computational neuroscience. In the right circumstances, a human brain can – in theory – be tricked into absorbing a LOT of information like a computer through the usage of enhanced subliminal imagery specifically crafted by someone who knows about the human brain. Like a neurosurgeon, for example."
Sarah stared at him intensely. Chuck could see her entire face up close. Her eyes, captivating as they were deadly, bore into his. Filled with nothing but regret and pain.
"Those pictures were... encoded with highly classified intel. Government secrets no one was supposed to know. But if what you are telling us is true, that means you know them."
The Intersect bearer couldn't help but wonder how the CIA agent was feeling right now. Was she worried? Was she scared? Or was she considering turning him in?
"The man who is supposed to rebuild the Intersect now has it in his head. That's... problematic."
Chuck frowned at Casey, who had towered over him for the last few moments (despite their near-identical heights). He was bewildered to see his expression starting to soften; just a little, yes, but it was still surprising.
The NSA agent, who by reputation was a cold-blooded assassin – in Mauser's league or better, if that flash was anything to go by – took a napkin from his pocket and gave it to him. Only then did Chuck realize he had a nosebleed.
"What are you guys waiting for? A huge ass bomb is about to go off," he said while trying not to sound too erratic. He was about to make haste, but Sarah grabbed him from behind before he could take a step.
"Whoa! What do you think you are trying to do?" She demanded in a stern tone.
"I want to make sure a lot of people don't die today. That's all I am trying to do." Chuck said as softly as he possibly could.
"Are you out of your mind, moron? Whatever's happening is dangerous. And who is going to fix the Inter–"
"I can't explain any of this to you. You wouldn't understand. I just want to make sure everyone and everything is okay." Chuck cut the larger man off in exasperation. He wished he could explain to Sarah and Casey the newfound morals he gained throughout these years. He wished they could see things as he saw things. Eventually he realized he was living in the real world. His ideals wouldn't be understandable to anyone.
Maybe Lou was the only one who understood me.
Sarah appeared quiet throughout the whole ordeal. It was time for her to speak. Chuck was about to go off again when she appeared in front of him, then gently stroked his cheek. Despite the urgency of the situation, he still couldn't help but enjoy how her hands felt.
"You say we don't understand, but it might surprise you greatly to know that I always did. I still do." Sarah replied in a firm tone, glaring indignantly towards Casey who just rolled his eyes in response. "We are the ones who get paid to keep bombs from exploding and keeping you safe is our top priority right now."
"Enough of the cheesy crap and just get in the car."
Chuck didn't know what to do or say. Of course the agents wanted to come along, given his importance to their respective agencies. And he couldn't have stopped Sarah from joining in even if he wanted to. At the same time, he was starting to panic about what could possibly happen to him if the other Intersect inside his head got exposed as well. He had to be extremely discreet in case he stumbled upon the bomb. As soon as he had the chance, he would disappear and disable the bomb without any of them knowing. For that, Chuck had no choice. He had no more time to waste.
"Let's go." He reluctantly nodded, sparing one last glance at the wrist watch on his right arm.
I hope I am ready for what is to come... Dad.
...xxxx...xxxxx...xxxxx...