Beta'ed by my good friend LancerGaShinda
Is It Genuine?
The dark-haired Hispanic individual, who just introduced himself as Major Joshua McQuaid from United States Special Operations Command, passed Chuck a steaming cup of coffee. Chuck brought the large unbranded Styrofoam cup closer, enjoying the smell that wafted from it. It was a dark brew. His sister's favorite.
"Mr Carmichael!"
While he was sitting outside in a comfortable visitor's chair, Chuck had managed to detect his presence when he appeared behind him, albeit barely. The man really knew how to move quietly. His stealth stats were likely pretty damn high, which kinda creeped him out; yet at the same time he found it amusing. Though considering what he saw in those files, Sarah might be better at playing ninja.
Much better.
"What was it like? Dancing with death, I mean. I have always been fascinated by the concept, but nowadays I obviously have obligations that keep me from... exploring," Major McQuaid asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. Chuck thought for a moment before answering.
"It was odd. It felt like I was waking up from a dream. Like my whole life had been a vivid hallucination. Before I could really understand what was happening, I woke back up again. Sorry if that wasn't too helpful," he explained. Major McQuaid nodded with a smile.
"Not a problem. Most people don't remember their near-death experiences especially well, at least the first few times. What concerns me the most is what happened during the clash between you and Frank Mauser," he said. The human Intersect immediately felt any sort of comfort he had settled into fade away.
"I figured. I don't really have time to explain everything though," Chuck replied quietly. McQuaid shook his head.
"I am well aware of what might have happened. Your status as the host of the original Intersect has been known to me since I took over from my predecessor." He grinned, taking a sip from his own cup of coffee. Chuck furrowed his eyebrows.
"Since you already know about my performance issues, what else do you want to talk about?" Chuck asked skeptically. Major McQuaid chuckled to himself.
"I would like to commend you for your courage. You willingly paid the ultimate price for the sake of saving others. Admiral Kernan has left no stone unturned to prevent you from being used that way. But nobody could have foreseen that the actions of one man would destroy all of the DNI's and our agency's safeguards and preparations. And given the current scenario, it'd be hard to get you in touch with the neuropsychologists and neurosurgeons working on the original project right away. But we will try our level best to fix this issue as soon as possible."
Chuck nodded begrudgingly. "It's alright, I guess. I will do what I do best and start working on deconstructing this new program. No worries."
Major McQuaid smiled at him. "Of course we can always count on you to do your best. Recent events have already stirred up a hornet's nest in the Intelligence Community; the CIA and NSA are running around like headless chickens. The DNI believes it's not a great idea to let them know about the true extent of your abilities as doing that might risk exposing you to FULCRUM. So it's better for everyone involved if this operation were to remain as small as possible. Anyway, you have spent a lot of time studying computational neuroscience and bio-inspired computing. Any ideas about how the other Intersect inside your head works?" He raised an eyebrow, glancing towards him curiously.
Chuck leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh, surmising the G Intersect's nature based on what he learned from studying and analyzing the O Intersect inside his head. "It seems to... operate as a live database and data filtration system. There is no pattern to what actually makes this thing tick. But I can access these files at random by things or events that might evoke a specific reaction in my human brain's activity area. The knowledge comes to me in pictures and documents, sometimes interspersed with visuals or audio files. But it's quite intrusive and disruptive, like Atom Ant is beating on my eyeballs with a super-powered sledgehammer. It's really hard to get a good look at all these government secrets or remember anything specific from the data flashing in front of my eyes. Thankfully, I have a really good memory and plenty of experience with the O Intersect kicking in... and filling the blanks in my skills or working memory; otherwise it would have been nearly impossible to make sense out of such broad and vague facts. And, I feel we might need to change the watch's frequency based on what the agency neurologists say after the fMRI and EEG reports come out."
"Glad to see you are still thorough as ever, Lieutenant Carmichael. I will pass this information on to Dr Dreyfus and his team of researchers. Anything else you would like us to do?"
"Are we sure about keeping Agent Walker and Major Casey completely out of the loop in regards to my true origins?" Chuck shrugged, rolling his still sore shoulder. "They will continue keeping an eye on me to protect me from this so-called evil organization. But at the same time, with them watching my every move, I won't be able to use the previous biometric data points to further my research either. This will just make it harder for me to finish the suppression code and remove all these shady government secrets from my head."
But is it really the best time to think about removing or suppressing the Intersect?
McQuaid laughed humorlessly in response, pointing towards Michael's chambers where the meeting still continued behind closed doors. "I guess we will have to eventually cross that bridge if the CIA and NSA refuse to lessen your surveillance after a certain period of time. You shouldn't worry much about such trivial stuff though. I highly doubt you need to fear any sort of retaliation from those two. They might be our country's best intelligence officers, but if you still retain even a semblance of control over the original iteration of the Intersect – like you did back at Camp Mackall – you can chew them up and spit them out without any trouble."
Chuck snorted. "I dunno. Maybe I can, but I'd rather not. That's not how... this thing is meant to be used. I think I know what my- I mean Orion wanted to do with the Intersect, how I want to utilize it, but it's..." Chuck couldn't finish his sentence. He thought of all the lives that were in danger. He thought about all the people who'd already lost their lives to FULCRUM. Even Bryce, who wasn't his favorite person didn't deserve such a cruel fate. "I don't... want to argue with anyone about it right now. I don't... I don't know the best way to move forward with my life."
A hearty grin flashed across Major McQuaid's lips as he set the cup down. "I am a soldier and maybe I have a simplistic view of things but I believe you are going to do great, kid. I just know it."
Filled with a sudden burst of ecstatic energy, Chuck hopped back on his feet, feeling touched beyond words. "Thank you. Thank you very much for your kind words."
I guess I will have to get twice as strong and smart now that I have two Intersects to deal with. I must do my level best to live up to your name... Dad!
"Not gonna finish your coffee, Mr Carmichael?"
The remark caught him off guard, stopping him in his tracks. Chuck looked down at the cup of coffee in his hand. He rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile, slightly embarrassed by his actions. "Well, I just ..."
"I'm just messing with you, kid. Leave it. Your official bodyguards will be showing up at any moment," Major McQuaid assured him. "Besides, there is something seriously wrong with this coffee machine. Even the tuna with noodles my unit got served at Haiti tasted better than this crap."
Chuck mustered a smile, sipping from his own cup. "It's not that bad once you get used to it."
Major McQuaid replied jokingly, laughing a little, "Only a select few possess the mental fortitude to psychologically trick themselves into thinking something like that. You should teach the new recruits how to resist enhanced interrogation techniques in your free time, Mr Carmichael."
"I don't mind," Chuck said, almost sounding serious. He then clenched his jaw and added with a tiny grin, "But I would like a raise first."
"It has been a pleasure meeting you, Mr Carmichael. The US Government needs more individuals like you." Major McQuaid chuckled, extending his hand which Chuck shook with an exuberant smile.
McQuaid was a survivor. He had been a part of Advanced Force Operations and specialized in unconventional warfare on foreign lands. He'd experienced terrible things, and committed acts he wasn't exactly proud of. McQuaid wasn't someone who laughed often. But even he had to admit that Chuck was very different from the people he dealt with every day, and it was kind of refreshing, even if that just made things a lot more complicated on a whole other level. He knew it was going to be difficult for Chuck to accept some parts of his life as he was clearly an emotional guy. However, he hoped that being part of this operation and finally seeing the things actual spies had to see and do for a while would prepare him enough so that he could endure the burden of truth about his parents someday.
He understood why Admiral Kernan was so concerned about him. Carmichael was a really good man. Maybe too good for this line of work. He was privy to the rigorous training regime (even by special force standards) he underwent – pushing himself to his absolute limits both physically and mentally – in order to get a full grasp of the original Intersect inside his head. Despite being highly trained in virtually every aspect only people in special forces or elite HRT squads were supposed to know, he still had a certain innocence about him. He respected human life and was always reluctant to attack someone unless he or his loved ones were threatened. He was different from any other soldier, analyst or spy he knew; he was special in his own way. And that wasn't just because of the supercomputer(s) stuck inside his brain.
Agent Walker seemed quite impressed by him and that's the least outwardly disgusted I remember seeing John Casey in the presence of a non-Marine. Not entirely enough to reassure me that Charles is in good hands, but still a step forward from what I initially expected of them, based on their reputation within intelligence circles.
Let's wait and watch for now. Perhaps they aren't just burnt-out robots like I originally thought.
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It took them nearly forty five minutes to reach their designated agency safe house. Chuck didn't know whether that had something to do with actual distance or if they were trying to confuse any potential pursuers. There were hardly any landmarks of note; just a bunch of suburban houses, a lot of trees and a few small apartments.
When they finally arrived at their destination, he was surprised to find himself in a humble two-story brown-roofed building (plus a basement); most likely fit for a family of five or six. The kitchen behind him was large and well kept, and a few couches and chairs were placed in front of a large widescreen high definition plasma television set. Upstairs were three bedrooms plus one guest room, a bathroom, and a balcony that overlooked the front of the house.
The basement, which appeared to be one of the biggest storage units he ever laid his eyes on, was set up like a huge-ass games room with a freestanding heavy punching bag and several other pieces of heavy-duty gym equipment, which appeared to be rather expensive. It was not something your everyday workout enthusiast could afford; heck, he doubted even Captain Awesome could afford stuff like that (unless he asked his filthy rich parents for financial support), and he was a frigging surgeon for crying out loud.
Even so, it wasn't all that surprising as he already knew Sarah owned a Porsche Carrera GT.
Why do I get the feeling I am heavily underpaid compared to these people?
He turned around only to see Casey pulling a portrait out of a box he had been carrying with him, and he could have sworn he saw the Major salute when he put it on the desk. He almost burst out laughing upon realizing it was a picture of Reagan. Thankfully, with great effort, he managed to hold his laughter back. It didn't seem like the smartest thing to do given how many guns he kept pulling out of another small box he brought along with him.
"General Beckman is offering to send someone to set up the TV, the home theater, the computers and the sound system. But I believe that might compromise the location of this safe house. Think you will be able to handle that?" Casey grunted, walking over to a cabinet before withdrawing two towels, tossing one to Chuck and using the other to wipe the sweat off his face. He then grabbed an energy bar from the kitchen and plopped down on the largest couch.
Chuck sweatdropped at seeing the real-life Frankenstein's monster in such a casual state. "Puh-lease! Now you are offending me, Major. I am a Level 2 certified TEMPEST professional. Not only can I do it better than anyone Beckman could send, I can also do things that'd blow away your mind..."
Casey immediately turned to face him, crossed his arms over his chest and began to chuckle. "Ha! I hope your degrees and certificates aren't just for show, Moron. If you mess this up, you'll have my boss to answer to," he remarked, his smirk broad. "It'd be really embarrassing for Admiral Kernan if the NGA's crown jewel – someone whom we are expecting to fix the supercomputer with billions of dollars worth of government secrets – can't even handle something simple like that."
Chuck didn't roll his eyes. He wouldn't give Casey the pleasure of getting a rise out of him. He was tired, especially thanks to everything that had gone down on officially the most disastrous day in the history of his life, apart from the day his best friend decided to screw him over by getting him expelled from Stanford and stealing the love of his life. The night was only half over and he didn't really feel like getting into any more fights tonight. He was more than capable of taking him on, but why bother?
So he nodded curtly, inserting a bit of frost into his voice, "Don't worry, Major Blue Falcon! I will have it finished before you can even spell semper fidelis."
Casey gave him an incredulous look at first, though Chuck merely continued to grin confidently towards him. He then slightly narrowed his eyes, snickering a bit. "Never a dull moment around you Chuck, is there? Never mind. I will be in the outhouse in case you want to grab some pancakes," he suggested with an odd smile, his expressions remaining a mystery to Chuck.
And just like that, he left the room with a lazy wave.
Chuck was dumbfounded upon hearing that. There was an outhouse as well. He definitely didn't see that one coming.
He walked up the stairs, curious to see how the interior of this government-sponsored house looked; as he began to look upward, he walked into something. He almost lost his balance but a timely flash from the O Intersect prevented his fall.
"Ow!"
He stopped rubbing his head and looked up; apparently it was Agent Walker's behind he had walked into, having incorrectly believed she had already climbed the stairs. Chuck was amazed at how the tight leather pants showed her derriere off. It was wide, yet ample.
Mmm, it's perfect!
She looked down and raised her eyebrows in amusement. Nevertheless, it made him all the more worried and embarrassed.
"Enjoying the view, Mr Bartowski?" she asked with a playful smile.
"I-I t-thought you had already gone upstairs," Chuck said in his defense. "I-I d-didn't realize that you... umm... your... I mean, you were still..." He turned away, unable to keep looking at her.
Way to go, Chuck. You just made yourself even more of a weirdo than you already did.
Sarah merely giggled and nodded.
"Just wanted to see if you could still take a hit, if you take my meaning." She then leaned in with a mischievous smile, and gave him a wink. "It may not look like it but I'm made of sterner stuff. So take caution next time." She waved cheerfully. "Come on, let me show you around!"
Chuck rolled his eyes and followed her. Her sudden change in personality from how she acted during the meeting with their bosses was grating on him a bit. So now she's back to flirting with me... What the hell is going on with her? Already he could tell she was leading him towards one of the bedrooms. He was extremely exhausted right now and the fatigue made his mind wander to places he didn't want to explore. He wondered if he let his feelings for this beautiful woman cloud his judgment. She was no longer the caring, shy and socially awkward girl he met at Harvard five years ago. She was a highly trained intelligence operative, one of the top Farm graduates, Bryce Larkin's former lover and partner, a master of the dangerous game of deception, and someone whose reputation preceded her, born of years of field experience. He didn't want to doubt her, he really didn't. But he just couldn't help himself and it was eating at him from the inside.
They finally made it to one of the decently sized bedrooms. He looked around for a moment, then went towards the window which offered a rather impressive view of the area they were in. He was enjoying the feeling of fresh air on his face.
Everything appeared to be pitch black in the night, but where the moonlight shined, everything was illuminated. The trees were rustling, their leaves and branches swaying harmoniously with the wind. The steady croaking and whistling of animals sounded like a well-orchestrated musical piece.
Footsteps penetrated his hearing, but he made no effort to put his guard back up. Which meant he clearly failed to notice the ambush coming up from behind until it was far, far too late...
"Nice to see you are enjoying this view as well," Sarah chirruped after the initial shock of bodily collision had worn off. Thankfully, her twin frontal shock absorbers fulfilled their function nicely. The fresh scent of a shampoo she recently used filled his nostrils as Chuck took an unconsciously appreciative sniff.
He turned around to greet her only to suck in a sharp breath of surprise. He barely stopped himself from staring for too long. Her curvy and athletic form was more than apparent with that particular attire, or lack thereof. She was wearing a lavender-colored see-through negligee. It didn't cover her slim, toned stomach, and her skin tone – tanned and flawless – somehow made her look even better. He could even see her lacy, black underwear beneath, after he got a better look.
All in all, Sarah Walker was one hell of a sexy spy.
HOT DAMN! First Lou and now her. Why does it have to be babes all the time?
He quickly averted his gaze. His mouth was wide open and his cheeks flushed red in embarrassment as he tried his best to stare at the ceiling. He was a little nervous but managed to calm himself down. Granted, Lou had worn more risqué clothing in his presence, and she really enjoyed seeing his reactions. But one look in Sarah's direction... he just couldn't trust his eyes with that.
"Sarah... I didn't know you weren't... dressed... I just wanted to talk to you about stuff but I guess this is a bad time." He fumbled a bit but managed to get the words out.
"What do you want to talk about, Chuck?" she asked with genuine concern as she sat on the edge of the bed, patting the spot beside her for him to sit down.
"Are you sure you want to talk, dressed like that...?" he asked, making a troubled face.
"Is there something wrong with the way I am dressed?" she said with a very fake, very innocent look on her face.
Standing there, he couldn't respond right away.
There's nothing wrong with it if you're planning on seducing me...
"Isn't it a little cold here?" he asked, only for Sarah to shake her head in firm denial.
"Not at all. This room is quite warm," Sarah explained with a childlike innocence in her voice. Chuck took a deep calming breath and fixed his gaze on the floor instead of the lingerie-clad temptress. Steeling all of his morality and conscience, he complied reluctantly and sat on the soft mattress and thick comforter to the left of his spy friend.
"Will I be living here from now on?" Chuck gave her a questioning look.
Wow, so I've got this whole place to myself? I always knew I was special, but not that special.
"Not just you, silly. Both of us will. Major Casey will be staying in the outhouse, which is the closest bit of neighboring comfortable accommodation. Don't worry, he will make sure to stay out of our crosshairs unless he wants to spend the rest of the year in physical therapy." She smirked, slowly placing a hand on his thigh and giving it a gentle squeeze.
Such a gesture was far too intimate in Chuck's opinion, given their current level of familiarity. He felt his entire body flushing with heat and looked away, hoping Sarah wouldn't see how their close proximity and her warm touch was affecting him. He could practically feel her warm breath kissing his neck. Even if she was a honey trap, planted into his life to exploit his skills and knowledge with her good looks and charm – only to leave as soon as he served his purpose – he wasn't sure he'd be able to resist her.
Of course, the Fort Bragg side of him – the soldier, trainee, federal agent or whatever else that side of his psyche was called – was not in charge of his actions right now. Truthfully, it hadn't been for quite some time. He couldn't entirely trust his sense of judgment when it came to Sarah and that was starting to become a huge problem.
Sarah, on the other hand, continued to explain enthusiastically. Chuck didn't have any idea in the slightest what the hell was going on, besides the fact his spy friend clearly looked happier than usual.
"You have government secrets worth billions of dollars in your head. You are also the chief architect of the AI program our agencies want to use to recover those very secrets from the device Agent Larkin planned to use in order to become the human Intersect. There are many people who might come after you to get access to it. You are far too important to be left in a vulnerable state. So our bosses have decided to make me the head of your personal security." With an impish smile, she put her other hand on his shoulders, starting to massage them gently. She then whispered into his ears, "I hope you don't mind, roomie!"
However, as pleased as Sarah seemed with this arrangement, which also pleased Chuck a little, it didn't help much with the fact that he was anxious, frustrated and scared out of his wits.
Chuck looked at her incredulously as he extricated her arm from his shoulder and put some distance between them, much to her chagrin. It was necessary for him to think properly about what she was saying right now. He was having a hard time understanding why an operative of her caliber would be so happy about receiving such a boorish assignment from her agency. He knew how much Lou hated being on bodyguard duty. She practically complained about it all the time!
"Uh... Sarah? I don't get it. When we met at Harvard all those years ago, I clearly remember you talking about living an exciting life, going on adventures, traveling all around the world. Besides, Admiral Kernan referred to you as one of the best clandestine operatives in the Intelligence Community. Why would someone like you, a woman of mystery and a kick-ass federal agent, want to insinuate yourself so deeply in the life of a mundane GEOINT analyst like me, rather than go on epic adventures and save the world? I am already a part of this joint inter-agency operation, and the CIA and NSA have agreed to share ownership of the Intersect. The last thing I want to do..." His voice trailed off, and he stared off in the distance as memories of the night Lou broke up with him returned. Sarah could see how tired and weary Chuck was on an emotional level, yet he was still trying to be considerate towards her. "...is to be responsible for holding you back from doing something... you really want to."
Just like I did with Lou...
"So... Do you want Admiral Kernan to talk some sense into Director Graham? I can talk to him if you want." Chuck looked up at her earnestly, though she refused to look him directly in the eye.
She couldn't wrap her head around what he just said to her. Nobody in her life ever really cared about what she really wanted to do. She swallowed slowly and thought hard about how she was going to respond. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel hopeful; not just about the success of this project, but their potential future as a couple as well. The emotions she felt were on the verge of overwhelming her. Still, she couldn't stop the smile or blush spreading over her face as she sheepishly looked away from him; such an action looked out of character to Chuck, given how she had been acting around him moments ago.
Chuck looked down at his hand as he felt Sarah reach for it and intertwine their fingers. Then she scooted closer to him, finally leaning into his side with her cheek resting on his shoulder.
"I am sorry for putting you through this... situation. Bryce was my partner... and bedfellow." After a long moment of hesitation she stammered, really hoping that part hadn't come out as hopeless and pathetic as it sounded to her. "I should have known what he was planning. If only I had paid more attention to Bryce and whatever was going on with him, I could have stopped the Intersect theft. I should have. Then you wouldn't have gotten involved with the Intersect to begin with, let alone accidentally becoming the new human Intersect," she said, hanging her head in shame and guilt.
Chuck rolled his eyes. "Sarah," he said, laughing heartily. "You have already apologized to me a million times. I've said it before and I''ll say it again – it's not your fault. Whatever happened with Bryce... it couldn't be helped. Besides, sooner or later, Mauser would have come after me anyway. He worked for the same organization Bryce did, after all."
"You are too good to be true, Chuck. If more people were like you, the world would be a better place. As I became what I am, I acquired the mentality that heroes didn't exist. Over time that mentality grew into arrogance; I saw myself as superior to these people. Basically, I stopped caring... But you proved me wrong. Especially in those moments you took Mauser on for my sake and defended me from Casey, despite knowing about my past endeavors with Bryce... I felt how much you truly care about everyone. It really cracked my aura. That's why I convinced Graham to assign me to your personal protection detail. Because all I want right now... is to be around you," she said deeply, out of the blue.
Her eyes locked onto his, full of passion and a mix of emotions he had trouble identifying; then they turned dreamy, which freaked him out somewhat. Even so, the both of them just kept staring at each other in plain silence until Chuck finally spoke with an exasperated sigh. "Sarah, why do you like me so much?"
"I'm not certain, though I have a theory. I think the first time I met you at Harvard... I just knew. I knew there was something special... between us. A connection of sorts. I've always admired your strong loving heart and your spirit. Both as a guy who went from a kiss to a handshake and as someone who beats down assassins with a little chemistry know-how." Reaching out, she gently cupped his chin with her hand and brought his gaze up to her face, as his eyes finally took in the small happy smile on her features.
"I..." Chuck mumbled, not sure what to say or do in a situation like this. While Chuck still had some lingering doubts in the back of his mind, it all seemed to disappear as they looked into each other's eyes once again.
Giggling to herself, Sarah leaned in, licking her lips to wet them before ever so slowly pressing them to his.
Feeling her soft lips on his, Chuck blinked in surprise, realizing what just transpired.
She is kissing me!
It only lasted for a moment, then Sarah pulled back and moaned in satisfaction, as if she had tasted something delicious. Chuck, on the other hand, just looked bewildered, his mouth hanging wide open in surprise.
"Any more questions, Golden Boy?" she asked playfully, enjoying the stupefied look on his face.
"Da-yum... I mean..." Chuck cleared his throat, finally smiling towards her. "Damn, sorry. It's hard to maintain precision of language here," he whispered, actually gulping.
There is no going back now...
"Good for you." She grinned and kissed him again.
As they continued with no signs of stopping, his hands settled on her waist; a while later, they slowly traveled to her ass before he twitched and hurriedly returned them to her waist. Sarah was having none of that, so she graciously put his hands back on her ass – much to their mutual delight.
...xxxxxx...xxxxxx...xxxxxxx...