Beautiful as you Ch 5 – Thanks for coming back and letting me know what you think… Mssupertigz
Chapter 5
Bryce nursed his hangover with another mixture of whatever he was drinking the night before. His drinking, he had under control but since Copenhagen it was becoming more of a concern. Every sip he took he relived Copenhagen and how close he was to getting caught, and his talk earlier didn't make it any better. They were beginning to lose faith in that he could keep this quiet and keep everyone safe. Bryce worried about the list as he pulled out a well folded piece of paper from his pocket. He hated crossing out names of the 'ones' and now as he looked at the list, he crossed out another. 'It wouldn't take them long to figure out that the men in the apartment weren't on the list'. Bryce hoped that he wasn't to blame for their deaths. Unfortunately he was too late to save them. Bryce crossed out Scott Sener, Aaron Pelman, Marc Pattavina. 'That was three this month.' He tapped Chuck's name and he wondered if he had stayed would Chuck be on that list. Bryce recalled taking his spot two years ago telling Fleming that Chuck couldn't survive in the field, that he wasn't that kind of guy. Bryce continued to relive the past. He went straight into Sandwall where he met the mastermind behind the next generation of agents. Bryce listened to this man's story and how he had kept his family safe by people in the US government who branched away from the mandate of the CIA. His story intrigued Bryce which in time he found out that the kid in the story was none other than Chuck Bartowski, his old roommate. The stories Bryce heard gave an insight to how Chuck was raised and how one fluke event, one afternoon when Chuck was eight he had accidentally uploaded an early version of a new invention which was called the Intersect.
Sarah smiled as Chuck reared his head from the bed sheet and looked at her. "Well good morning, Ms. Walker?"
Sarah giggled as Chuck continued to place ministrations in places that should be off limits that early in the morning. "Good morning, to you too…" As she pressed her lips to his.
"I, we are going to be late, and Casey will call then grunt and so on."
Chuck kept kissing her then laid over her. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you." Sarah looked up at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well, we better make this one last."
Chuck slid his arms under her back and lifted her as he sat back on his knees. Sarah straddled him holding his face in her hands. "How can I be so lucky?"
Chuck held her close. "I'm the lucky one."
Sarah heard her car beep as they slipped inside her car and drove off into traffic from her hotel room. Bryce slipped out from the corner, which he had been hiding for some time. "You're sleeping with her?" Bryce looked out as the car drove out of sight. "I can use this, but it might not end well."
Sarah and Chuck headed down into Castle as Casey looked at his watch. Sarah looked at Chuck. Sarah was right, he was about to call them.
"Good, you two finally decided to show up." Chuck and Sarah sat down. "We have movement on Copenhagen. Interpol determined that the three guys were long dead before we got there. We got word on Vince Reuters."
Chuck looked up. "So, who is he? Is he one of ours?"
"No, we know that he's not Interpol or any other European agency, but Beckman believes that for whatever reason he was there, he knows more than he is letting on."
"Which is what Casey?" Chuck was getting good at reading their faces. "Who ever is looking into you."
Chuck knew after the fact hat he had been watched by Casey and he still wasn't thrilled about it but knowing that someone else was doing the same thing, with not the same motives, didn't sit well. Then to find out that this person might have been in the same room as him and now knew what he looked like added to the extreme fear and anxiety that he could be the one that they were looking for.
Chuck listened to Casey as he ran through Vince's timeline. Then as he brought up the faces of the three that had perished, he sat up. Sarah looked at him. "What's wrong?" Chuck looked at the screen then back at Sarah and Casey. "I recognize them?"
Casey looked at him then slid three files towards Chuck and Sarah. "We were wondering if you would." Sarah not sure why she was left out of the loop.
Chuck opened the first file. "These were the three, that were, found in the apartment. So why didn't I recognize them, then?"
"Sometimes seeing someone like that is hard to identify them and by the looks of them whoever did this to them, they wanted us to work to identify them." Casey continued to look at Chuck as he opened the second file.
"I recognize this guy from one of Professor Fleming's classes. These two were in my class around the time that Bryce left." Sarah figured that their abrupt exit and Bryce's was due to them being recruited. Sarah motioned for Casey to join her as Chuck continued looking over the files. Sarah closed the door but was still able to see him through the glass. "So, these three and Bryce were recruited at the same time?" "It looks that ways and with all that have been taken out whoever these people are they must be going through a list." Sarah looked at Chuck. "And he's next?" Casey out of character squeezed Sarah's shoulder. "Now it's our job to protect him and make sure that they don't come for him." Casey walked off leaving Sarah in her own thoughts and how the last few months had transpired and how she couldn't imagine her life without him. He came to her in her darkest hour and now she had to be there for his. Chuck looked up and smiled which warmed her heart. Sarah composed herself and walked back in and sat down. Chuck looked up again then returned to the files.
Later that day
Chuck busied himself in his work at A.C.E and felt protected by the four walls and the fact that Sarah and Casey were nearby. Occasionally, he looked out towards the parking lot and saw Casey doing his rounds but never entered the store. Casey later told him that he wanted to keep it as normal as possible just in case 'eyes' were watching. But that quickly changed when a dark van drove up. Casey hollered allowing Sarah to hear him in her earpiece. Sarah sitting in Castle ran up the stairs two at a time as she met Casey running towards A.C.E. Their hearts pounding. Chuck looked up to see the van and the two men that jumped out. He ran and slid across the counter heading to the back, locking himself in the storage closet. Sarah and Casey split, one taking the north side and the other taking the south. The two men entered the front of the store packing as their jacket opened up exposing some type of firearm. Sarah slipped into the back remembering the code from earlier hoping that it was still the same. Casey leaned against the side of the wall poking his head into the window and seeing the two men looking for something. Sarah slipped in back not seeing Chuck, which worried her but then wondered where he was. Chuck watching from the back opened the door slightly seeing Sarah. She smiled inwardly and waved him back into the room. She crept further down the hall as Casey saw her and on three the two of them pounced in on the two men. Guns in the air the two men didn't have a chance. "Drop it or she'll shoot." The men turned to see Sarah pointing her gun at them. They begrudgingly dropped their guns as Casey motioned to them to hit the floor. Casey called it in and within minutes a team was there. Sarah walked back and knocked on the door as Chuck opened it up. They held each other not knowing the extent to why or who they were. Chuck walked out as the two men were escorted by agents. Casey looked around and nodded as Chuck came out. Chuck looked around to see what his front of his store looked like and surprisingly it was like he left it. Sarah looked at him. "I don't think that they had time to grab anything?"
Chuck turned then sat down at the counter. "No, I don't see that anything was taken." Casey glanced upwards. "Heading to Castle." As he walked out.
Sarah nodded. "Be there shortly." Casey left as Chuck extended his hand. Sarah grabbed it. "Thanks for coming."
Sarah knew that Chuck was not okay and was obviously shaken. "Do you have anyone working with you today?"
Chuck rubbed the back of her hand. "Yeah, there on break."
"Okay when they come back, you want to head over to Castle?"
Chuck stood up. "Yeah, I think I might."
Sarah kissed him as she walked to the door.
Chuck walked into Castle an hour later carrying a tray of coffees. He saw Casey come out from the back with Sarah. "And?"
"Just a bunch of guys that were out to rob you and everyone else. LAPD are coming for them. They have no connections with what is going on, Stanford or Scorpios."
Chuck sighed with some relief but that pit in the bottom of his stomach did not go away.
A few weeks later
Bryce had pondered his next step with some reluctancy as he met with Vince Rueter's. He had only met him once or twice in passing as Scorpios was brought to his attention years before. He played it cool listening to their jargon and their manifest to how they saw the CIA and where it should go. They had a two-year head start and Bryce had been trying to find out what they wanted. When he was at Stanford he got his answers, when he accidentally overheard Professor Fleming talking to someone about some files, he accidentally downloaded to his hard drive. That had the results that proved that he had some students in his classes that had an exceptionally high rate of retention. That were able to decipher some highly sophisticated subliminal information and were recommended for the CIA's training program. Bryce entered the room and with his charm was given a chance to look at the list. His heart sank when he saw the name of his best friend listed at the top of the list.
Bryce convinced Fleming not to send Chuck and for months, his word was gold till Bryce was given the latest intel that a group called Scorpios was looking to recruit agents and get a hold of the list that Fleming had saved to his hard drive. Bryce got word that Fleming had died protecting that list. Bryce knew he was running out of time and if he didn't act now, it wouldn't end well. He just hoped that Chuck and his team would see his side. Bryce had been overly cautious since his meeting with Rueter's, and he couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't going to get any better. He hoped that the bottle he had concealed in the brown paper bag he had, in hopes that it would help him drown out the demons he still fought. Though he saw himself as a guardian angel, Chucks guardian angel but when the NSA entered the picture a year ago, he knew Reuter's wouldn't stop till he got that person. Bryce shuffled the contents in his pocket still feeling the key in his pocket. He slipped it out and watched it dangle from the chain that held it. He slipped it around his neck, feeling better knowing that it wouldn't fall out of his pocket. He had held the key for a while now and knew that one day he'd have to use it and take it upon him to keep the secret safe. Bryce rounded the corner of his less than five-star hotel that he was used to before all of this. He saw his door was a jar. He entered his room finding Reuter's looking through a pile of magazines. "Larkin, so glad you decided to come home. But I was hoping that you would be staying at a five star instead of this flea infested motel." Bryce thought to himself. 'The only rat in this room is you.'
Bryce grabbed a beer. "What can I help you with?"
Reuters walked the room." Just doing some house cleaning."
Bryce took a sip. "Okay and?"
"Where are we on a prospect?"
"We are close."
"We are running out of time and people are talking. We need the?"
"I know what we need, and you will get it."
"Where are we on the list? I took care of three in Copenhagen, as they weren't the ones, so how many are left?"
"Just a few more and after that, you should have what you have been looking for."
Reuters got a rare smile on his face. "Larkin, I had my doubts, but if you can pull this off, Scorpios will be forever grateful."
"And what will you do with this gift?"
"Everything, and we will be what the CIA has been lacking for some time. We need that one person and I know that they are out there."
Reuters walked to the door. "Work fast Larkin. Do what you have to, to get the job done. I will be in touch."
Sarah slipped over to A.C.E just before Chuck was closing up wanting some Chuck time. Chuck looked up as he finished tending to a customer. Sarah smiled as Chuck and the customer walked towards her as he carried a computer tower. He smiled as he walked past her. "Just going to carry this to her car and I'll be back." Sarah turned and watched as Chuck walked with the lady to her car. Sarah watched as he set the tower in the back seat and closed the door. He looked up seeing Sarah standing in the window. He half walked half ran back inside and turned the store sign hours over and locked the door. Chuck looked at Sarah who stood there in all her beauty. "Hey."
"Hey."
"Come here."
Sarah walked over to Chuck and fell into his arms. He kissed her softly, lingering then kissed her again. "So, what brings you here?"
"Just wanted to see you before you lock up. I got work to do and won't be able to come over till later if I am lucky."
Chuck kept his arms around her. "Why so much paperwork?"
"Mission reports that I didn't get to."
"I told you, to get them done."
"I was kind of distracted by someone."
Chuck leaned back to look at her. "I don't know what you are talking about?"
"Sure, you don't."
Chuck laughed. "I could say that I was forced."
"Forced."
"Yeah, that I was confined and had no choice but to seduce you."
"Is that what you are calling it?"
"We could give it another name."
Sarah kissed him.
"Maybe we can."
Chuck let go of his hold and headed to the counter and started printing out the receipts for the day. He opened the till and took out his float and set it aside then in minutes had the cash all counted and was looking at the credit card and debit receipts. Sarah watched as he figured out the cash totals in his head, she was indeed impressed. Chuck then walked to the back and slipped the cash into a canvass bag and slipped it inside the safe. He stood up and looked at her. "Do you have time to get a bite to eat?"
Sarah looked at the clock. "I better not if I plan to come over later."
Chuck flipped the lights off and headed to the back. He kissed her once more then the two of them walked back to Castle. Chuck looked at her as they stopped at his car. "Call me when you are done."
"Don't worry Casey will be around."
"I know that I have the two of you, but I feel that something big is going to happen and I don't know what to do about it."
"Leave the big stuff to us and have a bottle of wine ready for later."
Chuck leaned in as Sarah kissed him.
Chuck waited till Sarah disappeared before getting into his car. He looked around as the parking lot was completely empty, he slipped into his car and pulled out heading towards home.
Sarah headed up the stairs with a spark in her step. Knowing that in a short while she'd be in his arms, drinking wine, having some cheese puffs, and making love in no particular order. Sarah set the alarm and headed out walking towards her car. She did her regular nightly check across the parking lot looking at A.C.E. She smiled turning towards her car door when she was forcefully grabbed by a stranger. The stranger tossed her bag into her car and grabbed her cell shutting it off and placing it in his back pocket. Sarah reacted by kicking him hard. They both struggled equally getting in a few punches and jabs but when the stranger forced a needle into her neck, he gained the upper hand. Sarah fell limp but tried to gain her balance while getting as much detail she could. She knew they had to be male just by the upper strength. He was definitely shorter than her, but she was wearing her boots. She focused on the van as she was shoved in before passing out. As she fell victim, her mouth felt a tinge of metal. She didn't like the fact that the drug was working faster than she had anticipated.
The stranger pushed her feet in further as he closed the door and jumped into the driver's side and drove off. He looked in the rearview mirror several times watching for any sign that she could be coming out of the drug sooner than he thought. He drove for an hour arriving an industrial recycling depot. He jumped out and quickly removed Sarah from the back of the van. He lifted her over his shoulder and headed inside through a back door. He laid her down on a set of pallets then checked on her to see if she was still breathing.
The stranger leaned against the counter and stared at what he had done. His next move might not be as pretty.
Sarah regained her composure and sat up tied to a chair. She looked around and saw that she was not in the parking lot, nor did she know, how long she had been out.
She focussed and saw her assailant. "Who are you!" Her words threatening.
"In time." The stranger replied.
Sarah avoided the small talk after awhile because whatever she asked this person had an answer. She figured that this person had to be military or working with some agency. Chuck's words rang through her head as he felt that something bad was going to happen, and now it had.
Sarah looked up as she pulled on her restrains. "Whoever you are, you thought that kidnapping me would be the best idea."
"This isn't a kidnapping this is a warning."
"A warning, for what?"
"For you and GI Joe to back off and do your job."
Sarah continued.
"I don't know who you are talking about?"
The stranger came into view.
"Yeah you do, we have something in common more like some one and if you don't back off, it's not going to end well."
Sarah needed to know who this person was.
"If your so concerned then you can at least tell me who you are as you seem to know who I am."
"It's better that you just back off and keep Chuck safe."
Sarah looked up.
"Who are you?"
"It's not important but you have to listen and do what I say."
"And if I don't."
The stranger smacked Sarah across the face.
Her cheek stung. The stranger leaned in. "They're coming."
The stranger turned as Sarah finally was able to loosen her tie and butt heads with the them. He fell back as Sarah tugged once more releasing her hold. She got up and kicked the man in the gut and ran. He caught up to her. She swung hard hitting him but he hit her back. He grabbed her and flung her across the room. Sarah landed hard, every bone in her body cringed. He grabbed her again. "You need to keep Chuck away and stop him from looking into Scorpios."
His words shook her as she had never been shaken before by any test or any mission in the field but when she heard Chucks name it took on a whole different feeling. "Why should I believe you?"
He continued to fight and defend himself. "You don't have too but if you care for Chuck and I know you do." Sarah lowered her eyes. "They're getting closer."
"And who are they? And who are you?"
Bryce moved into the light. He was quiet for a moment, then spoke. Sarah saw who it was and when he said his name, it became all to real. "If you don't want to see what happened to those agents in Copenhagen then do as I say. Also if you don't Chuck will end up dead or worse."
"What's worse than death?" Sarah catching her breath.
"You need to force him to stop."
"And if I can't."
"Then they will."
"And who are they?"
"It's all you need to know, he will listen to you. This was mild, if they come after you they won't be as nice." He moved towards her as she struggled stabbing her again with the same drug. He slid his hand into his pocket pulling out Sarah's phone and placing her phone next to her. He turned it on and exited out the back leaving Sarah lying on the floor of the warehouse.
Casey drove over to Chucks after not getting in touch with Sarah and when he found her car vacant and her bag strewn around, he knew something wasn't right. Casey knocked on the door. Chuck looked up placing the bottle of wine on the table. He walked over assuming that it was Sarah. Chuck opened the door and saw the look on Casey's face. "Is Walker here?"
"No she's at Castle?"
"Why?"
"She's not in Castle and her car is still in the parking lot."
"Maybe she went to grab something to eat."
"Maybe."
Casey stepped back outside when he heard his cell ring. He looked at the screen. He saw that it was Walker.
"He headed towards the fountain to take the call as Chuck watched from the door.
"Walker?"
"Casey."
Sarah told Casey what had happened and finally got a reading of where she was.
"I'll be right there."
Casey walked towards the door. "Lock up and don't answer the door till you hear from me."
"What's wrong Casey and who was that? Was that Sarah?"
Casey's look gave him away.
"She's fine."
"No, your not telling me something." He grabbed his coat. "I am coming."
"No! You stay here and I will go get her."
"But it's Sarah."
"And that's why you must stay here."
Casey ran off as Chuck closed the door and locked it. He started pacing the floor, thinking the worse.
Casey drove an hour and found Sarah leaning against a pile of boxes. He got out and helped her into the car. He knew she wasn't okay by the grimace look she had on her face as she slid into the seat.
"Who took you?"
"Bryce Larkin."
Casey reached for his gun.
"He's long gone."
"Why did he take you?"
"To warn us."
"Why?"
"He told me to keep Chuck far away from Scorpios?"
"He's with them?"
"No I don't, think so. If he was why would he want it keep Chuck away."
"What else did he say?"
"They are bigger than we think."
"Who?"
" Whoever or whatever Scorpios is".
Sarah leaned back and closed her eyes as she fought to keep the tears from coming. It wasn't so much the pain she felt but the fact that Chuck's life was at risk and she didn't now why. He was her world and she couldn't dream of anything happening to him.
Casey drove Sarah to Chuck. Sarah looked around. "Why are we here?"
"I figured that you'd want to see him. I put a detail on him just in case and he hasn't left. I told him that he had to stay put."
"You think he knows?"
"He knows that something happened to you."
"Why did you tell him!"
"He wouldn't have stayed, so I told him that someone took you."
Sarah got out. "Stay here with Chuck and I will get in touch with Beckman."
Sarah walked into the complex and knocked on the door. The door flew open as Chuck stood there. Sarah fell into his arms. He kissed her softly and she was glad to be in his arms. He was her safety net. She looked up at him and saw the fear in his eyes and caressed his face. "I'm safe now." Chuck looked her over and gently touched her cheek and saw that it was already starting to turn blue. He brushed her hair back and kissed her forehead. He whispered into her ear. "I'll draw you a bath." Sarah didn't know what to say. Any other time she'd have a drink and move on but this was too close to home. She looked at him and remembered what they told her at the Farm and that was not to form relationships.
Chuck drew her a bath and as she walked in her nervousness hindered her from getting undressed. Chuck stood there like an anchor as she held onto him slowly undressing. He held her hand as she stepped into the hot bath. She smiled at the bubbles but chuckled when she saw the rubber ducky floating along the edge of the bathtub. Sarah sat down bending her knees and holding her self close. Chuck reached behind him grabbing a cloth to wash her back. He noticed her bruises on her side but Sarah looked at him. "He just got a good shot in that's all." Chuck kissed her shoulder. Chuck got up and headed to the door. "You hungry?"
She knew he was trying, to make her feel better, so she said yes. Sarah held her body close then laid back wondering about all the whys.
Sarah rinsed off and stepped out of the tub and looked at herself as she wrapped her body with a towel. She brushed her hair back and slipped into Chuck's room where she saw that he had left her some of his clothes. She slipped her achy body into his warm sweats and warm t-shirt, then walked into the living room. She saw a tray on the table that had a sandwich and some fruit. She also saw a cup of tea which she grabbed first and took a sip. She nursed her sandwich while eating some fruit. She curled up with a blanket and in a short time she fell asleep. Chuck sat across from her watching her letting her sleep for awhile before he decided to move her. He got up and picked her up, she opened her eyes and saw who it was then closed her eyes once again. He carried her to his bed laying her down. He turned the light off and closed the door.
He walked out grabbing the tray, hearing his phone. "Can you come outside?" Chuck put the tray down and slipped outside.
Chuck walked over to Casey as he heard comps of agents walking around the complex. Casey gave Chuck a file. "What's this for?"
Casey looked at him. "Sarah told me that it was Bryce Larkin who took her. He told her that you had to stop looking into Scorpios."
"Did he have to hurt her?"
"Not sure why, maybe someone was watching him, or he had to make it look like any threats against Scorpios was taken care of."
"I mean I am glad that she's okay but there has to be more."
"Sarah thinks that the twerp is on our side."
"So why all the secrecy?"
"He knows something."
"So why this file?"
"Just a hunch."
Chuck opened the file. Then looked up at Casey. "I remember back in Stanford when Bryce and I started working on Zork."
"That computer game?"
"Yeah. We put in some Easter eggs."
Casey looked at him. Chuck looked back at him. " Hidden surprises that if you were truly a gamer you would see them or at least look for them. So when you played and you found these hidden images etc. They would give you points or tokens or allow you to move to the next level."
"And?"
Chuck looked at him as he closed the file. "And why you guys would also be so interested in this game."
"The day I met you, mentioned the game."
"Larkin and I worked on Zork for about a year, hoping that it would eventually turn into something but that all ended when he left. Then I was so busy with classes I didn't get back to it."
"Well take a look at his file and maybe it will jog your memory. Maybe he said something that could give us an idea where to find him and his connection with Scorpios. I will be in touch in the morning. Get some sleep."
Casey slipped out back as an agent took his place. Chuck smiled slightly and slipped inside locking the door. He checked on Sarah then headed to his office. He walked over to his closet and opened the door reaching up at a box sitting on the top shelf. He saw the writing on it. 'Stanford' Chuck brought it out closing the door. He placed the box on his desk and started looking for the disc that had the file Zork on it. He pulled out the disc and grabbed a disc drive. He plugged it in converting the file allowing it to open on his computer. Chuck scrolled down finding the Zork file.
