MDS/N 1: So, I approached another of my favorite authors here on FFN and asked her (MircroGirl1225) if she would contribute a story to the little challenge that Richard76310 set up. Much to my delight she said yes, and provided this lovely tale that will have you laughing from beginning to end. Please read and leave a review, as I am sharing them with each guest author.

MDS/N 2: If you haven't read Microgirl1225's incredible story "Chuck Vs. What Remains" you have done yourself a disservice. Frankly, I am not sure how you can look yourself in the mirror. How the heck do you even sleep at night? Please invest some time each night, call it "self-care" and read a chapter or two. You will not regret it!

None of us own anything but our own whits and sometimes not even them. Needless to say, we are all borrowing Mr. Fedak's toys and returning them only a little tarnished.

What Happened This Time?

Chapter 5: October 11, 2010

Guest Written By:

MicroGirl1225

October 11, 2010

Castle, Burbank, California

"What part of 'stay in bed' did you not understand, Colonel?" Beckman asked crisply, her mouth twisted to an annoyed line.

Casey sat in his wheelchair, listening to make sure both Chuck and Sarah had completely left the facility, on their way to surveil the Costa Gravan embassy. Normally tougher, he hated the fact that the bullet wound in his leg, inflicted by Volkoff's men on the Buy More roof, had been in just the right spot to inhibit the bending of his knee, necessitating the chair to which he was now confined. "That was what...er...reminded me, General," he grumbled with a sigh. "I was told you had...questions about my report?"

Beckman's face stayed frozen, even as he watched her reach for a stack of papers on the far corner of her desk, slightly out of range of the camera. Her arms were crossed on the desktop, but he watched her fingers drumming on her forearm as the irritation slowly rose, coloring her light green eyes darker. "What happened this time?" she sighed, a phrase Casey knew she had uttered far too frequently as of late.

"The damage to Castle, as you know, was primarily caused by the fact that Hugo Panzer escaped his holding cell and evaded us twice. The damage to the Buy More was caused by a civilian...riot...over a video game," he finished with a growl, wondering how the years of his dedicated service had somehow devolved into explaining a throng of fired-up nerds tearing apart a CIA/NSA substation.

"Yes, I can read, Colonel," Beckman snapped. She lifted the paper, scanning down, searching for the piece of information that had caused the questions in the first place. "What is a 'Disco Stick?'"

Casey coughed, cleared his throat, and answered, "I believe, ma'am, it's a euphemism for-"

"Colonel Casey!" she shouted, waving her hand in front of the camera, as close to panicking as he'd ever seen her. "Please. In the realm of this report," she added, shaking the paper, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She lifted it again, holding it closer to her face. "I'm quoting. 'Hugo Panzer was eventually subdued by a Buy More employee, one Michael Tucker, with a disco stick.' Colonel?"

Rubbing his hand over his eyes, growling again, having a sinking feeling where this conversation was going, as he had written this report, "Closest approximation is a taser, ma'am."

She put the paper down, tapping her fingernail on the desktop as she continued. "Fair enough. So then, explain to me, how the entirety of the supply closet in Castle going up in flames, is A, part of the damage explained in this report, and B, caused by said same disco stick?"

With his hand still over his eyes, a sore substitute for brain bleach, he knew, he answered her, "It...uh...wasn't the same stick, ma'am." At least I certainly hope it wasn't, he thought in horror, shaking his head to clear the images away.

Beckman was getting more irate as the time passed. He saw her eyes almost bulging, like she was ready to come through the screen at him. "Agents Walker and Bartowski were...interrupted," he said, clearing his throat, "and said...piece of electrical equipment...sparked and set fire to a rack of office supplies." Stronger, thinking this part was less uncomfortable to talk about, he added, "By the time a fire extinguisher was obtained, most of the closet was engulfed. It's a...uh...small closet, General."

"You thought it was prudent to include that in this damage report?" she snapped.

"After the last incident, General, did you not instruct me to 'blend in' as many said incidents as possible into other more easily explained situations? To detract attention away from the fact that you have two agents personally involved on the same team?" he quizzed her. "There are certainly enough that we can't cover up-"

"I'm counting on the fact that most of the parties involved in reviewing this report aren't all that familiar with the...apparatus you described," she almost mumbled, pressing her palm to her forehead, exasperated.

I wouldn't be too sure of that, he thought but didn't say.

"At least there weren't any injuries related to said incident. Correct?" she stressed, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"I was the...interrupting party, General," he said after clearing his throat again. Getting shot was so much less painful. "Until the brain bleach solution is actually doable, ma'am-"

"Noted, Colonel Casey," Beckman said with a sigh. "Look on the bright side. Paid vacation. Away from the two of them."

He had told Walker before he hated the silence. On second thought, it wasn't all bad now, was it? I should get shot more often, he thought with a silent grunt. Beckman closed the link.

MDS/N 3: How is everyone finding this multiple author mini-series? Please leave a review and I will be sharing them with the other authors. Thank you for your time and attention.