This is a pretty long chapter for you guys! Hope you all enjoy! Leave me a fav/follow/review!
"Well, then get in there, Walker, and do your job!"
"Casey," she was panting, almost hyperventilating, "I-I can't, what if he's dead? I can't see him like that, I'll-"
"Sarah!" Casey shut her up, "I am not down her absorbing enemy fire and luring security off of your back just so you can stay up there and cry about it! Rescuing Bartowski is the mission, goddamnit, so hike up your skirt and follow through with your mission!"
Sarah closed her eyes, starting to feel some courage flow through her. More gunshots and shouts rang through her earpiece.
"Whether you have feelings for Chuck or not," John continued, "he needs you now more than ever, Walker! Don't let him down!"
Don't let him down.
Sarah felt a fire burn inside her. With a ferocious growl, Sarah went sprinting down the hall. Nurses and doctors looked at her in shock as she barreled down the hallway to O.R. 5.
She reached the double doors leading into her desired location. Sarah took a deep breath, analyzing her options. She couldn't barge in guns blazing, that would put Chuck in more danger. She could go in pretending to be a scrub nurse and somehow find a way to take out the medical crew. Yet, that choice was very open-ended and with lots of potential mistakes. Besides, how could she take out an entire medical staff in a small room with cameras and little weapons. No, she had a different idea…
Sarah straightened her surgical mask, and entered the operating room.
Then, she saw him.
Walker had to try her absolute hardest not to rush forward and embrace Chuck.
He was lying on the operating table, unconscious. An anesthesiologist had probably already put him under for their sick surgery. An IV protruded from his elbow, and he was wearing a pale blue hospital gown. His curly brown hair looked matted and dirty, and a dark purple bruise spread across his temple and forehead.
"Excuse me?"
Sarah's eyes averted from Chuck to the doctor talking to her. He had a heavy German accent. His coat said "Dr. Heinrich."
"Can I help you?"
Dr. Heinrich, two scrub nurses, an anesthesiologist, and the co-surgeon all looked at her expectantly. She tried not to look at Chuck.
"I was sent by Delta 5 management," she gulped, trying to come up with a suitable answer on the fly, "to assist with the surgery."
"We have a capable staff," Heinrich disregarded her, "you may go."
The medical staff began to continue their work now that Heinrich had given his orders. Sarah was not to be ignored.
"Actually, I think you could use my help," she said with slight attitude.
"Watch your tone," Heinrich growled at her like a dog, "know who you are addressing."
"I don't work for you, I work for Delta 5. Now, when they tell me to do something, I do it. I don't need your permission. This is a highly classified government asset on our operating table. If you make a mistake, the blame is on you, doctor, followed by serious consequences. Now, don't tell me an extra set of eyes wouldn't hurt you in the long run."
Heinrich was silent for a moment. Sarah felt her breathing stop.
"Fine," he scoffed, "watch from the back. If I see you by my table, I'll cut you up next."
Sarah inwardly celebrated her triumph. She quietly walked towards the heart monitor and other machinery.
"Now," Heinrich began, "for the medical record, I am Dr. Klaus Heinrich. I am to perform a full frontal lobotomy of the patient, Charles I. Bartowski. Mr. Bartowski, more covertly known as 'The Intersect', is a very important government asset for the United States of America. His mind holds thousands of highly classified U.S. government secrets, but his 'flashes' are sparse, random, and unpredictably determined by emotion. To become a more efficient 'Intersect', I shall lobotomize the frontal lobe of the patient's brain. This will remove any form of personality from the patient, which will not allow emotions to dictate the actions of the 'Intersect.' When the procedure is complete, I shall perform a test that will determine whether the 'Intersect' is still functional. I would like to note that the operation has considerable risk, but Mr. Bartowski's personality will not survive. I begin the surgery now at 3:28 PM."
Sarah felt herself go pale. They were going to perform a lobotomy on Chuck, that meant no more goofy smile, funny sarcasm, and little mannerisms she had grown to love from her asset.
Dr. Heinrich picked up a shiny metal scalpel from his surgical tray. His hand slowly descended near Chuck's bruised temple.
Suddenly, a loud alarm began to blare throughout the building. Dr. Heinrich dropped the scalpel. All the personnel covered their ears as red lights flashed throughout the operating room.
"What is that!?"
"That's the fire alarm!"
"Do we continue with the procedure?!"
While Sarah was covertly standing at the edge of the room, she had managed to grab hold of the cauterization tool. Walker quietly pressed a pad of gauze against the tool's tip. It didn't take much, just a small spark. The sound would be drowned out by the beeps of heart monitors and other machinery. The gauze helped the spark grow, and soon, smoke started to float near the smoke alarm. Hence, the fire alarm.
"Hurry, collect the patient! Somebody go outside and see what is the cause of all this!" Heinrich bellowed.
Then, Sarah struck. While the medical staff was crouching to the floor, in a panicked disarray, she grabbed a scalpel from the surgical tray and advanced. She floored the two scrub nurses, smacked the co-surgeon's head against the tile, took out the anesthesiologist, and looked down at the cowering Heinrich. He stared up at her with fearful eyes as she removed her surgical mask and twirled her knife in her fingers.
"Please, please!" he stammered, "I-I know very capable people, they can pay you!"
"I don't want your money," she spat, "I just want Chuck."
With that, she twirled with a hefty roundhouse kick and her shoe collided with Dr. Heinrich's cheek and temple. He went flying to the floor, unmoving.
"Chuck!" Sarah dropped the scalpel, and rushed to the operating table, "Chuck, are you alright?"
He was still unconscious from the anesthesia.
"Chuck, come on, wake up!" she shook his shoulders, very aware of the alarms blaring throughout the building.
With the fire alarm, the security would be patrolling the entire building now and would abandon Casey. That put her and Chuck in more danger.
Sarah ran towards the medical cart and saw a large assortment of medicines, pills, ointments, and more. From past experience, she remembered that Flumenzil was a good counteragent to a sedative. She scoured the racks and saw the bottle. Sarah reached for a syringe and pulled back the plunger. Once the syringe was full, Sarah ran back to Chuck and stuck it in his IV. The medicine flowed through the the tube and into Chuck's body.
Sarah stood by his side, motionless, unbreathing. Within seconds, Chuck gasped awake. To Sarah, it felt like hours. He flew to a sitting position, the medicine taking hold in full effect. He looked wildly around the room then grimaced in pain when the motion of his head disturbed his injury.
"Chuck, Chuck!" she tried to grab his attention. He was moaning and mumbling something to himself. His eyes were screwed shut and he shook his head back and forth. When she realized he wasn't listening, Sarah gripped both sides of his face and turned his head to directly face hers. His brown eyes looked deep into her blue eyes. She missed those eyes, that stare, those curls, and that smile.
"Chuck, can you hear me? Are you okay?" she feared the worst. What if he didn't recognize her? What if they altered his brain, and he wasn't her Chuck anymore? It looked like he was concentrating hard on her face. He was absorbing her eyes, her hair, her cheeks, her smile. His pupils were dilated, and he swayed groggily, the anesthesia still clinging to him.
"Please, Chuck," she gasped, "don't you recognize me…?"
He blinked a few more times then looked at her again. This time his eyes lit up and his lips stretched into a smile.
"S-Sarah?"
Her heart melted with relief. She smiled and laughed and pulled him in for a hug. His hands wrapped around her as well, as he hugged her tightly. His chest heaved with relief and she heard him whisper quietly to himself.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…"
"You're safe now," she rubbed his back, "Casey and I are going to get you out of here, okay? Can you stand?"
"Yeah, yeah, I think so," he nodded shakily as they pulled apart. Chuck used Sarah for support as he pushed himself off the bed. His legs felt like jelly underneath him, but he was able to right himself after a few wobbly seconds.
"Come on," Sarah walked them to the door. Chuck was much taller than her, and most of his weight was pressed against her body, "I've got an escape route. Casey is going to have to meet us up there. He's got a helicopter on its way."
"Good," Chuck nodded, "it wouldn't be Casey without a huge rescue in a dramatic fashion."
She laughed in relief, happy Chuck was still cracking jokes. That was a good could never kill that within him. But, she knew it might not last. Right now, the adrenaline was just kicking in. When that wore off, who knew what Chuck Bartowski would emerge as...
"Look, the medicine I gave you is going to wear off soon, okay?" she informed him, "after that, you're going to be very tired, but we just have to make it to the roof. After that, we're home free, you can sleep, and we'll get you home. Trust me."
"I've never stopped trusting you, Sarah," he breathed in her ear. She felt her skin tingle as his breath made her hair tickle her cheek, "if anyone can do it, you can, I believe in you."
"Good," she braced herself, "we're going to jump out in 5….4….3….2….1!"
Sarah plowed through the double doors, Chuck lagging slightly He tried his hardest to keep up, but his legs were still trying to orientate themselves. The hallway was deserted now, but the floor was strewn with papers and fallen medical carts. Red lights flashed throughout the corridor and the alarms increased in volume.
Chuck held his head in pain and he sank to his knees. The sound of the alarms was making his head throb, irritating the wound to his temple and forehead.
"Come on, Chuck, I know it hurts, but we have to keep moving! The route is just down the hall!" Sarah tugged at his arm, "I'm sorry, I want to help you, but this is the only way!"
Chuck stayed down for a few more seconds, then looked at her with determination in his eyes. He staggered to his feet and ran after Sarah. Down the hall was the doorway that led to the roof.
"BARTOWSKI!"
Chuck screeched to a stop, eyes wide with fear. Sarah stopped too, wondering what was wrong. She looked down the hall, and her mouth dropped. A tall, built man in heavy black gear was prying open the elevator doors with his bare hands. He had a malicious glint in his eyes, and an evil smile on his face.
"Oh no," Chuck whispered to himself, still frozen in place.
"I'M COMING FOR YOU!"
Sarah didn't take that as a good sign. She grabbed Chuck's arm and went sprinting down the hall. Chuck was forced to behind her. Sarah recognized the man, that was ex-CIA agent Seeley Jones; she recalled his features from the file Beckman showed them yesterday morning.
"Sarah, he's gaining on us!" Chuck panted. His handler warned him that his medicine would be wearing off soon, and indeed she was right. All of this chasing and running was making his body burn the medicine off quicker. His eyelids started to feel heavy, and he felt the hallway teeter beneath him.
Seeley Jones, however, was a lethally trained, full-strength warrior ready to tear Chuck apart. Sarah knew it was difficult for Chuck to continue. She ran behind him, pushing him forward slightly, then kicking and throwing objects towards Jones. He dodged, hopped, and pressed forward, maybe a 1,000 feet away.
"There's the door, Chuck!" Sarah stared dead ahead, "I'll stall him, you just get to the roof!"
He nodded in understanding and slid to a stop by the door. He fell to his knees but turned the knob. The door opened and a flight of stairs went up to another door with daylight peeking underneath it. That was the entrance to the roof.
Meanwhile, Sarah stood her ground. She planted her foot on the ground directly in front of Chuck, protecting him from the murderous ex-agent closing in. She reached to her belt and pulled out four throwing knives. Sarah twirled them between her fingers, aimed, and let go. The dagger went sailing through the air, straight to Jones.
He saw the first one coming and slid to the floor. The knife went sailing overhead. Sarah then pulled her arm back and launched the next one through the air. It was aimed lower.
Seely went careening to the left, and the dagger missed its mark.
Sarah grunted with frustration and looked behind her for a quick second. Chuck was stumbling up the stairs towards the door to the roof. Sarah released her third dagger. Jones winked at her before sliding to the floor again, but this time, Sarah was ready. She threw the fourth one in rapid succession, aimed towards the floor. Seeley's sliding body wasn't able to prepare for that knife, as it sunk itself deep into his thigh. He yelled in shock and pain and tumbled slightly.
Good, that slowed him down a bit. Sarah ran up the stairs, closing the door behind her. She pulled her leg back and started kicking at the doorknob, until it went flying off the doorframe. A little bit of hope surged within her, they were going to pull this off. Taking the steps two at a time, Sarah caught up with Chuck who was just a few steps from the top. He as clearly struggling. His forehead dripped with sweat as he crawled up the steps. Sarah knew his medicine was fading; she draped his arm over her shoulder and pulled him up the rest of the way.
The loud sound of wood cracking echoed below. Sarah turned around in shock as a large, wide fissure split into the wooden door. Seeley's face poked through like it was a scene from a horror movie.
Sarah reached for the door in front of her that would lead to the roof. She pulled against the knob, but it wouldn't budge. With a groan of frustration, she remembered that the rusted door was also difficult to open on her way in.
Meanwhile, Chuck went limp on the floor by her feet.
"Chuck!" she shouted, "Stay with me Chuck!"
He moaned lightly, the only indication he was alive.
Sarah began to ram at the door with her shoulder. The metal slowly screeched against the floor, opening inch by inch. Seeley fit a hand through the large crack, started to forcibly climb his way through.
"Come on, Chuck!" he growled maniacally, "I only want what's best for you!"
Sarah felt herself burn with anger. She wanted to go down there, punch him, hurt him, but Chuck was her main priority.
Already, the sound of helicopter blades started to sound nearby.
With one last heave, Agent Walker went tumbling out onto the roof. When she looked back at the door, she realized she tore it off its hinges. Chuck stirred when the bright light of day hit his eyes. He lifted his head and shook off his exhaustion, regaining some strength.
Sarah helped him to his feet.
The helicopter was lowering itself onto the rooftop.
Chuck shielded his eyes from the sun, but was laughing with relief.
The mission was over, they had rescued Chuck-
Chuck felt something tug him backward, and somebody disappear from his left side. He looked, but Sarah was gone. He suddenly felt cold, exposed, as dread filled inside of him. Chuck turned around to see Seeley Jones with Sarah Walker in a headlock. His elbow was crushing her windpipe, and she tried to fight under his grip. Jones pressed the bloody knife from his thigh right under her chin, ready to slash it upwards and kill her.
All of his exhaustion disappeared. Chuck felt anger and defiance rage inside of him.
"NO!" he shouted, "Let her go!"
"Nice plaything you got here, Chuck!" Seeley laughed with crazy glee, "I just might have to keep her for myself!"
"Chuck…." Sarah choked out, "go…."
"I am not leaving you!" he yelled with desperation, "Jones, stop it! You want me, take me!"
"No-" Sarah shouted, but was cut off when Jones' elbow continued to cut off her airflow.
"I've had enough of your little tricks and games, Bartowski!" spit flew from Seeley's mouth like a wild dog, "now, that I've got your attention, let's have a little fun!"
Chuck gulped, eyes only on Sarah. Her face was turning purple, as she continued to struggle under his massive grip.
"Walk to the ledge over there."
"What?" Chuck's voice sounded small.
"Go to the ledge!"
Chuck flinched slightly, but slowly began to walk towards the roof's edge. Seeley walked forward, Sarah's legs dragging with him.
"Chuck-" she tried to call out again, but coughed and gagged instead.
"Sarah!" Chuck felt his heart tear.
"STAND ON THE LEDGE, CHUCK!"
He took a wavering step forward, but managed to right himself on the small ledge of the rooftop. He tried not to look down at the street below, but his stomach turned with nausea.
"If we can't have the Intersect, then neither can you or the CIA!" Jones bellowed, "They turned on me, they used me!"
"Then they must've had good reason!" Chuck's voice trembled with fear, "Look at what you're doing now, Jones, you think it's such a surprise that the CIA turned you away!"
"There's no excuses!" he yelled back, "You jump, or she dies!"
Sarah couldn't talk, but she frantically shook her head side to side.
"Just let her go, we can talk about this!"
"No more talking! If you haven't jumped on the count of three, I'm going to crush your little lady here to death!"
"Chuck-" Sarah tried to plea.
"ONE!"
Chuck felt a knot tangle itself in his chest, but he turned forward, facing the roof's edge.
"TWO!"
He turned his head around and looked Sarah deep in the eyes. She was crying.
"I love you, Sarah."
"THREE!"
Chuck closed his eyes, bent his knees, and prepared to jump to his death.
Chapter 10 coming soon!