Ch 2 – Wake Up
A/N: Rating for language. The character of Chidi Ahanotu is played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Also, thanks for the reviews. You guys are awesome!
And thanks to Engineerd, Artemay and fAteD lOvE for betaing this monster!
One Month Later….
"Chuck!"
"Bartowski!"
Chuck was removing the motherboard from a customer's laptop that had gotten fried by the Jessica Biel virus. Screws were sticking out between his lips and he looked up as Big Mike marched up to the Nerd Herd desk. From the home theater room, Casey was glowering at him.
"Mmm-hmm?"
"Where's Grimes?"
Chuck dropped the screws into his hand and looked back up at his freakish leader, ignoring the pointed stare from the trained killer not that far away.
"I… saw him here just a minute ago…."
"Don't give me that I saw him just a minute ago crap. Your boy didn't clock in this morning. Find him. Need to have a little sit down," Big Mike said the last in what was almost an ominous way.
"Yes sir," Chuck replied, putting down the screwdriver and picking up his phone as he headed towards Casey. As he headed down the DVD aisle, he was intercepted by the daffy duo.
"Chuck, if we might have a moment of your time," Lester spoke in a tone that he clearly thought was supposed to sound urbane.
"Uh, sure guys," Chuck replied, holding up a finger to Casey to let him know he'd be there in just a minute, predictably receiving a glower in response. "What's up?"
"We wanted to discuss the fraternization policy with you."
"What… fraternization policy?"
"Fraternization with the enemy, Chuck," Lester said patiently. "Let's say, someone, we'll call him… Gee-off, was interested in a certain Large Mart employee. Would this pose a conflict of interest and/or possibly include the charges of treason?"
Jeff was looking at Chuck with a mixture of hope and dread.
"Treason? Guys… how many times have I told you not to come to work drunk?"
"This week," Jeff asked, to which Lester shot him a dirty look.
"We have not partaken of Big Mike's hidden stash," Lester said, then hastily added. "Today."
"No, there's no treason charges," Chuck replied wearily. "There's not even a fraternization policy. Now, if you'll excuse me."
"There's no policy," Jeff asked incredulously, then looked at Lester. "Sweet. Now if we can just find out the name of that display model…."
"One step at a time, my padawan. One step at a time."
"About time," Casey growled as Chuck slipped past him into the darkened room.
"Sorry Casey," Chuck replied, dialing Morgan's number. "Duty calls."
"Damn right it does," Casey spat, snagging the phone. "Your country's calling. Not the Buy More. Meeting in five."
As Chuck and Casey were involved in their hourly pissing match, it gave Sarah a moment to study her asset. There were bags under his eyes and a small scratch on his cheek. Her brows furrowed as Sarah tried to recall on which mission he got hurt. She always made sure to keep track of Chuck's injuries, 'so that they wouldn't cause any problems for future missions.' But the fresh cut was one she hadn't seen.
Chuck flopped down onto the sofa next to her, a long-suffering expression on his face as he glared up at his burly protector.
"What happened," Sarah asked, pulling his attention over to her.
"Oh, Big Mike just asked me to check up on Morgan, since he didn't come in today and when I tried to call, Casey took my phone. I expect that back by the way," he stated loudly, to which Casey grunted. "Ah, number seventeen. Scorn with a hint of amusement."
Sarah smiled briefly before reaching out to touch his cheek.
"No, I meant that. Cut yourself shaving?"
"Oh," Chuck replied with a puzzled look, jerking away and touching his finger to the cut, not noticing the hurt expression that briefly graced her features. "Don't know. I mean, I probably just scratched myself while moving the computers out back."
Sarah was denied a response and she had to suppress her look of concern when the general appeared on screen and Casey tossed the phone back to Chuck as their briefing began.
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"You're late."
"I apologize, ma'am," Vincent replied, blinded by the spotlight, scars fresh on his face that looked like he'd gone a few rounds with a mountain lioness, and, worse of all, surrounded by Elders that were not satisfied with the execution of his duties. "I was delayed."
Vincent Smith had made a career on doing what was deemed improbable, too risky or downright insane. During his time as a Chemical Officer with the United States Army, Vincent developed several reagents that would increase a soldier's resistance to pain, overcome fear and even put a soldier into a death-like state.
Having studied the Aum Shinrikyo attacks in 1995, after graduating from the Special Forces course at Fort Bragg, Vincent was sent to capture Katsu Himura, Shoko Asahara's protégée. Not only did the team have to get through the mass of fanatical followers, but avoid the local law enforcement who were watching the cult. Vincent and his team managed to pull out Himura. They also extracted all the sarin gas that the cult was refining for another attack.
Over the next few years, Vincent became disenfranchised with the resistance he faced when encountering foreign agencies. Most operations had to work around the local Powers That Be and he'd lost more than one man due to a shoot out that could've been avoided. So when Chidi Ahanotu approached him in 2000 with the dream of a world united with orders coming from one single body rather than having multiple governments and agencies with their own agendas, Vincent took it hook, line and sinker.
Mister Ahanotu became Vincent's handler in the Ring, operating out of their European Union division, the Fourth Pillar. Ahanotu and Vincent operated in the members states for a few years before Marduk, Elder of the Fourth Pillar reassigned Vincent to FULCRUM. As usual, Vincent pulled off the impossible.
Then he landed the Carmichael mission. Three weeks ago, Vincent got the call from Artemis.
"Go ahead," Vincent answered his cell phone, watching as Senator John Reilly's drive went into the sandtrap. "Ooh, bad luck pal."
"Tell me about it," Reilly groused as Vincent nodded, taking in his orders.
"Yes ma'am. I'm in Pebble Beach. I can be at Meadow Branch within the hour."
"Gotta run" Reilly asked as Vincent started putting his clubs away.
"Afraid so," Vincent said, pulling out the gun from his bag and attaching the silencer. "Duty calls."
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"Agents, I need to inform you that-"
… Any way you want it
… That's the way you need it
… Any way you want it
Chuck gulped as two pair of annoyed gazes turned on him. While beside him, Sarah tried to suppress a grin.
"Sorry. So sorry. I'll just," Chuck began, knowing from the wrong tone that it was Morgan. "Actually… I do need to take this. Buddy, where are you? Big Mike's been looking."
"At the pier. For a little something called Operation Payback."
"Morgan, you've got to get to work! The big guy's not joking around."
"Can't Chuck! That jerk from the Dance Dance Revolution game came back and issued a challenge. I have to face it! Plus, you still owe me ten dollars," Morgan said the last to someone nearby as Chuck's eyes widened in fear for his friend.
"You mean Lazslo? Lazslo Manhovski is at the pier," Chuck asked, looking up to the General.
"I don't… hey is your name Lazslo," he heard Morgan ask. "Yeah. He says hi."
"Yes," the General answered Chuck's unasked question. "I was just about to inform you that Manhovski has escaped again."
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"After three weeks on this mission, I came to the conclusion that Charles Carmichael must be one of the CIA's most highly placed operatives. I believe only the Intersect would know his true identity and whereabouts," Vincent reported to his superiors.
"From the information I have managed to gather, Agent Carmichael has been responsible for a number of loses that FULCRUM has sustained. I've placed him as being in the West Coast area, possibly Los Angeles, but I don't know where yet.
"Carmichael had a partner when infiltrating the Meadow Branch community. Agent Sarah Walker. My sources were able to identify her as protégé to former Director Arthur Graham. She was also the partner to Bryce Larkin, the Human Intersect. I then began pursuing that avenue. My sources in the CIA were discovered and I had to find a new way in. In my investigations, I learned about Laszlo Manhovski, an asset the CIA had in place for years before he attempted escape. He was then transferred to a secure facility by none other than Agent Walker. I found that he was all too eager to get revenge against the agent and I procured his early release. However… I underestimated his unwillingness to work with us," he said, wincing in pain.
"Manhovski will be dealt with," Svarog answered. As leader of the Ring's Control Service in Russia, he had a vested interest in bringing that particular CIA asset into their fold. With the collapse of the U.S.S.R. almost two decades ago, ex-members of the KGB like Svarog himself had moved into positions of authority in criminal organizations. They brought a business-like mentality to the more traditionally code-of-honor based Vory. While Svarog instituted a great deal of change in the Mafiya, he felt they were still too hidebound, not as ambitious as he was. That was when he discovered the Ring. They were visionaries. They had the means to make real change in the world. What they needed were men like Svarog to give them the drive they needed. What Svarog needed was a man like Manhovski to provide his soldiers with the technology to give them an edge.
"Understood. As it turned out, Mister Manhovski made it very easy to find him again."
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"Chuck, wait," Sarah yelled as her asset started running up the steps, taking them two at a time.
"He's got Morgan," Chuck yelled back as he burst through the door out into the Orange Orange, Sarah hot on his heels. As he entered the store, Sarah grabbed his wrist.
"Chuck, don't-"
A thousand red-tinged images flashing through his field of vision.
Three kanji- ai, ki and do.
Sarah's eyes went wide as she suddenly felt Chuck's fingers on her own wrist and the next thing her mind could comprehend was that she was lying flat on her back, quickly accompanied by the sound of the door opening.
"Chuck," Sarah croaked out as she turned to see him running across the parking lot just as she heard Casey moving towards her.
"What happened," he asked, holding out his hand for her to take. Sarah slapped her palm into his and hoisted herself up.
"Not now," Sarah snapped, dashing out the door and trying to snag the keys in her pocket to override the Nerd Herder as Chuck started to pull away. If Casey noticed her hand trembling as she pulled out the key and tried to stop their boy, he didn't say anything. If he noticed that the redness around her wrist was matching the redness starting to form in her eyes, he didn't bring it up.
"Roger that," was all he said as Chuck's Nerd Herder peeled out onto the street and out of sight.
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They say just before you die, your life flashes before your eyes. As Chuck drove towards the pier, considering the prospect of losing his best friend and possibly his own life as well, their friendship flashed before his eyes.
He remembered walking through the halls in eighth grade and Jimmy "the Dill" Pickle's fondness for tripping Morgan. All the wonderful nicknames- "Oompa-Loompa," "Spanish Smurf," "Organ," and "the Hobbit." Actually, Morgan didn't mind the last one.
He remembered Morgan covering up his face and crotch whenever the girls beat him up. There were long afternoons of Metal Gear and Prince of Persia, terrifying Fourth of July celebrations and pre-Shai-Hulud Halloween costumes.
Mostly he remembered Morgan being there for him when his mom left her family. Then years later, Morgan was there when his dad did the same.
Before he realized it, Chuck was running down the boardwalk towards the arcade. He skidded to a halt as he heard his name being called. Looking over, his eyes widened at seeing an angry, deranged-looking Laszlo standing a step behind his friend. His friend who had a terrified look on his face and a vest of C4 on his chest.
… Somethin' filled up
… my heart with nothin'
… someone told me not to cry.
"Didn't think you'd see me again, did ya Chuck," Laszlo asked, his eyes wide with anticipation.
"No," Chuck croaked, his eyes glued to Morgan, pleading for understanding, pleading for his trust, pleading for a miracle. "J-just let him go. He has nothing to do with this, Laszlo."
"I was free, Chuck," Laszlo snarled. "I was free from them! I thought you were my friend! But you took that from me."
… But now that I'm older
… my heart's colder
… and I can see that it's a lie.
Laszlo cocked his head and looked at the quivering man before him.
"Now I'm going to take that from you."
Chuck didn't look over his shoulder as he heard Sarah and Casey running up behind him. His attention was just briefly drawn to the sounds around him. The music still playing through the arcade's sound system. The other people on the pier, blissfully unaware of the danger around them. Morgan crying with a bomb on his chest, torn away from that innocence by a man bent on revenge.
… Children wake up,
… hold your mistake up,
… before they turn the summer into dust.
"S-Sarah? Casey," Morgan moaned in disbelief, seeing his best friend's girlfriend and his own arch nemesis moving towards them, guns in hand.
… If the children don't grow up,
… our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up.
… We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms turnin' every good thing to rust.
… I guess we'll just have to adjust.
"Let him go, Laszlo," Sarah ordered, glancing over at Chuck as she stepped closer. She had to get Chuck away. If the bomb went off, he was too close. He'd be killed as well. It just made her wonder what Laszlo was waiting for.
"Not going to happen," Laszlo grinned maniacally. "See, because I got this idea from you, Chuck! I know how much you love to play the hero, so here's your chance. I've hidden another bomb in the arcade. Y'know, where all the kids are? Let die your best friend… or suffer the little children.
"So choose," Laszlo cried and pushed the button, starting the clock on Morgan's chest to start counting down from sixty seconds.
… With my lightnin' bolts a glowin'
… I can see where I am goin' to be
… when the reaper he reaches and touches my hand.
Chapter 3 – Under Pressure