Chapter 6 – Touched
A/N: This chapter contains some language.
Chuck passed through the sliding doors of the Buy More and stopped, taking in the eerie lack of customers and the oppressive feel of the store. It had, in no small part, something to do with the extensive number of obvious cameras that had been installed, as well as the enormous posters plastered to the walls, most of them depicting Emmett with a condescending expression on his face and bold lettering denouncing such things as 'Welcome to Buymoria, Freedom is Slavery,' 'Work is Unevil' and 'Big Brother is Watching: Don't even Crimethink about shoplifting.'
Chuck's attention was drawn to the sound of a poster being torn down, and saw Emmett taking one off the wall that was showing the Assistant Manager promoting the Buy More Junior Anti-sex League.
"Bartowski," Emmett snarled as he stormed over to the gaping Chuck. "I suspect this was your doing."
"Me? I was in Washington."
"Washington," Emmett's eyes lit up, seeing an opportunity to write up the troublesome thoughtcrimin- employee. "Surely we didn't have an install in Washington?"
"No," Chuck said with a smile, a feeling of pride and profound relief flooding him at the words he was about to speak. "An interview. I'm getting a job with the F.B.I."
Emmett blinked in shock and Chuck noticed Jeff's head pop up from behind one of the displays, look at Chuck in fear and then suddenly disappear again.
"The Federal Bureau of Investigations?"
"Is there another F.B.I. I don't know of?"
"Careful Bartowski, I'll-"
"Do what," Chuck interrupted; finally glad he could speak his mind. "I'm quitting."
Emmett stood there sputtering as Chuck turned and headed to the lockers to get his personal belongings, passing by the poster of Emmett shaking hands with a forlorn, malnourished boy. Smaller photos surrounding them showed children in chains, digging in the mud, or picking up rocks with their stained, bleeding fingers. Underneath, large colorful lettering advertised the 'Buymoria Joycamp, Sign Up Now!'
He smiled on finding the majority of the Buy More crew, lounging in the breakroom and enjoying the freedom of the Brotherhood.
"Bad news, buddy," Chuck said, opening his locker. "I'm leaving the Buy More."
"Alright, X-Box tournament in the morning," Morgan replied with a satisfied grin.
"No," Chuck continued, grinning widely. "I'm quitting. The Buy More is no more."
"What? You can't quit! We're staging a revolution here! We can't go up against Big Emmett without our glorious leader to lead the charge!"
Chuck smiled and laid a hand on his panicky, bearded friend.
"Morgan, I didn't do all this. You did. The revolution is in good hands, buddy. Viva la resistance," Chuck said as he emptied his locker, the Brotherhood gathering around their leader for the next phase in the plan.
Chuck stepped out of the Buy More with a bit of a spring in his step, having forever left the mines of Buymoria. He smiled as he looked out at the clearish sky, only a hint of smog marring his perception of the beautiful day. Though, with a little bit of imagination, he could picture the smog as being low-lying clouds and-
"Wipe the stupid grin off your face, Bartowski," Casey groused as he headed towards the store. "Walker give you a happy?"
"As a matter of fact, Casey, she did," Chuck said and smiled at his handler, determined to not let the perennially grumpy assassin cum retail salesman spoil this moment. He'd just quit the Buy More. There was nothing that could ruin his day. Casey just grunted and stepped into the Buy More to give his own notice.
Emmett glanced over at the towering figure of John Casey, who was looking around the store with an aloof gaze.
"Hmph. Insurgents."
Emmett's eyes lit up with the anticipation of 'duty reallocation.'
"Casey, we've had a group of vagrant… insurgents come into the Buy More and vandalize the store. Clean it up," he ordered with a smirk and turned to hunt down his errant employees.
Casey opened his mouth to speak, looked at the posters and grunted. He then got to work taking down the posters as ordered.
Sarah smiled as Chuck entered the Orange Orange, a grin on his face like she'd never seen. And she'd seen quite a few heart-warming smiles from him.
"Hey Chuck. You quit?"
"Yes," he said enthusiastically, leaning against the counter as she cleaned up from the latest round of teenage boys coming in to take her picture. "I am so glad to be out of there. Thank you again."
"I didn't really do anything, Chuck," she said, smiling up at him as she wiped down the counter. "You're the one with the skill set they need.
"You aren't just being given the job. You earned it," she said, fudging the details a little.
"Yeah… but I wouldn't have even considered applying for that position… before you. So thanks," he said and they drifted into a stilted silence.
"So… you're going to be training with Casey," Sarah said, trying to steer the conversation towards more familiar territory. "Good luck with that."
"Thanks for reminding me," Chuck good-naturedly grumbled while rolling his eyes. "I can't imagine him being a patient tutor."
"You'll do fine," she said, laying a hand on his arm comfortingly.
"So… how about a celebratory dinner tonight," Chuck asked a little nervously, his hands in his pockets to hide the sweatiness. "You, me, maybe an olive-free pizza?"
"You had me until pizza," Sarah replied while shutting down the cash register for the day, finding it easy to slip back into their playful banter.
"Okay… Subway?"
"Try again."
"Ooh… Sbarro?"
"Oooh… no."
They shared a smile for a moment and Chuck picked up a broom to start sweeping.
"Okay, last offer. Casa Bartowski. Dinner for two. My famous chick-en pep-per-oni," Chuck drew out in a sing-song way, making Sarah laugh.
"Okay. You're on," Sarah returned with a grin, wrapping her fingers around his tie. Chuck's eyes widened as she then pulled him to her for a kiss, standing on her toes to touch her lips to his and making Chuck fearful that they'd tip over as he leaned into her. The kiss was broken by the sound of the doorbell.
"Ah man! I told you she had a boyfriend," they heard from the door, eliciting a bashful smile from said boyfriend.
"See you tonight," Sarah whispered and he gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Sorry boys, we're closed."
"Tonight," Chuck replied, following in the footsteps of the crestfallen teens, knowing fully the disappointment they were feeling and savoring the rush of pure joy that everything he had wanted for so long was possible.
"Look at it this way, fellas," Chuck said, drawing the attention of the two boys for a moment. "If it could happen to a guy like me, it can happen for you."
"Thanks. Real inspiring," the less pimply boy groused and Chuck just shook his head ruefully, looking to see if he could catch a bus home.
Laszlo pulled the t-shirt over his head and smiled at Vincent.
"Thanks again for busting me out of there. Prison food? Please. I'd rather eat horse feces. Again."
"Charming," Vincent dead-panned, handing a folder to the Ring's newest asset. "Now your part of the deal. Tell me everything you know about Charles Carmichael."
Chuck got half way to the bus stop when he heard a sharp whistle from the Buy More
"Where you think you're going, numbnuts," Casey snarled, dragging Chuck back to the Orange Orange. Ignoring the asset's objections, Casey pushed Chuck towards the back, a bundle of posters under his other arm.
"You ready?"
"Now? I was thinking I could warm up with some yoga. Maybe some-"
"Can it, Bartowski. For the next two weeks, you're not an asset and I'm not your handler. I'm your drill instructor, Major Casey."
Chuck looked at Sarah imploringly as Casey herded him towards the cooler.
"Sarah? Help?"
"Sorry Chuck," she returned with a sympathetic smile. "My hands are tied."
"From now on, you will speak only when spoken to," Casey smirked, loving every minute of this. "The first and last word out of your filthy sewer will be 'Sir.' Do you understand, maggot?"
"Okay Gunnery Sergeant Casey, I think you can let up on the-"
"I can't hear you, maggot! Sound off like you got a pair! Do you understand that?"
"Sir, yes sir," Chuck grumbled as he entered Castle, needing to grab the railing as Casey gave him another rough push.
"Good. Bartowski, when you leave this facility, you'll be ready for anything the Federal Bureau of Ineptitude can throw at you. You'll be the best agent I can make you. But until that day, you're puke. You are the lowest form of life on Earth. You're not even a human, fucking being. You will not like me-"
"Imagine that," Chuck muttered under his breath.
"But the more you hate me, the more you will learn. I am hard but I am fair. My orders are to make you into the man the Powers That Be know you can become. I'm going to make you better."
Chuck stopped and turned to look at Casey with a look of something approaching understanding as they got to the bottom of the stairs, understanding touched with a modicum of respect.
"You have much to learn, grasshopper," Casey said with an eager smile. "Let's get started."
After her shift, Sarah came down to check on Chuck and make sure he was still in one piece. Her brows furrowed as she looked up to the wall next to the monitor they received briefings on and saw a large poster depicting a larger than life Emmett Millbarge looking down on the viewer haughtily. He was standing on a pile of Buy More employees and in bold type at the top the poster read BIG EMMETT IS WATCHING YOU.
Smiling, she entered the dojo to find Casey and Chuck in sweats and t-shirts, facing off on the mat.
"Take a breath, Bartowski. Don't think of your opponent as someone larger, stronger than you. He's the guy between you, and what you want," Casey said as they danced around the mat. Chuck's gaze met Sarah's as he stood across the room.
Chuck's eyes fluttered and Casey looked at him suspiciously, recognizing the tell-tale signs of a flash. Chuck smiled and threw a punch at Casey's head, which was easily deflected, but he followed up the feint with a kidney punch. Casey stepped back with a grunt of surprise as his asset smiled triumphantly.
"Uh-huh! How you like me now, sucka," Chuck smarmed as Casey circled him and Sarah swallowed nervously. She continued watching with her nerves on edge as Casey put Chuck through numerous physical tests. It didn't take long for her to notice that Casey wasn't just training Chuck to pass the exams, he was now putting the pieces together and was paying close attention to their asset, watching to see when he flashed.
As Chuck went to the showers to clean up, Casey took off his gloves, catching Sarah's attention before she could leave the room.
"What do you supposed Fulcrum put in Bartowski's head?"
"What?"
"At Meadow Branch," he continued, looking at her keenly, as he forehead off his neck with a towel. "What did they do to him?"
Sarah opened her mouth to utter a denial, then sighed in defeat.
"I don't know."
"He's not just spitting out information now, Walker," Casey replied, his tone and expression softening as he held the towel in his hands, seemingly unsure what to do with it. "He's flashing on bombs, martial arts, weapons. We need to report this."
"It's Chuck," Sarah all but plead. "He's no threat to national security."
Casey's jaw tensed as he suppressed his initial biting remark, a gesture that wasn't lost on Sarah. She didn't know exactly when it happened, but at some point Chuck had found a chink in Stonewall Casey. Chuck had shown there was actually a human being inside.
"Give me a month," Sarah said, sensing this was the out Casey was looking for. "One month. If we can't figure this out, the three of us, then… Beckman decides what to do with him."
Casey glanced over to the gear and started to toss the towel before looking at her again and putting it over his shoulder. He didn't give a response, but Sarah didn't expect one. As always, his actions spoke louder than his words.
…. Touched,
…. You say that I am too,
…. So much,
…. Of what you say is true,
Chuck quietly hummed along to the song as he danced around the kitchen, putting vegetables in a pot to cook while the chicken pepperoni was heated in the oven.
…. I'll never find someone quite like you,
…. Again,
…. I'll never find someone quite like you,
…. Like you,
Vincent looked at the address in Echo Park he'd discovered for one Eleanor Faye Bartowski. A relatively unassuming place and not one that he expected to find one Charles Carmichael in, but that was probably the point. From the apartment near the back, he could hear music drifting in through the partially open window.
…. The razors and the dying roses,
…. Plead I don't leave you alone,
…. The demi-gods and hungry ghosts,
…. God, god knows I'm not at home,
Chuck picked up a spoon and pretended it was a microphone he was singing into as he turned up the heat on the stovetop.
"I'll never find someone quite like you, again. I'll never find someone quite like you, again," he sang along with the song, not caring that he didn't quite hold the tune.
Vincent snuck up to the Morgan door and checked it for alarms. Finding none, he studied it uneasily.
"It can't be that simple."
Pulling out a set of tools, he thoroughly searched the frame for hidden sensors, laser detectors, anything more advanced than a simple lock. Finding none, he shook his head and slid the window open, finding it didn't even have a lock. Slipping into the room, Vincent looked around at the toys, the strewn clothes and the movie posters, then checking the address again, ignoring the obvious presence of someone in the house for the moment.
"Charles Carmichael, scourge of FULCRUM, lives… here?"
Chuck opened the oven to check on his meal and when he turned back around, nearly jumped out of his skin to find someone standing there. Someone that seemed unusually, eerily pleased to see him.
"Excuse me," Vincent said, holding up a playing card. "Do you know what this is?"
…. I looked into your eyes and
…. Saw a world that does not exist,
…. I looked into your eyes and,
…. Saw a world I wish I was in,
Chuck's eyes rolled as he flashed on the card, red-tinted images of the Industrial Society and Its Future, a schematic of the Ambassador Hotel Embassy Room ballroom, tape number Q042.
Vincent smiled.
"Welcome to the Ring, Agent Carmichael."
When Sarah stopped by the apartment, she was surprised when Chuck didn't immediately open the door. Peeking in the window, her agent senses came alert and she kicked the door open. Smoke was filling the small kitchenette and she quickly put out the burning dinner. A quick search found that Chuck wasn't here, his iPod on the counter and still playing music. The only thing out of place was a single Queen of Hearts playing card on the floor.
…. I'll never find someone quite as touched as you
…. I'll never love someone quite the way that I loved you.
A/N: Sorry it's a short one, but hope you like :) Please read & review