Revelations
By MySoapBox
Chapter 5: An Expensive Commodity
When a few of Charlie's friends showed up at the park to play some volleyball, they said they needed a sixth and invited him to join. Charlie declined at first but Chuck and Sarah insisted that he should play. Charlie promised to only play for a few minutes, but it had almost been a half hour. Sarah didn't mind. She was sure he could use a break to think about everything they had told him. It was a lot for anyone to assimilate in one day.
Charlie was a good player, aggressive but not overly so. Sarah knew that it was his way to put all of himself into everything he did. As if to prove her right, he dove for the ball and ate the grass on the very next play. He reminded her of herself, when she was a rookie in the CIA; she was so eager to do her best that she had thrown herself into her work one hundred and ten percent.
As she watched Sarah noticed a girl on Charlie's team, pretty, but a little young. Sarah could tell that she had a thing for her son. It wasn't obvious at all, but she caught more then one sideways glance sent Charlie's way. She should know, she remembered doing the same thing at one time.
"He's a pretty great kid isn't he?" Chuck said, watching Charlie serve a wild ball into the net. Sarah murmured her agreement.
When the game ended and Charlie returned to where his parents sat, he was glistening with sweat but looked happy.
"Hey Mom, can I have the rest of that?" he asked, pointing to her soda.
She handed it over willingly. He pulled off the top and drank the last of it, crunching on the ice.
"So, who's that girl over there? The one that played on your team?" Sarah asked.
"Who?" Charlie asked looking in the direction that Sarah indicated. "Oh, one of Brian's friends, Katie or Kaitlin or something."
"She's cute," Chuck approved.
Charlie narrowed his eyes appraisingly, "Yeah, I guess she is."
"You should ask her out."
"Da-ha-d" Charlie moaned.
Chuck held up his hands. "Just giving you a little fatherly advice."
"So let's get back to the topic," Charlie said a little too eagerly, "I had just made my grand entrance into the world and you guys were on the run again."
"That's right," Sarah said, "First we had to go through all our undercover protocols." She noticed that Charlie looked confused. "You know, sold our car, changed our appearances, made new IDs, that kind of thing."
"This time I bought this great VW Dasher," Chuck added.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "It was ugly."
"It was great! The perfect car for our growing family; just like the one they used in Starman." Chuck nodded his head towards Sarah, "But you know mom, she doesn't like to drive anything under eight cylinders."
Sarah bumped into him playfully, "Whatever. Can we just get on with it?" Chuck held up his hand to indicate for her to continue.
"I was pretty sure we were being followed, so we tried to keep a low profile as much as we could. One night we found this little stone building…"
"It was a shepherd's hut – the thing stunk," Chuck added.
Sarah nodded her agreement, "but it was empty and dry and I was glad to have a night of not sleeping in the car. That morning, when I walked into town for some supplies, I didn't know I was walking into trouble…"
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The little market was alive with sellers, beggars and street musicians, all clamoring for the buyer's attention. The morning air was full of the smell of fish, roasting meat and human sweat and it turned Sarah's stomach. She glanced down at the basket she was carrying. It was nearly full with fresh fruit, canned goods and a couple of cans of American made baby formula she had paid top price for. She spotted a clothing vender and hoped to find something new that would fit her. When she turned her back towards the crowds to look at the wares, Sarah felt the blunt nub of a gun in her lower back. She froze.
"Let's go for a walk," a male voice growled in her ear. Because she couldn't turn to get a good look at him, when she walked past the stalls of street venders she only could gain a sense of the man at her back. He had an American accent, was about her height, and had a beard and dark glasses. Her eyes darted about, taking in the open-air marketplace as they walked, to see if her assailant had friends.
"The alley to your right," he instructed, poking the gun in her back to remind her exactly why she should obey. She did as she was told; cursing the fact that having given birth only two weeks before, she doubted she could win in a hand-to-hand fight.
Once in the back street she saw it was a dead end. "Put down the basket – slowly – don't turn around." He kept his voice gruff. She did as he said. "Good, now put your hands up on the wall." She saw him step to her right, this was her chance. She couldn't manage much height on a kick, but she was pretty sure she could at least reach the gun. She gritted her teeth and shifted her weight preparing for the attack. "Don't even try it, Sarah," he warned, the voice suddenly clear. She froze in place. "You did always give away your next move."
She knew that voice. "Bryce?" she breathed.
"Keep your hands on the wall." He moved closer, placed his left foot between her legs, and pressed himself slightly against her back. His hands moved up and down her, patting down her shirt and pants. He pulled her gun from her waistband. "Hold still or I will shoot you," he said as he bent down and pulled up her pant leg, deftly releasing the sheath of throwing knives she hid there. "Okay, let's go inside here and have a little talk." Bryce grabbed her right arm, clicked on a handcuff and twisted her wrist painfully behind her back, and then took her other hand and locked it in the cuff. Thus restrained, Bryce pushed her through a door at the end of the alleyway.
In the room, Sarah saw only darkness, until Bryce pulled the chain on a single bulb illuminating what looked like a storage space. He pushed her onto an overturned crate, and then with the gun pointed to her head he secured her feet to a slat with a plastic zip tie. With a second tie he cinched her cuffs to the back of the crate as well. She was in essence, hog tied.
Sarah kept her face a mask. At least it was her and not Chuck, she thought. Chuck should know when she didn't return by their agreed time to put their escape plans into play. Even if she was caught, he and little Charlie would still be free.
"You're losing your touch, Sarah. That was too easy." Bryce removed his sun glasses and looked her over. "I almost didn't recognize you. The short brown hair I've seen, but you've gotten soft. You've gained what, twenty pounds since I saw you last?" he smirked. "Isn't that taking a cover a bit too far?"
Sarah clenched her jaw. Her "softness" was mother natures doing, not hers.
"Not to say the added weight doesn't look good on you," he said looking her over, his eyes lingering a little too long on her chest. It made her feel dirty. "I don't mind a girl with a little shape."
"Shove it, Bryce," she spat and then immediately clamped her mouth shut. He was goading her, and she was falling for it.
Bryce chuckled. "It's good to see you again too, Sarah. It's been too long." He sat down on a box opposite her and twirled his gun between his hands. "So…it seems you've kidnapped the US government's most important security asset; and you've managed to avoid the biggest agency manhunt of all time." Sarah said nothing. "The Director's furious, of course. But I'm not surprised, because I know you're the best. If Sarah Walker doesn't want to be found, she won't be." He smiled again. "Well, at least not until now."
Sarah looked away, not wanting her anger to get the best of her.
"Now, what I don't understand is - why you did it. You were the last person I thought would go rogue."
"I guess you don't know me as well as you thought," she hissed. Damn hormones.
"I guess not. But there is one thing that's troubling me." The cocky edge had left his voice. "Why Fulcrum, Sarah, after all they've done to us?"
Her eyes snapped back to his. "Fulcrum? You think I'm Fulcrum?" She laughed bitterly.
"Aren't you?" he accused. "You two have probably been feeding them information all along."
"Your spy work is sloppy," she answered coolly.
"Don't you even care?" His voice raised a notch. "I thought you wanted to keep Chuck safe. I don't care what they've promised you, you'll never be safe working for them. I should know."
"I'm not sure where you're getting your information Bryce, but you are way off base. I told you, we're not Fulcrum."
He put the gun down on the box next to him. "Well, I didn't expect you to admit it. But I had hoped I could talk some sense into you before I took you in. So where is he, Sarah?" he asked.
She wanted to drag this out and give Chuck as much of a head start as he could get. "Who?"
"Chuck. You remember – likable, tall, dark curly hair. The innocent guy you gave over to Fulcrum; seduced him probably, into going rogue with you." He rose to his feet and pointed the gun to her chest "And now you are going to tell me where he is."
"Don't you know?" she taunted. "You're the spy."
Bryce gritted his teeth. "I lost you guys in the dark last night. But I gambled that you would need supplies, so I hid out in town. And I was right."
"Why not just follow me back to Chuck?"
"You're too good to be followed on foot. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you first. After all that we've...been through, I thought I deserved some answers."
"You've got them."
"I've got crap, Sarah."
"I gave you the answer. I'm not Fulcrum, Bryce." She looked him in the eye, willing him to believe her.
"Now that's interesting, Sarah, because I doubted it myself at first. That was until I saw your little friends in town today - now you can't tell me that was just a coincidence."
Sarah's breath caught in her chest. "You saw Fulcrum agents in Los Lindas? Today?"
"Don't act so surprised. Now where's Chuck?"
Sarah thought of Chuck and Charlie resting in the empty shepherd's hut where they had spent the night. Just because Bryce didn't know where Chuck was, didn't mean that Fulcrum didn't. She had left her husband and child in danger.
"Oh my God - Chuck."
"Where is he?"
"You have to let me go. Now!" She yanked on her restraints but they held her fast.
"Now why would I do that?
"Because we haven't seen Fulcrum in a year and the day you show up, they show up too. You led Fulcrum right to us!"
"Calm down. If you're not Fulcrum, why did you run?"
"It was the only way to protect Chuck."
"Isn't that what you were doing in LA?"
"Not from Fulcrum, from the NSA, they ordered Chuck's death."
"The NSA? When they called me in they said they had intel that Fulcrum had gotten the Intersect."
"You know me better then that, Bryce. You know I would never betray my country." Bryce looked at her skeptically. She knew that exposing the true nature of her feelings might give Bryce an advantage. "I'm protecting a citizen from an unconstitutional execution."
Bryce smirked. "That's quite a line, Sarah, have you been practicing that one?"
"Bryce, I'd be happy to discuss patriotism with you later but right now Fulcrum is out there and Chuck is in danger." She sat up as straight as she could and narrowed her eyes. "Let me go Bryce. Now!"
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"He let you go just like that?" Charlie asked.
"Not exactly. I agreed to take him to your dad. It was a gamble, I knew. But if your dad followed the plan he should have been gone by then. If not, I figured between your father and I we could take him."
"When your mom didn't come back on time I started to get nervous. You were sleeping so I loaded you into the car seat. Just as I was loading the last of our things in the Dasher, I heard something. You mom and I had a signal we gave out to one another so when I didn't hear the signal I hid."
"When Bryce and I came up to the hut I saw the car was still there, parked behind the hut, so either your dad had been taken by Fulcrum or we were about to have to fight Bryce."
"So which was it?" Charlie asked.
Chuck leaned forward. "Neither, your old man still had a few tricks left up his sleeve..."
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From where Chuck was standing, behing the wall of the dilapidated stone building, he could see that that Sarah was handcuffed; a man had one hand on her cuffs and one hand on a gun to her back. Chuck stuck his head around the wall and took aim with a rifle.
He clicked back the action. "Hold it right there," he shouted
The man and Sarah stopped. "Hello Chuck," Bryce called out, "It's been a long time."
Could it be? "Bryce?" Put temporarily off tilt by his old friend's appearance, Chuck quickly tried to refocus. "What are you doing here?"
"I came here to get you, buddy. There's a lot of people worried about you, Chuck."
"Oh, I bet," Chuck scoffed. "People who want to help me, like you did? You all want me dead."
"That's not true; we just want the Intersect back." Bryce pushed Sarah forward.
"I said stop right there, Bryce, or I'll kill you." Chuck's voice was deadly serious.
Bryce laughed. "You won't shoot me, Chuck. Don't forget, I know you," he said casually.
Chuck took aim and squeezed off a shot. True to target the shot sent dust up right at Bryce's feet. It was all the distraction Sarah needed; she spun and kicked the gun from Bryce's hand. Chuck rushed forward and pointed the rifle at his old friend. "Don't test me Bryce; don't forget, I know you too, so I've been practicing."
Chuck's dark gaze must have been convincing enough because Bryce raised his hands in the air.
"Let Sarah go," Chuck ordered. Bryce reluctantly unlocked Sarah's handcuffs. Sarah quickly picked up Bryce's dropped weapon.
"Is the package secured?" she asked Chuck, her eyes anxious.
"Yes, the package is secured in the car."
Sarah nodded.
Chuck looked back to Bryce. "Now why don't we all have a little talk. I'm sure you have a lot of questions."
But before Bryce could respond, Chuck heard a loud pop and was knocked off his feet. At first he thought he had been hit by a car, because of the force at which his legs flew out from under him. Everything went into slow motion, the look on Bryce's face, and Sarah raising her gun. As he impacted the ground it felt as if a bomb had exploded in his leg and everything went blurry.
"Chuck!" He felt Sarah at his side.
"Get to cover!" Bryce yelled, and Chuck felt himself get dragged. He looked down to see his shoes making marks in the dirt and was relieved to see his leg still attached. Second and third shots rang out and glanced off the stone wall.
Chuck's leg felt like it was on fire. Sarah started to cut through Chuck's pants with a knife.
Bryce slammed the door shut. "Who the hell are they?"
"Fulcrum! Who do you think?" Sarah yelled. She took a look at the wound and then turned his leg painfully. "It went clear through, you're lucky."
"Lucky? I don't feel lucky," Chuck croaked.
Bryce covered his head as another shot shattered part of the window. "Fulcrum? Why would they be shooting at you?"
Sarah growled, frustration oozing from her voice. "You are so pig-headed sometimes. I told you, we are not Fulcrum! Chuck is wanted dead by the US government – it is them we are running from."
Bryce's eyes widened. The reality of the situation had finally sunk in. "Well, give me a gun then."
Sarah looked at him with a skeptical expression. Bryce reached out his empty hand, in gesture towards her. Another shot ricocheted off the stones and she immediately covered Chuck with her own body, causing Chuck to moan, as she jostled his leg. He saw her eyes flick down to his bleeding leg and then up to the back wall. On the other side of that wall was their son. She closed her eyes momentarily and then passed her gun into Bryce's waiting hand.
He smiled at her, a cocky half smile, and then he turned to the window and squeezed off a shot. Chuck watched as Sarah took the cloth from his pants and wrapped it around his wound, pulling it tight.
"That will slow down the bleeding," she assured him.
As Chuck's head cleared he could only think of one thing. "Sarah, we have to get to the car."
"I know. Luckily the car is behind us. It isn't in the cross fire."
"But still…"
"I know. Safety of the package is our top priority." She glanced quickly around the room. "Chuck, are you okay to lay down some cover fire?"
Chuck felt like he was going to faint, but gritted his teeth. "Yeah, totally."
Sarah handed him the rifle. "Then do it. I'll get to the car and get the package. The rest of our weapons are there?"
Chuck nodded.
"That's our best bet then," she said.
As she turned to go Chuck grabbed her shirt front and pulled her close to him. He whispered thickly in her ear, "Sarah, I want you to take Charlie and go. Drive away! I'll be okay."
Sarah pulled back and looked at him with serious eyes. "You know I can't do that. We're in this together. That was our deal.
"Bryce!" Sarah called out over the gun fire. "I have to get to the car. You and Chuck lay down cover for me."
Bryce turned to look at her. "What in the car could be so important?! That's a suicide mission!"
"How much ammo you got?" she asked.
Bryce looked. "About half a clip."
"We've got a whole arsenal in the car, I just have to get to it. I'll be back."
Bryce yanked her by the arm. "I'll go," he said.
"No," she said adamantly. "You have to stay here and protect Chuck. Remember, he is an invaluable government asset." They stared at each other for a moment and when Sarah didn't back down Bryce's shoulders slumped slightly.
"Then take this." Bryce pulled his t-shirt over his head revealing a lightweight Kevlar vest. He pulled off the vest and handed it to Sarah.
"Thanks." She took a second to put on the vest. She held up her fingers as a countdown and Chuck and Bryce took positions, Bryce at the door, Chuck at the window. When Sarah reached one, Bryce pulled the door open and took a few shots, Chuck fired out the window and Sarah disappeared out the door.
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"You ran out into gunfire to save me?" Charlie asked reverently.
Sarah smiled shyly, "You're my baby, I'd do anything for you."
Charlie's face turned up into a goofy grin and Sarah suddenly found a wrinkle in her shirt that she tried to smooth.
"So meanwhile," Chuck went on, "your dad was bleeding, holed up in a stinky stone hut, shooting at bad men hiding in the trees who were trying to kill him."
"Yeah, Dad, cool," Charlie said, turning his smile towards him. "So did you get them?"
"Bryce got one. We heard him scream and fall; but we lost the other one. Your mom ended up taking him out."
Chuck had chosen to skim over that last part and Sarah didn't feeling like expounding. Charlie didn't need to know every detail. But she remembered every person she had ever had to kill. She could see every face with perfect clarity…
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When Sarah made it to the back side of the hut without being shot she was relieved. She crouched low, pressing her back against the rough stones. She could hear little Charlie's pitiful cries now though the open windows of the Dasher and it made her ach even more with worry. As she stealthily made her way around to the side of the car, what she saw made her heart skip a beat. A man, the Fulcrum agent, was crouching there with the car door open, his gun pointed inside the car. She could only guess that he had heard the crying and had circled around to investigate.
"Come here little junior," she heard the man say in a sing song voice. "Come to Uncle Pedro."
She saw him reach his arms out to take up the baby seat and something inside her snapped. Like a lioness protecting her cub she leapt forward and tackled the man before he reached the baby. The impact sent the man's gun flying across the dirt and they scuffled. Sarah turned her elbows and struck the man hard across the face. He wriggled in pain and Sarah launched herself across the turf to reach the gun. He had her by the legs but she was still able to snatch up the weapon with just the tips of her fingers. She immediately pointed it at the man and fired. The first shot hit him in the head, the second in the chest. Scrambling to her feet, Sarah stood over him and continued firing. Her heart was racing wildly, her hands trembled and somewhere in her hazy mind she could hear the click, click, click of the empty cartridge, as she pulled the trigger again and again.
She felt a gentle hand cover hers and pull the weapon from her hands. Bryce spoke, just a bit louder then a whisper, "I think you got him." She lowered her hands and wiped them on the front of her vest. Turning without a second look at the body of the Fulcrum agent she stepped toward the car. Chuck was there, leaning heavily against it, he was scooping up their special "package" into his arms. The infant quieted immediately. He held out the baby to Sarah, but she declined. She couldn't hold him just yet - she had to wash her hands first.
"What do we have here?" Bryce asked curiously.
Chuck spoke without looking up from the baby's face. "Bryce, I want you to meet Charlie – our son."
Bryce quickly looked at Sarah, and then back to Chuck. "Your son?!"
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Shaking the images from her mind, Sarah refocused on what Chuck was saying. "…and then Bryce agreed to tell the CIA it was a false lead."
"And did you believe him? Did he keep his word?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah, I believed him," Sarah said.
Chuck looked at her incredulously. "Sarah, you cold-cocked the guy!"
Sarah kept her face straight but her eyes twinkled. "I said that I believed him, not that I trusted him."
Charlie furrowed his brow. "What's the difference?"
Sarah sighed. "Trust is an expensive commodity in the spy word that you can't afford. You can believe that people are on your side, that they are looking out for you, but the truth is that you can never know for sure."
"So what about in this case? Did this Bryce guy keep his word?" Charlie asked.
"We didn't wait around to find out. That same day we were on the road again." Chuck said.
Charlie frowned. "But you know now, don't you?"
"Yeah," Sarah said wrinkling her nose at Charlie, "but right now you stink." Sarah stood and dusted off her pants, "and I'd like to go out to dinner some time tonight."
Chuck and Charlie stood and the two men followed Sarah towards the parking lot. Chuck slapped Charlie on the back. "Don't worry, Charlie," he said in his ear, "it's all part of the next story."
As always, special thanks to my beta Sharpasamarble, for his unfailing good advice. Also, thanks to everyone who has taken time to read and review. The people in this community are truly a pleasure to associate with.