Chuck vs. The Cerebral Assassin

First off, I would like to thank you guys who have been expressing their displeasure for Dr. Leslie Burke. It just shows how much each of you are truly getting into the story. I'm sorry to say there won't be much Chuch and Sarh interaction in this particular chapter but maybe in the next one who knows. This chapter is more focused on Manoosh, Dr. Vale, Sarah and Casey, and Chuck. So with that said happy reading folks.

Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the read.

I don't own Chuck but I would like to own a piece of memorabilia.

Choices

XXX

"So Manoosh, how do you like working for Dr. Vale as his assistant?" Chuck asked taking another bit of his sub sandwich. It's the only question that came to mind after he and Karl introduced themselves to the young man. "Is he cool to work with?"

Manoosh takes a moment to wash down the remnants of nacho sampler in his mouth by taking a swig of Gatorade before answering him. "It's okay." he said shrugging his shoulders. "Is he cool to work with? Honestly, cool and Dr. Vale should never be in the same sentence let alone be in the same room." added Manoosh. "He's a bit of a douche."

As he says that, it causes Chuck to nearly spit out all the water he's drinking on to Karl. He just stares at Chuck who has an apologetic looking on his face as he wipes his mouth with the back of hand. Luckily, he got lightly sprayed on his arm to which he takes his napkin and wipes it off his left arm. "If you don't really like it then why bother working for him?" he asked turning his head to face him.

"Despite his uncoolness, I'm helping him with a research project that could not only be considered monumental but very lucrative." he said with an expressive smirk. "We've been working on it for a year and a half now."

"That long huh." replied Chuck with his eyebrows raised. "It must be considered important research for you to stay as Dr. Vale's assistant. It shows a lot of dedication on your part staying up late nights and losing sleep over it." he added.

"You can say that." he said leaning over to stick some nacho sampler into his mouth.

Chuck is impressed that a man quite possibly a couple years younger than him is doing well for himself even though he considers his boss, the aforementioned Dr. Victor Vale, is in his own words uncool. Granted, there is a generation gap between the two men as he's part of the Atari Pac-man era whereas Manoosh is part of the Xbox 360 Call of Duty era.

In addition to that, Dr. Vale seems far more different than his associate Dr. Burke as he's more the all business type of guy who would rather pour himself into his work rather than take time out to go see a movie or go to a concert. To him, they're the proverbial odd couple of sort who on paper have basically nothing in common except essentially accomplishing a shared goal.

"So what do you do when you're not assisting Dr. Vale?" asked Karl. To him, he's a young man with marginally good looks and probably has success with the ladies. "Do you go to clubs and scope out the chicks?" he asked.

"Me? Not my scene." replied Manoosh shaking his head. "I spend my spare time reading comic books. It helps me to relax."

"I don't know about him…" Chuck quickly said pointing at Karl. "…but I'm a comic book reader as well.

"Cool, what do you have?"

"Right now, I'm reading Y, The Last Man." responded Chuck.

"I love that series." replied Manoosh. "Ideally, the story deals extensively with gender issues and technological and scientific advancement taking the place of the so-called "natural order of things." Furthermore, the overall story tries to be as realistic as possible and as often been called by reviews as "thought-provoking" and a "society critique."

Karl glances back and forth at the two men not having any idea what they are talking about. He's a video game guy by heart and understands the challenge of it all but when it comes to comic books it's a whole different story. "What's Y: The Last Man?" he asked turning to both men in order to get an explanation.

"Y: The Last Man is a comic book series by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra published by Vertigo beginning in 2002." said Manoosh. Like Chuck, he knows the series quite well but when it comes to explaining it Karl he tries to nerd it down some so that he can be able to understand it. "The series is about the only man to survive the apparent simultaneous death of every male mammal on Earth" he added.

"And…" added Chuck with his finger in the air. "…the series was published in sixty issues by Vertigo and collected in a series of ten paperback volumes."

"Interesting." replied Karl as he nods his head in acknowledgment of the info he didn't really want to or care to know. What he is more interested in is if Manoosh is a fellow gamer as well like he and Chuck are. No matter what age you are the bond that gamers share is a tight one he thinks to himself. "Do you play video games?"

"Sure do." he quickly spitted out.

"Ah. Now you're talking my language." Karl said with a smile. "What's your poison?" he asked with curiosity.

"Call of Duty." he replied. Manoosh watches as he sees the two men in front of him as if on cue simultaneously turn to their head to face each other. It seemed weird and oddly humorous at the same time as they returned their attention back to him. "Say something fellas, because you're freaking me out in a children of the corn sort of way."

"Sorry about that." Chuck apologetically said. He turns to Karl in order to nonverbally talk with his gamer buddy who simply nods as his response. "Manoosh, we play Call of Duty in the recreation room and we would you like to make our duo a trio." he proposed. The two men sit across from Manoosh like two businessmen trying to close a merger with another video gamer to join their team. It's a small team made of only two people but a team nonetheless and if the smiles on both their faces are any indication of how serious they are then its hopefully a done deal in their mind sealed with a handshake or in this case a fist tap. "So what do you say?"

"I say…" Manoosh pauses as he glances at the two men sitting in front of him. He hasn't had any real down time with fellow gamers like himself since working on the intersect 2.0 with Dr. Vale. Besides, hanging with some fresh new faces would do him some good. "…lets do it."

"Awesome." replied Chuck as he nods at Karl sitting to his right.

Fist taps are exchanged all around and as Karl is about to set up a scheduled time for all three of them to meet in the recreation room Dr. Vale appears at their table. "Mr. Depak, I see you have met Mr. Stone and Mr. Bartowski." Chuck and Karl simply nod at Dr. Vale as he turns his attention back to Manoosh. "Well, finish your lunch and get back to work because the matter we discussed needs to be finalized." he firmly stated walking off.

"You're right..." Chuck said taking the last bite of his sub sandwich as Manoosh and Karl turn to look at him. "…he is a douche." he added with his mouth full.

XXX

Manoosh stands in front of a metal door and reaches over to type in a sequence of numbers on a keypad just off to the side. Once finished the small light turns from red to green leading the door to slide open allowing him to step through. Afterwards, he immediately turns left. As he heads down the row of lights within corridor he's listening to his Ipod bobbing his head to the music that is currently playing.

It's good to get out once in a while rather than being stuck in what he describes as a bunker he thinks to himself. The times he does get out he enjoys sitting on a bench outside, soaking up the sun, and listening to songs he downloaded off of LimeWire. He's solely been in the bunker and hasn't had much time for social interaction except for Dr. Vale, which doesn't really count.

When he encountered Karl and Chuck, he never expected to have something in common with the two of them when it came to Call of Duty for Xbox. For the two of them to even consider him to be a part of their small gamer group was a completely out of the blue and yet felt good to be part of something that didn't involve building something for some mysterious organization.

Although, it was a good to meet two new friends, he felt more connected to Chuck instead of Karl being that he's not just a gamer, but a comic book guy like he is. Manoosh shakes head as he thinks to himself of all the people to sit down at a table with he would be the one that he shares the same interest in regards to the series Y: The Last Man.

Upon reaching his work station that finds him surrounded by a myriad of computer screens, he sits down setting his cooler underneath the table out of sight and before getting to work he cracks his neck so he can feel a bit more relaxed. After doing so, he gets right down to work as he works on completing the modifications of the new architecture that the organization wants according to his boss Dr. Vale.

In the past year and a half, he attempted to reverse-engineer the Intersect from damaged components they stole from the CIA after it was destroyed at the hands of Team Chuck's ally William Jax, which he did not have any knowledge of. His efforts produced a portable prototype that would download into a person's brain and entirely self contained in the device itself.

However, the drawback was it would be the full intersect and the images are considerably grainier and not as clean. It lead to that particular project being scrapped and a much large scale would be produced where a single or a group of individuals would step into an isolated chamber consisting of a single terminal that would be activated by a hand print scanner.

The walls themselves are completely lined with video monitors that, when the system was accessed, the displayed data contained within the computer would cause a massive rush of information. This data would be encoded in seemingly innocuous images, which facilitated subliminal retention when viewed by those receptive to it. It took a while and with the organization's help the hard work has nearly come to fruition.

Manoosh's focus is suddenly interrupted when his ear buds are yanked out of his ears causing him to spin around in his chair. "Hey, what gives!?" he said facing Dr. Vale with a perturbed look on his face.

"What gives Mr. Depak?" he replied. Dr. Vale shakes his head at as he paces back and forth in front of Manoosh. "I don't want any complications to arise because my assistant wasn't 100% focused on the task at hand."

"I am focused doc." Manoosh quickly replies. The MIT dropout expresses a wry smile towards his seemingly cranky boss. "Listening to music helps me to focus and quite frankly it's the only thing that keeps me sane while I'm down here."

"You do realize what we have at stake don't you?" firmly stated Dr. Vale furrowing his eyebrows. "The organization that is paying us doesn't want any screw ups so I expect you to take this very seriously. "

"I know." he replied spinning around in his seat facing the computer screen "You're constantly reminding me and I have it all under control." responded Manoosh.

As he says that, Manoosh feels a firm hand on his right shoulder that spins him around to where he's face to face with Dr. Vale. He leans over looking eye to eye with the young man in attempt to make his point very clear to him. "You better because from what I understand these guys don't play around." he emphatically stated. "The choice is yours."

"Don't worry doc." he answered with a sheepish smile. "It's all good."

There is a momentary pause on Dr. Vale's part as he glares at him and then walks off. The sheepish smile that Manoosh sported slowly falls flat and is replaced by a look of absolute seriousness. he places the ear buds to his Ipod back in ears, turns around, and continues working on the task at hand.

XXX

It's 10:45 p.m. and the two partners spend the better part of 3 hours scouring restaurants, as well as bars on their side of town. Unfortunately, they came up empty resulting in a not so good night for the two agents. The news didn't get any better as she received a call from Cassidy that she and Bryce didn't have much luck on their end but there were many more they haven't visited yet, which would resume the following day.

As the two tired agents, make their way back to Castle, Sarah quietly sits in her seat staring out the window lost in thought. Her thoughts are not of Chuck, but rather of one Dr. Leslie Burke who is currently treating him. In the beginning, she put all her trust in the experienced doctor to help Chuck fully regain his memory to the point where she agreed to certain conditions.

However, there have been several situations where Dr. Burke questions her own actions concerning her bringing him a bag of comic books with a romantic note inside. It was a simple gesture in which she thought something from home would help him feel at ease and quite possibly help him with his memory since he tends to read that particular comic book before bed.

The moment just before she went up the stairs to Chuck's room she asked her if she wanted Chuck to get his memory back she was to her a slap in the face situation of sorts. Why would Dr. Burke even ask that question knowing full well she truly wants him to remember everything. She remembers feeling absolutely agitated as she stood eye to eye with his doctor and as much as she wanted to say what she was thinking she restrained herself from doing so.

The time spent with him that night felt great like they never lost a step just talking with each other to where he pointed out the engagement ring on her finger. It was hard to look Chuck in those big brown beautiful eyes and not express how much she loves him. It was equally as hard to not say his name when she was described the man she's engaged to who was standing mere inches away from her.

When the situation arose in which a conversation concerning the first day they met was a big thing for her and in her mind a step in the right direction. She tried her best to help and thought she did a good job until she received a phone call the next day at work stating she was doing more harm than good. Once again, she had to restrain herself from saying what she wanted to say in her head for Chuck's sake.

In all those situation she chose to do what she thought what was right in her mind and she ended up getting in trouble for it. She can't win for trying with this woman and hopefully she didn't get in trouble for having Chinese food delivered to his room. To her, it was something he wanted and you can't fault her for that. Her thoughts are suddenly interrupted the sound of Casey's voice snapping her out of it.

"Something on your mind Walker?" he grunted.

"Is it that obvious?" questioned Sarah towards her partner. She should know by now that after 3 and half years of working together they know each other inside and out to the point where they know what one another is thinking. As she glances over at him, he's waiting for her to say what he already knows. "I don't trust Dr. Burke." said Sarah sitting in the passenger seat of Casey's Crown Vic.

"I had a chat with her." he responded back.

"When?" wondered Sarah turning her head to face him. It was difficult to read his facial expression in the dark but from the look in his eyes that are illuminated from the headlights reflecting from the rear view mirror he's speaking the truth. "What did you say to her?" she asked with curiosity.

"You know me." replied Casey. "I was a gentlemen about it being her former partner and all."

"That's what I'm afraid of." she quickly replied back. "You didn't threaten her did you because that would have been seen as totally wrong?" said Sarah with a hint of smile.

Casey responds with a smirk of his own towards her female counterpart. "I just told her to ease up that's all."

Sarah shakes her head at the thought of Dr. Burke. "Something doesn't feel right with her you know. I just have a bad feeling that she's up to no good and it involves Chuck somehow." she firmly stated shaking her head.

"Is that the agent or the engaged woman in you talking?" questioned Casey quickly glancing over at her.

"What do you think?" she responded

"How do you want to handle it?" asked Casey. "I'll back you up every step of the way." he firmly stated.

"I know you will Casey. Right now we have to focus on getting this Manoosh guy and then I can go back to dealing with the wicked witch of the west." she said.

"Sounds like a plan." he grunted. There is a brief moment of silence in the car as things seem to settle down. Its at that point, the NSA agent turns to his partner. "Do you want me to just drop you off at the house and I'll just pick you up tomorrow?"

"Sure, I'm too exhausted to even drive." she replied she lets out a yawn. "What time tomorrow?"

"0900?" he asked.

"Sounds good." she responded. "He has to out be out there somewhere Casey." said Sarah shaking her head. "He's quite possibly right under our noses and we don't even know it."

XXX

The clock on Chuck's bedroom wall reads 11:15 and the man in question is lying down in his bed in the dark staring up the ceiling wearing a shirt and boxer shorts with his hands intertwined together resting on his chest. As he lays there, he's reflecting on the past 4 days and how it has been an absolute whirlwind of a time trying to figure out who he is. He woke up to not having any idea who he is to then finding out he works for the C.I.A. as an analyst, which is a considerable shock to the system right there.

However, after Sarah and Casey explained to him what happened that caused him to lose his memory he voluntarily agreed to go with his teammates to the facility he is now in. He remembers the fear, nervousness, and the anxiety he was feeling when he stepped out of Casey's car looking at the massive facility where he would call home for who knows how long.

Yet, it was comforting to know that his teammates would be there for him no matter what, especially Sarah who would go beyond the call of duty to help him. He appreciates the effort she has put into bringing him comic books to leaving her phone number in case he wants to talk to her. Even though he considered her a stranger in his eyes he sensed some sort of strong connection with her, which he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He knows that teammates have considerably strong bonds but this was quite different when it came to her. It would be later explained by Sarah herself that they established a close friendship over a 3 and half year period. What he didn't know was if that close friendship involved telling each other anything and entrusting one another to keep it to themselves.

That was a complete unknown he thinks to himself and despite him finding out she's engaged it didn't really change anything. True, he was a bit disappointed that a great guy already snapped her up but after a pep talk with Karl he had the courage to ask if he would ever had a shot with her knowing he had nothing to lose. The end result made him feel not just good but awesome to hear as it came from her own mouth.

The close friendship established with Sarah would inevitably extend to the doctor-patient relationship side of things as well with Dr. Leslie Burke. Like Sarah, he appreciates everything Leslie has done to help him fully try to regain his memory with not only the sessions between the two of them, but also the mental, as well as physical exercises that have helped countless patients just like him.

The two of them, in his mind, have established a close friendship as well but not in the same sense as he and Sarah though. When it comes to their relationship, it been one where he's been able to share certain things that he hasn't shared with Sarah such as his journal entry in which he wrote about wondering who he is and if he'll be able to look in the mirror to see the familiar face staring back at him.

What he wrote was deeply personal to him and was hesitant at the time to read it but after some words of encouragement from her he did. In some ways, it felt good to say out loud what he felt at the time and it gave him a sense of release to share his inner thoughts. If he did get his full memory back he wouldn't know how he would ever repay her back for all that she has done for him, which includes the Chinese food.

To him, both Sarah and Leslie have been there for him and the thought of the two of them causes him to sit up in bed. He then reaches over turning on the lamp to his right illuminating the left side of his bed. As he sits there momentarily rubbing his eyes, he swings his legs over to the side and just sits there for a moment. He then gets up off his bed, moves forward then walks around the front of his bed to his right, and then heads towards the table but mainly towards the chair where his pants are currently hanging.

He takes out his wallet and begins rifling through it. After a few seconds, he takes out and holds what he's been searching for which are two phone numbers…Sarah's and Leslie's. He sits back down on the side of his bed placing the two numbers on the night stand in front of the phone next to the lamp. He stares at the two numbers for a brief moment and after careful consideration he picks up the phone dialing the number he chooses to call.

He listens and waits for the other end of the line to pick up and when it does he hears her voice causing him to express a hint of a smile. "Hey, its Chuck, did I wake you?"

XXX