A/N: Thanks, everyone, for the wonderful comments. Really makes my day to get them and it spurs me on to write more. Hope you enjoy this installment. Really having a great time putting this together.
Don't own Chuck, etc., etc.
Chuck stayed with Sarah and again cleaned up her face. She smiled through the cuts and bruises which both warmed him to his soul but also hurt him deeply as he knew it was painful for her to do. Once he finished they embraced and Chuck kissed her on the cheek. "Sarah, baby, I just hate seeing you like this. I can't stand that you are injured and in pain."
Returning the kiss, Sarah whispered, "I love you, Chuck, and thank you so much for taking care of me. I'll be fine. Now, what's our situation?" Definitely all spy girl now.
"Well, we are now both more or less free but I don't think there is anything we can do in here. There are too many guards and weapons."
"Looks like you're right. They have quite a force here. But get me loose and let's see what we can make happen."
Chuck saw that the guard who had tied Sarah to the wall had moved away so he quickly untied her while asking, "Sarah, do you have your phone?"
Sarah hung onto the end of the rope so it still looked like she was still tied. "No. We didn't bring my bag off the plane. Why?"
"We should try to set up the communication app on yours, too, in case we get separated"
"Well, if we get back on the plane we can do it. But we are NOT getting separated. Do you hear me?"
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Casey and his team were startled when the door they were surrounding suddenly opened. A man, bent over and moving quickly, came out and was equally startled to come face to face with Seal Team 5.
"Who are you?" Casey was quickly in the man's face.
Holding up his hands the man replied, "Don't shoot! I'm Steve, from the plane. Are you here to rescue us?"
"Yes. Is anyone trying to follow you out?"
The door opened again and two more people ran out followed by several shots from inside.
"Civilians, get down. Let's go Seals!"
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All of a sudden several guards began yelling and pointing at some of the passengers and a couple of shots were fired. Sarah and Chuck jumped up and moved behind some crates. From there they tried to see what was going on. Sarah tapped Chuck and pointed to the back wall. A couple of passengers were trying to run out through a door. There seemed to be people outside the door, too, but they couldn't tell for sure.
"We need to try to get back to the plane, Chuck."
Using the confusion they were inching their way along the wall. More shots rang out and several guards fell. People were screaming all over the hangar now. Most of the passengers were down on the ground but some were trying to run outside which was exactly the wrong thing to do. Up on their feet they were easy targets.
"Here we go. On three run to the plane. One … two … three!"
Just as they started to run Chuck saw Dr. Diane, who was moving towards a couple of injured passengers, hit by the rifle fire. Sarah was nearing the door but suddenly Chuck swerved back towards the crowd where the doctor was lying on the ground. "Chuck! No, Chuck, come on!"
"I've got to try to help her Sarah."
And then Sarah was on the ground. She had run right into O'Broghlan and the impact knocked her down. O'Broghlan pointed his gun at her head and said, "Going somewhere, Erin dearie? Is this all your doing?" He reached down and dragged her to her feet by her hair. "You just can't help but make a mess of my plans, now can you?"
"Chuuuuuuuck! Chuck!"
"Shut up bitch. He's lost to you. Now I get you all to myself. Let's go ... back on the plane."
Chuck heard her scream and watched O'Broghlan dragging his love, the women that was his life, up the stairs and into the plane.
"Saaaarrrrrrrraaaahhhhhh!"
He started to run towards the plane as he watched the door closing. And then something ... no, someone ... tackled him. He rolled over and looked right into the face of ... Casey! "Casey, what are you doing here?"
"Trying to rescue you, moron. You can't get to that plane now. They'd shoot you down before you got half way."
By this time the fire fight was almost over. Chuck could see several men dressed like Casey moving into the hangar and it seemed most of the guards were dead, injured or just giving up. There was still a lot of crying and moaning from those passengers who had been shot. But it didn't seem like the casualty number was going to be too high.
"Casey, I've got to get on that plane! I can't leave Sarah there alone with that madman. Let me go ... let me go!"
Casey sighed. "Okay, here's what you have to do. When the plane starts moving run to the right side wheels. You will have to grab the edge of the strut going up into the well and pull yourself inside. There's a hatch at the top. You have to get through that hatch before the wheels come up or you will be crushed."
"I have to do all that ... with no Intersect? Are you crazy?"
"Don't freak out, Chuck. Piece of cake." They both smiled as Casey channeled a couple of Sarah's favorite comments to Chuck through the years.
"Okay, looks like they are lighting up the engines so get ready to run. I'll watch for stray guards so they don't shoot you. And Chuck ... good luck ... to you both."
"It's moving ... here I go Casey ... thanks and see you soon!"
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O'Broghlan dragged Sarah up the stairs and into the plane. Once inside he hit her on the back of the head with the butt of his gun. She landed in the first seat and lay there trying not to lose consciousness. O'Broghlan was closing the door and shouting instructions to someone to get the plane rolling.
Sarah was hanging on by a thread. She knew if she could regain control of her senses she could take O'Broghlan. From their confrontation at the bar in Hawaii she knew he was not as physically strong as he had been in Spain. But then she could hear people running around on the plane and orders being shouted so he wasn't alone. Discretion is the better part of valor so she would continue to bide her time and strike when she could establish an advantage. At least Chuck was safe now. She had looked back to the hangar as they ascended the stairs and she not only saw Chuck, but Casey, too. "Be safe, my love. I will come back to you."
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Chuck ran like he had never run before. The plane wasn't moving very fast but he didn't know how long it would take before it was moving too fast to catch. It was a small airport with no other planes moving so he knew it would take off immediately upon arriving at the main runway.
He was nearing the wheels where rocks and debris were being kicked up. Hitting his body and face, the debris was making it hard to see. He had to find a handhold to grab and pull himself up. He would only get one chance.
Finally he was running at the same speed as the plane but was starting to really breath hard. Even in his best spy shape he had relied more on the Intersect than on heavy training. Sarah would take him out running regularly but she didn't push him like he was being pushed now.
There it was ... a handle on the strut. He reached once and missed and stumbled. Now he had lost ground to the plane and had to push hard again. There. Jump. Got it. No, it slipped out of his grasp. But this time he didn't stumble and was finally able to grab it and pull himself onto the strut. "Now if I can just not fall into the wheels and become a grease stain on the taxiway," he stammered out loud while trying to catch his breath.
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O'Broghlan once again grabbed Sarah by the hair and yanked her to the stairs going up to first class. She was trying to fight back but his grip on her hair was just too painful. "Hey, come on. What's up with you always grabbing me by the hair?"
Laughing, O'Broghlan threw her down in her original seat and slapped her hard. Tears came to her eyes and she slumped down, hoping to avoid any more hits like that one. He had a couple of zip strips and tied her hands and feet once again. "Sit there and be a good girl, dearie. I want you whole for when we party."
The pilot came on the intercom and told everyone to be seated and buckle up as they were ready for take off. No one bothered to fasten Sarah in; she hoped it would be a smooth liftoff. Her only other thought was, "I love you, Chuck. I love you, Chuck. I love you, Chuck..."
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Casey saw Chuck catch up to the plane and then stumble. "Damn. Come on Bartowski." Then Chuck was back up and running, catching up, and finally up on the strut. "Good luck Bartowski's. You're both going to need it." He then turned back to the hangar. Seal Team 5 had all the guards corralled and were setting up a triage area. A couple of emergency vehicles were approaching while the passengers began helping each other.
He grabbed a megaphone from the first ambulance that pulled up and got everyone's attention. "Attention everyone! Listen up! We are members of an elite rescue team and have the situation under control. You will soon be moved to a local hotel while you await another plane to come pick you up and take you to Los Angeles. Please help those around you who may be injured until we have more medical personnel and transportation.
"Sargeant Dailey ... where are you?" Putting the megaphone down he continued, "Okay Sargeant, listen up. You are in charge here until we get the local authorities moving. You know how to deal with them. I am taking the helicopter back to the Reagan so I can continue to follow that plane. Great job, as always. Please tell your men I appreciate their work today." The two men saluted and turned to their next tasks.
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The plane was now on the main runway and had paused briefly. Chuck knew he had to get up into the wheel well and through the hatch. He began climbing up through all the gear. It was a tight fit but he made it to the top of the strut and could see the hatch. But he wasn't sure how to reach it. He wondered if it pushed or pulled open and was there a latch? He couldn't tell but now the plane was starting to roll. It was now or never.
"Come on, Chuck," he said out loud trying to encourage himself, "Sarah is waiting for you! She said we weren't going to get separated. Now's not the time to stop obeying her!" The vibration of the plane moving down the runway was starting to shake him loose until he found a foothold. Above, he could now see a handle on the hatch but when he tried to reach it he missed and almost fell. Chuck looked for another foothold. There, along the side of the wheel well, was a small lip where two pieces of the fuselage were joined. Getting his foot on this lip, he reached up and caught the handle. The plane was now rotating upward and the rear wheels were almost ready to come off the ground. Chuck pulled with all his might but the hatch wouldn't open. Now the wheels were off the ground and they were going into a steep climb. Chuck knew it was rarely more than a few seconds after liftoff before the wheels were retracted.
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The pilots had their hands full. This was a small airport and normally did not service 747's. At the end of the runway was a small mountain that could be a problem if they didn't get altitude quickly enough. So as the plane's nose lifted they had to apply more power, pull the nose up even quicker than usual and start turning to the left. It was a tricky maneuver but the plane was capable if they did their jobs correctly. Because they were busier than usual it also took a few extra seconds before either the pilot or copilot was available to hit the switch to retract the landing gear.
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Sarah tried to look out the window, back towards the hangar, as the plane was taking off. She was hoping to see Chuck one last time but the wing obscured her view. Damn! I so wanted to see him again. Thank you, Casey, for saving him! This is not goodbye, she thought, willing her thoughts through the air and to her love … her Chuck.
O'Broghlan had buckled himself into a seat across the aisle from Sarah. "Ha, ha, dearie," he called out over the screaming engines. "He's gone now. Sure don't know what you saw in him but you're all mine now. Just like back in Spain, only it's you who's going to die at the end of the mission. At least you'll get the pleasure of me before I get the pleasure of hearing you scream as I destroy your beauty."
"Don't count on it, you bastard!" Too bad I'm so far away or I'd take him out right here and now! Sarah vowed to herself she would make him wish he had died back in Spain. Oh, Chuck, I so wish you were here with me!
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Chuck was pulling and pulling on the hatch but it wasn't coming open. Then the plane banked to the left and Chuck lost his footing on the small lip of metal. He has now hanging from the handle and being thrown side to side by the wind buffeting through the well. Suddenly, with all his weight on the hatch, it popped open. He lost his grip with his left hand and thought he was going to fall out of the wheel well. His right hand was still holding on but was slipping. He heard a whirring noise as the hydraulics on the wheels began working. In desperation he used the strut to kick himself upward and pulled as hard as he could until his left hand was able to grab the edge of the hatch opening. The buffeting was getting worse and the wheels were coming closer and closer. Chuck pulled with all his might but it wouldn't budge.
Next time on Chuck vs The 747: Will Chuck get through the hatch or will he become a lesser man? Will Sarah finally teach O'Broghlan a lesson or will he become a sushi chef? Where will Casey and Morgan head to next?