"Look alive Bartowski! I can't have you falling asleep on the job!" Big Mike yelled as he hurriedly walked past the need herd desk heading to his office.

Chuck popped his head up trying to play it off. He had been physically at his post for the past two hours, but his head had been elsewhere.

"That's my job!" Big Mike called out slamming the door to his office. Chuck waited for the blinds to stop rattling before slouching back down over the desk.

"Something's different... you look more idiotic than you normally do." Casey said with a scowl, walking up to the side of the counter

"I don't... Well it's just that I'm having a… weird morning ... A sort of existential crisis you know like...." Chuck started. Feeling skittish and awfully fidgety.

"That wasn't me asking. I don't get paid enough to listen to you whine." Chuck sat there with an incredulous look on his face. "I'm just here to tell you to be at the Orange Orange in 30."

"Ok thanks... Great conversation...." Chuck started but Casey was already walking away. He shook his head in amusement thinking, Typical Casey, good to know some things haven't changed overnight.

Chuck started to think about what has changed... overnight, that is until his thoughts were distracted by his name.

"Chuck! Chuckie!" Morgan yelled as he ran up to the counter. "I got it!" He stopped in front of Chuck "wait... what's the matter?"

"No, nothing..." Chuck responded, "whatchu got there little buddy?"

"I've got the mother of all motherboards... the only thing that has ever achieved steady dual-channel DDR2-667 memory support..." Morgan rambled.

"Noooooooo...." Chuck exclaimed in utter disbelief and excitement, getting up from his chair and reaching out and grabbing what Morgan was holding out.

"the Larrabee chip" they said in unison. "How did you...?"

"Don't ask questions you're not prepared to hear the answer to my friend" Morgan interrupted. " Okay fine.... I know people who know people, who ordered it online for me." Morgan said looking around. "Hold on to it for me till next week, will you Chuckie? I got it for Anna for our Anniversary. I'm taking our relationship to the next level." He explained, rubbing his beard.

Chuck looked at Morgan, smiling in amusement "Wow buddy, that's a big commitment for you. But, uh… maybe this may not be the best gift for the occasion?"

"I know, man. That's not all I'm giving her. I got her a hallmark card with puppies in pink tutus. She loves that stuff." Chuck was speechless… Morgan continued, "I'm telling you, she drives me wild!"

"Ahhh... I don't want to know." Chuck said a little too loud. He saw several customers look their way. Including a dark-haired man wearing sunglasses near the DVD section.

"Oh sorry... Keep it safe! Knowing me, and my relationship with the world. No good thing can happen with that in my possession..." Morgan started to walk away but turned back to face Chuck, "Don't loose it! and MOST importantly..." Morgan continued, looking around "don't tell Lester and Jeff!"

Chuck watched Morgan run after Anna who was on her way to the break room, "Anna-banana!"

"Hey Bartowski! Hustle!" Casey called out heading towards the door.

Chuck placed the chip in his front shirt pocket and jogged after Casey out of the Buy More. Eager to be near Sarah.

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"Where's Sarah?" Chuck asked once he saw that she was not in her usual place behind the counter. He wanted to talk about what happened last night, he wanted to know where they stood. And he was afraid that if he didn't ask as soon as possible, her walls would be up once again.

"Is that the only thought you have floating around that little head of yours? She's already in the basement talking with the General. Try not to say something stupid this time, the General is on edge, and I like my head attached to my neck." Casey replied as he punched in the code to open the freezer.

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"…If this fails, we will have no choice but to bring him in and take every measure to…"

"General, Casey and Chuck are here…" Sarah interrupted, shifting her weight from one foot to another in visible discomfort. She stole a quick glance at Chuck and from the look on his face; the interruption had come a couple of seconds too late. She had been intently listening to the General and hadn't heard their descending footsteps on the stairs.

"Agent Casey, Mr. Bartowski." The General greeted as they stepped into her line of view on the monitor.

"Bring who in? Me? Bring me in?" Chuck asked the General, visibly agitated. He turned to Sarah, "Sarah, what's going on?" He turned to Casey "Someone please tell me what's going on!"

"Keep your cool!" Casey said though tight lips.

"Agents, I really have no time for this. We have business to attend to. Business that is a matter of national security," the General stated coldly.

Sarah touched Chuck's arm to get his attention. This had a calming effect on Chuck, as he visibly relaxed to her touch. "Chuck… we'll talk after…"

Chuck nodded his head in agreement and all three faced the monitor.

"We have received new Intel regarding Fulcrum. It appears that the news of the destruction of two Intersect computers has caused a bit of an uproar in the organization. We captured a Fulcrum agent who we thought was on a Fulcrum sanctioned mission to steal information on our database that would lead to the Intersect. However, after rigorous interrogation, we discovered that he was acting on his own and he is not the only one."

"Rogue CIA agents turned rogue Fulcrum agents? That must get confusing for them." Chuck quipped.

"Funny. Confusing for him. More trouble for us," Casey followed. Chuck's face fell, "What do you mean?"

"The price for your head just got prettier." Casey said with a smirk.

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"I don't understand. If Fulcrum is getting weaker, then isn't that good news for us?" Chuck asked after they turned of the monitor.

"Not in the way you think," Sarah responded. "We don't know how big the operation is, and those who are rogue Fulcrum are still after the Intersect…"

"…except now they don't have someone telling them what they can or can't do." Casey interrupted. "They're gonna be gunning for you Chuck, the moment it gets out that the Intersect is here."

"Which it won't," Sara interjected. "They may all be after you but they don't know it's you...."

"And if one agent finds out, he's not going to tell anyone because he's going to want to bring you in himself or sell you to the highest bidder. After all, you're the game that every hunter wants to hang on their wall." Casey said, shrugging. Sarah turned to face him with a scowl.

"… like the pita girl," Chuck said, "somehow I'm not comforted. So now we're dealing with the whole Fulcrum organization… and little ninja assassins who could be anywhere at anytime, knowing possibly… everything. And our best plan is… hope that they don't?!"

"Or send you to an underground bunker" Casey said.

"Is that what you two were talking about when we walked in?" Chuck asked Sarah.

Sarah shifted her weight again, a tell that Chuck knows well. She's uncomfortable with having to be the one to break the news. "Yes… but I convinced her that that's not the best option."

"How?" Casey asked, surprised that the NSA General would give in to a CIA Agent way below her pay grade.

She shifted again, this time directing her answer to Casey "Basically… I… um… told her that if we took Chuck in, Fulcrum will find out that we're keeping the Intersect and the whole operation will disappear from the radars."

"Sooooo… now I'm bait! I'm live bait to find out who's behind all this!" Chuck yelled.