A/N: First thank you for all the reviews. They are really helpful in moving the story forward. Sorry for the delay in an update. Went out of town for the weekend and was unable to work on the story. Hope everyone enjoys the new chapter. Also big thanks to michaelfmx for his beta reading and editing services. It was a tremendous help. I don't own Chuck or any of its characters.
The mission at the dock had proceeded without a single hiccup. That was no surprise to everyone. They figured the fireworks from Mr. Smith would occur during the drop off. The crates were filled with your run of the mill weapons and ammunition. Nothing extremely dangerous. Yes, it was more fire power than any madman would ever need, but at least they weren't handing over something worse. They had split up into three vehicles for the transport to the drop off point. Sarah and Chuck were leading the way in the Lotus followed by Casey in the transport truck. Morgan and Verbanski were bringing up the rear in the communications van. "Keep your eyes peeled for whatever Mr. Smith has up his sleeve. There is no way this is a simple smash and grab job," Casey said over the radio.
Everyone was on high alert. They knew there was a surprise lurking around the corner. They just didn't know what it would be or which corner it would come from. As they got closer to the drop off location the phone from Mr. Smith began to ring. "What do you want," Chuck answered.
"I see everything is going according to plan. According to my team you should arrive at the drop site in approximately ten minutes. When you arrive, drive into the building from the north side. Now don't go running off after you drop of the merchandise. I would hate for you to leave before I get to see you." Then Mr. Smith disconnected the call.
"Everyone, be prepared. Mr. Smith will be at the drop site. Morgan, when we arrive let Verbanski out and you drop back to a safe distance." Chuck wanted to ensure that Morgan would be safe.
"But Chuck I can help," Morgan replied.
"I know you can Morgan, but we need someone to stay back if this goes sideways. If you don't hear from us within the hour then you get hold of General Beckman and give her everything." Chuck knew this whole thing smelled like a trap, but what choice did he have.
As Team Bartowski approached the drop off location, they saw they empty warehouse. They had scoped it out multiple times over the past week and it appeared to be nothing but the standard abandoned warehouse. They stopped just shy of the warehouse to allow Verbanski to join Casey. Once they had switched vehicles the Lotus and transport truck proceeded to the drop off location. Morgan kept the van back and began to set up the surveillance equipment. "Ok guys there is the door on the north side of the building. Looks like it's open and waiting for us," Sarah commented.
"Looks rather inviting doesn't it," Casey said in a mocking tone.
As they pulled into the warehouse everything was dark except for the light created by their headlights. They had prepared for this. The box truck they were using to transport the shipment was armored and armed to the teeth. Once they had cleared the overhead door it slowly began to lower. As the last of the light disappeared behind the door they couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next. Then the warehouse lit up and they could see everything. It looked exactly the same as it did on their recon missions. Then Mr. Smith's voice came from an overhead speaker system. "Good afternoon Team Bartowski. I am so pleased to finally get to meet the entire team. Please don't be shy. Why don't you all step out of your vehicles," Mr. Smith said with a slight hint of a chuckle in his voice.
They all slowly stepped out of their vehicles. Quickly, they swept the area for anything out of the ordinary. The warehouse was a large empty room. Along the far wall was a staircase that lead to a small office area overlooking the warehouse floor. "So nice to finally meet you Colonel Casey. I had already met the other two members of your team and now I finally get to meet the third. Who is that with you? Gertrude Verbanski? I see the team has gained a fourth member, or should I say fifth. I am sure Mr. Grimes is around here somewhere. Probably hiding out in the van no doubt." Chuck was starting to get tired of Mr. Smith's voice.
"We delivered the goods and no one is the wiser to what we've done today. Why don't you quit with all the pleasantries and let's get down to business," Chuck said trying to contain his anger.
"Oh, ok Chuck. I was just trying to be polite and formally introduce myself to everyone. I am sure they have all heard of me by now, but it is only proper to formally introduce yourself once you finally meet someone. Please place the truck in the center of the floor and come and join me in the office at the top of the stairs." Then the loud speaker went quiet.
"Everybody on their toes. There is no way Mr. Smith is in there by himself." Sarah was starting to feel the nerves of the mission. There was just something about all of this that didn't sit right with her. Mr. Smith was always one move ahead and she knew that today would be no different. They still had no idea who he worked for and what they wanted.
As the group climbed the stairs they were all prepared for a fight. At the top of the stairs was a large office door. Above the door was a nameplate with the name 'Mr. Smith' engraved on it. The team just looked at each other. Casey finally broke the silence with his trademark grunt. Chuck and Sarah took one side of the door while Casey and Verbanski approached the other side. Casey and Sarah exchanged a glance signaling they were ready. He then proceeded to count to three using his fingers. When the last finger dropped Sarah threw the door open and Casey and Verbanski stormed in. The room was empty except for a monitor in the center. "Well that's new," Chuck stated. Just then the monitor powered on and Mr. Smith's face was front and center.
"Sorry to have to communicate with you via monitor again, but you know you can never be too careful these days. I want to thank you for a timely delivery and also thank you for keeping it quiet. It is so hard to find good help these days, so when you finally do you want to take the time to thank them." Mr. Smith just smiled at everyone in the room. He had them right where he wanted them. He pressed a button in front of him and the door to the room swung shut. "You see Chuck, I needed to get your team together in one place for a final test. My group needs to see one last audition of your skills. Everything you've done with the Intersect has been very impressive, but what we are going to ask you to do might be out of its realm of ability. In a moment another door is going to open. You and your team can choose to proceed however you want, but just know that on the other side the test begins." Mr. Smith just continued to smile at the team.
"What test are you talking about, and why did you lock us in the room?" Chuck yelled as his blood began to boil. He was growing tired of all the games and lies.
"There is only one way for you to find out," Mr. Smith laughed as a door began to open. Then his face was replaced with a timer. "You see Chuck you have one hour to get to the end of the test and shut off the bomb. If not the whole facility will go boom with you still inside. That would be a definite shame since we have invested so much time watching you. But if you can't pass this test you wouldn't be much use to us anyway. Well with that I bid you adieu. Good luck Chuck hope to see you on the other side."
Chuck quickly looked at the timer on the monitor. "Well, I guess we don't have much choice but to see where this leads," Chuck said. The team knew they were walking into a trap from the very beginning but they had a few surprises up their sleeves as well. Hopefully, if they could survive this test, they would come out with some information. The team looked around the room one last time and quickly went through the door. The door closed behind them sealing them in.
Flash back: Two days before the mission.
Chuck and the team were in a secure room. Chuck had designed this room when they took over castle with Carmichael Industries. The room was designed to allow no form of surveillance in or out to work.
"Ok Chuck what's with dragging us all in here?" Casey inquired with a grunt.
"Guys, I have been digging and digging to find out more about Mr. Smith and his group. I have looked through the little we know about them, and even going as far as to look at everything in our lives. I haven't been able to find a damn thing. It's like they don't exist. They know everything about us and we know nothing about them. To survive this we are going to have to change the playbook a little bit," Chuck said with trepidation. He knew what he was about to suggest would not go over well, but what choice did he have?
"So what are you suggesting?" Sarah asked.
"Morgan, you are going to have to go in with us." Chuck knew this was a risk, but he also knew it was something Smith would never see coming.
"What the hell are you thinking Bartowski?" Casey yelled. "There is no way Grimes is going in on a mission like this. We have no idea what we are up against and what hell we would be getting him into."
"Why can't we call in your mom Chuck? She is trained and better equipped to handle a mission. No offense Morgan," Sarah stated.
"We can't call my mom in. Mr. Smith is watching and if we bring her in he would expect her to be part of the mission. They thing he would never expect us to do is send in Morgan. Morgan I hate asking you to do this. It's the last thing I want to do, but I don't see any other choice. I need someone that I can trust and that Smith will never see coming." Chuck was pleading not only to his friend, but to the whole team. The way he saw it they were all in danger and he knew Morgan would do anything to protect them.
"Chuck, you can count me in. You know I'll do anything for the team," Morgan answered.
"Hey moron, what are you going to tell Alex? She doesn't want you near any of this stuff and you are going to go charging in blind," Casey said.
"Alex was in those pictures Smith showed us, and I will do anything to protect her Casey. I love her and if you think I am going to sit in the damn van when there is something I can do to keep her safe you are crazy," Morgan yelled.
Casey just looked at the little bearded troll in front of him. This was twice now that he had stood up to him. He had reminded Casey how important the team and his family had been during the Quinn mission. He would never admit it to Morgan, but he was starting to respect the little guy.
"Fine then, what is Grimes part in all of this?" Casey asked.
"When we approach the drop site we'll go over coms and talk about splitting up. We'll give every appearance that we are leaving Morgan in the van. Casey you will pull up beside the van to let Gertrude join you. Morgan, that is when you will drop down the hatch in the back of the van and roll over underneath the transport truck. There will be a hatch there for you to open. The hatch will open directly into a crate that will prevent you from being detected. The truck is designed to keep you hidden as well, but just in case they open it up the crate will hide you in plain sight," Chuck said.
"What's with all the cloak and dagger stuff, Chuck?" Morgan asked.
"Morgan, Mr. Smith has always been one step ahead of us. We have to do something he doesn't expect and we have to always assume he is watching. Once we are in the warehouse you will wait for my signal. I will let you know when Mr. Smith is engaged with us and that is when you go into action," Chuck said with a grin.
Back to present time.
"What test are you talking about, and why did you lock us in the room?" Chuck yelled as his blood began to boil. He was growing tired of all the games and lies.
Morgan knew that was his signal. He quickly jumped out of the crate he was hidden in. He had to be quick. He had no idea how long until Smith's men would find him. He began working on the crates they had taken from the dock. Sarah and Chuck had placed trackers on the crates at the dock, but those were decoys. They figured Mr. Smith would be watching and they wanted him to think they were done with the shipment. Now inside the van Morgan could put the true plan to work. He placed special tags on the shipments. These tags were designed to be undetectable. They were shut off and wrapped in a protective layer, that way they would not give a signal off. Inside the tag was a small analog timer that once it hit zero would kick on the tag for a one time GPS ping. The tags were all set to different times. It would give the team a route they took to the wherever they ended up.
They knew it wasn't an exact science. The tags could all go off before Smith's men reached their destination, but it would give them an area to look. Once Morgan was done placing the tags he got back in his crate. All he could do now was wait and hope that no one had spotted him.
The room that Chuck and the others were now in was nothing special. There was an L shaped desk in the corner with what looked to have about an inch of dust on it. The only other furniture in the office was a desk chair and a large filling cabinet.
"What are we supposed to do in here?" Casey asked with a hint of frustration.
"Spread out and look around for anything out of the ordinary or anything that looks like it doesn't belong." Chuck just hoped that whatever it was they were looking for wouldn't take long. He had synchronized his watch with the timer to ensure that they would know when the bomb would go off.
"I am pretty sure this isn't a normal filing cabinet," Sarah exclaimed
As she pulled open the top drawer of the filling cabinet, she quickly realized that they weren't drawers at all but a false front. Sarah quickly removed the false front to reveal a large metal panel. There appeared to be nothing on the panel. Chuck turned to look and was hit with a flash. "Ok this is a new security door that is in development for use in government facilities. There are hidden buttons throughout the panel that have to be hit in a precise order." Chuck made quick work of the panel. A large green L.E.D light appeared at the top of the panel. Just then the sides of the filling cabinet sucked back into the walls and the security panel dropped into the floor. Now where there was once a filing cabinet there was a large hole in the floor with a ladder leading down.
Casey snapped a large glow stick down the hole. It revealed it was a shaft of some kind that lead to a room. "I'll drop down and drop a flash grenade. If anybody is waiting for us at the bottom that should wake them up," Casey said.
Casey dropped the flash bang and quickly dropped into the room scanning for anything. It was a small empty room that had a hallway attached. He signaled the all clear and everyone quickly joined him in the room. They took the hallway which lead to another door. They cautiously opened the door and found a room that was similar to the office they had just left. "Here we go again," Verbanski stated.
All the succeeding rooms led to the same thing. There would be some kind of security measure that needed to be bypassed for the team to proceed on. After each test they would find either another stairway or hallway leading to the next room. The team's nerves were really on edge as the timer only had fifteen minutes left. "How many more of these damn tests can there be?" Chuck asked in frustration.
"Chuck we have to just keep pressing on. There is no turning back now," Sarah said trying to calm everybody's nerves.
"We scanned this building with satellites, heat, and every other piece of technology we had and none of this showed up. How is it that they could hide all of this in plain sight?" Casey inquired.
"Doesn't really matter now on the how and why? All that matters is that we are running out of time to get to the end of this before the whole place goes boom," Verbanski added.
The team then came to another door. They separated into pairs and went to both sides of the door. Casey quickly threw the door open and Sarah scanned the room.
"I can't see much it is to dark. There appear to be to concrete barricades about five yards past the door," Sarah yelled.
The team began to advance when a bright light hit them. "Everybody take cover now," Casey commanded. Just then, shots began to ring out throughout the room. They were under heavy fire and, with the light blinding them from the other end; they had no way of knowing what they were up against. The team then quickly took cover behind the barricades Sarah had detected earlier.
"Why would Smith bring us all the way down here just to kill us? He could have done that at any moment and he waits until now?" Chuck yelled as the team returned fire.
"I don't care why he is trying to kill us. I'm more concerned with how good of a job they are doing right now. You think these barricades were here by coincidence? Smith wanted us here pinned down," Casey yelled.
Chuck quickly glanced over the barricade trying to see anything that would give his team a chance. Suddenly, the light went out and the room was immediately engulfed in darkness. Through the darkness Smith's voice came piercing through like a sharp knife cutting into flesh. "Chuck we have you pinned down. You have passed all our tests with flying colors. All the security measures you have beaten are state of the art. Now you face a decision. You can come with me and leave your friends behind or you can die here," Mr. Smith laughed as these words left his mouth.
"What happens to the rest of my team if I go with you?" Chuck asked.
"Chuck, don't even think about it," Sarah yelled.
"Chuck, your team will be free to go. I need you motivated and knowing that they are out there and that the only way they survive is if you succeed in what my organization needs you to do. I'll tell you what. I will let you watch them walk out of here. I know Mr. Grimes is watching from a safe distance. He can come and get them and you can watch them leave." Mr Smith just watched as the team looked on in horror. He knew everything he and his bosses needed hinged on what happened right now in this moment.
"Sarah, I have to do this. I can't risk anything happening to you. He won't kill me because he needs me." Chuck's eyes pleaded with Sarah to understand. He knew what he was asking her was unfair, but he had to do this for all their sakes.
"Chuck, there has to be another way. I just got you back and now you want me to let you leave? How can I do that? You can't ask me to do this. I won't lose you." A tear ran down Sarah's cheek.
"Sarah, I have to do this. I'll always choose to protect you. I will always choose you." Chuck grabbed Sarah and kissed her.
"Smith, I am coming out," Chuck yelled.
"No Chuck, I can't let you do this," Sarah yelled.
Casey grabbed her and began to drag her back. "Sarah we're pinned down and Smith can kill us at any moment. He doesn't have a choice," Casey pleaded.
Sarah fought as hard as she could to free herself from Casey's grasp. She finally freed herself and ran to Chuck.
"Sarah, you have to let me go. I have to do this for everyone. Smith is going to continue to come after the ones we love until he has what he needs from me. Please let me go," Chuck said as a tear ran down his face.
Sarah just grabbed Chuck and kissed him. "You'd better come back me Chuck," Sarah said as she looked into Chuck's eyes.
"I need you to come back to me."
"Chuck, I don't have all day. Enough with the tearful goodbyes. It is time to go!" Mr. Smith yelled.
Chuck just looked into Sarah's blue eyes and slowly broke their embrace. "I have to go Sarah, but don't you worry, nothing could ever keep me from you."
As Chuck walked out towards Smith he looked at his team. He had no idea what was coming. He knew the gamble he was taking at this moment. Smith could easily kill him or his team and not bat an eye. He was risking it all on the idea that everything Smith had done to this point revolved around keeping him alive and under his control.
"Ok Team Bartowski, here is your exit." Smith pressed a button and a hatch opened in the ceiling and a ladder appeared from the wall.
"Chuck, you can watch your team leave in one piece." Smith just laughed as Team Bartowski climbed the ladder.
Sarah looked back one last time and saw Chuck surrounded by six armed men, along with the taunting Mr. Smith. Sarah fought back her tears. She knew she would do whatever it took to get Chuck back. She mouthed the words, "I love you."
Chuck nodded and blew her a kiss mouthing, "l love you too." Chuck watched as his family disappeared from his sight. "Ok Smith, you got what you want now what's the plan," Chuck asked.
"Our plans for you are just beginning Chuck. Sweep him for bugs and trackers then tranq him. Can't have him knowing all our secrets," Mr. Smith said as he turned from Chuck.
As Chuck turned to see the tranq gun he couldn't help but let out a little smirk. Everything was going just as he had planned.