CHAPTER 44

"I send you there undercover and you not only nearly expose Mr. Bartowski to Fulcrum but to an entire cul-de-sac of civilians?" Beckman asked in disbelief.

"No excuses, General," said Casey, "we pooched it."

"No. No, we didn't pooch it." Chuck looked from them to Beckman. "We didn't pooch it. General, look, I-I saw something on that computer, okay? It-it was embedded pictures, like an Intersect."

Sarah kept a stoic face as she turned to Beckman. "We think Chuck could have Fulcrum programming in his brain."

"In that case, I'm pulling Mr. Bartowski from this operation. But as long as Agent Walker's cover is intact, I want you to lock down the cul-de-sac, monitor Fulcrum, see what else you can uncover before we make a move on their cell." Beckman shook her head declaring, "The Carmichaels are getting a divorce."

Once the screen died Chuck groaned, leaning his head back against Casey's couch. Slapping his shoulder, Casey shook him, but stayed silent as he went to go change back into his jumpsuit so they could head back, leaving him with Sarah, who walked around to sit on the couch with him.

"Does it feel any different?"

Sitting up, Chuck shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't flashed on anything yet."

"What about your other flashes?"

Chuck stared ahead a moment then shook his head. "Se siente normal."

"Maybe it's for the best you don't use it," she said reaching out to hold his hand. "It could harm you worse than the normal Intersect."

"I don't think it was a full download or even as much as the updates from Bryce or Orion," he assured.

"I really am sorry about slapping you and making you walk back to the car like that," she said rubbing her thumb against his hand.

"I've had worse walks of shame," he said with a smirk, but realized quickly that probably wasn't the best choice. A realization he had confirmed seeing her frown. He quickly chuckled saying, "I'm just glad you didn't hit me with all you've got. I'd probably still be out cold."

"Alright lets get back," Casey said with a sigh coming out of the bathroom. "I'll do a run in the truck after we get you back to the house. We can say I'm keeping an eye out for Moron here and use it to try and find where the Arculins are building their Intersect."

"Stay in the apartment?" Chuck asked with a playful pout.

"Sorry," Sarah said getting to her feet.

"There go all those nights together," he said somberly.

Sarah wanted to say they'd make up for them but wasn't sure how. It was still too early to try for another night together. They still had to play reluctant, let alone willing to spend another night together so soon. She briefly considered playing up the Fulcrum Intersect, maybe use it as an excuse to monitor him in case it did something to him, but that could just make Beckman wary of him. Ultimately she said nothing, offering a frown before she followed Casey out of the apartment.

Chuck sat on the couch for a while, thinking over what had happened. To think that morning had been so good, but maybe things had been too good and this was another downswing. Then again he didn't know if he could handle it if things got somehow as far into the bad as they'd gotten into the good.

Either way he wasn't going to sit there and do nothing, so he went over to Casey's computer and looked into the Arculins, though found little beyond what Casey found. Not until he glanced at Sarah's grocery list on the desk and the moment his eyes landed on the Meadow Branch logo he felt a hot knife cut through the back off his mind, letting crimson information pour through his skull as suddenly he knew that every house in Meadow Branch apart from theirs was owned by a Fulcrum agent.

Launching to his feet, Chuck pulled out his phone and hit speed dial. Of course he got only voicemail, leaning forward and holding the desk as he spoke. "Sarah, Sarah, you and Casey have to get out of the cul-de-sac immediately. I just flashed on something. I-It was from Fulcrum. It's not just the house. The entire neighborhood is Fulcrum. All of them."

Chuck knew it was hopeless as he hung up, but he tried Casey and found he also didn't answer, not bothering to leaving a message before pocketing his phone. Still standing he began typing at Casey's computer until suddenly the television screen came to life showing an image of Diane Beckman looking up in confusion. "Mr. Bartowski?"

"General, Meadow Branch is Fulcrum."

"You've already told us about the Arculins," Beckman said rolling her eyes. "Is this why you're wast-"

"The whole neighborhood is Fulcrum," he snapped, making her brow sink. "Everyone in the cul-de-sac is a Fulcrum agent. And neither Sarah or Casey are answering their phones."

Beckman's face darkened. "I'll call a team to secure the area and rescue them."

"How long will it be?"

"I don't know," she said shaking her head as she reached for her phone.

"Then I'm going."

Beckman stopped, turning to the camera. "Don't you dare. You're not an agent."

"Tough shit," Chuck said hitting a key to end the call, hurrying over to Casey's and getting the tranq gun from its usual spot before rushing out to his cover car.

He tried to drive reasonably, but found himself driving more like Sarah or Casey than himself. Once he was off the main roads and in the suburbs he floored it, the tires screeching as he turned a corner, stomping the breaks as he turned into the driveway and leapt out of the car.

Rushing to the door he found Brad standing in the arch ahead of it, asking with a smile, "Looking for your wife? She having a chat with the ladies." Once again Chuck felt the back of his brain cut open and the flow of information leak out, telling him all about Brad White while the man knit his brow in confusion. "You feeling alright, buddy?"

Chuck turned and made his way toward the street where he saw people coming out of each house around him, all of them looking toward him as he felt slash after slash across the folds of his brain and a gush of information. His hand drifted toward the tranq gun tucked in his pocket when he felt a taser pressed against his throat and slumped forward unconscious once again.

When he came to again he was in some kind of windowless room, likely underground, with doctors talking over him. Their voices were muffled, but so was his as he called for Sarah. "Where's Sarah?" he asked things evened out, struggling against the device holding his head in place. "Where's my wife?"

"Mr. Carmichael, she isn't your wife," Sylvia told him as he looked past her to the large window to an observation room and saw her cuffed to a chair watching him. "She's a CIA agent. And so are you."

"Wha-what do you want with me?"

"You've got a very special brain," Brad said patting his shoulder. "Don't worry. We're going to do everything we can to not damage it."

"Damage? Damage? What is he talking about?"

"What you saw upstairs was a small part of a computer program," began Sylvia. "The CIA designed it to implant intelligence directly into agents through encoding images."

But the CIA have been struggling to make use of it and are giving up on it," Brad continued. "They decided to slug it out, fight the war on terror using Cold War tactics."

Sylvia leaned toward him explaining, "But we're training agents who are ready to fight tomorrow's wars."

Brad leaned in on the other side of him. "How would you like to be a part of that future?"

"How would you like to be a part of Fulcrum?" asked Sylvia.

Looking between the two Chuck asked before looking to Sarah, "What about-what about her? Look, I'll do whatever you want, just let her go."

Sylvia's brow furrowed as she stood, looking at Sarah. "Don't tell me you have feelings for your partner?"

Brad grinned, tapping his shoulder. "Boy, you really let her get into your head, huh?"

"What did she tell you? That someday you two would be together? Maybe once the mission's done you'll settle down in a cute little cul-de-sac like this one?"

Brad chuckled as he turned away. "You're funny."

"This place isn't real," Sylvia said leaning in again. "Her feelings for you aren't real."

"Don't worry," Brad said coming around ti clamps to keep his eyes open, "This next part should help you get over her." Looking to Sylvia he added, "If he survives it."

He set his jaw, watching them leave as he look from Sarah to the room around him, trying to look for some way to escape, but even if he could they would see it. The room behind the glass filled with his neighbors, now all in white coats and come to gawk at him. They all put on sunglasses, even putting a pair on Sarah as transparent screens came down around the chair and Sarah yelled out for him.

The lights in the room flickered before the room went red and images filled the screens. All he could do was stare, his hands digging into the handles on the arms of the chair where his wrist were bound, trying not to scream as he felt every image peel open the folds of his brain and bury itself within it. It felt like he should be bleeding from every orifice on his head, as if his scalp was being ripped off, but he lived through it, passing out while the clamps on his eyes kept them open.

"Chuck!" Sarah yelled, struggling to break the Fulcrum agent's grasp on her and go to him as he sat still in the chair staring vacantly ahead.

"Oh, he's toast," Brad declared a quick look at him.

"Chuck," Sarah gasped, held back by two man holding her arms.

"Get him out of here," Sylvia said with a disappointed sigh. "Dump him where you dumped the others."

It wasn't until they removed the headgear and eye clamps that Chuck returned to consciousness with a yelp, startling the doctors. "What just happened?"

"Mr. Carmichael," Sylvia marveled, leaning forward to meet his eyes. "Do you know where you are, Mr. Carmichael?"

Be what they want, he thought before answering flatly, "Beneath Meadow Branch subdivision, in a Fulcrum lab that was built as part of a secret initiative."

"What initiative?" asked Sylvia.

"To rebuild the Intersect computer."

Brad stood with a laugh. "Oh, my god, it worked."

Standing with her arms crossed, Sylvia asked, "Can I ask just one more question? You mind if we, uh, test your wife next?"

"Wife?" He looked from her to Sarah answering, "I don't have a wife."

He rose from his seat as they moved to put Sarah in his place and he saw Casey's head pop up from behind the desk in the room opposite them. Their eyes met in a silent exchange ending with Chuck winking before Casey started typing.

"Before you run the test I'd like to tell Agent Walker something," Chuck said turning to watch her being strapped into the chair.

"Agent Walker," Sylvia said with a nod. "Graham's enforcer. Interesting."

Sarah had been strangled by fear watching him forced to download the Fulcrum Intersect, and hearing his even, robotic tone left her unsettled, but she wouldn't believe it. It had to be an act, and even if it wasn't her Chuck would win out and come back to her, she knew it. That was why even as she stared up at him, afraid of what had happened to him, she held on her hope. A hope that ignited when she saw his eyes widen imploringly and she looked past him to see Casey typing at the computer behind him.

She pushed down her relief because while she was now sure things would be fine, she couldn't show it. Watching him step toward her and bend down she watched him whisper, "Close your eyes." After a quick glance to Casey sliding on sunglasses, she did just that.

His hands clamped over her ears, pulling her head to his chest as she clamped her eyes shut and the room went red, the screens around the chair filling with images. Once they looked the doctors couldn't pull their attention away, forcing them to accept the download even as they screamed in pain. Chuck held Sarah against him, his hand leaving her left ear but pressing it against his cheek while reaching down to grasp her hand. All around them the doctors fell before taking in even half the download.

When it finished and the room was quiet again Chuck opened his eyes and pulled away seeing the red light gone, letting Sarah know it was okay to open her eyes. Reaching down to undo the bindings he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said rising to her feet with him once she was free. "You?"

"I think so," he said with a smirk.

He took a breath, though it felt like relief filling her lungs. She might have grabbed him and kissed him even knowing someone would see this footage, but thankfully stopped herself hearing the door open as Casey entered the room.

"Somebody call the cable guy?" He asked removing his glasses with a smirk.

While two of them had died from the upload, the rest of the Fulcrum agents were left alive but mentally unstable. Some seemed as if their brains were wiped empty while others were muttering quietly under their breath, clearly driven insane.

Once the cleaners came in to go through the cul-de-sac Sarah and Casey took Chuck home before heading to Casey's for a debrief with Beckman.

"Besides testing on humans, it appears Fulcrum is perilously close to completing their own Intersect computer, making Bartowski more important than ever," said Beckman. "I want your team to look for similar transactions with Volkoff Industries. We need to know if there is anyone else building something we should know about."

After the agents shared a glance Sarah nodded. "If it's there I'm sure Chuck will find it."

"I want you to take a few days, make sure the Fulcrum Intersect doesn't effect him," Beckman said crossing her arms on her desk. "Let him open the Orange Orange while you two handle cleanup at Meadow Branch. That way we won't risk him flashing on anything there."

The days off were a welcome surprise, though for perhaps the first time Sarah was disappointed the mission had gone so quickly. She'd rather have spent the days in the house, but even Chuck agreed they shouldn't risk going back, even for the night. Not if it could blow their cover under the cover.

Instead Chuck waited up for Ellie to return home where she found him sat on the couch with his laptop open. "You're back already?" she said pleased he was alive but also a bit disappointed his and Sarah's test run ended so soon.

"Yeah, things went… well, how they always go," he said closing his laptop and standing while she put her bag on the table. "We need to talk though. An Orion talk."

Ellie felt her chest tighten, turning to him. "Is something wrong with the Intersect?"

"No, I haven't had much chance to use them but your Intersect-E flashes still work fine."

"Intersect-E?" She asked crossing her arms.

"Ellie edition," he said with a smirk.

Giving her proud smile a moment to breath, she shook her head asking, "Okay then what's wrong?"

"Two things, actually, one actually good but I don't think you'll like it and the other… potentially not good, and I know you're going to flip out and get upset." He cleared his throat, walking around the couch. "So first, I need more updates."

"More?"

"A lot more," he said pointing to his laptop. "I have a file of different kinds of things I want included in a skill update. All kinds of martial arts and self defense systems. Not just Jujutsu, Kung Fu or Muay Thai, but just about everything. Eskrima, all kinds of kenjutsu and fencing systems, archery, shooting, parkour, gynastics and stuff on how to use different vehicles, play instruments, pick locks and even to treat wounds and other medical skills."

Ellie's concern was briefly lifted by a sheepish smile as she admitted, "I might have snuck that last one in the first update."

"Really?" Chuck smirked.

"It was part of all the survival stuff. Orion was more concerned with knowledge on how to forage and survive in the wilderness, but I wanted to make sure that you can help Sarah and Casey or anyone else if you're out there and they need a medic." With a shrug she said, "I guess I'm glad you haven't had to use it yet."

"But the rest would've been useful," he said quietly. "The entire neighborhood we were in was full of bad guys. And not just normal bad guys, Fulcrum agents. I need to be able to defend myself at least, if not help Sarah and Casey if they're captured again like they were this time."

"Chuck you're asking us to turn you into some kind of… super soldier?" Ellie's distaste showed on her face as well as her voice.

Chuck considered explaining it another way, but shrugged. "Yes. If that's how you want to think about it then yes. I need to be able to protect Sarah and Casey as well as you and Devon and anyone else I can. I know you don't like it, but this is our life. My life. I'm going to be in danger sometimes, but if you want to help me then please don't ask me to stop. Help me get better."

Ellie clearly disliked the idea but gave a relenting nod. "Fine. I'll talk to Orion. Give me the files you've gathered, I'll send it to him so he can encode them or whatever he has to and we'll prepare an update."

"Maybe this time I can just do it on your laptop instead of having Bryce show up? Have him send the file over."

"I'll ask him about it," Ellie said with a smirk that faded as she walked around the dining table. "Now what's the thing that's going to upset me?"

"Right-right." Chuck nodded, "Well, like I said the whole neighborhood turned out to be Fulcrum, and all the parts they ordered from Volkoff turned out to be for an Intersect."

"They made their own?" Ellie frowned, though wondered why he thought that would upset her.

It worried her, sure, but not upset her, not until he said, "They uploaded it into me."

Her face fell, stepping toward him raising one hand while the other covered her mouth. "H-How?"

"They pretty much Clockwork Orange'd me," he said using his index finger and thumb to replicate the clamps holding open his eyes. "They tried to do the same to Sarah but I covered her ears and she didn't look. All the doctors who did are now either insane, brain dead or completely dead. The only one who survived was me."

"Oh god," Ellie rushed over to wrap him in a hug. He smiled feeling her try to crush him to death before pulling back clutching his arms. "We're going to the hospital to run tests."

"Not now, Ellie," he said holding up a hand. "I feel fine and it'll be suspicious if we go in now. Let's just give it a few days, okay? Then I'll go in and wipe the records just like last time, I promise."

"Have you flashed at all? With their Intersect, I mean. Or any, I guess."

Chuck smirked seeing her switch to clinical mode as she released him. "I have. The E-flashes were fine. Just as smooth as before, but the Fulcrum flashes were… they were worse than the government one, the Alpha flashes."

Ellie held back a sigh at the various terms which felt like they were from a comic book, making them fitting for him while being admittedly useful in separating which he meant. "Worse how?"

"More... violent? Crude, maybe. The E-flashes feel like the information is just rising to the front or streaming out. The Alpha flashes are more blunt, like the intel is being dragged and pulled from the back of my mind. The Fulcrum flashes feel like the information is being bled out of me. Like someone it ripping open the back of my head and tearing the information out or forcing it out."

"It probably is," she said frowning. "It likely wasn't encoded, compiled or uploaded with mental relays in mind."

"If Orion saw it like a program they probably saw it as a weapon," Chuck mused grimly.

"Then they likely went for direct transfers, forcing the information forward with a sufficient trigger rather than having it pulled up or accessed." Ellie looked down in thought for a moment before eyeing Chuck. "We need to get it out of you as soon as possible, but the only way I can think of would be the removal system Orion is working on."

"What is it exactly?"

"I don't know, he says he isn't at the point where he need input on installation yet since he's still constructing it. He told me it was essentially like he was remaking the Intersect from scratch, which was why it was taking so long. He's designing it to remove all Intersect information from your brain, so we should be able to remove the Fulcrum one along with the others."

"Is there a way to only remove the Fulcrum one?" he asked cautiously.

"Chuck, you have to remove it," she said shaking her head.

Not wanting to argue it with her he said, "It should be easier to remove one Intersect instead of three, right? I'd like to get the one that hurts out of my head as soon as possible."

Ellie knew better than to think that was his reason for asking, but nodded. "I'll ask him. I'll send him a message tonight. Get me the files you have and anything else you want on the next update."

"Thanks, Sis," he said hugging her and kissing her cheek before hurrying over to his laptop, "you're the best!"

He spent the night adding to his list of wants in his update as well as adding to the files he'd gathered for it. He tried to find as much as he could about each subject and skill, making sure none were lacking. It wasn't like he had much interest in going to bed, not alone. So he ran searches for everything linked to his desired skills while looking into Volkoff's records for other large transactions that stood out. While he didn't get far there it was a start.

When morning came he gave Ellie everything he had for his update and left his computer running Volkoff searches in his closet while he went to spend the day serving yogurt. Sarah and Casey went to spend their morning going through Meadow Branch, Sarah taking care of packing their things and overseeing the company emptying their cover house. Chuck spent his morning leaning against the counter with a Nintendo DS in hand, though only after recreating a brief war between various colors of gummi bears and the gummi worms they rode to battle, most of them ending up devoured by the great maw.

Hearing the bell ring heralding a fifth customer for the afternoon, Chuck shut down his DS and put on a smile, raising his head to greet the older man in a cheap suit. "Welcome to the Orange Orange. How can I help you?"

"Are you Charles Bartowski?"

Surprised, Chuck answered cautiously, "Whose asking?"

The man extended his right hand with a smirk. "Lieutenant Mauser, LAPD."

AN:

Considered having Chuck tranq some Fulcrumites, but result would've been the same so figured better to get it over with then waste time. The fact he brought the gun should be enough of an example that he was ready to act until the Fulcrum flashes kept coming.