Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck or any of the other characters from the show.

A/N: Thanks to PJ Murphy for betaing this chapter. I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review.

Chapter 8: Half-Cocked

Chuck jumped out of his car as soon as he parked and started towards the elevator in the parking structure for Roark Industries. He was trying to get in as soon as possible so none of his handlers could catch up to him and try to figure things out.

If I can just keep them off-kilter and following me, they won't be able to raise any suspicions. I just have to talk to Ted and come up with a plan to keep them off our tracks. Why does our parking garage have to be so big and far away from the building? I should ask Ted about parking privileges for high level programmers.

"Chuck, wait!" Sarah shouted behind him.

Chuck barely glanced behind him before redoubling his speed. He heard squealing tires nearby, probably from Casey or Bryce parking a car.

"I'm sorry, Sarah, but I have to get to RI! I have no time to waste if I'm going to keep Fulcrum away from my company!"

He felt a hard tug on his arm as Sarah caught up with him. Chuck struggled to get away, but she grabbed his face and forced him to look at her.

"Chuck…"

He cut her off. "Sarah, I have to find the connection between RI and Fulcrum. Do you have any idea what kind of position I'm in? They cannot know I'm the Intersect. They can't!" he shouted. He was feeling desperation and fear from being made, so he used that to fuel his performance.

"Listen…"

"No Sarah, you listen. I need to know what Fulcrum wants with RI. We could be in trouble in so many different ways if Fulcrum is trying to steal our technology, or do horrible things to it." Chuck paused to collect himself and go into a more personal performance. He had to get the impact right so that Sarah would believe him. "I also have to make sure that I'm still safe so that I'm not thrown into a bunker or captured or worse. If they connected me here...I have to do this! Not only for Roark Industries' good, but mine as well."

He grabbed her arms and looked into her eyes, silently pleading for her to believe him. She gripped his arms back, giving him an intense look of her own.

"Chuck," she started, hoping he wouldn't cut her off this time, "I know you're scared. There are a lot of reasons why Fulcrum might be interested in RI, but we don't know what they are yet. We have to be careful. We have to take a moment and come up with a plan." Sarah put her hand on his cheek and gave him a determined look. "You just have to trust…"

Chuck's ringtone cut her off this time. He reached into his pocket, took it out, and saw Lou's picture. Sarah looked surprised and miffed, especially when he answered it.

"Lou? I…"

Sarah grabbed the phone out of his hand and put it to her ear. "Listen, we're really busy now, so call back later. You can talk to him when I'm done with him."

"Who is this? I want to talk to Chuck."

"This is Sarah."

"His ex?"

"Yeah. Call back later."

She hung up and looked back at Chuck, who stared in utter disbelief.

"Did you just…"

Before he could finish, another squeal of tires behind him showed themselves to be a car going around the corner at high speed and power slid to a stop right behind Chuck. Chuck barely had time to process that he should have jumped or been scared shitless when Tommy popped out of the driver's side door and trained his gun on them.

"Don't move, and put your hands in the air," he menaced.

Sarah put her hands in the air with a snarl on her face. Chuck looked to her, back to Tommy, and put his hands up as well.

"Are you a programmer at Roark Industries?" Tommy asked Chuck.

"Y-yeah. I'm actually head programmer and engineer of the next-gen division."

Tommy smirked in triumph. "Good. Get in the car. The door is unlocked."

"Um, I always thought it was a bad idea to get into strangers' cars."

"Get in before I shoot you both and drag you in here.

"Alright, alright. I'll get in. Just please don't shoot us," Chuck pleaded.

"Then get in, now. And Blondie, get down on the ground."

Sarah begrudgingly got down on the ground. She watched with impotent anger as Chuck was coerced into the car. He looked back at her with a helpless look on his face as he closed the door. The car sped off with her hostage asset.

Chuck gave a sigh of relief as he sunk into the passenger seat. He glanced over at Tommy, who was racing away to only he knew where.

"Tommy, what…" he began before he was interrupted.

"First off, what happened to my car? I just finished painting it, and if Larkin did something to mess her up, so help me..." Tommy trailed off, a look of fury on his face.

Chuck flattened himself into his seat as much as he could, not wanting to reveal the possible damage. "Um, I wasn't really paying too much to the condition of the car, but it should be generally okay," he hedged.

"Okay? Is that all you can say?" The edge continued to rise in Tommy's voice.

Chuck decided there were more pressing manners to attend to. "Tommy, I need you to focus. What is the plan?"

Tommy took two breaths to calm himself and slipped back into his job. "Right. I got word from Ted that Larkin had captured you. There was a possibility Larkin might have made a connection between Fulcrum and Roark, so I was tasked to hunt you down and 'capture' you to throw the CIA off our track. I was impressed you were able to play along so well."

"Thanks. So what's the plan now?" Chuck was really hoping there was a plan.

"Well, we're kind of making this up as we go. But before we get to that, what did Larkin reveal?"

"Well, um, I'm not really sure what Bryce knows. He knows that Fulcrum is interested in RI's next-gen computer parts. I was trying to put a story out for my handlers on why that is. I didn't really let Bryce say anything." Chuck wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do. Looking back now, it might have been a good idea to actually find out what Bryce knew.

"So you don't know what they know?" Tommy asked with some irritation.

"No, but I already started a sort of narrative on what the situation might be. I told them since RI has such advanced equipment, Fulcrum might be interested in using it to build something. Or possibly do something to it. I was trying to make them play catch up instead of connect-the-dots."

"And when I 'captured' you, I fed more into that story by asking whether you were just a programmer."

"Yeah," Chuck said, glad that they were more or less on the same page. "So what's the next step?"

"Exit here and turn left," Sarah said while she consulted her Chuck Tracker.

Casey swerved his Crown Vic around another slow moving vehicle. He took the off ramp and actually ran a red light to get to the next road.

"Alright, Larkin, what more do you know? What is Fulcrum after?" he snarled to the agent in the back seat.

Bryce sat in the back, deep in contemplation. "I already told you all I know. Fulcrum was tracking a shipment of computer parts that belong to Roark. Chuck works at Roark. And Sarah said that Tommy asked him if he was a programmer, right?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes. I'm not sure if he specifically knew who Chuck was. I mean, what are the chances that whomever Tommy randomly chose in the parking garage was a programmer at a high enough level to know what to do with the shipment? Turn right up ahead."

"There's too much we don't know," Casey chipped in as he made the turn. "Let's focus now on rescuing Bartowski. We can interrogate everyone after that happens."

"He seems to be in the third warehouse on the left. Let's park here, grab our equipment, and do some recon," Sarah said.

Casey parked and the three agents got out. They equipped themselves and made their way to the warehouse. With a couple of hand gestures, they communicated their moves and broke off. Casey went left, Sarah went right, and Bryce went up.

"I've got two guards by the side entrance. I'm going to take them down," Sarah said over the radio.

"Alright," Bryce responded from his. "I've gained access through a window, and I'm making my way around a catwalk. I've got Chuck in my sight. He's sitting at a table, the shipment is beside him, and Tommy is behind him. I see a couple of thugs positioned at the egresses and by the shipment. I'm going to try to get closer and see what's happening.

Bryce made his way around the perimeter and got the drop on a guard below him. He snuck his way behind a pillar and saw another guard. A couple of steps got him right behind the guard and allowed him to take the guard out with a sleeper hold. The next guard had his head smashed into a wall. He made his way behind the corner of a shipping container beside Chuck and Tommy. They appeared to be having a heated conversation, but Bryce couldn't make out what they were saying. Chuck had a couple of computer components on a table hooked up to each other in a mess in front of him. He roughly pushed them away and tried to stand up but promptly sank back down when Tommy pulled a gun on him. Bryce decided this was the moment to act.

"You better point that gun somewhere else, Tommy," Bryce said as he stepped out of his hiding place and pointed his gun at his adversary.

"Bryce!" Chuck shouted with relief.

"Chuck, you alright?" Bryce asked while keeping an eye on Tommy.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've just been answering questions and trying to jury-rig these parts to his specifications. Are Casey and Sarah with you?"

"Chuck! Ixn-ay on the artnersp-ay," Bryce cautiously hissed.

"I-ay anc-ay eaksp-ay igp-ay atinl-ay oot-ay," Tommy sneered.

Tommy lunged behind Chuck and grabbed him in a choke hold. Chuck tumbled back from being knocked off-balance and grabbed Tommy's arm, trying to relieve the pressure on his throat.

At the same time, gunfire erupted outside. Bryce ignored it and focused on the two in front of him. Tommy slowly moved towards the door, his hand firmly around Chuck's throat while using him as a human shield against Bryce.

"Let him go, and I won't shoot," Bryce commanded. He took a step forward, trying to get a bead on Tommy.

"Really? I don't think so," Tommy replied with an infuriating smirk on his face. "I'm going to have to bring him with me, at least until I can get away. So why don't you follow me helplessly outside while your partners are distracted by my men."

Tommy reached the door with Chuck in tow. He shoved Chuck at Bryce and bolted through the door. Bryce caught Chuck and quickly checked him over to make sure he was alright.

"Ow! Hold on, Bryce. I think I just hurt my ankle." Chuck held onto Bryce tightly and balanced his weight on one foot. "I'm not sure how bad it is. It might be something, or it might be nothing. Can you help me to the chair?"

"Can you get there yourself?" Bryce asked with some irritation. Even though Chuck might be hurt, he was wasting time helping him while Tommy got away.

"I don't know. Let me just test it a bit."

Chuck put some weight on his foot and gave a slight gasp. After a couple of tries, he seemed to be good enough to walk. He maintained a firm grip on Bryce and leaned a lot of his weight on him.

"I think I'm fine, actually." Chuck looked up to see the look on Bryce's face. "Oh! Did you, I mean did I...Oh, I'm sorry. That was really stupid of me. I should have been fine on my own, but I kept you from chasing Tommy. I am so sorry about that."

"He said, 'We'll always have Omaha.' Do you know what that means?"

Ariel was kneeling in front of her mini fridge, pulling out a carton of milk. She took out two glasses and poured milk for herself and for Chuck.

"My guess is it's a code phrase to meet up somewhere. From what you're telling me, and from what I've been able to observe from afar…"

"Hold on. What do you mean 'observe from afar'?" Chuck looked up with a bit of a shocked expression on his face. Ariel met the look by bopping him on the nose with her pen. He flinched back and she smirked.

"Of course I've been keeping tabs on you, sweetheart. Just like when Ted told me Larkin got you. I was providing backup at the site. And thanks to that little security backdoor you have on Casey's surveillance, I was able to see the debriefing." She walked over to the couch and patted the seat next to her. "Oh, and take a couple of cookies on the table over there. They're leftovers from the bake sale yesterday."

"Leftovers? You?" Chuck tried to say around a full mouth.

"You know me, sweetie. I like to make sure I have some for everyone, including at work. I faced stiff competition from Peta Terrence's cupcakes and was considering sabotage. However, I decided my victory would be so much sweeter if I beat her on skill alone."

"Okay. So, back to Sarah and everyone else…"

"Right. From what I can surmise, Bryce is asking Sarah to go with him on his new mission to infiltrate Fulcrum. And she seems kind of conflicted." Ariel let Chuck think about that while she started on her own cookie.

Chuck didn't want to see Sarah go. She was his champion and fought for him. She was an amazing, strong, intelligent, and beautiful woman, and he liked having her in his life. Even if they couldn't be more than what they were. And despite his own reservations toward her.

Ariel watched the interplay of emotions on Chuck's face. She felt sad he was caught between a rock and a hard place right now in so many facets of his life. She wanted to protect him and Fulcrum, even if some solutions might be painful. She reached over and tenderly brushed his curls away from his face. Gently taking his chin in her hand, she turned his head so that he faced her. Chuck's brow furrowed at the apologetic, but understanding, look on her face.

"I know you like her, Chuck, but there is an opportunity here we can't waste."

Sarah contemplated the half-full suitcase in front of her. She had a stack of tops in her hands, but was debating on whether to put them in.

She was used to a life filled with danger, action, and making decisions in life-or-death situations. Those were things that she could handle. However, those were nothing next to the issues cropping up in Burbank. Her relationship with Chuck was getting too complex for her taste, and she was debating on whether she should leave with Bryce.

Bryce was easy. Straightforward. Safe. She didn't have to worry about him, and they expected little from each other. They were great partners, but there was little emotional investment in each other. Chuck was complicated. She was feeling things she had never felt before concerning him, and that unsettled her. Joining Bryce would be a return to the familiar life she had before getting involved with Chuck.

Unfortunately, that would mean leaving Chuck. He had a kindness and understanding she had never seen before, and she felt drawn to him. She couldn't help but feel something special towards him, even if they were only cover dating…even if they had broken up their cover dating. Chuck was truly a good person at heart, and Sarah had never met someone like that before. It was something she very much wanted to experience more of.

However...there was something off about him. She wasn't sure what it was, but she felt compelled to find more about it.

Before she could think more on her kindly, but mysterious, asset, a knock came at her door. She went over and looked through the peephole before opening it to the person she had just been pondering.

Chuck looked nervous and jittery, but he managed a slight smile. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, yeah," Sarah replied. She allowed Chuck in through the door and closed it behind him. He glanced around and saw the suitcase partially full.

"Were you going somewhere?" he asked. The atmosphere between them felt charged with awkwardness. Sarah didn't know what to say.

"It's okay. I understand," Chuck continued. "You're going with Bryce, right?"

"I wasn't. I mean, I'm not sure," she finished somewhat lamely. She gave him a shrug before wondering if that would do any good. An oppressive silence fell between them. They avoided looking at each other.

"I think you should go," Chuck broke quietly. Sarah's head snapped up to him in surprise. Chuck met her gaze with a sad look of his own. "He's going undercover all by himself. It's going to be extremely dangerous. Despite how good he is, he still needs someone to watch his back. I'm sure you would be happier doing that than babysitting a nerdy asset in Burbank."

Chuck looked back up to meet her still surprised gaze. She was blown away by what he was suggesting. He gave her one more pained look before giving a vague wave and exiting the apartment.

The ring of her cell phone drew her attention. She checked the caller before answering.

"Walker, secure but in public."

"Agent Walker, what are you doing and where are you going?"

"I'm…I'm going to join Bryce in his mission. He needs all of the help he can get." She heard the section with her seat number called over the terminal intercom. She grabbed her carry-on and walked over to the line to board the plane, ticket in hand.

"Agent Walker, can you please refresh me on your current mission?"

Sarah got a sinking feeling in her stomach. "I was supposed to guard Chuck and follow up on any leads his flashes might yield."

"Exactly. So why exactly are you abandoning your mission? Agent Larkin can take care of himself, but the asset cannot. I also need an agent with him representing CIA interests in the mission. That is why you are supposed to keep a close eye on him. A very close eye. Now get back to your post. There will be a meeting tomorrow morning. You have your orders. Good night."

Graham hung up and Sarah stood there, letting the line pass in front of her. She couldn't identify what she was feeling right now, so she decided to ignore it for now and make her way back to her hotel room. She raced as fast as she could on the evening freeway, trying to get her frustrations out through some stunt maneuvers.

When she reached the hotel, she rented a new room and went up. She entered the new room and threw herself on her bed, punching the pillow in frustration.

Graham put the phone back on its receiver and leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers in front of him.

The asset was very averse to his protection detail. It was understandable if an average citizen didn't like his life getting intruded on, but he or she should be able to better forgive it for protection.

Graham decided better surveillance must be kept on the asset. It was for his own protection. And Graham couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious of Bartowski. He felt it in his gut, and he had learned to listen to that feeling to get what his mind missed. Bartowski needed a closer eye kept on him.