Don't own Chuck
Chuck heard what Morgan said so walked into the kitchen and pretended to look out the window. Morgan's news hurt him. He couldn't help but wonder had he let Sarah down by being gone for so long. Was he doing to his family the same thing that his parents had done to him? He was hashing all this out in his head as he stared out the window into the dark black night.
"I love you," he said looking out the window. It just rolled out naturally without him thinking about it. Loving Sarah for him was like breathing.
"I like you too Juri but let's leave it there or people won't understand," said Ettore standing beside him. "What are you looking for out there?"
"Diogenes went around during the day with a lantern looking for an honest man. I look out at the night and see what's in their heart," said Chuck.
"Is that why you told me you loved me," said Ettore as he laughed. He passed Chuck a drink. "I make money off those dark hearts. I sell them what they want to achieve their wishes... their desires. That's what I'm going to do for you. People run around and say the devil made me do it but I know better. That dark spot was there all along then slowly over time they let it take hold then when they do the deed they look for someone to blame."
"So that's where you come in I guess," said Chuck. "You're their sin-eater if you like. You take on their guilt and what else?"
"I take their money. I've dealt with right and left. I've supplied the good and the bad; however, in the end they all look on me as the ugly. I make no apologies for it and I've make a lot of money for me and for others..."
"You're talking about your brother," asked Chuck. He heard in his ear about the wet team showing up. "I've a question for you and it might be a little personal but do you see your brother as being smart enough to put together a plan as elaborate as this to get you out in the open?"
"Truthfully no, he never was very bright that's one of the reasons our father left everything to me. He was afraid Julius would lose it all. He made me promise to take care of him and his mother which I've done. Julius, like everyone, was born with that little dark spot and over the years it has grown bigger and bigger until it consumed him. I guess we're living the result."
"So you don't think he's smart enough to build this trap but the evidence says something different," said Chuck as he sat his drink down.
"The evidence says one thing but I know my brother. I know him better than he knows himself and I'm finding it hard to believe he could pull something like this off alone."
"So you think he's got a partner that's backing his play? He's the head of a council of world class criminals..."
"Have you ever dealt with people like that Juri? If you have you'd realize you can't turn your back on them. The first time you do they'll put a knife in it. No, if he went to any of them for help they'd smell blood in the water then they'd all move in for the attack."
"So if he's getting help then whoever it is has to be operating in the background out of sight. Which begs the question why? What does this person gain from being anonymous?"
"There are a lot of benefits, the first being you don't have to worry about a hit being put on you by someone from the council trying to take you place. However, the real advantage is you can lead a normal life and hold down a regular job."
"The monster living next door with the pretty face if you like," said Chuck as he stared back out the window thinking about what Ettore just told him.
"Chuck look alive in there you've got incoming," radio Casey. John moved back into the dark where he watched men advance on the cabin.
"Everyone down and away from the windows, turn off the lights I think I saw movement outside," said Chuck. "I'm going outside everyone stay inside."
"Not without me you're not," said Zondra. "Don't give me any crap about staying here and watching everyone. They can take care of themselves."
"Somehow they've eluded my sensors," said Chuck as he looked up out the window. "Okay come with me the idea is we take them out before they have a chance to set up so if you're coming we need to go now."
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Back in Langley the General was keeping a close eye on the cluster that was developing around the cabin. There was one team already deploying around the cabin with a second one that pulled into the canyon road with Sarah and Casey filling in as flankers off to the side. Saying the General was not pleased with Sarah and Casey was an understatement.
"What does she think she's going accomplish by showing up here," said the General. "She's going to distract Chuck and he's going to slip up."
"General, in the past Sarah has been able to get Chuck to focus. I don't see why she can't get him to do that again," said the Major.
"I see I'm going to have to have a talk with team Bartowski about following orders when this is all done," said Beckman as she sat back in her seat and watched as things unfolded. She noticed her aide was called over to the side and handed a folder then he started back towards her.
"Please let that was good news for once. Tell me I've won the lottery and now I can retire some place nice and quiet with no agents to babysit."
"Is that what you really want?" asked the Major. He was surprised that she'd opened up like that. "Somehow I don't see you as being happy anywhere else."
"You're probably right. Have you and Roan been talking about me behind my back? That's what he told me too?"
"No ma'am just and observation is all," said the Major as he changed the topic before things became uncomfortable. "I really don't know how to classify this. It could be either good or bad but for right now I'd go with ambivalent. Remember that name Agent Carmichael asked us to look into, Julius the half-brother of Ettore. Well there was an explosion a little while ago and he seems to have been killed. His secretary, Laura Palmer, survived by a miracle and is being treated at Westside Memorial."
"We shouldn't take any risks with her. I want you to send a team over and have them post outside her door. We should send over a doctor we trust to look over her at least until we can interrogate her."
"I'll get right on it but General it sounds like you already have the doctor in mind you want to send," said the Major as he pulled out his phone.
"Yes I've got the perfect doctor in mind. Get some men together to send over to Echo Park.
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Sarah and Alex watched the team deploy giving Casey and Chuck an idea what trail they were heading in on. However, Chuck soon discovered the men outside the cabin weren't the same team as the ones Sarah watched leaving the van. Chuck motion for Zondra to follow him since he knew the woods. They hadn't gone far when Chuck spotted at a man near a tree.
"Shush," said Chuck as he pointed out a man then he picked up a rock looked at it then flashed. He threw the rock like a major league baseball pitcher winding up then delivering. He caught the man in the back of the head and he went straight down. They went over to secure him.
"Not bad Chuck," said Zondra as she helped him take the man's boots off to remove the laces in order to tie him up. "How'd you know these people were out here anyway?"
"I met up with Casey he's up on the ridge covering us with his Barrett and I'm wired now," said Chuck pointing at his earbud. "Sarah spotted a group moving in but these came too soon so I think there are two teams in play. This is just the first one," said Chuck as he touched his ear. "I don't need to tell her. I can... Okay I will."
"Either you've been possessed by an evil spirit that's talking in your head or Sarah wants you to tell me something. Which is it but I'm rooting for the former."
"She wants you to watch me because I found out she went to the hospital this morning after something happened. She saw her Ob-Gyn who gave her a clean bill of health."
"That's why you were distracted in the cabin and why you told Ettore you loved him. I thought you had real feelings for him. You know he's going to be heartbroken when he finds out."
"I wasn't distracted I was worried and I'm not even going to dignify the rest of what you said with a response. Now let's get this guy tied up. You go clockwise I'll go counter clockwise then we'll meet up on the other side of the cabin. Just keep your head down and your eyes open."
"That goes for you too loverboy," said Zondra as she took out disappearing into the night and in the underbrush.
[Not far away...]
In another surveillance van about a mile away the comms operator was going crazy. Already he'd lost contact with his two scouts now he was losing communications with his team one at a time.
"First base respond over," radioed the man. "This is home plate. Nothing heard over. Second base this is home plate do you have visual on first base over. Second base respond over. Nothing heard. What the crap is going on out there?"
"Home plate this is pitcher's mound I'm going to drop back then circle around to see if I can figure out what's going on."
"Roger that. Let me know as soon as you find them," radioed home plate. There was nothing left to do now but wait. Little did he know outside the second wet team was advancing on his location. The man inside pulled out a Subway sandwich he'd brought with him.
"Mmhm, six inches of gooey delight an Italian meatball sub with melted mozzarella on hearty Italian," said the man as he took a bite. "Mama mia, that's a spicy meatball." However before he could take a second bite the van door opened a little. "What the heck," said the man with meatball still in his mouth as a grenade came rolling in then the door closed again.
There was a dull explosion as the van absorbed most of the blast inside when the percussion grenade went off. Sarah and Alex observed a small bright flash when the windshield blew out but the wind was coming from the wrong direction so they didn't hear anything. Pitcher's mound or the team leader found first base with a knot on the back of his head as big as an ostrich egg. He slapped him a bit until he came around.
"What happened to you," asked the team leader as the man regained consciousness. He cut him loose but the man was barefooted.
"I don't know I was standing by a tree then the next minute I was out. I've got a headache that feels like it won't stop and ringing in my ears like my head's a bell tower. What happened?"
"Come on second base isn't answering either," said Pitcher's mound as he helped him up. "Home plate I found first base we've got other players here. Do you copy? Home plate, do you read me? Nothing heard over. All stations keep an eye out we've got guests."
"There's Luigi," said first base as he ran over to his friend but when he got near he saw he was lying in a pool of blood. "He's gone and someone shot him. Let's go find whoever's responsible for this and give them a little payback."
"Roger that," said the team leader. They circled quietly around the house until the came on Chuck and Zondra. Zondra was standing over Chuck as he was tying up another man.
"If you shoot them then you don't have to mess with all this and they don't get up to come back at you a second time. You should think about that."
"Maybe but the poor guy's just trying to get by doing the only job he knows how to do. There we go I think we can go back..." Chuck started to say when he heard Casey yell in his ear and he looked up in time to see two muzzle flashes. He leaped up grabbed Zondra by the arm pivoting her so the first round missed but the second on caught her in the shoulder. Chuck drew his Makarov and fired twice both head shots.
Chuck recognized that one of their assailants was the man he'd left unconscious. Zondra sat on the ground holding her arm in pain but her words, the words she's spoken before, came back to haunt him. John saw another muzzle flash then he scoured the area but didn't see anyone just Chuck helping Zondra to the cabin.
"Chuck, you've taken down this team but the next one is on their way. How's Zondra? I saw she get clipped."
"I won't know until I can get a look at it," radioed Chuck as he got Zondra up on the porch and into the cabin. "Clear everything off the table," said Chuck as he helped her on top.
"We heard gunfire," said Sheila as she stood back looking at Chuck and Zondra. "Is there anything I can do?"
"I need bottled water to flush her wound out with. There are two wet teams outside or there were we took out the first one but there's a second one in the way." As chuck was explaining the perimeter sensors went off.
"You need to get back out there I'm okay you can leave me," said Zondra. "I'll be all right just go and head off those men."
"You're still bleeding, so no, you won't be all right," said Chuck. "Sheila up there in that cabinet is a medical bag. I need it." As Sheila got the bag Chuck cut away her blouse then flushed the wound but it was still bleeding. He took the bag from Sheila opened it then took out a syringe. He filled it with lidocaine injecting it in the wound.
"Hold this light," said Chuck as he handed Sheila a flash light. "I need to see inside the wound," he said as he gently started probing.
"What are we going to do? We can't hole up here anymore. We need to get out of here," said Ettore. He was finally seeing the gravity of their situation.
"Well let's examine your options you can walk out that door and be shot dead or stay in here where they will shoot you dead." Zondra jumped. "I'm sorry if I need to give you more lidocaine let me know. Ettore you said that Julius wasn't smart enough to pull this off do you have any idea who this silent partner could be?"
"I really don't know and that's the truth. I just think he has to exist. The original plan was I was supposed to disappear after they whacked that other me. I was to get a makeover which meant a new face."
"Wait a minute if you were dead how were you going to run your arms business afterwards. All your assets would be frozen," said Chuck as Zondra cringed in pain. "Sorry I found the slug. Let me give you more lidocaine then I'll pull it," said Chuck as he gave her another injection. "I need more light you need to get closer. So Ettore you were saying."
"I've got everything in numbered accounts all over the world but I have one master access card that's safely tucked away here in L.A. at the First National in a safety deposit box. You should've seen the director's face when I opened the box in the name of the Frito Bandito. I was supposed to pick up the card... Oh and there's a little black book with a list of locations for all my hidden stashes and I was going to pick them up then be right back in business without missing a beat."
"Chuck, sweetie, I copied that," radioed Sarah. "I'll relay the information to the General. She's going to have kittens. She can send people to the First National and seize that safety deposit box. Good work."
"Now let me see your face when I show you this," said Chuck as he held up the slug he took out of Zondra's shoulder. "Listen I'm going to pack this for right now and I want you to stay as immobile as possible or you'll start to bleed again but it needs to stay like this to drain."
"I've got movement outside near the cabin," said Paolo as he looked out the window. "What do you want to do now?"
"I'm going back outside," said Chuck as he washed his hands. "You can come with me if you think you can keep up. You know it's going to be a little dangerous out there."
"We'll see," said Paolo. "When we go out close the door behind us," he said to one of their men. They ran out the door under a hail of bullets.
"You okay," asked Chuck as he caught up to Paolo. He nodded. "Good we're going to go around and take out as many men as we can then draw the rest away from the cabin. If we can hold out until morning I can get an extraction team in."
"Sounds like a plan let's go."
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Sam tried to stay awake as long as she could but after getting up early and playing all day on the beach she was just too tired. She tried to fight it dozing off then waking up then falling over then waking up. Finally she couldn't take it anymore so she gave up and ended up crawling into a ball on the sofa then going to sleep. Ellie and Kat watched over her until she was dead to the world then Ellie carried her to bed.
"I can stay with her," said Ellie. "If you want you can go home I've got this. We're only next door so it's nothing for me to stay here until Sarah or Chuck get home."
"I can stay I'm going to wait for John and Alex to return. Alex just got back after what happened to her and I was hoping to spend some time with her. We used to talk more."
"I know what you mean Chuck and I never used to have any secrets from each other. It was us against the world then one day I looked around and the world came and got us. Speaking of coming to get us who are those men in the courtyard," said Ellie as she noticed a couple of men in black from the window walking by the fountain.
"I don't know but we should go to the door and ask them what they want," said Kat as she pulled a Beretta Nano from her bag. She caught Ellie's surprised look. "It was a present from John along with a permit to carry a concealed weapon."
"How romantic but that it came from John I'm not surprised just... well let me talk to them first. You can stand inside the door," said Ellie as she went out in the courtyard. "Oh I think I know why they're here," she said as she put things together.
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At Westside Memorial hospital a little ways down from the Laura's room Cassius' man watched as Laura was wheeled in after going through an EEG. The man had his back turned to the orderly as they rolled her by. He tried to stay near other people who were walking around in the corridor so as not to look too suspicious listening in and gathering intel. Finally he had to report in so he ducked into the bathroom to talk with his boss. He called him up but it seemed like it took forever before his boss answered.
"Come on before someone walks in," he said as he heard a clicking sound then his boss' voice. "It's me Ricky. Look the woman is going to pull through. She came through the blast almost unscathed from what I overheard. Right now she's down the hall from where I am with guards posted on her door. … It won't be that easy to get at her. Already people are giving me the stare. … Dress up like a doctor, sure I can do that my mother always wanted me to study medicine. … No I'm not making fun of you sir. I'd never do... right shutting up. … Okay I'll take care of this," said the man then he hung up.
"Geez the boss has no sense of humor," said Ricky as he looked at his phone. "Okay now to get a doctor's coat and get this over with. Sorry lady looks like your luck just ran out."