Chuck stood before Carmichael and Mad Dog. "Hey guys." He said smiling at the two as he looked around the room in his head. What once was a blank space was now an office. On one side of the room sat a big dark wood desk with a martini tray, bottles of booze, and a Macbook pro. Seated in a bid black leather office chair was Carmichael. On the other side of the room in a plane desk sat Mad Dog in a wood chair. On his desk he had a pile of guns and knives. Sitting in front of him was a stripped MP5K.
"Hey chuck, I've been running the numbers and you're not going to like this. If we try to merge we are going to take over your body at some point." Carmichael said sitting back in his chair.
"Why?" Chuck asked walking over to his side of the room.
"We are more dominant than you are. I'm more dominant in everyday life and he's just dominant all together. This is not going to work." Carmichael said.
"Sure it will. All we have to do is make the perfect balance of all three of us and absorb it like I did with you." Chuck said.
"So we make a fourth Chuck? What are you a gluten for punishment kid?" Mad Dog asked.
"No, I'm serious. Think about it, we'll make a perfect Chuck. One that has all of your spy skills and your ability to do violence and most of my personality. That guy will be Chuck Carmichael. When I'm out in the world I'll be that guy. Mostly me but with a little bit of you both thrown in for style and safety. When I'm on a mission you can merge with Chuck so he has more skills and less of my feelings. Then if bad things happen Mad Dog can merge with Chuck and kick ass. At night we all come here and make adjustments to the Chuck personality. In fact, I need a desk." Chuck said and a cool IKEA kidney bean-shaped white desk with a comfortable mesh office chair appeared between the two other desk and Chuck sat behind the desk.
"Cool." He said relaxing back into his chair. "Okay guys lets start building." Chuck said standing up and a clone of himself stood where he was standing a minute ago in his boxer shorts. "Guys meet Chuck Carmichael. He has no personality at all, he's just a suit like Iron Man. Now this is where we build from." Chuck said walking over to his clone. "I like the hair and the beard, what about you two?" He asked.
"So do I." Carmichael said.
"Don't care." Mad Dog grunted.
"Okay, clothes don't matter because he will wear what every we wear in the outside world." Chuck said and the clone was dressed in the same blue suit he was wearing. "But the first thing we have to do is loosen the tie and un button the top button. Chuck is more casual." Chuck said fixing the clone's tie.
"Agreed. I'll be the more well dressed man in the group." Carmichael said.
"And I will ditch the tie and jacket when I take over. Too restricting and a tie is a fighting hazard." Mad Dog said.
"Now how are we going to add some of us to him?" Carmichael asked walking around the desk to stand next to Chuck.
"The same way I made you guys, we add props to signifying parts of us in him. Like this." Chuck said and the clone was wearing all black leather low top chucks. On his ring finger was his platinum wedding band and on his wrist was his Rolex with the angel inscription. "I'm adding my relaxed nature to him, as well as my love and caring." Chuck said. "Now you try." He said waving to Carmichael.
Carmichael looking at the clone before looking down at the PPK in his right hand and the martini glass in his left. They were a representation of what he was. The gun was his agent skills and the martini glass was his charms. He smiled and the clone was holding a Sig 229 in his right hand. "I added some agent skills. Not all of them, but enough to let you talk the talk and run things. If you ever go on a mission I can take over and supply the rest." Carmichael said smiling.
"Good idea. I'm going to need to sound good when I talk to a general or something like that." Chuck said turning to Mad Dog. "What are you adding my violent friend?" He asked smiling.
Mad Dog looked up from his work and grunted. The clone now wearing a thin tactical vest under his jacket. "Protection." Mad Dog said going back to cleaning his gun.
"Thank you Mad Dog." Chuck said and smiled when he got no response.
"Brut." Carmichael muttered.
"Leave him be. Mad Dog has a very hard job to do. He takes on the burden of doing all the bad shit we do. He's also always angry, fixing his guns and sharpening his knives helps to relax him. Now let's try this." Chuck said touching the clone. He sat up on the couch and shook his head.
"You okay now Chuck?" Sarah asked walking over to him.
"I think so, I need to run some tests to make sure things are working right." Chuck said standing up. "Kiss me." He said with a soft smile.
"Okay." She said leaning into him and kissing him. Chuck returned the kiss full of love and Sarah smiled. "Wow. That was good." She said smiling.
"Okay, test two." Chuck said his eyes shifted and his smile became a smirk. Without warning Chuck grabbed her and kissed her passionately. Unlike the first kiss that filled her with that worm fuzzy feeling in her chest this kiss made her hot and excited.
"Wow. Was that Carmichael?" She asked starting to recognize the differences.
"Yes and no. it was me but with more of him shining through. Okay, last test." Chuck said standing tall and dropping his suit coat on the couch. "Hit me." He said.
"What?" She asked.
"Throw a good punch. I know your right arm is hurt so hit me with a good jab." Chuck said flexing his arms.
"Are you sure." She looked at him.
"Yes, just do it Walker." Chuck said.
"You asked for it." She said throwing a quick jab at his chin.
Chuck blocked it, grabbed her arm, and took out her legs setting her on the couch before she could even figure out what was going on. "What the hell was that?" She asked looking shocked.
"Mad Dog. I have to explain some things. But first in need you to try that last one again this time without warning. Are you up for it?" He asked holding her hand.
"To tell you the truth I don't know if I can. That happened a lot faster than I thought it would." She said blinking.
"Oh God, are you okay?" He asked dropping to the floor next to her.
"I'm fine, but I'm way too hurt to be tossed around like that." She said smiling at him.
"I'm so sorry, I'm not in full control. I've created a kind of Co-Op with the other two guys. Chuck, the body runs on a mix of all of us. My nice guy personality, Carmichael's knowledge of spy craft, and Mad Dog's situational awareness. When I'm walking around in everyday life, like right now I'm in control. When I'm spooked, or attacked, or if I'm walking into a gun fight Mad Dog takes over and my nice guy personality takes a back seat to his skills and cold demeanor. Like putting on my game face. When I'm needed for a mission, or if I'm giving an Important briefing, or if I wanted to pick you up at a bar as not Richard, then I take a back seat to Carmichael so I can use his skills and confidence." He said smiling.
"So you're still split in your head?" She asked touching his cheek.
"I have to or the other two guys would end up taking over in the long run. They're stronger than me. Over time the mix of personalities will get fine tuned, every night the three of us will make adjustments to the base model Chuck so I can act like the man I need to be at all times. To the outside observer I'll look and sound like I did for the last month, but this time I'll be in control so the other two guys can't do things I don't want then to do. If this works well then I'll make different mixes of the three and store the… recipe? I guess would be the right word in my brain like presets. Right now it's going to be a bit like a car with three gears. Chuck, Carmichael, Mad Dog. I can be your Chuck, the guy you love, cute, lovable, dependable Chuck. Or I can be Carmichael, the guy that you don't like as much, the guy that can talk the talk, and get things done. Or I can be Mad Dog, the man you fear, the man that kills, and the man we all need when the chips are down. I planed and killed 280 people yesterday and the reason I'm not crying right now as I tell you that number is because he did it. I was sitting back seat while he worked." Chuck said softly.
"I can understand that but will you always be that ridged in your personality. Will you always be so distinguishable? Because, Chuck people with split personality go crazy." She said looking worried.
"But I'm not going to go crazy. I'm there already. The train for crazy town left the station a long time ago." Chuck said smiling.
"What are you talking about Chuck?" She asked softly.
"I was blasted with an early version of the Intersect when I was six. What do you think that does to a brain when it's growing? Being blasted by the first download at full speed on my birthday two years ago? All the near death experiences with out training? The adrenaline highs mixed with flashes? Keeping up our fake relationship? Lying to family? To friends? To myself? A man starts to lose his grip on things. By the time Ned took the Buy More hostage I was more than primed for a full mental spilt. If not a split then a room with padded walls. You might think I'm going crazy but the truth is I am crazy. The other personalities are there to take some of the stress off of me. Off my mind. You had two years of intense training, and before that you had years with your father pulling cons. You are comfortable living two lives. I never was. Now I don't have to because I am two lives, three if you want to be technical. And switching between them will keep me sane. Because I, Chuck, can not kill. I can't talk to women. Not the way I need to, to do the job. And I can't talk to generals and Presidents with out shitting myself. To be respected. To do the job. To even run the team, I need them." He said.
"Okay." Sarah said smiling.
"Okay?" He asked smiling.
"With you, if you have a plan, or an idea, and you can explain it to me, then I'll always say okay. You always think of everything. Your mind works like a computer, you think of ever possible outcome, every possible way of doing something and you find the best way. It's what I love about you. So if you can do this, and maintain your sanity. Then I believe you. Now I've sat on my ass long enough. What did you want me to do?" She asked standing up.
"Are you sure?" He asked standing up too.
"Sure, I'm tougher then you remember? So what do you need?" She asked smiling.
"I need to repeat the same test but faster. Last time I switched before each test. This time I want to try it without thinking too hard." Chuck said.
"Okay." She said before throwing a punch without warning. Chuck blocked it. Grabbed her arm, took out her legs and sat her on the couch. "I'd say that worked well." She said blinking.
"Sorry, I tried to put you down as softly as I could but I still don't have full control over Mad Dog, that's something I'm going to have to fix. Unless we're faced with immanent death I don't like him having too much control. Even now I had to fight him to keep from hurting you." Chuck said dropping into the seat next to her.
"It's fine. If I wasn't half drugged and full of stitches that would have been nothing. By tonight I should feel a lot better. I know my body. I heal pretty fast because I have a good immune system. I'd hold off on fixing it too much. You need him to keep you alive. Now what's next?" She asked.
But Chuck didn't answer. Instead she found herself in a powerful kiss this took away her ability to think straight. Just as she was getting her bearings back he slipped his hand under her shirt and cupped her right breast making her moan. Before she knew what was going on he was gone. "What?" She said looking around confused.
"Carmichael works just fine." Chuck said smirking.
"I'll say. Now get back over here and finish what you started mister." She said grabbing his face in her hands and kissing him.
"Sarah! My parents are right there." He said blushing.
"So, they know what it's like to be young and in love." She said un-tucking his shirt.
"Sarah! Not now. My mother is right there!" Chuck said pointing over his shoulder.
"Don't mind us, we have these nice big headphones!" Mary said laughing.
"Mom!" Chuck said looking shocked.
"She can't hear you Chuck, she has her headphones on, I'm putting mine on now. Have it him Sarah!" Steven said with a smirk.
"I knew I liked your folks for a reason." She said kissing his neck.
"Sarah I can't!" He said laughing as he pushed her off of him.
"Carmichael could." She said smirking.
"Sure he could, he could make you scream, beg even, but he can't get it up. Not without me. I control that part of my body. And I am not going to have sex with you ten feet away from my mom and dad. I will however, cuddle up with you and hold you. How bout that? Will that do?" He asked pushing her up and laying out. He pulled her down on top of him. "How's this?" He asked holding her the way she liked.
"This is not as good, but it will do Chuck." She said tiredly.
"Go to sleep, I am too. I need to make some fine tuning, you're asleep already and I'm talking to myself." He said laughing softly.
Ellie's watch beeped. She sat up and looked at Devon surfing. She smiled. When they first got here he could barely get up on the board and now he was riding the waves like he was born on a surf board. Reaching into her bag she pulled out the little black phone and turned it on. The first week they got here she would turn on the phone at five and wait for a call. That first week was a real nail biter. When Casey called on the eight-day telling her everything was going good, it did a lot to put her at ease. After that Casey called once a day to tell them everything was okay. That Chuck was okay. That the mission was going good. They never knew what time the call was coming so they turned on the phone for ten minutes every hour on the hour. Then they turned it back off. "Hey babe, is it time?" Devon said coming out of the ocean to sit with her. That was another thing that this trip did. It cemented their relationship by cutting out all distractions. No rotating shifts at the hospital, no having to schedule a date weeks in advance and have to cancel last-minute because a bad ten car pile up happened three blocks away and twenty people needed medical attention. Most of all, it was not being so tired that they just passed out holding each other. It wasn't until they got to the island, but they figured out they hadn't had sex in weeks. After that first eight days, things really started looking up in that department. She woke up pleasantly sore every morning. They spent their days on the beach napping and surfing. Eating fruit and fish, drinking good wine and tropical drinks served in cocoanut shells. At night they made out under the stars and took it back to the room where things really got interesting. A week ago she found a shop that sold novelties while walking around the resort. She found a deck of playing cards with different sexual positions and act on then and every night they would draw ten cards and see how far they got before passing out. "Thinking about the playing cards?" Devon asked smiling.
"How did you know?" She asked.
"You always have this blushing smile on your face when you think about it. What do you say we go back to the room and see if we can get a few cards in before dinner?" He asked holding her hand.
"I think you have a good idea." She said picking up the phone to shut it off but it rang. The number didn't look like the one Casey normally used but he was the only one with the number. "Hello?" She answered.
"Hey Ellie." Chuck said.
"Chuck! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Is the mission over? Are we being called back?…"
"Whoa! Ellie! Calm down sis. Look over your right shoulder."
Ellie turned around and saw a tall dark-haired man in an expensive blue suit. He had short hair and a beard but she knew it was him. "Chuck!" She said sprinting up the beach and jumping on him.
"Easy Ellie." He said as she started crying. "Relax, I'm home. I'm fine. It's over. We won." He said rubbing her back as he held her.
"Hey Bro." Devon said joining the group hug.
"Where's Sarah?" She asked looking around.
"She waiting for me to call her. I wanted to talk to you first." Chuck said leading them over to a table. "The first thing I wanted to talk to you about is my job. Are we okay with it?" He asked.
"We are most certainly not okay with it! We are going to have a very long conversation about it. You are going to tell me everything but for now, yes we are okay." She said still holding his hand like she was afraid he would float away.
"Good. For the record I never wanted to lie to you about this, and I don't know how much I can tell you but I want you to know what I've done, the lying, it was to protect you." He said smiling sadly.
"I know, but I'm still mad about it. We tell each other everything Chuck. We always have. How am I going to be able to help you if you keep things from me?" She said smiling as she hugged him. "Now where is your better half?" She said.
"One more thing before I call her." He said. "I don't know how much you know about the mission I was on."
"Almost nothing." Ellie said.
"Right. Well the mission was to infiltrate an underground intelligence agency. I was courted because of my knowledge of computers, and a fake hatred of the CIA. My knowledge was enough to get me a meeting with the head of this organization. Ted Roark. That's right, Roark, like Roark Industries. For three weeks I worked for him fixing his computer system and gathering intel. One piece of intel was called Project Prometheus. In the file I found out Roark started this computer program back in the 70's with two other men, one of those men was our father. When the government pulled the plug on the program Roark kid napped Marry Bartowski, our mother. Remember when she left one day and never came back?" Chuck asked softly.
"Yes." Ellie said as tears slid down her cheeks.
"She was taken and our father was forced into working for Roark. Later when Dad made a discovery he was kidnapped too." Chuck said.
"Oh God." She said looking shocked.
"Over the course of the take down and the subsequent interrogation Roark told me where he was keeping them. I took a team of agents and got them out." Chuck said standing up and waving. "Ellie, I found Mom and Dad." He said holding her up as she collapsed at the sight of them walking towards them. Mary rushed up and pulled Ellie into a hug holding her as they cried. Devon stood with Chuck as Steven and Sarah walked over. "Devon meet your father-in-law." Chuck said.
"Nice to meet you." Steven with his awkward smile.
"This is Awesome!" Devon said pulling the tall thin man into a hug.
"Oh Ellie, my little girl! Look at you! I've missed so much." Mary said holding her daughter at arm's length to get a better look at her.
"I don't even know what to say." Ellie said still looking shocked.
"How about we order some drinks and just talk until we get where we need to." Chuck said waving over a waiter over.
For the next half hour they talked about the underground bunker, and what was happening next.
"Next we all take some time off. While you two have been having fun in the sun some of us have been working hard." Chuck said smiling.
"Hey, worrying about you is a full-time job." Ellie said boxing him in the back of the head.
"Right, like I was saying, we need time off. I rented out this place for the next three weeks. It's off-season so after the few guests staying here leave we have this place to ourselves. In a few days the team will start arriving in groups and by the end of the week they should all be here. I think Snow is staying in L.A. to help his wife with treatment but the rest should be here. Some of them with family members. Then we have a wedding to plan for." Chuck said.
"I was thinking we could set up something on the beach. Something simple." Sarah said.
"A wedding! We have so much to do! We have to find a dress! We have to plan the menu! We have to get flowers!" Ellie said excitedly.
"Relax Ellie, I'm a simple girl, I want a simple wedding. Nothing flashy or complicated." Sarah said smiling.
"Oh, okay I guess." Ellie said.
"You really wanted to plan something big didn't you?" Sarah asked.
"Maybe." Ellie said blushing.
"Practice for your own wedding?" Sarah asked.
"Maybe." Ellie said laughing.
"Look Ellie, you have my permission to do what ever you want as long as I get three things. One, a comfortable dress. Nothing big or puffy, or hot, and uncomfortable. Two, a short wedding on the beach. And three, I want Chuck to wear the black tux I packed. That one is important." She said blushing.
"Does he look good in this tux?" Ellie asked smirking.
"Maybe." Sarah said looking flushed.
"Ooooo." Ellie said laughing.
"Leave her alone Ellie, wait until the boys go away and then we can get the details." Mary said smiling.
"Well that's our cue to leave guys." Chuck said getting up. "Devon point us in the direction of the bar." He said.
"It's this way." Devon said leading them off.
"Well at lest you trained him well." Mary said watching them walk away.
"That wasn't me. I got him like that. Ellie did an amazing job raising him." Sarah said smiling.
"Yes, but the new confidence, and the grown up attitude is all you. Just a month ago he wasn't this mature." Ellie said.
"A deep cover mission will do that to you." Sarah said deep in thought.
"No you don't!" Ellie said scooting over to sit next to her. "You don't get off that easy. Now what's this about a tux?" She asked.
The three men walked into the almost empty sports bar and Chuck waved over the bar tender. "Three glasses of your finest Scotch!" Chuck said before turning to the look at his father and soon to be brother. "Oh, did you guys want something?" He asked smiling.
"Funny." Steven said taking one of the tumblers with a laugh.
"Good one bro." Devon said laughing. "Oh, and Chuck, I wanted to say thank you. This trip was the best thing that happened to me ever. Ellie and I have never been this close. I don't know how much it cost but I'm going to pay you back for it." Devon said seriously.
"Think nothing of it brother. Knowing you two were here and safe took a huge weight off my back. For the last three weeks I've been pretending to be a bad guy. Knowing that Roark couldn't touch you two if something bad happened allowed me to pay fast and loose." Chuck said.
"What have you been doing? I mean, a month ago we thought you worked at the Buy More." Devon said.
"You want to know what I do?" Chuck asked. He reached down, pulled his pants leg up, grabbed the throwing knife, and flung it behind his back without looking. "Go get the knife." He said picking up his drink.
Devon looked shocked for a second before he got up and looked at the back wall. The knife was stuck in the dart board. As he walked closer he saw it was sticking out of the bull's-eye. By the time he got back to the table he was slack-jawed. "How?" He asked.
"Skills." Chuck said with a confident smirk.
"Don't by it Devon, all his skills came form a computer." Steven said laughing.
"Dad! Come on! I was cool for the first time and you totally killed it." Chuck said pouting with a smile.
"You don't need skills, and you don't need to look cool. I taught you a long time ago to always be yourself. I man doesn't need to show off, he just needs to be himself." Steven said shaking his head.
"But come on, I have something in me for the first time worth showing off and it's a waste if I keep it all bottled up inside. What's point in being able to kill every person in this bar, even the drunk in the bathroom without getting up from my chair, or spilling my drink, if I can't tell you and get the look of respect from Devon here. Like I'm getting right now." Chuck said taking a drink from his tumbler.
"I don't know Chuck, the question is why do you think you need those skills in the first place? You're not going to be doing field work. You're going to be running a tech company." Steven asked in a tone that should have made Chuck back down and think about the sage advice his father was trying to tell him, but to this Chuck. The guy that was so much more than a computer geek it rubbed him in a very wrong way.
Chuck looked over his glass at his father. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked softly but in a tone that made it to Steven's ears just fine.
"What I mean, Charles, I thought I taught you to be the kind of man that didn't need to threaten people, or resort to violence." Steven said pushing back.
Chuck finished his drink and set the tumbler on the table. "First of all, you weren't around long enough to teach me shit. Secondly it was all fine and good to be violent to bust your sorry brain-dead ass out of an underground bunker yesterday. You were fine with it yesterday right? That's right, you don't remember because you took the cowards way out and shielded your mind." Chuck said standing up.
"I did that to stop Roark!" Steven said standing up too.
"And you know why?" Chuck asked stepping close to Steven. "Because all those years ago you didn't have the balls or the training to bust your wife out in the first place. Instead you tucked your tail between your legs and did Roark's biding. Well let me tell you something, if my wife was ever taken I'd track her down and kill ever last man standing in my way. Because unlike you I have the fucking sack to get shit done. So you keep your passive aggression bullshit to yourself. You don't like the way I turned out then you should have found a way out of that bunker and set me right a long fucking time ago. Because right now, you're nothing to me but a fucking burden. A child I have to watch out for. Make sure you don't have any brain damage from the Intersect. Make sure you have a place to stay. Make sure your set up. You left the house when I was nine, now twenty-five years later I have to take care of you." Chuck said tossing a few big bills on the table. "Fucking bullshit." Chuck said before walking out of the bar.
"What the hell was that all about?" Devon asked looking really shocked.
"That was something I've been waiting to hear all day." Steven said retaking his seat. "He's been thinking about all that ever since he walked into our room at the bunker. A part of him, not a big part, but a part, really hates that he found us." Steven said finishing his drink and ordering another one with a wave.
"Come on Steven, Chuck is happy to have you back. We all are." Devon said.
"I don't think Eleanor and Chuck are as happy as they think. You have to remember they didn't know we were taken. They thought Mary walked out on us and then a few years later, I did the same thing to them. For a long time it was just the two of them. I can just imagine the hate they leveled on us. The anger. Because of the hurt. Mary hides it better but she's waiting for the same thing from Ellie. We were gone for all the tough times. The pains and the stress of growing up and fending for themselves. Now when their lives are going good, when they have it all worked out we are tossed on them like abandoned children. Now, after struggling to get to a good place by themselves, they have to take care of the people that left them to grow up alone." Steven said wiping a stay tear that slid down his cheek.
"I don't know what to… this is not awesome." Devon said looking confused.
"No it's not awesome. What's worse, Chuck is going to go off somewhere and start kicking himself for mouthing off to me. Because that's the kind of man Ellie raised him to be. A good, kind man, that hates himself for feeling like he does even though he has every right to feel that way. He has more right to feel the way he does then the way he's been treating us." Steven said sighing as he sat back in his seat.
"Is there something… I'm not even sure were to start here." Devon said.
"You can help by getting Sarah and telling her what I just told you. She's the only one that can help him right now.
"On it." Devon said rushing off to find Sarah.