Hello. I was able to get this chapter out much faster because it follows show canon fairly closely. In fact, I typed almost 5,000 words in just the last six hours. I've moved forward to "Chuck vs. the Beefcake" for a couple of reasons. Firstly, this is where we start making the turn towards the end of the second season and we start seeing elements of the story that will have a big effect on later chapters. Secondly...and more importantly...we get a character involved that has had a little bit of time in the spotlight, but based on the AU of this story, now comes front-and-center in this one. This means the Chuck-and-Sarah arc takes a bit of a back seat for the moment, but I promise there will be no relationship angst. In fact, the hard part about writing this chapter was trying to write it with no angst at all, which was something of a theme when this episode came out.
Anyway, please enjoy this chapter. The parts that are show canon (quite a few parts this time) are still the property of NBC and Fake Empire Productions. And if it's been a while since you left a review, please feel free to do so. I respond to all reviews (if the viewer is registered; I can't really respond to those who aren't, sadly), and I always explain my thinking. And sometimes you get little tidbits and previews of what's to come.
Enjoy!
Unknown Location
March 8, 2016
3:00 AM
The man conducted a search on his computer. The program he invented worked just like a Google search on steroids. It could find information on any drive on any computer in the world, bypassing whatever firewall and security was set up on it. Although he had to concede his current search didn't need anything that sophisticated.
He looked at the photographs. He saw the images of Charles Carmichael, but he knew better. Carmichael was just for the public's benefit, and he knew the true history of the person on the monitors in front of him. There were dozens of pictures. Some of them were of Chuck by himself, some were with Ellie and Devon, a few pictures had Chuck and Morgan in them. Most of the pictures featured Chuck with the stars of Jen Burton: Spy Girl. He saw the surveillance from the Grand Seville of John Casey pulling him out of the swimming pool. He saw Chuck being kissed by Carina at Sarah's high school reunion. He saw Chuck and Jimmy talking on the set of the TV show, but he winced at the image. And he saw many images of Chuck with Sarah. Given he knew the four were really government agents, he assumed Chuck was pretending to be Sarah's boyfriend. But he knew Chuck well, and it was clear to the man there was more to the two of them than that.
And it made him happy. Happier than he ever had been in his life. Perhaps even happier than when he found out Ellie was going to get married.
He was interrupted by a pounding on the door. He quickly closed his laptop and powered down the system, exiting out of the fire escape as his door was broken down. He descended to street level and could hear the beeping coming from his apartment. The beeping stopped, and an explosion destroyed the entire floor.
Whoever was pursuing him would never bother him again.
Studio 6B, 30 Rockefeller Plaza – New York, NY
March 14, 2016
5:00 PM EDT
Jimmy stood in the darkness behind the curtains. He peeked outside to see the crowd at the opposite end of the stage. After the insanity of the previous week, an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon should have been a cakewalk. But this was the first time he would be the first guest. The media blackout on Chuck and Sarah would still be in effect for another week, filming the show was pushed back an extra week, and Carina and he were the only ones in the public eye. At least this time, she was being dragged into this; she was four blocks away taping her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for airing tomorrow. Unfortunately, he wasn't done by a landslide: he had appearances on The Chew and Live! with Kelly and Michael to do early tomorrow, and he'd have to go through the same routine again.
"Thank you everyone," Jimmy Fallon said as the music faded out. "You know my first guest. He plays superspy Lance McCall alongside the gorgeous Sarah Walker on the wildly popular Jen Burton: Spy Girl. Please give it up for the man with the coolest first name in Hollywood…Jimmy Slade!"
The Roots started playing the James Bond theme and two spotlights swept back and forth between each other to mimic the beginning credits of a Bond film. Jimmy walked across the stage in the spotlights, got to the middle, and turned towards the audience, firing a super soaker with a big grin on his face. The crowed laughed and applauded as the lights were brought up on the stage. Jimmy walked over to Fallon, shook his hand and sat down, placing the super soaker behind the couch.
"Jimmy, how are you doing?" Fallon asked.
"I'm doing well," Jimmy replied. "I think this is the first time that I've been the first guest."
"Yes, yes it is. And it's about time, too."
"Man, how many people in Hollywood turned you down first?" The crowd laughed at that. "You must have called hundreds before you gave up and called me. Really, were ALL the Real Housewives of Atlanta busy? No ex-Bachelors or Bachelorettes? Even a first-season Dancing with the Stars contestant would have been a better choice."
"Jimmy, come on. I didn't call hundreds of other people first." Fallon took a beat. "The booking department did that." That drew another laugh from the crowd. "So how is it going on the show? It seems every week, that show gets crazier and crazier. In a good way."
"Well, we're off for now before we shoot the last two episodes for this season. But everybody is doing great. This is a very fun job to have. I highly recommend it."
"Excellent. Is there anything you can tell us? Any cliffhangers we need to worry about?"
"I can't give the full details. But…spoiler alert…we all die in the season finale and I wake up next to Bob Newhart."
The crowd went into hysterics at that. "Speaking of romantic pairings, have you talked to Chuck or Sarah at all?" Fallon asked. "I mean; I think I can speak for quite a few people when I say those are two people that belong together."
Jimmy hemmed and hawed for a moment. "That's true. I haven't really talked to either of them about it. I figured it's none of my business. But I can sympathize with people who hate those 'will they-or-won't they' types of relationships. I want both of them to be happy, no matter what happens. I mean, it's so hard to find the right person in this world as it is. Hell, look at me."
Fallon gave him an odd look. "Yeah, women are so sick of incredibly handsome and funny guys these days."
"I know, right?" The crowd laughed again. "I always had trouble growing up. My mom dropped me off at school once and got a ticket for littering." The crowd laughed even harder. "I mean, if laughter is the best medicine, then my sex life could cure cancer."
"OK, Rodney," Fallon replied with considerable snark.
Jimmy put a hand up. "Yeah, I do sound like him whenever I get started like that." Jimmy clutched at his tie. "I tell ya I'm all right now, but last week I was in rough shape, ya know?" he said in a dead-on imitation of Rodney Dangerfield, which got the crowd into further hysterics.
~/^\~
Jimmy walked into the green room where Sarah was waiting for him and collapsed on the couch. She closed the door so they wouldn't have to shout over the musical guest playing to finish the show.
"How was that?" Jimmy tiredly asked.
"You were amazing, just like you always are on these shows," she replied…and smacked him upside the head.
"Ow! Thanks a lot!" Jimmy growled.
"You know the worst thing about you? The whole audience thinks that 'I'm such a loser' routine you have is just an act but we know you're not acting! When are you going to stop doing that?"
"Depends. What's the temperature in Hell right now?"
"Enough," Sarah hissed.
"Give me a break, I'm exhausted." Jimmy rubbed his temples. "It would have been nice if they had told me in advance we were going to play 'Pup Quiz'. I wouldn't have shown up in a $3,000 suit."
Sarah started laughing hysterically. "Oh, I loved that! That's the best thing to have happened to the team in weeks! You looked so adorable with all of those puppies jumping around on you!"
"Yeah, bad enough I was an idiot and answered all the questions correctly. And I think one of those puppies took a leak on my pant leg. But those stupid names they came up with for the dogs? Doggy Galore? Goldpaw? Miss Moneypuppy?"
"Like you didn't see that coming," Sarah said, unable to contain her laughter. "You star on the most popular spy show since Mission: Impossible."
"Fine," Jimmy growled. "But the next time I hear you bitching about your lip sync performance, you get a smack upside the head."
"You wouldn't dare," Sarah said with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey, I might go to the grave for you, but getting pissed on by a puppy is stretching it."
Sarah's phone rang. "Hello? OK, Chuck. We'll be right there." Sarah hung up her phone. "Beckman called him at the hotel. She's ready with the intel, and Carina should be heading that way now."
"Good, spy work. Something I can't screw up as badly."
Sarah gave him another smack upside the head as they left the green room and headed for the exit to take the limousine back to the hotel.
Hilton Club Hotel – New York, NY
March 14, 2016
7:00 PM EDT
"Glad to see Agents Miller and Slade are making the talk show rounds," Beckman said over videoconference in the hotel room the team booked. "Mr. Bartowski, I commend you for making the capture of Jill Roberts and the Fulcrum data a success. Your breakup plan worked brilliantly."
"Well, I think it's safe to say it was a team effort, General. But I did my part, so thank you," he replied, which earned a grunt of derision from Casey.
"Unfortunately, we have a long way to go." Several images popped up on the monitors. "We believe the data Fulcrum is seeking is in the possession of this man, Cole Barker. He is a freelance mercenary, selling his considerable skills to whoever can afford his fee."
"Quite the ladies' man," Casey observed, given the number of beautiful women surrounding Cole in the images.
"We believe he is on his way to New York to sell the data he possesses to Fulcrum. We are uncertain what specific data he has on Orion or the Intersect nor do we know his Fulcrum contacts. It'll be up to all of you to retrieve whatever intelligence he's carrying…by any means necessary. This is a potential game-changer, people. We need everyone at their best."
Chuck looked at one of the pictures. "Could we…could we get in a little closer on this picture of Cole? Maybe push in on his…groinal area?"
"You seeing something you like down there, Bartowski?" Casey asked in a derisive tone.
Jimmy adjusted the image as Chuck requested. Chuck focused on Cole's belt buckle and began to flash, seeing images of salamanders, a computer chip, a folder with Fulcrum data, and several individuals with guns.
"Oh," Chuck said, shaking his head clear from his flash. "The intelligence is in Cole's belt buckle."
Casey grunted in amusement. "Looks like we have to get his pants off." He turned to Carina. "You're up."
Carina stood and looked at the image. "Piece of cake," she said with a smile.
Baccarat Hotel & Residences – New York, NY
March 15, 2016
9:00 PM EDT
Carina sauntered into the lounge in her slinkiest black dress, her long red hair flowing over the spaghetti straps on her shoulders, and wearing just the right amount of liner to enhance her sky blue eyes. She hid her gun underneath her dress on a thigh holster. The clip in her hair hid a small HD camera that sent a live feed to Chuck and Sarah, who were sitting across the street from the hotel in a surveillance van watching what Carina saw in addition to the hotel's surveillance cameras. Casey and Jimmy saw the same feed on their smartphones as they staked themselves out in the stairwells, ready to go if needed.
Carina took a look around the room. The lighting was darkened, but people would still easily recognize her. However, the advantage of being in New York was that people saw celebrities all the time and usually took it in stride, at least in Manhattan. She walked to the end of the bar and ordered a drink, keeping her back to the crowd so no one would walk up to her.
"Beefcake just stepped in," Casey said over their earpieces as Cole entered the room and sat down at a chair at the opposite end from Carina.
"Where's his contact?" Chuck asked.
"Do I have an Intersect in my head? Check the cameras."
Chuck checked all of the monitors. Carina turned slowly so her camera picked up every club patron.
"Anything, Chuck?" Sarah asked him.
"Not so far," Chuck replied with a shake of his head. "I'm not flashing on anyone."
"OK. Carina, are you ready?"
"All set," she replied.
"Wait, is this really safe for her? I mean all of you have really been putting your necks on the line lately. Can't we just throw a bag over his head and drag him outside? Casey, you're always up for a good mugging."
"We'd blow our cover in about two seconds, Chuck," Jimmy said. "And we don't want to spook Cole's contact. We're already out on a limb with Carina in there."
"The seat next to Cole just opened up," Carina said. "Here I go."
"Go get him," Jimmy said. "It's Miller time."
She rolled her eyes. "Three years and that is still so lame."
Carina walked slowly across the bar and approached Cole. "Is this seat taken?" she asked, gesturing to the seat next to him before sitting down. "I noticed you sitting alone."
"Very observant," Cole replied dryly.
"Would you like some company?"
"Not really."
"Neither do I. That's why I had to sit over here. The price you pay for being famous: everyone tries to crowd you." Carina sat back and crossed her legs, making sure Cole got to see plenty of thigh.
"Rest assured, you won't have that problem with me. In fact, I should make one thing abundantly clear. I'm not a very nice guy."
"Good. That's what I like to hear. Sometimes the fans get too eager. They worship you, and sometimes they get to be a bit too much."
Cole leaned forward. "And what do you prefer?"
"Me?" Carina fixed him with her best prurient gaze. "Can I tell you a little secret? The characters we play? They're based on the actors who play them. Sarah's the responsible one. John Casey's a hard-ass, and Jimmy Slade's an overgrown boy scout with a weak sense of humor."
"Ouch," Jimmy said quietly over their earpieces.
"Not now," Sarah hissed. "Besides, she's right."
"Still, ouch!"
"And what about you?" Cole asked Carina.
"I'm into bad boys," she purred, giving him the full-on licentious gaze. "They know when to shut up and just take charge."
Cole raised an eyebrow. "Well, why don't we stop talking and take this up to my room. You have my word nothing nice will happen."
Cole stood and offered his hand, which Carina took to stand up herself. They walked slowly to the elevator and stepped inside.
"What room is yours?" Carina asked.
"1121," Cole replied as he hit the button for the eleventh floor. "It's a suite with a fantastic view. A giant king-sized bed and a Jacuzzi tub."
"Sarah, what if…what if she gets in trouble?" Chuck asked from the van.
"We use a safe word," she replied. If Carina asks for some Cristal champagne, Casey and Jimmy know to go get her."
Chuck looked towards the lobby again and saw four men enter and head towards the elevators. He began to flash, seeing the passports of each one.
"Sarah…Sarah," Chuck stammered and pointed at one of the monitors. "Those four by the elevators are all with Fulcrum."
"Are they going up to eleven?" Casey asked.
Sarah shook her head. "We can't tell. The security camera isn't pointed at the elevator buttons. Be ready to move, you two."
Casey and Jimmy ran up the stairwells and stood outside of the eleventh floor exits as Carina and Cole got to his suite. Cole opened the door and Carina took the opportunity to pounce, kissing him hard. She pushed him into the room with her body, her arms wrapped around his neck. She turned him and pushed him up against the door, forcing it closed. She got his jacket off.
"Let's get this off of you," Carina said in a husky voice, going for Cole's belt.
Colt grabbed her wrists. "Not so fast, honey. We're just getting started." He kissed her harder and held her arms over her head. Her hair clip fell to the floor.
"I usually don't do this on a first date," Carina panted between kisses. "Oh, who am I kidding. I always do this on a first date."
Carina got her hands loose and started to unbutton Cole's shirt, quickly working her way down to his belt again. He walked both of them across the room. Carina tipped herself over the back of the couch and fell to the carpet, taking Cole with her. She immediately rolled to get on top of him and went for his belt. Cole got up with Carina's legs wrapped around him and pushed her up against the windows.
"Now we're talking," Carina purred, finally getting Cole's belt off. He quickly grabbed it and bound Carina's wrists with it. He held her hands above her head again and kissed her hard.
"Getting a little kinky, are we?" Carina said with a lascivious gaze.
"Not exactly," Cole replied. He reached under Carina's dress and grabbed the gun on her thigh holster. He then stepped back and cocked it.
"I knew you weren't just happy to see me," Cole said in a menacing tone.
~/^\~
Chuck and Sarah nervously watched the elevator to see what floor the four Fulcrum agents would exit. The doors then opened.
"Eighth floor," Sarah said quickly to Casey and Jimmy. "Get down there."
Casey and Jimmy ran down three floors in opposite stairwells and entered the eighth floor hallway. The Fulcrum agents spotted them and immediately pulled out their guns, opening fire at them. Casey and Jimmy hit the deck and returned fire. Casey got the first agent, but a second one charged at him guns blazing, forcing him to drop back. Jimmy got a few steps forward to where the elevators were. He looked back to see a woman pushing a stroller out of the elevator.
"Get back!" he shouted, pushing the stroller back into the elevator. He fired two shots then glanced to his left to make sure the elevator closed. It did…with only the stroller. Which had a doll in it instead of a baby. He quickly turned behind him.
"SHIT!" he screamed and dove backwards, firing away at the woman who had the stroller. Only now she was in possession of an automatic weapon. She backed away, but that left Jimmy out in the open with another agent aiming right at him.
Casey jumped out and fired, killing that agent.
Chuck and Sarah took their earwigs out in pain from hearing the gunshots. Sarah immediately pulled out her gun.
"Stay in the van, Chuck, and call for backup!" she shouted and bolted out of the van, heading into the hotel.
Chuck typed the appropriate command into the computer and put his earwig back in. He turned it back on in time to hear the word "champagne" from Carina. His eyes widened.
"Sarah, Sarah, Carina's in trouble. She asked for Cristal!" Chuck said quickly but got no response. Chuck began to panic when he realized Sarah took off without putting her earwig back in. The backup was at least six minutes away according to the computer, and only if traffic was good.
He exited the van and ran into the hotel. He sprinted towards the elevator and took it to the eleventh floor.
~/^\~
"Enough games, sweetheart. Whom do you work for?"
Carina stared down Cole. "I don't work for anybody. That's for my own protection."
"Most celebrities have bodyguards. And you're awfully calm for someone who is tied up and has their own gun pointed at them."
Cole stepped forward. "So the question remains…whom do you work for?"
~/^\~
Sarah stepped out of the elevator on the eighth floor and had to duck down immediately to avoid being hit. Four more Fulcrum agents joined their remaining two partners to continue the assault on Casey and Jimmy. The woman who had the stroller was gone.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Jimmy yelled over the noise as Sarah crawled over to him. "Carina needs help!"
Sarah's eyes widened. "Dammit, I took my earwig out."
Jimmy looked to his right at the stairwell. "Go for the stairwell on three," he ordered as he reloaded. "One…two…three!"
Jimmy leaped up and emptied both clips at the oncoming Fulcrum agents, taking out two of them. Sarah sprinted for the door and went into the stairwell, bounding up the stairs to the eleventh floor.
~/^\~
Chuck ran out of the elevator and down the hall to 1121. He pounded on the door. "Carina!" he yelled.
Inside the room, Cole turned in surprise. It was the break Carina needed. She spun on her heel and kicked the gun out of Cole's hands. She braced her fingers together and swung her elbows, nailing Cole in the face. She went for the gun as he tried to clear his head, and she pistol-whipped him, sending him to the ground.
Chuck took two steps back and ran for the door, attempting to break it down. He rammed his shoulder and recoiled from the pain.
Sarah came around the other corner. "What the hell are you doing up here?" she demanded.
"Carina needed help and you took out your...I'll explain later!" He ran at the door again but got the same result. He held his throbbing shoulder as he growled from the pain.
"Use your foot, Chuck," Sarah said in exasperation.
Chuck braced himself, brought his foot up, and kicked the door hard, finally getting it open. "Aaaagh," he groaned as he limped around. "Case and Jimmy make that look so easy on the show."
Sarah ignored him and charged inside with her gun drawn, only to find Carina with her gun trained on the prone Cole, her hands still bound by his belt, and her stiletto on his back. Sarah gave her an odd look.
"Uh, did you capture him or is this just foreplay?"
~/^\~
Chuck, Sarah, and Carina escorted a handcuffed Cole to the top level of the parking garage.
"Casey, Jimmy, we've got the belt and Agent Barker, and we're heading to the car," Chuck said over his earpiece.
"You guys are making a huge mistake…" Cole began.
"You just keep your mouth shut and we'll deal with your later."
"There won't be a later unless you listen to me. You have no idea who you're dealing with."
"Drop it, Cole," Carina said. "I've dealt with guys much smarter and better looking than you."
They turned when they heard the sound of helicopter blades coming from a rather intimidating looking craft that rose up to the level of the roof.
"That's not our ride," Sarah said in shock.
The helicopter opened fire on them with an M134 mini-gun mounted on its wing. Sarah and Carina dove for cover as Chuck and Cole ducked down behind another vehicle. Sarah and Carina got to their knees and crawled to the next car over.
"Chuck, stay down!" Carina ordered. "We're going to try and draw fire away from you." She then switched to her earwig. "Case, Jimmy, it's Carina. We need help now!"
Sarah and Carina stood and opened fire at the helicopter, which turned its attention to them. Both of them barely got out of the way of a hail of bullets.
~/^\~
Casey and Jimmy were still pinned down on the eighth floor shooting it out with the Fulcrum agents.
"We gotta get upstairs!" Jimmy yelled.
Casey looked back and forth. "Slade!"
Jimmy turned to see Casey wrench a pair of fire extinguishers from the walls. He threw them at the agents, and Jimmy fired at both. The extinguishers exploded as they got to the Fulcrum agents, blinding them. Casey and Jimmy charged towards them guns blazing, reaching the stairwell. They went through the door and sprinted up the stairs.
~/^\~
Chuck looked in fear as Sarah and Carina tried to charge the helicopter but were quickly running out of ammunition.
"Listen to me very carefully," Cole said quickly. "I'm not a rogue agent. I'm MI-6 working undercover."
"Why didn't you say anything before?!" Chuck shouted over the din.
"Because I didn't want to blow my cover!"
The helicopter began to decimate the car Sarah and Carina were hiding behind.
"How do I know you're not lying?" Chuck asked.
"You don't. But if you want them to live, you don't have a choice."
Chuck looked towards Sarah and Carina. They were out of ammunition and the helicopter continued to fire to prevent them from moving.
Chuck and Cole peeked to see several agents drop from the helicopter.
"Do something or they're already dead!" Cole shouted.
Chuck stared at him momentarily. He then went for the handcuff key and freed Cole. Cole reached into his briefcase and pulled out two guns.
"Thanks," he said and charged towards where Sarah and Carina were cornered, rolling over the hood of a car to get to them.
"You better not be lying to me!" Chuck shouted.
"Get down!" he shouted at Sarah and Carina.
Cole stood and fired both guns at the helicopter's tail rotor, shooting off the blades. The helicopter began to spin out of control, losing altitude quickly and plunging in the East River.
The agents on the roof charged towards Sarah, Carina, and Cole. Cole fired the last of his shots, hitting two of them. The remaining agents began to return fire. They were then forced to drop back as Casey and Jimmy emerged onto the roof and sprayed the area with bullets. Two of the agents managed to get close, but Sarah took one out with a roundhouse while Carina took out the other with a spinning back kick. Casey grabbed another agent and rammed his head into the car while Jimmy leaped over the car to scissor kick two others down. The last one went for Chuck, but Cole grabbed him and knocked him out with a wicked hook.
The group looked at each other, completely shocked they managed to survive.
"Do I still have to show up for The View tomorrow?" Jimmy asked, breathing heavily.
Hilton Club Hotel – New York, NY
March 16, 2016
12:00 AM EDT
"I want to apologize to you directly, Agent Barker," Beckman said over videoconference as the team gathered in the hotel. "We had no record you were MI-6."
"You people just blew eighteen months of undercover work," Cole snarled. He watched Chuck fool around with the chip. "Don't bother. Whatever information is on that chip is useless without the playback device."
"Why?" Sarah asked.
"Fulcrum devised a system to ensure that critical information, if intercepted, couldn't be read. My mission was to bring the chip to my contact and find out what's on it. To do that, we need the playback device."
"And we scared away your contact," Jimmy said in frustration.
Cole sat back for a moment. "Perhaps not. Agent Casey, you're certain that one woman who got away only saw you and Agent Slade?"
"Correct," Casey replied. "The rest of their agents are either dead or in our custody.
"Which means there's a chance they won't connect me to all of you being there. Maybe I can still pull off the sale."
"You'll stay with the team tonight, Agent Barker, until I have a chance to talk to your superiors," Beckman said. "I'll brief them on the situation." She disconnected the link.
"Let's reconvene at 0800 hours," Sarah said. Everybody headed for the door to return to their respective hotel rooms.
Carina and Cole stopped by the room the team arranged for him. "Here's your key," Carina said. "We have people retrieving your things from the Baccarat. You'll have them for the morning."
"Excellent," Cole replied in a smooth voice. "I am forced to admit you did have me fooled at first. The whole 'Hollywood star' motif. It is impressive. Shame you couldn't close the deal."
"What are you talking about?" Carina asked.
"For someone who prides herself on being a bad girl, you come up a bit short. Maybe it's from working with these others, but you don't have what it takes to be truly ruthless like me."
"Really?" she replied, starting to get a bit offended.
"I wouldn't call it a character flaw. The person who can pull that off is quite rare in this world. But if you think you can be a truly cold-hearted seductress, I believe you'll find yourself headed for disappointment."
Carina scoffed and got closer to him. "I've gotten men far more attractive and charming than you to do as I wish. You're nothing special."
Cole's gaze bore through Carina's eyes. His fingers gently stroked her cheek, gliding downward to her chin. He pulled her face closer, his eyes never leaving hers and his lips mere centimeters away. Carina could feel her chest constricting.
"I guess you'll never know," he said as he opened the door to his room. "Good night," he said as he closed the door, leaving Carina standing in the hallway with her mouth agape.
~/^\~
Chuck knocked on the door to Sarah's room. "Hey there," he said quietly when she opened it.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I…I'm sorry for earlier, running up to find Carina like that. You keep telling me not to run into danger and I don't seem to listen…"
"That's my fault, Chuck. I'm still mad at myself for not putting my earwig back in. I should have been paying attention instead of running in without thinking."
"Hey, you were trying to protect your friends. Case and Jimmy were in trouble…"
"…and so was Carina, but I didn't know that. And because I didn't, your life ended up being in danger."
"But…"
Sarah put her hand gently on Chuck's mouth. "Chuck, you can tell me all you want it's not my fault, but that won't make it so. And you are so wonderful for trying to cushion the blow, but I have to play this out in my head. I have to learn from what I did wrong tonight. I mean, didn't the same thing happen to you in school when a big project didn't go right?" Chuck nodded in agreement. "I just need to do this."
She kissed him on the cheek and gave him a hug. "I appreciate you being there tonight." She then put a finger to his face. "But no more heroic stunts like that, OK?"
"OK," Chuck replied.
"Good night, Chuck," Sarah said softly and retreated to her room. Chuck walked down the hall to his.
~/^\~
Carina lay back on her bed and her mind was racing. She always considered herself to be a confident person, flirting on the border of arrogance. But the more she thought about tonight, the madder she got. It was building up inside of her, and she was starting to lose her mind.
She bolted out of bed, quickly threw on her silk robe, and stalked out of her room, heading down the hallway. She pounded on Cole's door. He opened it wearing only a pair of silk boxers.
"Hmmm, forty-five minutes," he said with a knowing grin. "You should have placed a wager against me. I expected you to return after thirty."
Carina was breathing fire. "There is only one good thing about being forced to admit you're right."
"What's that?"
Carina shoved him hard into his room, kicking the door closed behind them, and grabbed him roughly. "No one will ever know," she panted as she kissed him, her tongue snaking down into his throat. He caught up quickly and the two fell around the room, knocking each other off-stride, their lips never breaking contact.
"But I'll know I was right," he huffed. "I'm better at being bad than you."
"Then shut up," Carina growled, ripping his boxers off and ditching her robe.
Hilton Club Hotel – New York, NY
March 16, 2016
6:30 AM EDT
Jimmy exited his room and headed for the elevators. He pressed the down button and waited. He turned when he heard the door of another hotel room open. He turned to see Carina try to tiptoe out of Cole's room, her robe barely around her.
"Well, I can't say I'm totally shocked," Jimmy said with a raised eyebrow.
"What are you doing up?" she asked angrily.
"Apparently spending your night dodging bullets and rescuing your comrades doesn't give you a free pass from doing interviews. I've got The Today Show and The View to do this morning. I'll be lucky if I don't fall asleep right on camera. Could be worse, I guess. I won't be interviewed by Kathie Lee and Hoda and Rosie O'Donnell isn't on The View anymore."
Carina gestured towards Cole's room. "I…I was just…"
"I don't want to know," Jimmy replied, tiredly waving it off. Not even his morning coffee was going to help with this.
"Just…don't tell Sarah, OK? If she found out, she'd never let me hear the end of it."
"Yeah, no problem."
Carina smiled and gave him a kiss. "Thanks."
"Just make sure you're back to being Carina before we meet Cole's contact. Sarah's bad enough right now with Chuck. I can't even imagine what would happen if you start to really like this guy."
Carina playfully growled at him as she walked past to return to her room. Jimmy entered the elevators to go off for his interviews.
Museum of Modern Art, 53rd Street and 5th Avenue – New York, NY
March 16, 2016
1:00 PM EDT
Cole looked around as hundreds of New Yorkers went past him. This was as far from ideal of a situation for a spy to be in, but there was little choice. Cole decided to make contact without having the chip in his possession. It was a move Carina strongly objected, but Sarah agreed there was less risk in Fulcrum getting its hands on the chip if it was far away. Carina and Sarah staked themselves thirty feet away from Cole while Casey kept watch with a pair of binoculars on an awning just above the museum's entrance. Ten blocks away, Chuck and Jimmy hid in the New York Public Library with the chip, ready to go if they needed to.
"My contact is late," Cole said quietly into his watch.
"Any sign of Fulcrum?" Sarah asked. Carina and she were dressed in very conservative business suits and pulled their hair back in ponytails so that they blended in with the workday crowd.
"Hard to tell. They all look the same," Casey replied from the awning.
Sarah, Carina, and Cole continued to look around. They tensed whenever a passerby quickly turned their head, got into or out of a vehicle or went for something in their coats, even if it was a smartphone.
"Jimmy, what's your status?" Sarah asked.
"Quiet over here," he replied. "I haven't seen anyone come near us."
They saw a limousine pull up and a man exited the vehicle. "There he is," Cole said. "We're on."
"Signal when you have the playback device," Casey said. "Sarah and Carina will move in."
Cole walked up to the man. "You got the chip?" the man asked him.
"You got the playback device?" Cole countered.
Across the street, two people sat in the back of a Rolls Royce. One of them had a laptop computer in front of them as the other observed the meet between Cole and his contact.
"Something's not right," the woman said. "Activate the tracking device."
The man typed the appropriate command in the computer. A signal on the chip began to flash. "He doesn't have it," the man replied. "The chip is a mile away."
~/^\~
"Guys," Jimmy said quickly over his earpiece. "The chip has a homing device and they just activated it. They'll know Cole doesn't have it!" Jimmy turned to Chuck. "Time to go."
"Wait! Wait!" Chuck replied quickly. "We have to find out what's on that chip."
"I'm always up for doing something stupid but I'm not risking your life on this, Chuck!"
Chuck quickly grabbed a tool kit out of his bag and opened Jimmy's laptop. "Please, just give me two minutes. I can hack it! This is what I know how to do!"
Jimmy quickly looked around. "Two minutes and not a second more!"
"Give me a hand, then."
~/^\~
The woman looked out at Cole and his contact once again. She got out her phone. "It's a setup. Kill him," she ordered.
Cole's contact surreptitiously pulled out a gun.
"Sarah, gun," Carina said in rising fear.
"Everybody hold positions," Sarah ordered.
"Cole could be in danger."
"He's off the grid. We can't be seen here, Miller," Casey hissed.
Carina walked quickly towards Cole. "Carina, get back here!" Sarah whispered harshly.
Carina walked up to the Fulcrum agent's side and brought her gun up into his ribs. "Drop it," she ordered.
The woman in the Rolls Royce walked up to Carina and put a gun into her ribs. "You drop it."
Sarah started towards all of them. "Walker, no!" Casey hissed. "Slade, get Chuck and that chip far from here!"
"Don't move," another Fulcrum agent said to Cole, putting a gun in his back. Carina and Cole were escorted to the limousine.
"Get that chip, whatever it takes," the woman ordered over her phone.
~/^\~
"Now, Chuck!" Jimmy hissed, keeping his voice low to not attract attention in the library.
"Got it," Chuck said. Jimmy's laptop read the data. "Oh, God."
"What?"
"All this surveillance footage, these images. It's all of me!"
Jimmy's eyes widened. "If Fulcrum gets their hands on this, then they'll know you're the Intersect."
"Wait, what's this?" Chuck asked. "It looks like map coordinates."
Jimmy quickly snapped a picture of the document with his smartphone. He then ripped the wires from the chip and hit a pair of buttons on the laptop.
"What are you doing?" Chuck asked.
Jimmy typed feverishly on the keyboard. "You enter the wrong password three times on a CIA-issue laptop, it fries the memory and hard drive." He hit [ENTER] and the laptop fizzled out. "Head for the subway. I'll take the chip and get them to chase me."
"Are you sure?"
"GO!" Jimmy screamed, giving Chuck a shove. Chuck sprinted towards the exits while Jimmy bolted out of the library in the opposite direction.
Jimmy made it outside and began to run down 40th Street towards Times Square. A trio of Fulcrum agents pulled up in front of him. The one in the passenger seat rolled down his window and aimed but Jimmy reached in to nail him in the face with his fist. The agent in the back tried to get out but Jimmy kicked the door closed on him. He then landed a spinning kick at the agent's head. The driver tried to aim his gun but Jimmy grabbed his wrist, slamming it hard against the headrest and forcing him to drop it. The driver managed to get his foot up and kicked Jimmy hard, knocking him down to the sidewalk. He threw the car into drive and got ready to hit the accelerator to run Jimmy over. Jimmy reached behind him to grab a garbage can that was sitting on the sidewalk and slammed it into the front bumper of the car, causing the car's airbag to deploy. The unbelted driver was knocked unconscious. Jimmy got up slowly, took the chip, and threw it to the ground, smashing it with his foot.
He then looked to see a dozen tourists in complete shock at seeing Lance McCall in action.
"Wow, that almost looked real, am I right?" he asked them.
Chuck made it to the subway entrance on 5th Avenue and headed towards the turnstiles. He fumbled about in his pockets for some cash before realizing he needed to get a transit card. He ran over to one of the machines and caught a glimpse of a woman standing there. The same woman who had the stroller in the hotel the previous night and ordered Cole's capture minutes before. He flashed, seeing a Fulcrum file, an ID card with the name of Alexis White, and several images of her torturing various individuals.
"Do…do you have change for a ten?" Chuck nervously asked.
"Chuck Bartowski," Alexis said as two very imposing men moved in behind Chuck. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you better."
Unknown Location
March 16, 2016
2:30 PM EDT
"Oh, my God! This is unbearable!"
Cole looked disdainfully at Chuck. He was starting to get the impression Chuck may not have been a bona fide agent based on the screaming and crying he heard from him over the last ten minutes."
"I wish you hadn't done that," Cole said quietly to Carina, who was bound by her hands and hanging from a hook in a similar manner to Chuck and Cole.
"You were in trouble," Carina said, not in any sort of a mood to be questioned by Cole. "We were trying to protect you."
"And you were caught as a result. If they had only gotten me, we had a chance, but what you did put your whole team in danger."
"Don't you dare question my decisions," she spat at him.
"My back is killing me!" Chuck shouted. "My wrists are chafing!"
Cole shook his head. "This is going to get ugly. What level is his pain tolerance?"
Carina sighed. "I'd say about a one out of ten."
"A what? A one?" Chuck was mad. "I'd say I'm at least an eight."
"Chuck, the torture hasn't started yet."
"This is the pre-torture? OK, put me down for a 'one'."
"Did Jimmy destroy the chip?"
"I don't know. When the tracking device activated, he took it and ran to draw them away from me."
"He must have destroyed the chip," Carina concluded. "Had they been able to catch up to him, he'd be here with us."
"We better hope your team finds us fast," Cole said. "We're going to be tortured for information we don't even know."
"I hacked into the chip. I know what's on it."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm on it. Someone knows I'm the Intersect. That's what Fulcrum was after. There were also some map coordinates, but I don't know what they're for."
"Did you memorize them?" Carina asked.
"No, but Jimmy took a picture of it with his smartphone. Hopefully Sarah and Casey found him."
"OK, we can't let Fulcrum ever find this out. No matter what they do to you or us, you cannot tell them."
"But I can't…I can't handle torture!"
"Forget the torture," Cole said. "I'll incite them and get them to kill us quick. I'll get them focused on me and give you two a chance to get out. Worst case, maybe I can delay them enough for your friends to get here."
"Look, Chuck, if the pain becomes unbearable, just pass out," Carina said. "Scare yourself somehow."
Chuck looked at a table just outside of the cage they were in, where an impressive display of pliers, needles, syringes, and a blowtorch lay. "Yeah, that shouldn't be too hard. I can't stand needles."
Alexis walked up to the three. "Glad to see you're all in such a chatty mood," she said with a malevolent smile.
Hilton Club Hotel – New York, NY
March 16, 2016
2:30 PM EDT
Sarah and Casey arrived at the hotel room and immediately got on videoconference with General Beckman.
"General, we have a situation," Casey said in a rush. "Fulcrum has captured Miller, and Cole Barker. And Bartowski and Slade are missing."
"Dear God," Beckman rasped.
"We need satellite recon for the last two hours from any bird over Manhattan. Miller and Cole were taken away in a limousine from MoMA."
"We'll get on it right away." Beckman terminated the link.
The door burst open and Jimmy entered. "Please tell me Chuck is here."
"No," Sarah quickly replied. "What happened?"
"Son of a bitch," Jimmy growled. "The chip started emitting a homing device. I told him to run and I took the chip as far away as I could. It must not have worked."
Sarah's eyes widened in fear. "They must have captured Chuck, too."
"Oh, that ain't the half of it. We also saw what's on the chip. It was Chuck. Someone knows he's the Intersect!"
"WHAT?!" Sarah exclaimed.
Jimmy ran to the computer in the room and started typing away. "We hacked the chip once we saw the homing device activated. There were images and surveillance of Chuck. Almost everything since we first met him. We also saw some map coordinates but we didn't have time to figure out where they were."
"How the hell are we supposed to find him?" Casey snarled. "Fulcrum would have destroyed their phones and comm gear by now."
"Maybe…maybe…" Jimmy kept typing away. "Got him! They're in a warehouse just over the river on 12th. After what happened with Jill throwing out Chuck's watch, I ordered some micro-RFID tags. They're like traceable dust. I threw some onto Chuck before we split up. As long as Fulcrum doesn't scan him, they'll never find them."
Sarah went to the weapons cabinet. "Let's go."
Unknown Location
March 16, 2016
3:00 PM EDT
"Stop it! Stop it! I can't take it anymore! No more torture!"
Chuck tolerance of pain had waned quickly. The 'one' rating was clearly generous.
"She's torturing me, idiot," Cole snarled as Alexis hit him again with a cat-o-nine tails.
Alexis turned back to Chuck, who was tied up in a chair watching Cole endure being whipped repeatedly. "What's on that chip, Cole?" Alexis demanded. "Tell me and the pain can end."
Cole remained silent, and Alexis continued to whip him in the back.
"Stop! I can't let you do this to him!" Chuck screamed. "I know what's on the chip! I watched it!"
"No he doesn't!" Cole replied. "He's only Sarah's boyfriend. That's why he hangs around these people."
"One way or another, I'm going to get the truth," Alexis said as she put the cat-o-nine tails down and picked up the blowtorch. "After all, everybody talks. Right, Cole?"
"No, I'm telling you I know what's on that chip!" Chuck cried. "It's me! I'm the Intersect! I'm the one you're looking for."
Alexis turned to face Chuck. "You? All along it was you?"
"Do you REALLY think the CIA would put its entire database of secrets inside his head?" Cole said condescendingly. "He's a pathetic weakling. How could then send him on an assignment? How could he even withstand torture?"
"It's true," Carina replied. "He's just Sarah's boyfriend. He's not a spy and he's not the Intersect. He's just a nice guy Sarah met who's just trying to stick up for us."
"Then who is?" Alexis demanded.
"Me," Cole answered. "I'm the Intersect."
"No he's not!" Chuck countered. "I'm the Intersect. And you know what? I resent the fact that I couldn't stand up to torture." He turned to Alexis. "You know what? Do your worst. You could stick that incredibly long needle in my eye and I still wouldn't tell you anything!"
Alexis looked behind her to see the long needle and syringe on the table. She picked it up. "This needle?" she said with an evil smirk, moving the needle right towards Chuck's left eye. "You want me to put this needle in your eye?"
Chuck started to get light-headed. "Uh, uh, uh, you know, you know, you know, on…on second thought…"
Chuck fell backwards and hit the concrete, completely passed out. Alexis rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Wake him," she ordered one of the agents.
An agent took a bucket of ice-cold water and splashed it all over Chuck's face. He instantly woke up, gasping, spitting out water and shaking his head side-to-side to start breathing again.
"Let's try a different approach," Alexis said. She held the needle to Carina's neck. "Tell me who the Intersect is by three, or I inject Agent Miller with enough ricin into to kill an army. One…two…"
"IT'S ME!" Chuck and Cole shouted at the same time. Carina looked at Cole in shock, surprised with how passionately he said that.
A set of explosions rocked the warehouse. Sarah, Casey, and Jimmy charged inside with automatic weapons and full tactical gear. Several Fulcrum agents reached for their weapons, Jimmy opened fire and took all of them out. Sarah and Casey charged to the back. Sarah stopped to check on Chuck, Carina, and Cole while Casey chased after Alexis.
"Hands! Now!" Casey shouted, having successfully cornered Alexis, who had no means of escape. "Get them up!"
Alexis turned slowly and put her hands into the air.
"Our turn now," Casey said with considerable satisfaction. "We get to find out everything you know about Fulcrum.
"No you won't," Alexis seethed in defiance.
"Trust me, babe. Everyone talks."
"I know."
She took the needle of ricin and injected the entire syringe into her neck.
"No!" Casey shouted but it was too late. Alexis began to convulse and slid to the floor.
"Fulcrum wins," she said as she took her last breath.
Casey gritted his teeth in frustration and walked back in the warehouse to check on the others.
Hilton Club Hotel – New York, NY
March 17, 2016
4:00 PM EDT
Cole packed the last of his things in preparation for his return to London.
"I must say this is the most unorthodox team of agents I've ever encountered," he said. "But I certainly can't argue with the results."
"We'll…take that as a compliment?" Jimmy asked.
"Agent Walker, please extend my thanks to the CIA for the flight back home."
"It's the least we could do," Sarah replied. "I appreciate you looking out for my team."
Cole slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and wheeled his other suitcase to the door. "Chuck, thank you for risking your life for me. Don't ever do it again."
"Don't worry," Chuck replied as they shook hands. "I won't."
"Major Casey, glad to work with you," Cole said as he shook Casey's hand. He did the same with Jimmy. "Agent Slade, a pleasure. Have people always called you Jimmy? Never James?"
"I'd just get teased a lot worse," Jimmy said sadly.
"Quite. Good luck to all of you."
Cole opened the door and took his luggage into the hall. Carina followed and closed the door behind them.
"I hate to burst your bubble, Cole, but you're not exactly the expert on being ruthless either," Carina said.
"Oh, no?" he replied with a raised eyebrow.
Carina smiled. "You don't think I didn't notice how desperate you were to convince that Fulcrum agent you were the Intersect when she had the needle to my neck?"
Cole exhaled and nodded. "Guilty as charged."
Carina wrapped her arms around his neck. "I wouldn't call it a character flaw, ether," she said with a smile before kissing him.
Cole smiled and kissed her back, the two holding each other tightly as they felt a considerable amount of electricity between them.
Carina ran her fingers through his hair. "What you did to help us took a lot of courage, despite how badly this started."
"I think it's safe to say we were able to suffer through it."
"I agree," she purred, giving him another kiss.
"You know; I have a luxurious G550 at my disposal. Perhaps you can convince Sarah to have a few days off. We can fly to Italy, to Fiji, wherever you wish."
Carina grinned. "Tempting. But I still have an asset to protect and a group of close friends who need me."
Cole nodded. "Fair enough. Well, at the risk of making this sound like a Bond movie, au revoir, Carina. I get the feeling we'll meet again."
Cole took her face in his hands and gave one final, passionate kiss. He then grabbed his wheeled suitcase and duffel bag and headed for the elevators.
Newark Liberty International Airport – Newark, NJ
March 17, 2016
7:00 PM EDT
Cole sat in the back of the Lincoln Continental, finishing the last of his drink, as the car drove towards the private hangar at the far end of the airport along a back road. It was an adventurous week for him, but he got the result he was looking for, thanks to Sarah's team. And certainly meeting Carina had to be considered the highlight.
"Driver, are we almost there…"
He never finished the sentence as bullets flew through the window, killing the driver. The car careened out of control and crashed into a barrier at the end of a T intersection. Cole was knocked unconscious.
Hilton Club Hotel – New York, NY
March 17, 2016
10:00 PM EDT
Sarah knocked repeatedly on Chuck's door. He bolted out of bed and went to answer it.
"What's wrong?" he asked, a bit bleary-eyed.
"Cole never made his flight," Sarah said in a rush. "He's missing, and the driver who took him to the airport was found dead from a gunshot wound."
Chuck's eyes widened. "Oh, my God. What does that mean?"
Sarah couldn't hide her fright. "Chuck, he knows you're the Intersect. We have to assume he's been captured by Fulcrum. We have to move you to a secured bunker right now and you have to stay there until he can be found. Grab some clothes. Casey and I are going to take you there right now."
"Are you sure about this? I mean, he's a tough guy. Maybe he won't talk."
Sarah exhaled slowly. "Chuck…everyone talks."
Hilton Club Hotel – New York, NY
March 18, 2016
12:00 AM EDT
Carina sat in her room with her arms folded around herself. She had been captured by terrorist groups a half-dozen times in her career, been in more firefights than she could count, and finding Chuck has led to one perilous situation after another.
None of that compared to the fear she felt at that moment. And the complete helplessness. Concepts that felt so foreign to her before now.
It was borderline laughable. She was regarded as one of the coldest, most ruthless agents the CIA had. She used to turn on people…even Sarah…at the drop of a hat. But those days were long gone. And thanks to Sarah, Casey, and Jimmy, she never once worried for her safety or feared failure because it just didn't happen. She had too much talent for it, and she was part of a team that had too much skill to fail.
But now she felt powerless. She couldn't deny it: Cole got to her. He beat her at her own game. His refusal to desire her made her want him even more. It was practically textbook. And when he went beyond bravery and chivalry to protect Chuck and her when they were captured, it sealed the deal. He could have made it all the way back to London and she would have still had him in her head. But now…
She rose from the bed. She wasn't going to tolerate this feeling of things being out of her control. She went to her closet and put on her tactical gear. She holstered a pair of guns and slung two automatic weapons over her shoulder, making sure she had plenty of ammunition for all of them. She sheathed a pair of knives on thigh holsters and walked to the door. She threw it open and stepped into the hall.
"I expected to see you an hour ago," Jimmy said.
Carina shook her head. "Stay out of this, Jimmy."
"I can't. You know damn well you shouldn't go after Cole like this. Our job is to protect Chuck."
He's in an underground bunker right now! If Fulcrum can get to him through all of that security, then they deserve to have him!"
"You can't do this, Carina. Sarah is already scared to death for Chuck. Do you really think she wants her best friend doing something insane like this?"
"I have to do this."
Jimmy pulled out his gun and aimed it at Carina. "I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head sadly. "I can't let you risk your life like this."
"Either shoot me dead, or get the hell out of my way," Carina commanded in no uncertain terms.
"He's really that important?"
Carina stared at Jimmy for a long moment. She nodded gently. "He's worth all the risk."
"Carina, I can't let you do this…"
Carina looked in fear. Hurting Jimmy was the last thing she wanted to do, but she wasn't going to let him stop her.
He then lowered his gun. "I sure as hell can't let you do this alone."
"No," she replied firmly. "I'm already risking everything over this. I won't let you risk everything."
"Letting you go alone IS risking everything," he said with equal force. "Sarah might get mad at me for not stopping you but she'd hate me forever if something happened to you. And without this team, I have absolutely nothing."
He then gave a little smile. "Besides, if she really wanted to stop you, she would have left Casey behind instead of me. Although I doubt that would have worked, either."
Carina smiled and hugged Jimmy tightly. "Thank you."
"If I feel one tear on my neck right now, you will never hear the end of it," Jimmy warned, which gave Carina a little laugh. "Let's find him."
The two exited the hotel to track down Cole.