A/N: Thanks again for your reviews! Keep 'em coming!
Disclaimer: Neither of us own Chuck or profit off of it monetarily...it does bring joy to our hearts however.
Chuck was getting ready for another day at the Buy More as Ellie walked in. He was tying his Converse and she was reading the paper. "Did you see this?"
Chuck looked up at her. "Uh, what?"
Ellie thrust the paper into his face. The bold headline read Bank Executive Dies in Robbery. "Did you know that Bryce was dead?"
Here it comes, he thought to himself. It was bad enough he had to lie to her about Sarah, but now…He looked at the headline for a second, feelings in him he wasn't expecting coming to the surface. "No, no, I didn't." He looked at her, shook his head, and moved toward his closet.
She crossed her arms and moved toward him in protector mode. "Well, are you okay?"
Chuck was in his closet looking for his shirt. He turned. This...This he could answer honestly. "I don't know. Um... yeah, I don't know. It's crazy. I, uh, I spent so much time hating him for getting me kicked out of Stanford, I don't know, really, how to feel, but it's hard to be mad at him now."
Ellie gave him a sad smile. "I'm really sorry, Chuck." She left him alone, taking a last glance at the paper. Chuck picked up the paper and stared at the picture. Why had Bryce died sending this thing to him? His anger dimmed a bit now that he knew he was dead. But there was still a large part of him that was angry with his old friend. Because his life was in danger now, and Ellie's, and he didn't know if he'd ever get back to normal again. In fact, part of him was pretty sure it never would.
}o{
Sarah surveyed the scene. Casey was on the phone with his boss unsurprisingly. Sarah had heard nothing from Graham after the initial call in which she found out Zarnow was dead. She moved the remains of a wheel with her foot. Was that—? She squatted and picked up what she thought was an NSA Incinerator and pocketed it without Casey seeing it. She looked around a minute longer and headed around the car toward Casey.
She spoke first to tell him of her findings. "Well... no sign of anything here."
"It looks like we're sending the good doctor home in an ashtray."
He was smirking, and she really didn't like a smirker, but she played along and smirked back. "Okay, well, I've got hot dogs to fry."
"And I've got some toasters to sell."
She nodded and walked away wordlessly. She was quite sure he was about to call his boss. What he was going to say, she wasn't sure. Did he do this because he wanted to, because of orders, or was he just in a bad mood and wanted to kill someone? She got in the car, pulled out the device, put it in an evidence bag, and dropped it between the seats where the newspaper was….the one with Bryce's picture. The one reminding her of the stakes. She couldn't screw this up. If she did, Chuck was dead….and maybe her too.
}o{
Another Buy More day, another Buy More dollar. Chuck had survived the night with no side effects from the tests, no probes stuck where they didn't belong, and no scary dreams about Sarah. He and Morgan were having an important conversation...about his Rock Band guitar.
"The strong bars are getting a little sticky. On... on one. On the other one, it's fine, but on the second…"
Casey grabbed Chuck's arm as he walked up to Chuck and whispered into his ear. "You can't trust her."
"Chuck. John." Oh boy, the boss. Chuck was pretty sure it wasn't donut time, pretty sure it wasn't nap time, and was about positive the pills he had gotten Big Mike a few days ago had gotten him back to being regular so it wasn't bathroom time. This could be bad.
"Big Mike." All three answered.
"How's customer service training?" Chuck wanted to crawl under the store. Big Mike never cared about customer service. Had he met Jeff and Lester? Hell, had he met Morgan and Anna?
"Fine. Super." It wasn't really lying. Casey was already a better employee than any of the Buy More green shirts.
"Glad to hear it. The better my employees, the less I have to work."
"Very inspiring words, sir." Chuck was proud to say that with a straight face.
"Regular call to arms," Casey added, making Chuck have to hold it together and not laugh out loud.
"Well, go make 'em better. Show me you're assistant manager material. Chop-chop! I got a nap in an hour." Chuck led Casey off. This was his shot, and what a shot it was. Casey was already a good employee, but if Chuck could help Casey take the next step it might seal the assistant manager position for him.
He grabbed the scanner, determined to be the best Buy More customer service trainer ever. "So, uh, this is the hand-held scanner." He glanced over his shoulder seeing Big Mike watching Chuck closely. Chuck continued trying not to be nervous with his training. "Very expensive piece of equipment."
"So is a stealth fighter and somehow I managed to fly that."
Welp...how do you combat that? "Right, uh, and the gun, you know, kind of works like a…" searching for the word.
"Gun?"
"Uh-huh," Chuck answered showing Casey how to scan the barcodes. "And it beeps when you scan the barcodes."
Casey walked over to Chuck. "Well, if it screamed out loud, I'd be right at home." Then he turned and pointedly watched Big Mike enter his office. The moment their boss couldn't see them anymore, he took the scanner and placed it under Chuck's chin, making Chuck's eyes grow wide. "Listen. I do not want you to have any more private meetings with Sarah, hmm?" Casey looked way too comfortable with that gun.
"Um, is there... is there a problem?"
"No problems, only solutions." Casey pulled the trigger on the scanner making it beep and then he lowered it.
Chuck had been nervous when Casey held the gun on him on the rooftop, but he found himself similarly nervous with the scanner...or was it Casey...probably Casey.
"Well, that... sounds very much like the Buy More customer policy that I've noticed you have some issue with." Chuck was trying to get control of the situation when his laptop beeped with a message. CHUCK I NEED TO SEE YOU. WIENERLICIOUS. ASAP. Hmm. All caps, punctuation, no abbreviations except ASAP and everyone abbreviated ASAP...Sarah was very serious, or she didn't know messaging protocol...or both. He figured it could be both, which was kind of cute… Cute? She was a killer. He had seen it in his flash. She was dangerous…..he shook his head. He had to deal with Casey. "And you kn—uh... you know what I think we're gonna do about that? We're gonna do some role-playing, and work on that attitude of yours. How about that?" As he talked he did some hopping around Casey and closed the laptop. "Hey, Morgan." He snapped his fingers.
Morgan appeared behind him as if by magic. "Hi, yo."
Chuck spun around. "Ah, hey, there he is. There's my Johnny-on-the-spot. Morgan and Casey, you guys are gonna do some stuff. You're gonna be a shopper, and you're gonna be the sales rep, like you are. And, uh, I'm gonna talk to Big Mike and-and work on some stuff 'cause I know he's got other things in store." Chuck made his way out of the store, sneaking so that Casey couldn't see him. He was nervous...worried. What was going on? Why did Casey not want him to see Sarah? Why did Sarah use all caps? He hurried to the Wienerlicious. He entered to see the drove of high school boys getting their to go orders. He was pretty sure why they were there and he wondered if the CIA got a cut in the rise of the Wienerlicious profits.
}o{
Sarah watched him approach through the gang of hormonal teenagers. She didn't know if Graham had done this on purpose or not, sticking her at the Wienerlicious, but if he did, he would pay one day.
Chuck had a slight look of worry on his face. She would love to calm him down, but he had to understand how serious this was. "So, Chuck, no private meetings with Casey today."
Chuck's face was covered in confusion. "What? What is up with you guys? Did you two have a falling out? Did Graham steal Beckman's stapler?" He crossed his arms as he spoke. She gave him a flat look, but on the inside, she really wanted to snicker. He cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Sorry."
"Did he tell you the same thing?" He didn't have to answer. She smiled and nodded, but it wasn't a happy smile. He was trying to turn her against him. Of course he was. Divide and conquer. The NSA was militant in nature as were so many of the things they did. She tried to smile to make him comfortable, but she was seething and the smile that reached her face was more the smile of a teacher who was about to bring down the wrath of God on a student for seeing what happens when you put a bullet on a radiator in shop class. She might have been said student at one time in her life. "Right, of course he did."
"Hold on a second." He was starting to get it, and that would be bad. "Is something wrong?"
She needed to be patient. He was thrown into this. He had to know, but there was no use scaring the life out of him. "The doctor from last night— he was killed in an explosion soon after he left us."
Chuck began to freak out and look around. He made sure no one was in there with them before he lost it. He was getting a little better on that front, she thought….a little. "Wha-what? The doctor who was supposed to fix me?"
She reached under the counter and pulled the blackened, burnt up cellphone in an evidence bag out. He seemed to know things by looking at them, so it was time to test the theory. "Tell me what this is."
He picked up the bag and looked at it shaking his head. "A... a nasty…" His eyes began to cross, rolling in their sockets a bit. He looked like he saw something bright and tasted something really sour all at the same time. "NSA incinerator. Special issue designed to eliminate all biological traces." He dropped it and stared at it for a moment. "That's what killed the doctor."
She had been around Chuck enough by now. Telling him something freaked him out, but leading him there, getting him to figure it out on his own, seemed to help keep him calmer. "And guess who works for the NSA?"
He turned and looked over his shoulder in the direction of the Buy More. "Why?" He turned back around quickly. "Why, why would Casey—?"
She cut him off before the spiral began. She had to be gentle, but there wasn't much to be gentle with. She did her best to explain her world to him. The world she and Casey lived in. One someone like him had no business in. Because he didn't deserve to be corrupted like she and Casey were. She explained in the most patient voice she could find without sounding patronizing. "He's a killer, Chuck. It's what he does for a living. He tried to kill us, and he'll probably try to do it again. Maybe it was orders. Maybe he didn't like the way Zarnow looked at him."
"Oh, that's nice. I feel much better now, Sarah. What am I supposed to do?"
He was in full on freak out mode. She had to make him understand. She hated doing this but anything else was signing his death warrant. If Casey knew, if he suspected, he'd come after her, and that would save Chuck. "You go back in there and you pretend like you know nothing." His mouth was hanging open. "Go. You can do that, Chuck." She was as encouraging as she could be. She hated this, but it was the only way for right now. If he was coming after them they could run tonight. Casey wouldn't kill him in public, but later she could get him away and do what? She didn't know, but they would figure that out later.
"I know nothing. I know nothing, I... got it." She watched him turn and walk away, fear gripping her chest. She hated this, and she hated Graham for putting her in this situation.
}o{
She'd known he would show up at the Wienerlicious at some point. That was why she sent Chuck back instead of keeping him here with her where she could keep him safe. He'd recognize the barely controlled panic on Chuck's face and he'd put two and two together.
Maybe sending Chuck back to the Buy More as bait wasn't entirely kind, but she knew Major John Casey of the NSA's reputation. And after going this many days without getting to use his gun or enact violence on other humans, he was going to seek her out before he did anything with Chuck. The Nerd Herd supervisor was safer at the Buy More.
She didn't even watch her customer leave once Casey stepped inside of the restaurant. Instead, she lowered her chin and met his blood-thirsty look with her favorite Try me, mother fucker look.
"What'd you tell Chuck?" he asked, already posed to attack if he had to. She knew he was going to. But she was fast. Faster than he was. And she knew for a fact that she had this asshole. She'd have him blindfolded.
"That you're a cold-blooded killer. Was I lying?"
"No," he admitted unsurprisingly easily. "Way I figure it, the only two people who knew Dr. Zarnow was coming are right here."
Sarah turned her back to him as he spoke, scanning the area around her, looking for anything she might be able to use as a weapon. The basket in the fryer? Maybe. But she'd have to be close. And she was certain he had a gun. Her eyes fastened on the wooden corndog sticks lined up in a row...and she subtly dropped her fingers on top of them, playing with them. She curled her fingers around one of them and turned to watch him over her shoulder.
"Since I didn't cap 'im, you're under arrest." The gun came out immediately, but he was too slow, just like she'd figured, and he had the corndog stick skewering his right hand before he could get a shot off. She loved the surprised, wide-eyed look on his face, and she took advantage of it by rolling over the countertop and coming through with two more of the corndog sticks, aimed right at his chest.
This time he was fast enough, though, bringing a tray up to block them. She saw him raise the gun again and she swung her foot around to kick it out of his hand and away from them. Weapon down… He was next.
But first she had to rid him of the tray. She hit it out of his other hand, then brought her elbow around to crack him in the face, but he blocked, coming in with a fist of his own. With a quick block and a one two punch, she caught him unawares and brought the back of her fist across his iron jaw. It felt like hitting a boulder, holy crap, but she just grit her teeth and tried to go in on him again.
She left herself exposed enough to take a backhand across her cheek. He followed her as she fell back and she was able to bring her foot up to jam it into his chest and knock him against the utensil cart.
A spike of smugness went through her as she saw him pick up one of the plastic forks. He came at her, swiping the fork through the air around her head as she ducked his attacks. When Casey went at her with his full body, she used his momentum to step to the side and throw him into the table behind her.
She needed another weapon to end this. Her blood was pumping, and the adrenaline felt good, but Chuck was in danger, she was in danger, and she needed to subdue the NSA agent so that she could get to the bottom of this.
Spotting the mop propped against the opposite wall, she hurried to it and cracked it in half with a quick jab of her hand, spinning on her heel to face him with a weapon now. That oh shit look was back on his face, then, and she didn't have enough time to savor it because he was going for the table to get a weapon of his own.
She lunged and slammed the makeshift staff down on his hand as he cried out in pain and staggered back. But he surprised her by straightening up with a chair gripped in both hands.
He blocked her attack once, twice, a third time, then caught her staff in the legs of the chair and ripped it hard enough to the side that it was yanked out of her grip. He brought a boot up to kick her ribs and she fell back in surprise and pain.
But he put too much power again into swinging the chair down on her head and she was too quick for him, side-stepping it and slamming her foot into his stomach as hard as she could. He crashed into the countertop and flew over it, landed on the floor on the other side, but she knew, as easy as it was, it wasn't going to be that easy. So she followed him, hopping up onto the countertop.
Sarah was ready when Casey popped up again to attack, and she swung her foot around to crack it into his temple. He collapsed to the floor immediately and she raised her fists, ready for him to budge or try to attack again as she crouched on the counter.
There was a jingle of the bell behind her and she spun to see a group of pre-teen boys stagger in, their jaws dropping. One of them had his phone up, pointed at her. "Quick, dude! Take the pic!" They rushed out just as quickly as she gave them a look like she'd murder them next, and as they left, too scared to actually take the picture, she spun back to see that Casey had escaped through the back.
She let her head fall back and huffed, aware that they were in some deep shit now. Not only did she not know what she was dealing with when it came to this computer program Chuck had unwittingly downloaded into his brain, she had to deal with the shadiness of her superiors, and now a rogue NSA agent.
Sarah let out a rough breath and plopped down to sit on the counter, letting her legs dangle. Or maybe Casey wasn't rogue, and instead he was working under orders. If he'd killed Zarnow, it had to be because the NSA didn't want those secrets out of Chuck's head. But why? ...Why would they want their secrets stuck in the head of a Buy More employee with no spy training, no experience in intelligence work?
She looked at her watch and saw it was almost time for the dinner at Chuck's place. With his sister. He was probably on his way there now.
Pulling her phone out, she hopped down onto the floor and controlled her breathing. Her boss Scooter walked out just as she came around to go to the back and grab her bag. "What the hell is—?"
"My shift is over. See you tomorrow," she said, dialing one of the local CIA contacts.
"What happened in—"
She didn't stop to listen to him. As she hurried to her car, she sent a look over her shoulder across the parking lot towards the Buy More. When they answered the phone, she barked out a quick, "I need a chocolate souffle. Rendezvous in thirty minutes." She gave the address of a dry cleaner she knew Chuck had used the other day that was down the street from his place, got the confirmation code, and hung up.
At least she wouldn't be showing up to dinner empty handed. God, this really was the worst timing. But at least this way she could keep an eye on Chuck's family. If Casey meant Chuck harm, and she wasn't exactly sure that he did, Chuck and everyone he cared about would be in one place tonight.
She'd just have to kick Casey's ass again.
}o{
I know nothing. I know nothing. I know nothing. Yeah, no matter how many times he repeated his mantra, he knew something.
He knew there was a killer out there who had taken out Zarnow. He worked with a killer….two of them. A NSA incinerator was used in the killing. One of the two killers he knew was a NSA agent….the other was Sarah. What had Casey called her…oh yeah. The Ice Queen. That didn't make a lot of sense. Sure, she was very to the point when she wanted to be but on the date they had…. He was her mission. She was playing a role, but still. She must be the best, because for a bit, for a tiny bit, he'd thought they had something. When he said he could be her baggage handler...God, what an idiot he had been. But she hadn't been run off by what he said. He grinned at that and then realized, again, he was her mission...and that made him frown. She had played him.
I know nothing. I know nothing. I know nothing. Wasn't that the truest statement ever?
"Mr. Bartowski." Lester pulled him out of his thoughts, holding paperwork. This ought to be good.
"Hi, Lester."
"Uh, code zebra. Linux install at a factory off Ventura. 142 Euclid." Lester patted him on the back and started to walk away.
"Uh... I'm sorry." Chuck knew there was a stupid reason. It was Jeff and Lester, but he had to ask. "Why-why can't you and Jeff go?"
Lester began to gasp with laughter. "Linux, PCs? We're, uh, we're Mac guys, Chuck. We're... we're IT artists."
Oh, for the love of…."Okay. Yeah. Uh... Fine, whatever. I'll be back in half an hour. And, uh, just tell Casey that I'm on my cell." He started toward the door.
Lester snorted and went to take the desk as he muttered under his breath. "You tell him. I'm not your servant."
Chuck had had enough. He turned back toward Lester. "Okay, you know what…?"
Lester quickly changed his tone and demeanor. "No, no, I mean, I'm gonna tell him. I just, you know, I mean, in general, I don't always... absolutely, I'm going to... right now, should I tell him?" Chuck left. He needed to get away before any more of the two of them rubbed off on him. He really would know nothing if he stayed around them too long. He got in the Nerd Herder and took off.
Chuck pinched the bridge of his nose as he waited at the stoplight. He really wasn't in the mood for a home install, and he had a headache again. Not as bad as the one he'd had the other night after Zarnow's test, but it was still there. A dull throb ever since Sarah made him look at that incinerator.
He was tired. He had a headache. And he was a little bit lost, if he was being honest with himself. But it was hard to read the tiny writing in the Los Angeles County Thomas Guide. And finding the right page was hell anyways. On top of the ache between his eyebrows.
Of course, Sarah had just told him the other agent that had been assigned to protect him was a ruthless killer who'd murdered what might be his only chance of getting back to his regular life. Rather, he'd murdered a person. A person who'd been alive. And now he wasn't. Chuck's own situation aside. As he sat there spiraling in his thoughts, the car was lightly bumped and then his cellphone rang. "Hello?"
It was Casey. "Pull over."
"Well, I can't pull over. I have a home install at, uh…"
"142 Euclid? Guess who called that in?"
Terror filled Chuck. He knew! The big guy that wanted pancakes to celebrate killing him knew! "Oh, my god. It was you! You killed the doctor, and now you're here to kill me!" He hung up and put the phone on the seat because safety first, and floored it. He floored the Nerd Herder. As soon as he did he realized the folly of his plan. The Nerd Herder wasn't exactly built for speed. Chuck used all of his driving skills he had mastered over the years playing Mario Kart, but he was up against a trained NSA agent. Casey clipped the back of the car making Chuck spin out.
Casey had hit the Nerd Herder. Rage filled Chuck. He unclipped his seat belt, opened the door, and jumped out, furious. "Are you out of your mind?" Casey got out of his SUV and it dawned on him what a bad plan this all was. He began to scramble around the herder when he saw Casey. "What... what... what... what happened to you?"
Casey stalked toward Chuck. "Your girlfriend happened."
Girlfriend? Casey did realize it was an actual cover, right? "What, who? Sarah? Sarah did that?" Wow...she really was badass. A bit of pride swelled in him.
"She's rogue, Chuck. She killed the doctor, then she tried to kill me."
Wait...if Casey was here….Oh, no. "Is she okay?"
Casey looked as thought he was about to roll his eyes. "Yeah, I'm golden. Thanks for asking."
"No, no, no, why should I believe you? She showed me the bomb. She said you did it." There. Showed you, Mr. big, mean, and I'm going to eat pancakes after I kill you!
"NSA incinerator, right? It's a nice explosive easily purchased on the black market. What do you really know about Sarah, Chuck? Huh? Think. She's CIA. She worked with Bryce. He was rogue. Maybe she is, too. She found you in L.A. But she couldn't grab you because I was around. So she had to wait for her chance. Dr. Zarnow screwed that up. He could pull those secrets out of your head, then she loses the Intersect, so she had to act fast."
As Casey spoke, Chuck thought. Everything he was saying was true, plausible, and even likely. Sarah worked with Bryce, and she was CIA just like Casey said. She was inserted into life. She was made his cover girlfriend. Why? To get him alone? She had suggested ice cream the other night, so that didn't make sense...or did it? Chuck thought back to all the detective and spy novels he had read over the years. You get close to someone, get their guard down, and then, BAM! She was targeting Chuck. She was the Ice Queen. She was a stone cold killer. But he never felt scared, even when she pulled a gun on him. Sure he freaked out, but scared? Sarah wouldn't kill him….or was that what she wanted him to think? Chuck knew he could trust Sarah. He also had know Bryce was his friend and Jill would never betray him. The self-doubt creeped back in, and he had to be logical. Casey made excellent points. Chuck's phone rang and it was Sarah. Casey looked down, saw it, took it from him, and turned it off.
"Let's go. Come on." There was no pulling on Chuck. No mistreatment. Casey was trying to save him. Chuck knew he had to go with Casey. They ran to the SUV. As they got to the car, they both heard a phone ring. "Thought I turned that off."
Chuck was digging for a seat belt. "Well, it's not me. Is it yours?"
Casey looked down at his that wasn't ringing. "No." They both turned and looked behind them. They saw something that looked quite familiar.
"NSA incinerator! Run!" They sprinted from the car. Nothing happened. They both stood there watching the SUV. Maybe they were wrong. And then the vehicle exploded, knocking both of them to the ground.
Casey stood, shaking himself off. "Still think it was me?"
Chuck was on his back, staring at the flames. It made no sense and he just blurted out what he was thinking. "Why would Sarah do this?"
Casey spoke like he was doing something routine, everyday, like this was just a part of life, and for him, it probably was. "She's cleaning the operation."
Chuck rolled over and pushed himself up. "Cleaning?"
"Eliminating everyone she's come in contact with. You know where she is?"
OH SHIT! Tonight was the dinner. Chuck knew EXACTLY where she was heading. "We have to get back to my house. She's having dinner with us tonight."
"No, kid, you're on the next plane to Washington."
What?! He had to reason with Casey. Casey had to be reasonable. "But my sister—"
Casey cut him off. "Doesn't have a super computer in her noggin. You're the priority." He made a phone call and turned around. Chuck bolted for his car. "It's Casey. Put me through to general." Casey turned and saw him. "Hey!" Chuck slammed the door and drove away as Casey lunged for the car. Chuck rushed back to Echo Park to save them. From his cover girlfriend….The Ice Queen. This was not good.
A/N: More to come, and we're going to start posting quicker, we've decided, so next chapter will most likely be sooner than you expect! Thanks for still reading and thanks for reviewing!
-SC and DC