A/N: DC here: I have an announcement to make. After a long talk with SC, I will be stepping aside from this fic. My replacement...EDC…*smirks* SC….it's all yours.
I have nothing to do with any of this. ^ I wash my hands of this weirdness. - SC
Disclaimer: We don't own CHUCK. We aren't making any money from this.
Chuck straightened his Nerd Herd button up a little as he peered at himself in the mirror. At least the second time around he'd been able to put the right buttons in the right holes. That hadn't been the case the first time. He was just so tired after last night, and the fitful sleep in Sarah's hotel room.
It wasn't just that the couch wasn't long enough for his body. It was that he had too much on his mind. Chinese spies, sizzling shrimp, Bruce Lee...Sarah's excitement about Bruce Lee, because that was an interesting development. Really interesting. And, he had to admit, cool.
But he was also uncomfortable after the hours of looking through file after file, document after document. The pile had been so damn big and he'd gone through it one and a half times per Sarah's request, and she thankfully called it a night. Too much had been going through his head, even if none of it had to do with a flash. And he just hadn't slept well.
Which was weird. Because he figured it'd be easier to sleep when he had his CIA bodyguard protecting him, right there in the room. And yet… Perhaps it was that Sarah was his CIA bodyguard. And not some Mark Wahlberg looking dude. He'd have no problem sleeping if a Mark Wahlberg looking dude was sleeping in the same room. He wasn't even really a fan of that guy's movies. It'd be perfect…
Shaking his head at his bizarre train of thought, he walked down the hallway and swung into the kitchen to find Ellie in her scrubs, sitting at the bar munching on yogurt and granola.
"Morning," he chirped, hoping beyond all hope she didn't get that particular look—and there it was. That particular look.
There was a sparkle in his sister's green eyes as she turned and gave him a closed-mouth smile around her yogurt. "Mmm, hi!"
Chuck squeezed her shoulder as he swept past, grabbing himself a bowl and moving to the fridge. "Shift this morning?"
"Mhm. How can ya tell?" She smirked at the flat look he gave her over his shoulder as he went into the fridge to get the milk.
"Just pass me the Berry Loops, Sarcastic Sally."
Ellie giggled and passed them over. "So!"
"Oooooh, no. Please don't. Dear God, please."
"You have no idea what I was about to say!" she tried, giving him a glare.
"Twenty six years of experience with you says I know exactly. Soooo how was your night with Saaraaah?" he finished in the most Ellie-voice he could muster. She laughed and shook her head, but then she raised her eyebrow at him expectantly. "It was exactly what I said it was going to be. We talked for a long time, well into the wee hours of the morning, and then I slept on her couch because I am a gentleman, okay?"
She put her spoon down and held her hands up defensively. "Okay. Geez. I don't care if you went there to have sex or not, Chuck. Just so you know."
"Oh my God."
"What?! I don't! That's low on my list of priorities, here." She said it like it was such a normal thing for her to even have a list of priorities when it came to his romantic relationship, but he let it go.
"Well, good...I guess."
"But since it's just us here, I do have to wonder if that's something—"
"Ellie, please no. No. I love you. So much. But that isn't anything I ever need to have a conversation with you about. I'll, uh, I'll handle that part of my relationship with Sarah. Deal?"
She swiped her hands through the air and nodded. "Deal. Then let me just ask this…" He poured his Berry Loops into his bowl a little roughly, sending some of them swooping right out of the bowl and landing on the counter, and he picked at them one by one, popping them into his mouth. "You don't have to attack your loops, bud. It isn't about sex. I'd honestly rather never hear anything about that. I was just opening up the—You're giving me a look, so I'll just ask. Is Sarah okay?"
The frustration from the path Ellie had been taking with the conversation abated just as quickly as it had been flared up. Because he heard genuine concern and worry. In spite of the complicated nature of the situation, the fact that Sarah Walker wasn't actually his girlfriend but in fact was instead Agent Walker the CIA agent tasked with protecting the computer in his brain, he felt a soft bloom of warmth in his chest. His sister genuinely liked Sarah.
She liked Sarah. And as much as Sarah was pretending to be interested in him, dating him, the Sarah who came into his home and spent time with Ellie so far had been the same Sarah he'd seen last night, for instance, or that first early morning on the beach.
It felt nice. He felt almost...well, not so alone. Even if he was alone in other ways. He decided not to think about how Ellie would react if she knew Sarah was a CIA agent. He was clinging to this warm bloom.
"You know, I think she'll be okay. She has ideas, you know? And she, um, talked them through with me. We did a lot of work last night, I think." And technically he wasn't lying about that.
"Good. She isn't feeling so hopeless…? It's easy to feel that way when working in the food service industry. I know firsthand how much it sucks. So just let her know, if she wants to ever talk to me, she can." He smiled as he poured his milk, watching her get up and stick her bowl and spoon in the dishwasher. "I mean, not just for advice. I don't have all the answers in the world. But if she just wants to yell with me about how much it sucks, I'm so game."
Chuck laughed and gave her a side hug as she moved past him. "Thanks, sis. I'll let her know. I get an earful about Scooter on the daily, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind having someone who really gets it."
She grabbed her car keys and bag, then spun back to face him as she got halfway to the door. "Oh! Hey! Mother's Day. Tomorrow. Don't forget, okay? I'm serious. Just me and you and a stupid amount of food. I've got everything ready, a menu in my head…" She gave him a warning look.
"It's our very own October version of Mother's Day and I wouldn't miss it for the world. I swear."
Ellie went to the door and opened it, turning to face him again with a smile. "I should hope not."
"I promise."
She gave him another look, waved, and swept out into the courtyard, shutting the door behind her.
He just had to make it to tomorrow night. He'd be fine if he made it to Mother's Day. But he wasn't letting Ellie down. He swore he wouldn't, not just to her but to himself. And he thought the fact that he hadn't flashed on anything last night meant he wouldn't have to worry about that.
}o{
Chuck was sitting at the Nerd Herd desk, checking the dark web to see if there were any hints of Rockstar coming out with a new video game from the Red Dead series. He needed a heads up if Morgan was right on something like this; it was that drastic. Casey walked by the desk and motioned for Chuck to follow. He hopped up and quickly fell in step with him.
"So I went over the Department of Defense files on Mei Ling again this morning. Sorry, no flashes." Casey kept walking and just gave him a look.
"Had to look a second time?" Casey asked, humor in his voice.
"Yeah, I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything," Chuck replied, wondering where this was going.
Casey looked around, saw they were fairly alone and stopped walking. He turned to Chuck. "Needed Sarah last night to protect you while you were checking those files?"
"Well, no, but I thought not doing it at Ellie's apartment was best," Chuck replied, seriously wondering where this was going.
"All night, Chuck?" Casey asked, an eyebrow raised.
Chuck drew himself up, causing Casey's lips to twitch. "I had to have a reason to go over there, Casey. The situation last night provided the perfect cover. Multiple opportunities."
"Wow, multiple, huh? No wonder she's so keen on staying here."
Chuck looked around and stepped towards him. "Casey, watch it." Casey's eyebrows went up. "Look, we did the check on the files, we strengthen our cover by making Ellie think I was there for Sarah to talk to. That's it...talk." Casey studied him. "I slept on the damn couch, and furthermore, while I couldn't care less what you think of me, she's the one who has to have me as a cover boyfriend. So why don't you cut all of us some slack?"
Casey crossed his arms, glaring. "Feel better?"
"Nope, absolutely terrified you're gonna kill me," Chuck admitted, swallowing and realizing what he had done.
"Can't. Too much paperwork, especially since you have the Intersect in your head," Casey replied like he was discussing the weather.
"Guess I better hope they never make another," Chuck said flippantly. Casey's eyes darkened for just a moment. Chuck wasn't sure what that was about, but he hurried on. "Listen, I get it, she's gorgeous, and amazing, and….I'm out of my freakin' depth with her. I get you calling me a moron is your pet name for me." Casey grunted. Chuck didn't think it was the agreement grunt. "But for the love of God, the other day, with all the teasing, you're killing me." Casey just looked at him, almost grinning...almost. "Okay, how's this? Make all the jokes you want about me, but her...she's just doing her job, Casey. It's bad enough that I have trouble with the cover some days, she doesn't need you adding to it."
Casey studied him. "You're not going to say a word about anything I say about you?" Chuck shook his head. "That's half the fun of it, Moron."
Chuck grinned. "Hug?" Casey glared at him. Chuck swallowed. "Yeah, we aren't there yet. Any ideas on Mei Ling?"
Casey shook his head. "No, but she's here for a reason. Maybe you'll flash on something tonight."
Chuck's brow furrowed. "Tonight?"
"Yeah," Casey replied, nodding. "We're running a surveillance op on her. We're gonna tail her, see if you flash on anyone she's talking to. Might tell us why she's here."
Chuck was starting to get excited. "My first stakeout. Okay. Okay, yeah." He looked up at Casey. "What do I need to bring? Sweater? Light jacket?"
"No, you just bring that computer in your head."
Chuck had had it. He had disarmed the bomb using a virus, not the Intersect. He knew about the cameras at the Wookie's house, not the Intersect. He was valuable. "Okay, you know what? I have a lot more to offer this team, other than the Intersect." He snapped his fingers. "For instance, what are we doing for tunes tonight? I can make a stakeout mix."
"Tunes?"
"Yes, tunes. Background music. Like 'Somebody's Watching Me'?" Casey snarled. "What type of music do you like?"
Casey looked around. "Seriously?" Casey stepped in close inches from Chuck's face. Chuck's eyes got wide. "You ever tell a soul…" he didn't have to finish, Chuck was raising his hand to make a vow. "Jazz. But not just any kind of jazz. That old crime movie jazz."
"Yeah, that moody and bluesy sax?" Chuck asked, grinning. Casey nodded. "Trumpets coming in for that big, full, rich sound? I can see that, Big Guy."
"John," Big Mike said, interrupting them. "Need all the green shirts in my office, on the double."
Chuck looked over at Casey and smirked at him. "Have fun." Casey snorted, headed toward Big Mike, but not before backhanding Chuck in the testicles as he walked by.
Chuck gasped. "That's really not fair." He felt the tears coming on, and limped to the break room to cry in peace.
}o{
Sarah frowned as she heard the bleep of her phone where she'd left it on her bed. And she pulled her ponytail out of the collar of her jacket as she crossed the room, grabbing her phone and looking at it. The text was from Chuck, instead of Casey like she'd expected.
We're in the parking lot outside of the west exit. Casey says hi and he's so excited about the stakeout, he can't wait for my jams!
The frown died on her face and she laughed out loud, sticking the phone in her pocket. She wasn't going to respond, in case the NSA agent snatched Chuck's phone from him and looked at what he was texting. She didn't want to start this hours long stakeout on the wrong foot.
The CIA agent knew from experience that stakeouts were especially shitty if they started out with someone being in a grumpy mood. And Casey would be even worse.
Still smirking, she grabbed her pack and swung it onto her shoulder, hurrying down to the west exit to meet the boys. The second she got outside, she saw the black stakeout van parked in the corner next to the dumpster, away from the lights of the lot, and she went straight for the passenger side door, swinging it open and hopping in. "Okay, let's go."
"Hi!" She nearly jumped as Chuck poked his head out from between her seat and Casey's. "So I don't know if you two are going to be able to agree on where we start with the stakeout tunes. Do we wanna go more literal first, like songs about spies and police? The Clash, 'Police and Thieves'? A little Hall & Oates 'Private Eyes'? Or should we go with some nice calming jams. I've got a little jazz to really get us in the mood for sitting in a car in the shadows to watch a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. Lester Young is on here. Or Miles Davis. He's a genuine P.I. mood, you know what I mean—Ack! Hey!"
Even while driving Casey had shoved Chuck into the darkness of the back of the van. "Shut up. We aren't listening to music. This isn't a movie. It's real life, you moron."
"So we just sit in eerie silence? That sounds fun," came Chuck's voice from the back. "Not awkward at all."
Sarah bit the inside of her cheek and looked back at Chuck. "We're trying to keep you safe, Chuck. And honestly, I wasn't altogether on board with you coming on this stakeout in the first place."
"We need that stupid head of his. Or at least, the Intersect that's unfortunately stuck inside of that stupid head."
She fought the urge to glare at Casey for that. He was making quick work of the dark Los Angeles streets and they were almost at the Bamboo Dragon. "And so what if he flashes? Then what?"
"Then we do what we'd normally do. Get to the bottom of it. Knock 'em over the head, take 'em in for questioning, figure out what the hell she's doing here…"
Chuck popped back up between them. "Do you think that's the best idea? Just...kidnap some person 'cause a Chinese spy is talking to 'em?"
Casey growled. "Obviously, that was tongue in cheek, you idiot. What is it you really think intelligence agents do? That'd cause an international incident if they're at all related to Chinese anything."
"Oh." The nerd let out a weak chuckle. "Good one. I guess."
"Let's just follow Mei Ling when she comes out. We know she works at the Bamboo Dragon. We know her shift ends in twenty minutes. We can tail her and figure out what her game is. Keep it simple and preferably less dangerous since Chuck is in the van," Sarah said, the last part coming through her teeth as she grit them in the NSA agent's direction.
Casey just grunted his consent and finally pulled to a stop outside of the restaurant, in the dark, far enough away so as not to attract attention. But they could still see the entrance and any alleyways connected to other exits out of the building.
After about five minutes, Chuck came back, resting his arms on the front seats on either side of him. "So, seriously...I know we agreed on awkward, tense silence but I think I have the perfect guy to ease the tension. Say it with me, Sarah: Michael Bolton. You didn't say it with me, Sarah."
Sarah had to press the back of her hand to her mouth and force her eyes to settle on the Bamboo Dragon entrance. Otherwise, she'd let out a laugh similar to the one she'd enjoyed in the privacy of her hotel room.
"Okay, you know what?" Casey whipped around. "Not only do I want the silence from not listening to your crap mixtape, I want silence from you. Shut your mouth, nerd."
"Technically it is an iPod, not a tape. But that was super 'nineties of you, Casey."
"Walker, I'm gonna murder the asset."
"Not if I murder you first, Agent Casey. Put on your big boy pants and deal."
"I can't concentrate."
"How long have you been in this business?" she asked. "You can't watch a freaking door and listen to someone talking at the same time? Really?"
That just got an annoyed growl from him, but she knew she'd made her point. And then she turned and eyed Chuck. She didn't even have to say anything. He winced and mimicked zipping his mouth shut. She figured that was that.
And they spent the next seven minutes in total silence, Chuck popping his head back up next to them, but never speaking, just watching the restaurant with them. But then she felt Casey tense next to her.
"Hey. We got a bogie at six o'clock."
Sarah sat back and went into her holster, pulling her gun out and leaving it hidden at her hip where the man she saw creeping up along the left side of the van wouldn't see it when he got to the window. They'd parked too close to the restaurant. She knew they should've put more distance. A black van was way too conspicuous.
The man sidled up to the window and looked inside as Casey hid his own gun in his jacket, pointing it at the man. She took just a moment to wonder why Chuck wasn't freaking out the way he usually seemed to in situations like this.
She innocently rested her chin on her fist and smiled at the man as he looked in the van.
"Excuse me...Someone sent in an order for sizzling shrimp…" He lifted a bag with the Bamboo Dragon logo on it, looking a little unsure of the situation. "A Mr. Carmichael?" he added, looking at the receipt stapled to the outside of the bag.
What the—?
"Yeah!" Chuck burst out from between them, and he immediately dug in his pants pocket for what she assumed was his wallet. "Yeah. That's me! That's me…" He reached past an incredibly perplexed Agent John Casey and plucked the bag from the worker's hand as he thrust it in the window. "I'll take that. Thank you very much."
Sarah gaped at Chuck as he took some money out of his wallet and reached past Casey again to hand the man some money. "You go 'head and keep the change."
The absolute ridiculousness of the situation, the absurdity, the downright hilarity, of what Chuck had just done hit her right between the eyes. If it wasn't enough to imagine Chuck sending in a text order for sizzling shrimp since they'd be outside of the restaurant, something about delivering it to a dark van by the dark alleyway a couple hundred feet away, and ordering it under the name Carmichael… the look on Casey's face really did it.
And she had to turn away completely as she smirked hard, amusement ringing in her chest, making it difficult to keep from outright laughing.
This guy was seriously something else.
And she wondered if Casey wasn't too in shock at his utter boldness and naivety to outright reach into the back and strangle the nerd to death, Intersect or not.
"Well, thank you!" the man chirped into the window, dashing back to work.
"Have a good night!" Chuck called after him with a wave, sticking his wallet back in his pocket with a grunt as if he hadn't done what he'd just done. She couldn't help marveling at him. And she turned back to meet Chuck's perplexed look, once he finally realized something was off. She twisted her mouth to the side to keep from smiling too hard, but she knew the sparkle was still in her eyes as he glanced to Casey and back to her again. "What? It's for Morgan. I called it in."
Casey worked his jaw and looked down at the steering wheel, the muscle in his cheek twitching so violently, she was surprised it didn't reach out and punch Chuck in the face itself. "The idea behind a stakeout is to remain inconspicuous, you moron."
"Uuuh, hellooo...That's why I used an alias," Chuck snarked.
Sarah swallowed another laugh, shaking her head. And as she glanced out of her window, she saw a dark limo slowly making its way down the street towards the restaurant. She sobered up immediately. "Hey. I think we have some company."
The limo went right past them and sidled up to the entrance of the Bamboo Dragon. The front doors opened and a beefy fellow wheeled an elderly Chinese man she recognized vaguely from their research out towards the limo.
The driver of the limo climbed out and hurried around to open the backdoor as two of the other men lifted the old man out of his chair and put him in the vehicle.
"Who's that?" Chuck asked.
"Old Ironsides is Ben Lo Pan. Big shot businessman. Owns, like, half of Chinatown," Casey said as they all kept their eyes on the scene. That was right. Ben Lo Pan. He was one of the names on the list of people she needed to know about in the LA area, people she had to watch out for. She'd compiled the list herself over the last almost two weeks since she got to Burbank. Because she wasn't about to be caught flat-footed here.
Just like that, Mei Ling burst out of the alleyway, probably having exited through a side door. She walked with purpose, a motorcycle helmet in one hand, the other clenched into a fist. Shit was absolutely going down.
"There's Mei Ling," Sarah said, putting her seatbelt on. And as the Chinese spy straddled the motorcycle parked nearby and immediately took off, she added, "We're on."
Casey turned on the car but stayed put.
"Hey! Hey, hey, she's gonna get away! What are you doing?" Chuck asked when they didn't immediately follow.
"No, we're good," she explained. "Always leave a thirty yard cushion from your target on a tail." She leaned forward a bit to look past Chuck to Casey. "She's following Ben Lo Pan's limo."
"Oh, wow. A tail on a tail?" Chuck said, tilting his head to look at her. She kept her eyes on Mei Ling's retreating figure. "Does-Does that mean like a sixty yard cushion or would you say that...regular...tail rules apply in this situa—"
Casey's hand swept in, covered Chuck's face, and gave a hearty push. She heard the thump of Chuck landing on his back somewhere in the dark and a quiet "Ow, Jesusss…" as Casey stepped on the gas.
"Put your damn seatbelt on!" Casey snapped, looking up at the rearview mirror as he tailed Mei Ling.
She thought she heard some grumbling from the backseat, but there was also the clicking sound of Chuck putting his seatbelt on as well.
They followed Mei Ling and Ben Lo Pan's limo for another ten minutes, weaving through Chinatown, all the way to the other side of downtown LA. Sarah kept her eyes on the motorcycle as Mei Ling guided it around the corner of the building that the limousine had stopped in front of.
"She's in there," she said.
"Yeah, I saw 'er." Casey stopped the car across the street from the alleyway Mei Ling had driven into and put the windows down so that they could watch as she climbed off and pulled a heavy-duty gun out of the bike's seat storage. "Glocks on a crotch rocket. My kinda gal," the NSA agent grumbled with an extra something in his tone. Something was really wrong with him, she thought to herself as she kept her eye on the spy in the alley.
"Those aren't Glocks. They're Chinese army-issued pistols. She's not here on a spy mission. She's here to assassinate the guy in the wheelchair," Chuck rushed out from the backseat. Sarah spun to look at Chuck. He'd flashed on the weapon. He had that breathless look to him, his brow furrowed...just like after the other times he'd flashed before. She'd taken note of his reaction every time she was present during one of his flashes.
"You sure?" Casey asked.
"Yeah…pretty sure. You know, locked away in the brain, here. I mean, I'm not...braggin'. The Intersect's doing all the heavy lifting."
Sarah got things back on track. "Okay, we can't wait for the cops. By the time they get here, Mei Ling or Ben Lo Pan may be dead. Or both." That would cause an absolute shitstorm and she wasn't sure Los Angeles would survive it.
Casey made a sound of agreement. "Mei Ling could be a small part of an operation. We need 'er alive so we can find out what she knows." Mei Ling was already on her way up the side of the building, climbing the fire escape with the grace and ease of someone who'd done this plenty of times before. "Catch her, the Chinese spy has a lot we'd love to hear."
Sarah could feel she and Casey were on the same page as she climbed out of the van and heard Casey doing the same. "Bring the car around front," her partner commanded.
"Oh! Wha—Hey! 'Round the front! And then what do I do?" Chuck asked through the window.
She glanced over her shoulder at him, seeing that he was specifically asking her for instructions, his wide, nervous gaze on her in particular. "Stay in the car!" she snapped, hoping he knew just how much she meant it this time.
She heard him say, "My four favorite words" as she rushed off with Casey. At least she knew he'd be safe out here. They were going in where the action would be. They'd draw the attention.
They walked up behind a group of young people dressed for clubbing, stopping at a heavy-looking door guarded by a bouncer. The group was let in and Sarah took a quick glance at the red-lit room, the swarms of people drinking and dancing inside. "The bar's crowded. See her?"
"No."
The bouncer swung the door shut again and glanced at them both. "On the list?" he asked with a head nod. Casey went for his pocket and the guy grabbed a gun, pointing it at his face fast. "Hands in the air! Now!"
This had gone downhill fast, she thought as she slowly lifted her hands.
"Whoa...easy...federal agents," Casey said in a smooth voice, but the bouncer didn't budge, just flicking his gun towards the brick wall beside her.
"Against the wall," he commanded.
Sarah couldn't help smirking a bit as she turned towards the wall, Casey falling in line next to her. "Come on, you're making a big mistake," she goaded. "Your boss is in danger." She put her hands against the wall as directed, her brain going a mile a minute.
She turned her head to her right and met Casey's gaze. All it took was the smallest nod of his head before they both leapt into action at the same time. Casey spun on his heel and caught the man's wrist with one hand, bringing his fist around with the other to crack it into the bouncer's face. That brought him stumbling into her line and all it took was a quick double kick to the head before he was out like a light.
"Too easy," Casey growled as she hurried to the door and pushed it open, feeling him on her heels. She rushed into the bar and grabbed her gun, sweeping her gaze through the place, knowing they didn't have much time to stop this.
She found Mei Ling striding purposefully through the room, both hands going into her jacket and coming out….Shit!
"GUN!" the CIA agent belted, sending everyone in the bar diving and screaming. The men sitting around Ben Lo Pan leapt to their feet and spun towards Mei Ling with their own pieces, but the spy was too quick, burying a bullet in one of them, catching another…
In spite of them turning over the table to protect their boss, Sarah was sure these guys weren't skilled enough to take on a spy of Mei Ling's calibre and win. Once the bullets started coming in her direction, though, Sarah felt a hand grab the back of her jacket and yank her down out of the line of fire. She helped Casey flip the table to give them cover.
Apparently Ben Lo Pan's men thought they were with Mei Ling in spite of the warning Sarah had given them. As Casey started shooting to give her cover, she crawled out from behind the table and dashed to dive behind the couch. She watched as Casey followed close behind, hitting the floor hard next to her.
"They think we're with her," she said.
"What?" he asked over the hail of bullets smacking into the couch.
"They think we're with her!' she snapped this time. "No kill shots." Starting a war with China wasn't high on her to-do list this week.
Casey glared at her for a second, then grumbled reluctantly. "I hate playing nice," he growled, peeking out from behind the couch and taking a few shots. By the outcries, she imagined he'd gotten one or two of them.
She caught sight of Mei Ling working her way through the room and watched as the efforts of Ben Lo Pan's men turned to the spy. She took them out easily, then rushed out of the door, probably chasing an escaping Ben Lo Pan.
"Shit," she breathed. "We have to get out there, Casey. She's gonna kill him."
"Ugh, fine! I'm done with this shit, anyway." He popped up from his cover and took a few direct shots, scanning the room. Shrugging, she popped up next to him and buried a bullet in the legs of the men Casey hadn't already sent crashing into the floor. "That's all of 'em. Go!"
Sarah took off, sprinting through the doorway, crashing out into an alley and racing towards the street.
The moment she broke around the corner, she spotted him immediately, his back to her, hands up, hunched over in fear as he spoke to the Chinese agent who still held both of her guns.
"FEDERAL AGENT, DROP YOUR GUNS!" she belted, fear rocketing through her. But the woman sprinted in the other direction instead.
"NO, NO, NO!" Chuck yelled, spinning to face them as they ran towards him, even stepping to block her from getting any sort of clear shot. Not that she had a mind to shoot the spy. That wouldn't help the situation.
"Chuck!" She ran to him, grabbing his wrist. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah…"
"Are you hurt?"
"No…"
She tightened her grip on him, still scanning her eyes up and down his body, not entirely trusting him and needing to see for herself. And when she was assured he was all right, she turned to look at the corner where Mei Ling had disappeared.
"What the hell just happened?" Casey asked.
Knowing Mei Ling was long gone by now, she turned back to Chuck, looking at him as agony wrinkled his face. "She was just tryin'a rescue her brother," he breathed, and she recognized it immediately. Guilt. "I guess I was wrong…" He dropped his gaze to the side. "I blew it."
Sarah felt herself frowning. Shit. "How do you know that?"
"The-The guy! The wheelchair guy! He's Triad! She just told me. I helped him get away, 'cause I thought he was in trouble and she told me they kidnapped her brother. That's why she was after him! That old frail-looking Chinese man is a really terrible asshole and I just helped him get away!" he groused, pushing his hands through his hair.
"She could be lying," Casey said when she met his gaze, shrugging.
"Why? Why would she do that, Casey? To a random guy on the sidewalk. She said he's Triad. What purpose would she have to lie to me? I saw them throw a guy into the trunk. His hands were all tied up and he had the whole tape over the mouth thing goin' on!" Chuck rushed out. "God, I'm such an idiot!" he snapped through a clenched jaw.
"Okay, well...we'll check with our superiors, find out what we can about Ben Lo Pan and Mei Ling." Casey put his gun away.
"And her brother," Sarah added.
"We-We have to go after him." She and Casey both ignored him, Sarah using her hold on Chuck's arm to pull him along towards the van. "We're going after Ben Lo Pan, right? Now that she almost got 'em, they're gonna kill her brother! That's how these bad guys operate!"
"We don't know that for sure," Sarah said, making him get into the van.
As Casey revved it up, a few more of Ben Lo Pan's men came out and started pointing in their direction. "Woops. Time to go," he murmured and they peeled out, driving in the same direction as the limousine.
But when Casey turned the corner to get onto the freeway towards Echo Park, Chuck must have realized they weren't doing what he said. "Hey, wait—Wait, where are we going? Why aren't we—We have to go after that limo, guys! Come on!"
"And where do you suggest we look now that we've lost the tail, huh?" Casey demanded, glancing at him in his mirror. "You get that Intersect to flash on Ben Lo Pan's second or third or fourth or fifth hideouts he most likely has all over this city? And then what? Huh?"
"I—I don't…"
"Chuck, look...we're going to figure this out, but from a safe place. Casey and I will get on top of it tonight. We'll find out what we can," she said, turning to face him as best she could, lowering her chin and giving him as earnest of a look as she could muster. "But for now, you need to get home, where it's safe. And get some sleep."
"This is my fault."
"Nah, kid. That isn't gonna get us anywhere. You made a mistake. Nobody's dead yet. We'll do our part of it," Casey grumbled, "And yours is to lay low for the night. Just take it easy on yourself."
But Sarah glanced back and saw Chuck was burying his face in his hands.
When they got back to Chuck and Casey's apartment complex, Sarah felt a few aches from the skirmish as she climbed out of the van. She disguised them by stretching her arms over her head, trying not to wince too much.
"Okay?" Casey grumped quietly as he came around. She frowned. Damn it.
"Fine. You?"
"Pfft."
Sarah almost smiled as she brought up the rear, filing into the courtyard and stopping at the fountain. She peeked at Chuck and saw his shoulders were slumped, guilt still written all over his face. "Hey," she murmured quietly as Casey went straight to his apartment. She saw the potential for a long night of research and being on the phone with contacts to find more information on Mei Ling and her brother ahead of her. And more hours of guzzling Casey's subpar coffee while he made frustrated grunting noises.
When Chuck turned to look at her, she couldn't help reaching up to squeeze his arm reassuringly. "Try to sleep, okay? We'll figure this out."
"Sure I can't help in there?" he asked.
"You have any contacts in China's MSS?"
He made a face.
"Yeah, I thought maybe that was the case," she teased, leaning in with a bit of a smirk. "Just get some sleep, 'kay? Please? Try."
He was quiet for a long time, glancing over his shoulder at his door, then turning back and looking down at his feet glumly. "I just keep thinkin'... How horribly I'd sleep if I knew bad mafia guys had my sister, that'd I'd come so close to saving her but some dipshit jackass helped the leader get away… I don't know if I can sleep until we fix this."
"Try," she emphasized again. "Casey and I are on it in the meantime."
Chuck nodded finally. "Okay. I'm gonna go...get some sleep."
"Good."
He said goodnight and shuffled away.
Sarah watched until he shut the door behind him, and she even paused at Casey's door to watch the light go on in Chuck's bedroom before she went inside to see if there was anything that could be done to undo the damage.
}o{
He stared at the dark ceiling, alert, awake, and knowing he wouldn't be falling asleep anytime soon.
Casey and Sarah were right across the courtyard, talking to Chinese operatives on the phone maybe, or doing research, talking to Graham and Beckman perhaps. But he had this...doubt… He felt guilty for having doubt, after everything Casey and Sarah had done for him so far, and the extra effort Sarah seemed to put in, day in and day out.
It was just that he'd seen the way Graham and Beckman dismissed him, Graham especially seeming to go out of his way to call him THE ASSET instead of using his name. Like he wasn't human anymore now that he had their stupid computer in his head. He wondered if these people cared about a Chinese kidnapping victim, or his spy sister. Might it cause an international incident if they interceded?
Chuck had seen enough movies and TV shows to know that there was a chance the NSA and CIA would choose to stay out of the situation.
Mei Ling's brother would die. And it would be all Chuck's fault. Every last bit of it.
Ten minutes later, he couldn't stand it anymore...This lying down and letting other people handle it. He'd made the mistake, he'd helped Ben Lo Pan, and he was going to find out how to fix it.
He moved to his computer, powered it up, and started typing away. He dug deep, deep inside...scavenging skill sets he hadn't used in quite some time, and he dove straight into a world he'd left a while ago. It was like riding a bike, he thought with a smirk, his fingers going a mile a minute.
And as he slipped past the security like a warm knife through butter, he smirked even harder. Whatever he found, he could just chalk it up to being a flash. And no one would be the wiser.
A/N: SC, DID YOU JUST….Did you...did you just bring in….Piranha?
I did just bring in Piranha. Boom. Leave us reviews. They're our adrenaline. - SC