Chuck/White Collar - 4

[samecgh]

 

The mere mention of his first name caused him to try and awaken from his drug induced stasis. It took a while for Bryce to focus, but Chuck was one of the first things he saw. “Chuck?” he slurred, before seeing Sarah behind him. “Sarah?”

 

“Yeah, Bryce,” he repeated, watching Sarah take off the straps before starting on the wires. Disconnecting him from the tubes was complicated, but he wasn't the one to go under the pants to get those ones. He managed to get him up and out of the box to find he couldn't stand. “Neal?” Switching the gun to his other hand, the other man fit himself under Bryce's left arm. Chuck kept to his right side.

 

Peter and 'Benton' walked back up and watched for people while Chuck, Neal and Bryce struggled their way up. Once they were close to the door, 'Benton' moved out first, taking out two more guards. They made it down the hall to spot four more coming at them, two blocking their exit. 'Benton' neutralized the two that were blocking the way; Peter disarmed the other two. After getting the three out and Peter, Sarah finished off the last two.

 

Peter headed to his car with Sarah following behind. “Agent Burke, you're going to need to come with us,” she ordered, taking his keys and sitting in the drivers side. Annoyed that he wasn't allowed to drive, he dropped in the passenger side while Sarah followed 'Benton.'

 

Chuck was in the backseat with Bryce while Neal had taken the passenger seat to allow them more room. Bryce had fallen unconscious again and Chuck had him against his side. Nobody said anything as they headed back to the 'Gym'. He helped Chuck get Bryce to a medical wing that was equipped with an operating room and two private rooms with their own bathrooms. Settling him in one of the private rooms, he helped set up an IV for nutrition before leaving the two in the room.

 

He came out to see Peter glaring at Sarah and 'Benton.' Whatever the three had been talking about wasn't satisfactory for Peter, because he asked, “Who the hell are you three? I heard Chuck and Sarah from Neal's look-a-like, so I know yours isn't Benton.”

 

Seeing Neal walking down, she brought Peter into the conference room that they had been in before. The NSA logo was on the TV. There were two stacks of papers. Great, secrecy forms. 'Benton' pushed him in front of the larger stack. “Why do I have more papers to sign?” he slightly complained.

 

“Don't sign anything,” Peter reacted, “Tell me, us what is going on? Because you three are not FBI agents.”

 

“You're correct, Agent Burke, they're not,” General Beckman proclaimed, showing up on the screen and making Peter almost jump out of his skin, “But before any of us explain what is going on, you will need to sign those forms. Something that Caffrey should have done before we explained things to him.”

 

Chuck just finished on the latest governor he knew would be needed when he heard the rustling of the sheet. Bryce wasn't awake, but he was in the middle of transitioning from a dream. A nightmare is more like it. Unable to bear his pain, he moved the table he was working on to the wall and walked on the other side of the IV. Carefully lifting him up, he slipped under Bryce's body and aligned him so his ear was directly over his heart. The hand with the IV was encased in his so the port wouldn't rip out.

 

It took a minute for him to calm down, but Bryce did calm down, the unoccupied hand finding his upper arm and wrapping around it. He settled down as much as he could and started to feel tired. A nap won't screw me up that much. Using his free hand, he bunched up the pillow to make it more comfortable.

 

Sarah just walked in after he stopped abusing the pillow. She moved just into his eyesight, where he caught sight of her. “I... What does this look like to you?” he inquired.

 

“Cuddling,” she answered.

 

He nodded, “Okay, I thought it would, but in my defense, he was having a nightmare.” At Sarah's raised eyebrow, he explained, “Bryce had this bad fever at Stanford. He had hallucinations. I was able to convince him he was safe when he heard my heartbeat. I used to wake up with him sprawled on me after.” Her mouth twisted in a little half smile, the idea becoming a cute little picture in her head. He joined her in the thought.

 

Peter got through about half when 'Benton', no Casey, got a call on his cell. He walked out of the room to answer it. He looked over to Neal, who was only a third through his. The two stared at each other for a second before going back to the papers.

 

Casey was coordinating a raid on the second warehouse. The NSA had the entire place wrapped up and was chasing everyone that was connected. They would be able to take out a good chunk of the American branch. “What is it?” he commanded.

 

“We may have a problem,” the agent he left in charge told him, “Someone has been watching Caffrey for weeks before this op.”

 

“Do we know who?”

 

“Unsure. According to several of the guards, Hanover never came toward this end, but they remembered two other men. One fit the description of Daniel Shaw.”

 

“And the other?”

 

“We can't quite be sure. None of us recognize him and he successfully avoided the cameras whenever they didn't knock them out.”

 

“Stills from the remaining video footage, now. Get that room packed up and back to the substation.” He walked down toward the medical wing.

 

Peter was grateful for the call during the longest paragraph he was reading. “Jones, how's it going with the warehouses?”

 

“Warehouse one was just cold food. Warehouse three had another freezer that we didn't think about until someone noticed that they only took cold food at one. We opened it and discovered drugs that were frozen in blocks of ice. I guess he didn't want them to mix up in his food,” he reported.

 

“Are we able to connect him directly?”

 

“We're dusting for prints right now. If they're on there, he's not going to be able to argue it.”

 

“Unless he claims someone planted them,” he thought absentmindedly. “Find all security cameras and footage that you can. If he's seen with the drugs, he can't argue it.”

 

“Got it. For the record, the restaurant also had plenty of evidence of just the money laundering.”

 

“All right, thanks Jones.”

 

Casey had his phone ready when he walked in the room. Sarah sat up as he pushed the screen under Chuck's nose. He looked over and mouthed, “Shaw,” before seeing the other person.

 

Nicholas Quinn. Former CIA. Candidate for the Intersect, captured by enemies when Sandwall happened and Larkin sent the Intersect to Bartowski. Discharged, went freelance. Has been connected to Fulcrum, the Ring and Volokoff Industries through his business.

 

He lightly shook his head before looking up. “His name's Nicholas Quinn, former CIA. He was chosen to be the Intersect, but when Bryce sent me it, he failed. He was captured by enemies and after he got back, he was discharged. He's been working with Fulcrum and the Ring. And something called Volokoff Industries.”

 

“Why is Shaw working with this man?” Sarah questioned.

 

“Unknown, but they were watching Caffrey before Burke's team had the information on Hanover.”

 

“Why would they have been watching him?” Chuck asked.

 

“The contents of the room are being brought back here,” Casey mentioned, letting them piece it together. “Burke's almost done with his paperwork.” Sarah nodded and followed him out.

 

Peter pushed his pile forward just as Casey and Sarah walked back in. “Agent Burke,” she greeted, taking the paperwork and starting to comb through it. Making sure several of the key areas were signed, she placed it out of the way. “What we inform you of cannot be discussed with your colleagues, friends, family, your wife,” she pointed out.

 

Neal snickered, and Peter hit him in the arm. “He can't lie to El,” he commented.

 

“I've never seen you get away with it,” he retorted.

 

General Beckman showed up on the screen, nodding to Sarah to start. “Myself, Chuck and Casey are part of a joint CIA-NSA operation. Chuck and I are CIA, Casey's NSA,” she explained, “Justin Hanover is a member of a terrorist group called the Ring. When the CIA found out about your investigation into his money laundering, we came out to help with his takedown.”

 

“Masquerading as FBI?”

 

“It was better that the Ring didn't know we were out here. We're here to ensure that Hanover is stopped and that we can bring in as many of his associates as possible.” Casey's phone started to ring and he went out into the hall to answer. “We have reason to believe that someone set up Hanover to fall.”

 

“Agent Walker?”

 

“There was a room inside the warehouse that had intel on Caffrey dating back months, possibly years. Before Hanover,” she informed.

 

“Someone was watching me?” Neal asked, “Why?”

 

“We don't know that yet. The room is being packed up and brought here. Ma'am, Shaw was one of the men that we saw on the surveillance camera.”

 

“And the other?”

 

“Someone known as Nicholas Quinn.”

 

Neal flashed on the name, the same information coming up. Peter didn't know what was going on, but Beckman did. “Mr. Caffrey?”

 

“Former CIA, was meant to get the first Intersect, but when that went to Chuck, was captured. He's been working with the bad guys from his new business,” he shortened.

 

“Chuck also flashed?”

 

“He mentioned work with Fulcrum and the Ring,” she added.

 

She frowned, “With Shaw around, I don't want to take any chances. Caffrey will have to stay in the substation. Agent Burke, it may be wise for you to stay and your wife may need to be brought here.”

Peter was about to argue, but she stopped him. “Given the relationship between the three of you, you and your wife will be targets as well.”

 

“What about Kate?” Neal asked.

 

“Moreau is safe,” Sarah told him, “We found out where she is and have been monitoring. There are no Ring agents nearby, so it would take a while for them to get her.”

 

Neal was about to ask where she was, but Peter silenced him with a stare. Beckman signed off after nodding to Casey and Sarah. “How exactly does Neal know this?” Peter inquired, “He has no interest in CIA or NSA, so there would be no reason for him to know about this Quinn. And she mentioned something about flash.”

 

“Hanover had a copy of something called the Intersect,” Sarah declared, “It's filled with intelligence secrets from the CIA and the NSA. Neal downloaded it into his brain.”

 

“When?”

 

“At Hanover's party.”

 

He sighed, “Neal.”

 

“Hey, it's not like I knew what was on the file,” he defended.

 

“All right, one final thing, who's Bryce and why does he look like Neal?” Peter asked.

 

“Larkin's an agent,” Casey muttered.

 

“We thought he was dead,” she added.

 

Neal waited a minute before saying, “You haven't said why he looks like me.”

 

Sarah knew but didn't want to answer. Casey had a fair idea, but he wasn't sharing. Instead, he mentioned, “The room's been set up in an unoccupied office.”

 

She got up. “I'm going to go through the room that Shaw and Quinn set up. Kitchen's on the third floor; I'm on the second. Casey will go with you to pick up your wife.” Casey walked with Peter, who started calling El. Sarah got in the elevator with them. Neal thought for a minute before heading toward the medical wing.


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