With His Dying Breath

I don’t own Chuck

Chuck fell to the ground, and saw his friend sitting against the wall, his gun beside him. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

Hello, Chuck. Bryce’s voice hitched. He didn’t look good, he looked, pale.

Bryce. Bryce, Casey and Sarah are pinned down outside. Chuck scampered to Bryce, on his hands and knees in front of Bryce.

I'm on it. Bryce reached for his gun, winced and that’s when Chuck saw it, the blood. The pain in Bryce’s face.

Oh, my God... oh, my God. Oh, my God, you've been shot. What was he going to do? He had no idea what to do. Casey and Sarah in trouble, Bryce shot. What the hell was he doing, he was no spy. He was just a guy, who used to have a computer program in his head.

Yeah. I'm really sorry about this, Chuck. Bryce had regret on his face. Why was there regret on his face?

No. No, it's okay... it's okay. You're going to be fine-- it's not that bad. Chuck had to keep him talking, awake. That’s what you did, right? Or was that for a concussion? He couldn’t think, he couldn’t process what he needed to do. Bryce was shot, dying, again, but this time in front of him.

Take care of her. Take care of her? Take care of who, Sarah? She didn’t need him to take care of her. She could take care of herself. Besides, she was leaving, with Bryce, or being assigned somewhere else.

Don't... don't say that. You're not dying. She needs you, man, okay? You... you guys are going to go on missions together and do exciting things and save the world. You'll be a team again-- it will be great. It wasn’t going to be great. It was going to be terrible. It was going to rip his heart out, but she and Bryce were a team, a great team, and she was going to save the world.

She wasn't going to come. She wants... The groan Bryce made wasn’t good. It sounded like…like he was dying.

Come on. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Chuck was begging with Bryce. Begging him to hold on, not to die. Bryce pulled something out of his coat.

This will destroy the Intersect. This new computer is too powerful. It's too dangerous. Bryce was pleading with him. Chuck saw it in his eyes, but…but what about FULCRUM and the greater good?

But you need... you need the computer to fight FULCRUM. Chuck was trying to reason with Bryce, but questions remained. Why would Bryce have something to destroy the Intersect computer? Why would Bryce, who had already died once to destroy this system let it be put in his head? Things weren’t making sense.

FULCRUM doesn't matter, all right? They... they're just... they're just one part of the Ring. They'll use it against us, Chuck. You have to do this. All right? You have to destroy that computer, and then get out of here. Bryce was pleading with Chuck, he was begging him, but Chuck wasn’t hearing it. All he could think about was stopping the people that kept hurting his family, making his dad be a nomad, hurting his friends; Bryce, Sarah, Casey…They had to stop FULCRUM, the Ring, and whatever else was out there. Chuck not only needed to save that computer, but he needed to help Bryce, be his analyst. There was no choice.

Yeah, but you can beat them. You're a real... hero, Bryce. Bryce didn’t respond. Bryce. He was dead. Oh, my God.

-ooooo-

That had been hours ago. Chuck was lying on his bed, exhausted. The flash had incorporated physical fighting this time, and while the adrenaline had gotten him through the ordeal, his body was now protesting what he had done.

That was the least of his problems. Sarah couldn’t believe what he did, Casey seemed to wish anyone but Chuck had uploaded the Intersect, and God only knew what Beckman thought. She hadn’t wanted him at the briefing and that really didn’t surprise Chuck. It wasn’t that she hated Chuck, she just hated him having the Intersect.

He laid on his bed, his head feeling…full. Fuller than the last time he downloaded it. He felt…different. His head was buzzing, he felt like he was on the verge of a flash, and it was driving him crazy. It was similar to how one felt when they were on the verge of a sneeze.

“Damn it,” he muttered to himself. “Just flash and get it over with.” That’s when it hit him. The flash was different than the flash earlier that day and the one with the previous Intersect. He shook his head after it was over with and blinked. There had been no information, there had been no pictures, but it had felt like a flash.

“I ask you to destroy it, but you couldn’t, could you?” he heard Bryce ask. Chuck turned slowly and looked behind him. There stood Bryce. “All you had to do was insert the chip I told you, and it would be gone. I guess it’s good I had a back up made.” Bryce paused and studied Chuck. “So, is this gonna be awkward?” Chuck just stared at Bryce. “This is gonna be awkward.”