Different yes, but still great storytelling as we have gotten spoiled with from you. Think this might be the first story from you where Chuck actually got the Intersect so very interested to see how you play that out. For that matter, I also think this is the first glimpse of Sarah the Ice Queen in your stories as well. Yes, she has been standoffish and serious but to have experienced the darkness of the CIA life as in canon is gonna make for a very interesting take on the meeting of the two in your capable hands. Of course, Chuck would try to stop the bombing, I can just see him frantic and confused about this knowledge and distraught when he couldn’t prevent others’ death. His love for Ellie would certainly be a driving force for Chuck to persevere through the torture and his need to do the right thing drives his inner strength and I do love to see this inner strength at his core as life beats him down even to this extreme extent. Well there won’t be a Mexican dinner to start to break through this agent’s walls, but can’t wait to see how their interplay starts to touch the real girl. Lastly the Ellie and Sarah conversation was great. Even very emotional, Ellie manages to expose some of the hidden nuggets of Chuck to get Sarah’s mind working. Very much enjoyed this first chapter, looking forward to more when you get to it. Thanks for this new story.

Wow. That was gripping. I guess we'll have to wait and see if Chuck is able to recover emotionally from such an ordeal. And even if/when he does, he will be unavoidably, irrevocably changed by this experience. How will the two of them navigate that to find each other? If/when he returns to his life, how do they explain his absence to Ellie?

I'll be here waiting to find out.

Great story, you are right, very different than what you usually right. Still looking forward to updates to matchmaker/return to me. But I like the start. Interesting and good move bringing Decker in early on. Interested to see where you go from here, as mentioned already looking up slightly, see how it plays out. Look forward to the update.

Wow, leading the story off with crazy Decker torturing Chuck. And Chuck indicates that he has been tortured before. So an enigmatic start to the tale.

It was great to see Sarah intimidate that scumbag Decker. Too bad she didn’t get to clock him. And then her talk with Ellie where she found out about Chucks connection to Larkin. All of a sudden this mission is personal to Sarah which has to be hard on the Ice Queen.

Looking forward to how this story plays out. Since you’ve re-imagined the start of canon, you could take this in a lot of different directions. Looking forward to more!

So Casey wasn't there to shoot Bryce, who got away and sent the Intersect to Chuck with no one the wiser. Very nice AU concept.

Hmm, sounds like our boy Decker fixed the books to change it from Chuck warning about the bomb to him bragging about it. The lack of information on Chuck and Bryce knowing each other in college is surprising as well. Orion's hand at play? I'm sure that we'll find out eventually. I was curious about Graham's statement that Bryce left Sarah to take the heat. Was it just that he stole/blew up the Intersect, or did he somehow implicate Sarah? I'm guessing that if it was the latter, the DNI would have had her arrested/detained instead of suspended. I'm also wondering about what Graham knows. For her to be suspended, but him sending her off to interrogate a suspect with unknown/undisclosed ties to Bryce seems deliberate.
Is it wrong that I'm hoping that after Sarah falls for Chuck (is that an assumption on my part?) that Decker meets a sticky end similar to what happened to him in canon?

Well, as you warned that was definitely dark. It was interesting though and seems to have lots of potential. I'm interested to see whether Casey features in this story or maybe not? Looking forward to things getting better for Chuck. Thanks for sharing.

Well, this is not the usual stuff you give us, but I liked it. The torture I couldn't bear, but it is a part of the redemption story. I know it may be not what we associate with you, but you wrote it wonderfully. I cried in the Ellie part, as I know how close she and Chuck are. I can't imagine how she must be feeling, hope she can meet him soon. As for Chuck and Sarah, they haven't even met, yet I can see some sparks between them. Eagerly waiting for the next update and find out what's next. Good luck and stay safe friend.

That really did start off dark. And very appropriate that it was Decker who made it thus. Now that a human being, in the form of Sarah Walker, is there on site, hopefully the real truth will come out quite rapidly. After all she already jbkws about Chuck's link to Larkin. Come back soon please. [Nudge, cough: other stories' next chapters?]

NICE start

Wow ! What a start.