Chuck Episode 2.17 Chuck vs the Predator

After a smelly mission where they masqueraded as plumbers, Chuck, Sarah and Casey have gotten the intel Beckman wanted. Which reminds Chuck... he asks Sarah if she's heard from Beckman about Orion, which would replace him as the intercept and give him his life back. She assures him that Beckman knows how important it is to him and to leave it to the army of brilliant spy analysts. Even though Chuck said he would, he's up past 4:00 a.m. conducting his own investigation. His sees his web cam turn on and wonders why.

In a Hong Kong apartment, a man sits at his desk with a live shot of Chuck looking confused on his computer screen. He hears radio feedback, kills the connection to Chuck, and taps a command into a keyboard attached to his arm. Seconds later, Fulcrum agents storm the room. He's gone, but they see his whiskey, ice still in glass, and know he was just here. Vincent radios to alert Fulcrum that Orion is gone. Text comes up on the computer screen: "A drink? It's been a hard day for Fulcrum. It's about to get worse." Rumbling and blinding light fills the room.

At the Buy More, the store has been toilet papered by employees from the rival Buy More in Beverly Hills. Led by Barclay, their assistant manager, they come in to gloat, but don't admit they did it. Big Mike, gloating himself, says they're just angry because the Burbank store is getting the new Roark Instruments laptop before they do. Barclay says they should get it since they're the flagship store. "Flagship of my ass," Big Mike says, and kicks them out. Morgan wants to retaliate, but Big Mike says no retaliations, "It's the Buy More way." He then barks at them to clean the place up.

At the Nerd Herd desk, Chuck sees a message pop up on the computer screen. "I know your secret." He thinks one of his co-workers is messing with him until a second message appears, "You're the Intersect." The mystery texter wants to meet. Aloud, Chuck asks why. "Because I'm Orion," it answers. Chuck is unnerved that Orion can hear him. Orion says he'll be sending a secure computer to Chuck's current location and ends the transmission. Chuck tells Sarah.

In the bunker, Beckman asks how Orion found Chuck. Chuck sheepishly says it probably has something to do with his own search. "Your what?!" Beckman says. Sarah tells them about Chuck's automated web search, using everything he knows about Fulcrum as the parameter. When Chuck says Orion is sending him a computer, Beckman wants it locked up, as Orion's computers can override military defenses and hijack weaponry. "God forbid it falls into the wrong hands," she says. At the Nerd Herd desk, a courier carrying a box tells Lester he has a delivery for Chuck. Thinking it's the new Roark computer, Lester says, "I'm Chuck Bartowski."

Sarah expresses her anger at Chuck for conducting his own search and not trusting her to understand how important it is for him to have a normal life. Meanwhile, Lester, Jeff and Morgan play with Orion's computer in Jeff's bathroom stall office. When they can't identify themselves, Orion asks if they're in danger. Thinking they're playing a simulator game, they say they are. When prompted to pinpoint a target for air support, they type in the Buy More's address as the location. Orion activates a Predator drone. In the bunker, Casey tells Chuck and Sarah there's an Orion-hijacked drone headed straight for Buy More.

As they watch the "simulator" drone fly toward Buy More, Morgan asks why they're targeting their own store when they could target the Beverly Hills one. They type in the new coordinates and the drone changes direction. Chuck sees the change in targets and radios Casey and Sarah, who were just about to pull the fire alarm to clear the store. Chuck figures out what's going on and tells them to look for Morgan. He finds them first and wrestles the computer from them. Just in time, he keys in a command for the drone to abort.

Big Mike sees the group come out of the restroom and asks what the hell is going on. When he sees what he thinks is the Roark computer in Chuck's hands, he takes it and tells Emmett, who's all too eager for the task, to guard it in his office. Meanwhile, Lester and Jeff plot to get it back. "An after-hours job," Jeff says excitedly. Chuck, Casey and Sarah plot their own coup; to rob the Buy More tonight.

Vincent, who survived the Hong Kong bombing, tells Fulcrum that they picked up a signal from Orion's computer at the Buy More. Having lost agents there, Fulcrum thinks the Buy More is a CIA substation. They give Vincent the go-ahead to try to get the computer.

That night at the Buy More, Emmett is relishing his night duty. Wearing burglar chic, Chuck, Casey and Sarah break in through a floor vent. Angered that Chuck got them into this mess, Casey tells Chuck to come up with the plan. Chuck tells them to distract Emmett with their spy skills while he gets the computer. They take out their guns, but Chuck says that as annoying as Emmett is, they can't shoot, tranq or karate him. They put them away and opt for shadow games with Emmett. Meanwhile, Lester and Jeff, dressed in similar burglar attire, hide in an aisle as Emmett walks by them.

Jeff throws his voice and scares Emmett, while Chuck slips into Big Mike's office. Lester and Jeff split, unsure that Jeff actually threw his voice away from their location. Chuck radios Casey, asking what that noise was. Lester, thinking that Casey is Jeff, runs to him and chastises him for his lame voice-throwing tactic. He asks him, "What other tricks do you know?" At the same time, Jeff sneaks up on Sarah, thinking she's Lester. He admits being so scared that he pooped his pants, just a little. In another part of the Buy More, Chuck lowers himself through a hatch.

In Big Mike's office, Chuck opens the safe and takes out the computer. He turns to see Vincent pointing a gun at him. He flashes on Vincent, who demands the computer. Meanwhile, Jeff sees Sarah's blonde hair peeking out of her ski mask. Realizing she's not Lester, he becomes afraid and runs. At the same time, Lester continues to berate Casey, who he thinks is Jeff. That is, until Jeff runs behind Lester. Casey growls at them and they split, running straight into a stream of pepper spray, compliments of Emmett.

As Lester and Jeff stagger off, Emmett says no one messes with his Buy More. "You wanna mess with me in my store? Well bring it on, bitches!!" Emmett says, just as Casey steps in the aisle and clocks him unconscious. Carrying the computer, Vincent brings Chuck at gunpoint to Casey and Sarah and tells them to drop their guns. Chuck tells him they don't have any guns, and asks if he's going to kill them. "It would be unprofessional not to," Vincent says, and raises his gun. Casey shoots him in the shoulder, but before they can talk to him, Vincent swallows a cyanide pill.

At home, a horrified Morgan hears Big Mike and his mother getting busy in her room. Emmett calls Big Mike about the break in. Big Mike pounds on Morgan's wall, saying they have to get to the Buy More. Beverly Hills has made their move. "Oh thank God," Morgan says. Meanwhile, Beckman tells the group that Fulcrum set up a trap for them and the person who contacted Chuck wasn't Orion. Despite Chuck's protests to the contrary, she says her NSA specialists will inspect the computer. To their surprise, she's taking over the operation and coming to the bunker, adding that if Fulcrum has identified Chuck, he'll be coming with her.

Sarah and Casey tell Chuck that Beckman doesn't want to hear him out about Orion and send him to his room. Beckman arrives, in person. Meanwhile, Emmett nurses his black eye and tells Morgan and Big Mike that 30-40 professional assailants attacked him and took the computer. A bleary-eyed Lester and Jeff arrive, saying they were at Denny's and saw the nearby commotion. Big Mike is convinced that Barclay was behind it, and fueled with anger at Emmett's black eye, tells the crew to get ready for payback. They're burning the Beverly Hills Buy More to the ground.

Orion calls Chuck using an electronically altered voice. He asks where his computer is. Chuck says it's at a top-secret government facility because they think he's Fulcrum. Orion proves he's not by telling Chuck to look at his computer screen. A logo pops up and Chuck flashes on it. He asks Orion how he knew that was in the Intersect. Orion says because he put it there himself, a long time ago. In Casey's apartment, Beckman admits lying to Chuck. Orion did contact Chuck. When Sarah protests, Beckman says she's been looking for Orion since Sarah was in a training bra.

To prove that Chuck can't trust Beckman, Sarah and Casey, Orion shows Chuck a live feed from Casey's apartment. Beckman says Chuck can never meet Orion. He's disappointed when Sarah, even though reluctantly, follows orders. At Orion's direction, Chuck goes to the bunker and logs onto the computer. Behind Chuck, Vincent unzips his body bag. Chuck tells Orion he wants to get the Intersect out of his head. Orion gives him an address to meet him. Vincent surprises Chuck and tells him not to scream, as he has a splitting headache from the blowfish poison he took to make him appear dead.

Chuck feigns tripping to point the address that Orion gave to him toward the security camera, hoping Sarah and Casey will see it. Back in Casey's apartment, they realize Chuck isn't in his room and scan the video from the bunker and see Chuck being led out by gunpoint, Vincent behind him. They also see the address. At the meeting place, Vincent and Chuck wait for Orion. Orion texts Chuck, asking if it's safe. Threatened by Vincent, Chuck confirms it is. Outside, Orion walks toward them and is grabbed by Fulcrum agents. He sends one more text to Chuck. "Run."

Sarah and Casey arrive just in time to see Vincent through a window, about to shoot Chuck. Casey shoots Vincent with a shotgun and they run to the roof where Fulcrum is landing their helicopter to take Orion. They get up top just as the helicopter is taking off. Chuck sees via the computer that Orion has programmed a Predator drone to shoot it down. Despite Chuck's efforts to abort it, the Predator finds its mark and destroys the helicopter, and Orion with it.

Back in the bunker, Beckman says it was better for Orion to take himself out, knowing what Fulcrum would do to him and what they gain. Chuck learns she doesn't want the Intersect out of his head. She says the outcome of their war with Fulcrum rests on his shoulders and wants to turn Chuck into a full-time spy. Meanwhile, at the Buy More, Big Mike and the guys celebrate their revenge on the Beverly Hills store, where Emmett played dominoes with their shelves. Barclay and crew interrupt, threatening to call the police. Big Mike calls his bluff, knowing the war of the Buy Mores is a street game.

Back at home, Chuck finds a file from Orion. Along with it, a video on CD-ROM where Orion tells Chuck the documents inside are the schematics for the new Intersect that he stole from Fulcrum. He instructs Chuck to study them if he wants the Intersect out of his head, and show no one. If he can get inside that Intersect, he can get his old life back. After which, the disc destructs. Beckman has doubts about Sarah's dedication to the mission and orders Casey to spy on her and Chuck. She looks at live surveillance of Chuck, who appears to be reading a comic book, but inside he's pasted Fulcrum's Intersect plans.