It was a broken clutch booster spring
I pulled it and the spring was broken in 3 pieces
Dug through some forum posts (rennlist 996 and BoxA) and was able to just replace the spring.
the whole part from the dealer is $102. I put in a spring from Home Depot $4.00. That spring is a little light, and I will order a stronger spring online, ~$ 10.
Its a pretty easy DIY, just you have to wiggle under the dash on your back
Here is a great DIY thread on Boxa
How to - 986 Clutch assist spring replacement - How To - www.BoXa.net
My Bentley and the online workshop manuals were useless
only problem I had was when I was putting it back in, the mounting bolt dropped into the clutch pedal (yes, it is hollow). I was able to push it back up and out with a small magnetic pickup tool. other than that, pretty easy