It took him three times. Three times of meeting her to get her on his side. Three times of meeting her for her to join his mission. Three times of meeting her to make him realize he could not fail his mission, for her.
Dr. Cassandra Railly. The first time he met her, it was 2043, she was laying on the floor of the lab at the CDC. He didn't think much of it; she was already dead. He just needed her watch before he got sent back 30 years into the past. She was only supposed to be a means to an end. She'd tell him about Leland Frost, he'd kill him, mission over.
The second time they met, it was 2013, she was getting into her car, unaware that he was lying in wait. He had watched her walk towards him, quickly and determinedly, talking to herself as she walked. She didn't look like anything from his time. She was clean, wearing a jacket, purse and heels. She looked like she came straight out of the old magazines he and Ramse had seen on one of their supply missions. He was starting to think this was a bad idea, but then she opened the door to her car. He knew he had to say something, but he didn't want to scare her.
"I'm not gonna hurt you," he started quickly, but he saw the fear on her face and knew he was already way past trying to start gently. It was when she told someone to call the police, whatever they were, that he knew he needed to do something. He moved quickly, putting his hand over her mouth to try and silence her.
"Don't do that, don't do that," he just wanted her to calm down. He almost regretted having to scare something so innocent. The math made sense, terrorize one person to save the rest of the people from terror, but something about her had him thinking he had it backwards. He tried the gentle approach again, "Put the car in gear and drive us out of here." She continued to struggle and he knew he wasn't getting anywhere.
"Listen to me. I have a knife. I have a knife, I do not want to use it, but I will if I have to. You understand me?" Seeing her open her eyes and nod, he knew he was finally getting somewhere with her. Even if the fear in her eyes made him want to stop and forget it all.
"Put the car in drive and get us out of here," but when she still wouldn't move, he pulled out his knife, "Get out of here. I don't have time for this. Get out of here, I don't have time to play games with you." He knew he was getting rougher and rougher with her, and he was sorry, he was. He just needed her to move. He knew he didn't have much time before Jones splintered him back.
As the car started to move, he saw her get more in control of herself. She had he eyes open, she'd stopped crying, and stopped trying to escape. It wasn't until she started trying to pay him to go away that he knew how far from home he was. Back in 2043, money had no value. There was no purpose, you raided stores, homes and people for supplies, you didn't buy it. The world had fallen apart, the driving force behind most of what he did became 'kill or be killed'. Not that living in a world ravaged by plague was worth fighting for, he wasn't ready to die either. She though, she still lived in a world where money got you things. Where people did things for money. Where the world was still alive.
Sobered by his thoughts, he tried the soft approach again, "I'm not going to hurt you Dr. Railly," but the fact that he knew her name only seemed to make her more afraid, "Dr. Cassandra Railly. Born October 3rd, 1980. Syracuse, New York. Oldest child. Intensive care meningitis, 1986. Your mother died of an embolism in 1990. You went to medical school, Columbia. Viral Containment for the CDC, 2015." He thought getting what he knew about her out in the open, she'd see he wasn't there to hurt her, but he slipped. He mentioned her timeline beyond what she already knew, reminded of his mission, he tried to speed things along, "You're the right person, trust me. I don't have time to explain to you. Just tell me what I need to know. Where is Leland Frost?"
He could see the confusion spread across her face, and he couldn't believe that Jones could have gotten it wrong. She had to know who Frost was. But as he heard her fight back tears as she tried to think, he knew she didn't know. His mission couldn't be a failure. This couldn't have all been for nothing.
Then he heard the sirens.
He didn't know who was coming, but he knew they were coming for him. He had to find somewhere to hide. He couldn't get caught, not without trying to salvage his mission. He pulled her out of her car and found a doorway along the alley. When he got inside, he worked quickly to secure her. He couldn't have her leaving him, not when there were sirens approaching, not when he didn't have his answers. She asked his name, should he tell her? Why does she want to know? What would it change?
"Cole"
She wanted to talk, but what was there to say? She didn't know what was going on, and Cole was beginning to regret the whole thing. There was nothing to talk about. She didn't know who Leland Frost was. That means Jones had sent him back too early. Did he just say that out loud? Too late to turn back, Cole kept going, "They sent me too far back in the past…2043 is the present," as she started to protest, he continued, "About four years from now, most of the human race is going to wiped out by a plague. A virus. We know it's because of a man named Leland frost. I have to find him. I'm not crazy."
For some reason, he felt the need to tell her all about his mission. He had to prove to her that he was who he said he was. He had to show her that he wasn't crazy. Cole pulled out her watch, the one he had collected when he first found her, back in 2043. Bringing her watch to this time to show her a paradox was supposed to be a last resort, but now he found himself showing her just prove his story to her.
"Rewrite the past, the future follows," her face showed a mix of terror and awe. He wasn't sure of if it was because of him, or because of the paradox. He could feel his body prepping for splinter, even as a bullet tore through him. He knew he couldn't leave her, not without a plan. He needed to see her again, even if only for the mission, "If you really want to help, if you believe me, two years from today. Philadelphia. The John Adams hotel. Find me. You're going to find me," and then he was gone.
The third time they met, it was 2015, she ran up to him, helping him into the hotel and making excuses for him. Cole could feel the happiness when she said he was with her, and it confused him. She helped him walk to her room, since the bullet wound had left him weak and bleeding. He could feel her hands on his sides, and then his face, telling him to take deep breaths. She was so soft, and so gentle. Cole wondered if all people were like her, in her time. The fact that she was even there with him, had him mystified. She needed to see if he was real, but he just needed to see her. He felt her hand press against his bullet wound, her voice sounded so distant, as he felt himself slip away.
Fate. Karma. Santa Clause. Cole had joked that he was very spiritual, not really believing it all. The destruction of the world around him had taken his faith from him. Until her. Waking up and the first thing he saw was her, he felt like he was in the presence of an angel. The light of the room created around her face looked like a halo, and with her light hair, and soft eyes, she was like the angels he believed in as a child. Even though he was struggling with the pain, he could feel her hands on him, easing him back to a resting position. She was in doctor mode and it felt nice to have someone care and fuss about him again. He remembered Jones telling him that she wasn't his mission. She was just a puzzle piece. She was already dead. She was secondary. His last thought before slipping away again was maybe he didn't want to put her second.
He was finally fully awake, she sat across the room from him. He had been out three days? What about the mission? Jones would pull him back soon. When Cole looked up at her, he saw amazement, and was that trust? She believed him now? She believed him. She was smiling at him. He felt ten feet tall. He felt he could do anything, complete his mission, as long as she kept looking at him like that. He started to stand up, the pain wasn't that bad. He grabbed his jacket, but she kept trying to slow him down. Why was she doing this? She wanted time? They didn't have time.
She was yelling at him to stop, now she looked angry. He had forgotten that while he moved through the two years seamlessly, she had actually lived them. She wasn't a doctor anymore? He had lost that for her. People thought she was crazy, for knowing the truth? He felt himself deflate. He never meant for any of that to happen. In 2043, she was always just referred to as Dr. Railly, even though that sounded rather formal for her, he never imagined that would change. And never because of him. Because of the mission.
He started to fill her in on his past, her future. Project Splinter. When she asked about how she became part of the mission, he told her of her death, forgetting how that might affect her. Cole had forgotten himself that in his time, she was gone. With her in front of him now, it was hard to believe she was dead. She was the one who gave him the mission, the reason he was with her now. Was it selfish to believe that she must have wanted him to come to her if she had left the message?
While she hadn't found Leland Frost yet, she had been working on it. That's something, right? She had a friend, Jeremy, who was helping her. She took him to meet Jeremy, and on the table sat a bowl of almonds. He didn't realize it until then just how hungry he was. He looked to her, seeking her approval to have some, not sure what the customs on food were in her time. As he grabbed a large handful, and started shoveling them into his mouth, he saw the embarrassment rise on her face. He didn't know what he was doing wrong, but he was very hungry.
Learning that Leland Frost was actually Leland Goines was rather embarrassing for him, he had pushed her to know who Leland Frost was but that wasn't even the guy's name. They were going to some event that Goines was at the next night.
She had taken him shopping, buying him formal wear. A button down shirt, dress pants, a blazer and tie. He didn't understand the purpose, how were you supposed to run and fight in them? They looked clean though. Then she bought him a cheeseburger. He didn't know what it was, but it was amazing. He had never had food like it. What was cheese? If he lived in her time, he could die happy having cheeseburgers every meal. She thought it was funny when he told her that. She had a great laugh. She asked what the plan was for Goines, and was surprised when she was horrified at the thought of killing him. When he told her that he would disappear when the mission was over, he thought he saw sadness in her eyes. Could it be possible that she didn't want him to go?
That night, as he waited for her to be ready to leave for the event where Goines would be at, Cole felt out of place. He didn't dress up for events, he didn't eat cheeseburgers, and he didn't take long hot showers, but that day he had done all of the above. What had him most out of sorts, was the idea of waiting on her. He had never been on a formal date with someone, he had never had never taken someone out, by the time he was a teenager the plague was already in full swing. Dates were only something you read about, or heard about from the few older people that survived. But when he saw her walking down the stairs, he felt he could get used to this lifestyle. He was glad his first formal outing was with her and he wanted many more. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Better than any picture from any magazine. She had her hair in some kind of fancy hairstyle, and she was wearing a black dress unlike anything he had ever seen.
When they got out of their car at the event, she stood so close to him, helping remove the price tag from his suit. She smelled clean, she has some type of perfume on but he doesn't know the scent. When she tells him he looks good, he can see in her eyes she means it. Looks have never been important in 2043, but in that moment, he was very happy to have her approval. He feels out of place in front of her, in her time. but when she jokes about his magazine compliment, he laughs. She makes him feel lighter. Happier. Like the world isn't about to end.
When they walk inside, he looks around at the people and the room. He never would have imagined this in 2043, he doesn't know what the sound is in the background. He can't believe all this will be gone in such a short time. He's enjoying taking it all in until he sees someone. A man, when he sees Dr. Railly while she spells out her name and he looks surprised to see her there. Is this Senator Royce? He makes his way closer, and calls out, "Cassie," he's smiling now. It's obvious they know each other and that the man is happy to see her. When the man says that Cassie is with him, Cole can feel a slight twinge in his heart. He's never felt jealousy over a woman before, the feeling is foreign to him, all he knows is he doesn't like this man, Aaron. He didn't even know Dr. Railly went by Cassie, but obviously Aaron knows her well enough to know that. Aaron also looks clean, like Cassie, he doesn't look like he's from a different time period, like Cole. When Cassie introduces him as Greg to Aaron, and says that he is her plus one, he doesn't understand what is going on, but Aaron understands her. Aaron asks how they know each other, and unable to think of a good response while trying to figure out who Aaron is to Cassie, he says Cassie bought him a cheeseburger. He sees Cassie smile while Aaron seems confused by the comment. When Aaron mentions having to go kiss an ass, Cole is happy to see him leave, even though he keeps looking back at Cassie while he walks away from them.
When Cassie and him find Goines at the party, he can feel Cassie's hand brush his while they stand watching Goines. While Cole knows his mission, and knows the role Goines plays in it, and he can't help but enjoy the unintentional brush of her hand against his. That was until Aaron found his way back to them. Suddenly he was standing in front of Cassie, apologizing for leaving. It's clear to Cole that Cassie and Aaron have been at events like this before, and they've been at them together. Cole walks away quickly to put some space between him and Cassie so he can continue to figure out what to do about Goines.
It's not until he and Cassie are being taken away in restraints that he sees some of the flaws in his not well thought-out plan. He failed his mission to get Goines, and he'd taken Cassie down with him, but as he sits next to her, he releases his frustration on her. How could she stop him? Doesn't she see that Goines is the one that is responsible for the death of the world? Everyone around her is already dead unless they stop Goines. She is already dead. He can't save them unless he kills Goines. He can't save her unless he kills Goines.
It's when Goines is dead against the wall, after the paradox, that Cole is truly upset. He should be gone, erased, along with the plague. Yet he's still standing, with Cassie, and he can feel that he's about to splinter. He doesn't know who the Army of the Twelve Monkeys are. He doesn't know how to fix the plague. He doesn't know how to save her. He tells her to run, to get far away. To stay safe. He doesn't know if he'll see her again, and he's not sure what to do about that. What he does know, is that he can't fail his mission. He will stop the plague. He will save the seven billion people that were lost. He will save her.