AN: This was all written before 1x13, so no spoilers!
Wyatt stared at the computer screen and mulled over the information presented there. Christopher's password had proven very useful in finding out all he could about Wes Gilliam in preparation for their jump. He would thank her, except that would mean he'd have to admit he was using it without her permission. Regardless of the morality of the action, he excused himself saying the ends justified the means. Knowing all he could about Wes Gilliam would allow him to prevent Jess's death, and finally bring his wife back. And he finally had a workable plan.
He met Rufus in the wardrobe dock, where the engineer was already dressed in a salmon colored shirt and blue blazer. It reminded Wyatt of their mission to 1972 and the clashing colors in their fashion. As he looked through his own clothing options however, he found nothing that fit his own personal style. Then again, this was not about style, but about completing his purpose.
"Hey, ready to go?" Rufus asked when he stepped out of the changing booth.
"I guess. You're not recording, are you?"
Rufus shook his head with sadness in his eyes. "No, I'm not. Which is why Jiya is training to replace me, and then Rittenhouse will get rid of me."
"I'm sorry man. But maybe this will stop Rittenhouse, at least going forward." Wyatt shrugged. The two men walked towards the Lifeboat with unhurried purpose. They nodded at the two graveyard workers tasked with making sure Flynn didn't attempt 2 a.m. flights, but they didn't even look up at the time travelers. And not a single person batted an eyelash when the pilot and the soldier disappeared inside the giant eyeball.
"Where are we going exactly?" Rufus asked.
"Sept. 8, 1981, UCLA," Wyatt said curtly. He strapped himself in and looked over, missing the presence of Lucy across from him. But she was clear in her convictions, and he would just have to show her that everything was about choice, not fate.
Rufus landed the Lifeboat in the one area within easy traveling distance of LA that was not covered in buildings. They took a short walk to a bus stop, and rode into the heart of Los Angeles. For the first time on one of these trips Rufus didn't feel like he stuck out. The bus was practically out of the 21st century.
Rufus leaned over to try to understand everything that was going on. "How do you know we're in the right place?"
Wyatt replied nonchalantly, "Agent Christopher doesn't keep her password very secure. You'd be surprised exactly how much information the government has on everyone."
"Including how two random people met?"
"When their son is a serial killer, their whole lives are pretty open. Unfortunately, not everything was available in their files. The only thing I know is they met while Sophie, his mother, was a senior at UCLA. So that's where we're going to start," Wyatt explained.
"How are you going to find Gilliam's parents?" Rufus asked as they disembarked at UCLA.
"I have these," Wyatt said. He pulled out 2 badges proclaiming them members of the LAPD.
"Whoa! Where did those come from?"
"I borrowed them from a friend of mine. His dad worked for the department in the 70s and 80s. So just flash it… otherwise we could get into a lot of trouble."
Rufus held in his snarky comment about how any part of this could get them into trouble. Wyatt led the way to registration office with confidence and Rufus fell into step behind him. It was a small office with two secretaries and one massive computer. Wyatt walked over the women who sat at the computer.
"Hello Mrs. Jones," he read off her nameplate. "I'm Officer Logan, this is my partner Officer Carlin. We're looking for Sophie Lester. Could you tell us what class she's in right now?" He gave a quick wink.
She stared at the two men for a moment. "You two are partners?"
Rufus gave an eye roll in disgust. "Yes, we are. Is there a problem with that?"
She seemed embarrassed by being caught, and moved to follow Wyatt's request. As she typed away on her computer, she asked, "Is she in trouble?"
"No Ma'am, we just need to talk to her in connection with a case she witnessed. It is fairly urgent, so…" Wyatt gestured to the computer to snap her back to the task at hand.
"Oh, of course." The task took her much longer than any modern computer. Rufus began drumming his fingers across the counter to stave off boredom. Part of him wanted to reach out and take the computer apart. He figured the time it would take to update the CPU would be less than the time it took the secretary to do her job.
A good five minutes later, a loud electronic hum came from the far corner, and Mrs. Jones went to retrieve the paper from the large printer. "Here is Miss Lester's complete class schedule. I hope this will be helpful for you gentleman."
"Thank you very much Ma'am," Wyatt said. They walked out into the hallway before they began to examine the document.
"It's...10:37 right now. Sophie has "History of American Politics" at 11:00. What do you want to do until then?" Rufus asked. He assumed catching her between classes would be easier than disrupting her and trying to come up with even more fake stories.
Wyatt stared blankly at the page, and Rufus snapped his fingers to break the trance. "Um, sorry, I guess we should go find the class."
"Really? We have more than twenty minutes."
"Never hurts to be early," Wyatt said and pushed Rufus forward towards the door.
They walked out into the bright morning sun, and Rufus immediately realized they had no clue how to get around the campus. Suddenly Wyatt's idea to head straight to the class seemed reasonable. "Where is Knudsen Hall?" he asked.
"That way," Wyatt pointed without hesitation.
"How do you know that?" Rufus asked.
Wyatt began walking purposefully before answering the question. "I walked around UCLA for hours the other day to get used to the campus. Of course the buildings are a little different, but luckily Knudsen Hall is one that has stayed pretty much the same."
Rufus marveled at the thought and care Wyatt had put into this mission. But he didn't have time to contemplate it as he tried to keep up with Wyatt's long, fast strides. There were only a few select students milling about at that point, making Wyatt and himself stand out. If he tripped over his own feet, it would be painfully obvious.
Wyatt turned a corner around a building, and he tried to call out to get Wyatt to slow down. "Hold on buddy, remember, class doesn't…" Rufus stopped when a dark-haired man bumped into him.
"Sorry about that," the man said, and rushed off in the opposite direction. Rufus now had to break into a jog to catch up.
"Wyatt, slow down. Class doesn't start for 20 minutes. What are you planning on doing with all that time?"
"We have to be there with enough time to catch Sophie."
"Ok...why?"
Wyatt held the door to the building open, and three co-eds exited before they could enter. "Because I plan on making friends with Sophie. Otherwise how else can I stop her from dating Wesley and having a serial killer son?"
Again, Wyatt's quick gait left Rufus in the dust, and he scrambled to catch up. "And how are you planning keeping said people apart?"
"Not sure yet. I'll tackle that when I get to that point. But I figure the best way to keep Sophie and Wesley from being together is if someone she trusts tells her they shouldn't be together."
Rufus took a deep breath before he exploded. "How in the world is that a good idea? One: what makes you think Sophie will want to be friends with you? Two: how long were you planning we'd stay here, because Flynn could take the Mothership out anytime and finally destroy everything. And three: when have you ever heard of someone staying away from a person they like just because someone else tells them not to?"
Wyatt spoke so evenly and reasoned, Rufus suspected he may have rehearsed his response. "We'll stay as long as necessary. We'll return to the day after we left, no matter what. There's nothing that says we can't, right?"
"Uh, well, I guess you're right about that at least. But what about Sophie. It's her choice." And then he immediately wanted to slap himself for the terrible pun.
Wyatt smiled. "Yes, it's Sophie's choice, but really, who wouldn't say yes to me." His smile got wider, and Rufus had to admit he could see what women saw in a man like him.
"Still, you're reeling her in and then tossing her back."
"A fishing metaphor? Really Rufus? I mean, you're right, but I have a plan in place."
"And what's that? Make it up as you go?"
Wyatt's answer was conveniently delayed by a group of exiting students. The time travelers walked into the room themselves, and Wyatt directed them towards seats in the back.
"You're not planning on being a creepy stalker, are you? Because I'm pretty sure that would destroy your chance to get Sophie to trust you."
Wyatt shushed Rufus as a group of students walked into the lecture hall. He pulled something out of his jacket pocket and showed it to the pilot. "This is Sophie. If you see her, don't draw too much attention to her. We'll catch her after class."
Rufus groaned. "We're going to sit through the entire lecture? On history?"
Wyatt smirked. "Lucy is going to be so sad she missed this. Hey, maybe we'll actually learn something useful."
They kept alert for Sophie's entrance, quietly murmuring at how socially active all the students were when they didn't have cellphones to keep them occupied. The room gained a high volume before Rufus finally spotted their target.
"There she is," he said and nudged Wyatt. The soldier nodded and turned to look like he was paying attention as the professor walked in.
Rufus eyed the middle aged man suspiciously. The dark haired man looked eerily familiar, until he figured out it was the same man he bumped into earlier.
The professor laid out some papers on the table in front of him and brought the class to attention. "Before we begin today, I'd just like to remind you that your reports on the American Revolution are due next Monday."
Something about the words made a shiver go down Rufus's back. "What did he say?" he asked.
"That some of these guys are going to have an awful weekend. Why?" Rufus shushed Wyatt and listened intently.
A girl in the front row raised her hand high. "Professor Cahill, how much of our grade will be decided by our reports?"
He responded in a deep and serious voice. "These reports are worth 30% of your grade, so I suggest you take them seriously."
The voice clicked, and Rufus couldn't stop his gasp. A couple students around them turned to look at him.
"What's going on?" Wyatt asked.
Rufus leaned in close to Wyatt and kept his voice as low as possible. "That guy, he's the one who I had to report to. He's Rittenhouse. He's the guy who tried to kill me."