It takes Dr. Jones just over three months to create a serum she's confident about, and each passing day, Cole gets a little more anxious. What if this didn't work? What if the calibration was so off that it sling shots him to a different continent, or way off the time period? What if he doesn't make it back to Cassie until she's an old woman? Would he even go say hi to her? Of course he'd still want to see her, but she would have had her whole life to move on and he doesn't want to give her a heart attack.
Thoughts like these went through his head daily, usually until Sam came over to ask him to play, or Ramsey clapped a hand to his back roughly to knock him out of his own head. Ramsey knew how hard this was for Cole, but every time he pulled him aside to ask him if the risks were starting to outweigh the reward for his brother, Cole would shake his head firmly. No hesitation. Cassie was worth it.
So when Dr. Jones finally called Cole into their meeting room and told him she has successfully created a serum that is of the highest concentration she could manage, Cole is over the moon. Now the gas treatments could start, lasting for a week, before he would sit in that chair for the last time, on his way to Cassie.
The week dragged on longer than the three months prior, it seemed like. Every day he was getting closer to his finale splinter, and every night it was getting harder and harder for him to sleep, his nervous energy and thoughts keeping him up. On the third night, Ramsey actually got Dr. Jones to give him something to help him sleep. He needs to be in top form if he wants to survive this trip.
The day finally came. Cole spent an hour in the morning after breakfast in the gas chamber, followed by another hour pacing around, waiting for the effects to stop fogging up his brain. He made his way to the machine once he was cleared, meeting up with Dr. Jones and Ramsey.
They were talking but stopped when they noticed him come in, both turning to look at him. Ramsey was smiling, which made Cole smile back.
"It's time, brother!" he exclaims, wrapping Cole up in a hug, squeezing him a little too hard. Cole groans, squeezing him back as hard as he can. They part, Ramsey keeping a hand on Cole's shoulder. "I'm going to miss you something fierce, Cole." he says seriously.
"Oh, don't get soft on me now, Ramsey." Cole jokes, but the joke doesn't reach his eyes. "I'm going to miss you too. Thanks for setting this up for me. I owe you."
Ramsey shakes his head. "You owe me nothing. You're the reason I'm still here, with a beautiful wife and son. Have I ever told you how beautiful and perfect Sam is, because-"
"Yeah yeah, this whole compound knows the sun shines out your son's ass Ramsey, don't worry." Cole says with a genuine laugh, Ramsey laughing too.
Reaching into his pocket, Ramsey pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to Cole. "Here. This is from Sam. I decided it would be easier if he isn't here to see you…well, vanish. But he knows you're leaving and he wanted me to give you this."
Cole takes the paper and opens it carefully. It's a drawing of him, Ramsey, Sam, and Elena, all outside in the sun, smiling. Cole feels a lump form in his throat, and looks up at Ramsey. "Tell him I love it, and I'm going to keep it with me wherever I go."
Ramsey nods, squeezing Cole's shoulder again before letting go. "You're really good with kids, Cole. Maybe you and Cassie should-"
"Heyyy, don't go there man! I have to make it back to her first!"
They both laugh, Ramsey poking fun at the colour of Cole's cheeks, when Dr. Jones calls him over.
"Alright, Mr. Cole. I think we've prepared you as much as we can. Are you ready?"
Cole nods, gently placing the drawing Sam drew for him into his shirt pocket, his hands shaking slightly with nervous energy.
Dr. Jones motions for him to lift the sleeve of his shirt and injects him with the serum. Cole immediately feels it take hold, flowing through his veins until his whole body feels a little shaky and numb.
"This stuff really is something…" he mumbles, needing Ramsey's help to get up into the chair.
"I've just injected you with the chemical properties of nearly 5 injections of the normal serum, so you are going to feel a little sick when you splinter. The effects should wear off relatively quickly, though." Jones tells him, giving him a pointed look while he settles into the chair. She walks over to the console, motioning for Ramsey to step back.
Ramsey looks down at Cole, leaning over him slightly, a hand grasping each of his arms. "Goodbye, brother."
Cole smiles at him, reaching up to pat Ramsey's chest a few times roughly. "Take care of your family, Ramsey."
Ramsey smiles, his eyes sad. "Say hi to Cassie for me. Wish I could meet her."
Cole smiles, her face appearing at the forefront of his mind. "I think you'd really like her, man. She's perfect."
Ramsey gives his arms one last squeeze before he backs away from the chair, the machine clunking to life and the blue light engulfing Cole.
"Good luck, Mr. Cole." Jones calls from the console as the light gets brighter, blinding Cole until he closes his eyes.
He's terrified in this moment, his hands clenching into fists on the arm rests, his eyes screwed shut tightly. The sound of the machine is deafening, and he can feel his body starting to tighten and his spine starting to tingle painfully.
Cassie's face pops into his mind again, and she's smiling at him, giving him strength. Cole focuses on her, using her name as a mantra in his mind. 'I'm coming, Cassie.'
He vanishes then, the machine clunking once loudly before slowly shutting down, the room going deathly silent as everyone stares at where Cole was a moment ago.
