"Nate, seriously, tell me you're not even considering this." Hardison looked to the leader.
"It's not his call." Eliot argued.
"Eliot, man, are you even listening to yourself?" The hacker replied. "You are physically unable to run, to get yourself safe into hiding, but… you want us to leave you behind so you can get thrown to the wolves in a prison cell with little to no regulations for inmate safety? It's a suicide mission and I ain't letting you do it."
"I agree." Parker spoke up. "We're either all going or all staying, but I'm not leaving you Sparky."
"This is what Sterling wants. He's counting on it." Eliot responded softly. "He'll take my offer because he doesn't think you can pull off a high stakes con without me. Prove him wrong and take that mother fucker down."
"Nate, say something." Sophie pressed after a full minute of silence.
Nate took a seat as he pondered what Eliot was asking. He thought back to their previous dealings with Sterling as a team. It was Eliot that brought Kentucky Thunder to the stable that saved the two horse job. Eliot was the one that managed to escape Sterling's trap in the David job, and Eliot planned the rescue during the Zanzibar Marketplace job. "He's right. It's no coincidence that Sterling is making his move now. Without Eliot we're vulnerable and he knows that."
"A month, remember!" Parker screamed at him. "I don't think Myanmar prison is the type of vacation the doctor ordered."
"I can survive it." Eliot promised. "What I can't do is defend the rest of you in the process, so please, give me one less thing to worry about and get out of here."
"Do you all have your coms on you?" Nate questioned.
"Oh no, Nate?" Sophie reacted.
"Leave separately and don't go home. We'll meet up in London, you all know where. Tell me if you think you're being followed." Nate ordered. "Hardison, you go first and get the flights arranged. Not out of Logan."
"This is not happenin', it ain't happenin', man."
"It is happening." Nate corrected him. "I want you to spend every minute possible in flight learning everything you can about the Myanmar prison system."
"What about Sterling?" Parker asked about the next order of business.
"Leave Sterling to me." Nate insisted.
"Dude, you die and I ain't gonna forgive you." Hardison warned Eliot. "I mean it, and that your bike of yours. I'm taking it and it's gonna sold for scraps."
"You wouldn't." Eliot smiled and shook his head.
"Oh? Oh yeah, you think so? Two words… scrap metal." He held out his hand for Eliot to grab onto. Eliot even allowed the bro hug that followed without objection. "Scrap. Metal." Hardison repeated before leaving the room.
"Now what?" Parker asked attempting to keep composure.
"Now we wait for Hardison to confirm the tickets and then it's your turn." Nate explained.
"In that case can I talk to Eliot?" Parker requested.
Nate nodded and guided a very miffed Sophie out of the room.
"You're not gonna talk me out of it." Eliot told her.
"I know; I saw the look. Can you believe it? Me noticing 'looks' and reading people?" She snickered.
"You've come a long way, doll."
"There's still something wrong with me." She replied sitting on the edge of his bed. He reached out to hold her hand.
"Only the right kind of wrong." He smirked.
"You still have to teach me that disarm."
"Okay…" Eliot pushed himself to a sitting position and searched for something in the room that resembled an 'L' shaped object. "Grab that." He pointed out. "Your basic disarm is easy. The most important part is caging this distance between you and the weapon. You're inexperienced gunman typically holds it about… here."
"Here?" Parker asked following his lead.
"Can you tell me the problem with this?" Eliot questioned.
"Um…."
"A) The firearm is in direct view, and b) it's within arms length away. The disarm is a simple grab, twist, and strike." He showed her without actually hitting her. "Just make sure when you twist you move it away from your body, just like you would parry a knife."
"Grab, twist, strike." She repeated. "I can do that, let me try."
Eliot grabbed the object and held it up for her. Like a dance her movement flowed effortlessly as she followed command pulling the punch at the end. "Perfect."
He commented although not surprised. She had already proven herself a quick study.
"What if you can't see the gun?"
"Well, the next worst mistake is when they press it against your skull. Then you know exactly where it is. Here, go for it." He urged her and then demonstrated the counter.
"Slow down." Parker smirked. "What did you just do there?"