Title: Future Possibilities
author: Cindy Ryan
notes and summary: See part one

"Ideas?"Lucy asked.

"He's got too much protection."Danny stated. "We can wait for all hell to break loose."

"We've got just under an hour until Hines is captured."Wyatt replied with a shake of his head. "We can't wait."

"Then what?"Lucy prompted.

"Go around them; grab and secure Hines."Wyatt suggested."Then we take care of Flynn."

"Or we split up."Danny interjected.

"Nothing good happens when we split up."Lucy said firmly.

"She's right."Wyatt added grimly. "We stick together."

"What about getting Rufus here?"Lucy asked.

"I don't trust Anthony alone with the lifeboat."Wyatt commented. "Let's get moving feels like the weather's about to turn against us again."

They walked blending into the shadows of the buildings. Whether or not Flynn had seen them didn't matter at this point. That confrontation would come when it did. They just had to try to keep the innocents out of the crossfire.

"One thing I should've mentioned earlier."Lucy began apoligetically as they walked quickly through an alley. "Thomas Hines was known for escaping situations that he shouldn't have been able to."

"He MacGyver'd it?"Wyatt asked.

"In a way."Lucy explained. "With being a spy he got into tight spots. He escaped once concealed in a matteress, In 1863 he tunneled out of the Ohio Penitentiary the tunnel was only eighteen inches wide. Another time he took a ferry boat captain prisoner holding him at gunpoint."

"In other words don't corner him."Danny surmised as they picked their way over debris from looters.

"That may not be an option."Wyatt replied as they reached the street where Hines's office was located.

"Part of that group back there with Flynn might have been Benjamin Anderson."Lucy continued. "He was part of the Northwest conspiracy with Hines and also from Kentucky."

"Noted."Wyatt acknowledged. "Anything else?"

"Only other thing in that journal entry about this mission was that it was one of his servants who informed the army and led to his capture."Lucy added.

"Hard to find good help."Danny muttered with a half smile."Flynn must've pissed them off to get them to risk a paycheck."

"Who knows."Lucy replied with a shake of her head. "Was a complicated our orginial history Hines was forced to flee Chicago on August 30th"

"I like the sooner capture version."Wyatt commented. "Looks like lights are on in the back of the building."

"Divide and conquer?"Danny suggested.

"You and Lucy take the front."Wyatt replied as he withdrew his gun.

Wyatt quietly and quickly moved across the street to the two story brick building. Lucy and Danny waited a few minutes and then made their way to the front.

Danny heard gunshots as they entered the office. He took the safety off his weapon as he and his mother flattened themselves against the nearest wall. After a minute of silence Danny crept forward once more moving towards the back of the building. A startled maid with blonde hair stopped in front of them with wide blue eyes.

"Where's your boss?"Lucy asked the young woman.

"Last I saw 'im he was going to the basement."The maid replied fearfully.

Danny waved her towards the exit. She didn't hesitate and ran to the front door and outside.

"Must be living quarters on the top floor."Lucy whispered.

"Makes sense."Danny agreed as they walked.

They found Wyatt about to go down the basement stairs. He glanced back at them.

"Lucy with me."Wyatt ordered. "Danny go around the side and make sure he doesn't MacGyver his way out."

"Be careful."Danny said as he left.

"You too."Lucy replied quietly.

As they decended the stairs Lucy was quickly realizing that time traveling missions could not become family ones. To have both Wyatt and Danny in danger now was almost too much for Lucy to endure and they weren't technically a family yet. How had they allowed Elizabeth to do this?

Shaking away the thoughts and worries Lucy kept close to Wyatt as they went down the wooden stairs.

Danny reached the side of the building that was the most likely escape route from the basement. There was a storm cellar like door but it was locked with a wooden bar across it. As he walked along looking for other entry points his earlier conversation with Mark bounced around his thoughts. Mark never liked dealing with odds even it was math. Danny had pressed him to give the most likely probailities that would bring his sister back or further alter their family.

Scenario one: Hines escapes using Lucy as a hostage. Wyatt and Rufus are unable to track her. Lucy is stranded until Jiya finds a record of her employment in Chicago files. His parents's romance takes a direct hit and they never marry.

Scenario two: Wyatt is injured in capturing Hines. Hines is taken into custody but Flynn escapes. Wyatt and Lucy date but never marry and drift apart after Mason industries shuts down.

Either of those possibilities didn't sit well with Danny and he'd almost argued and insisted he be the one to go into the basement. From what he knew of his parents then and now Danny had known that argument would've been futile. Hines was their mission; their risk. Danny knew they'd protect each other but they were still so early in Mason's mission to capture Flynn. So early in their friendship and romance...

With no other choice Danny found the most likely MacGyver point and waited.

The basement had a dirt floor and wood ceiling but was large covering the whole spanse of the building. Reaching the bottom of the stairs Wyatt spotted Hines running towards the far wall. There was nothing there but dirt. No windows, storm cellars just hard packed dirt. It'd take time for Hines to tunnel out and up unless he had an elevator hidden.

"Hines!"Wyatt called once they were halfway across the room.

The thin man didn't turn but kept working at the wall.

"There's no way out."Lucy added.

"There's always a way."The confderate responded almost gleefully.

"Need you to come with us."Wyatt ordered as they took a few more steps.

"This country will have a new president."Hines stated.

In the very dim light of the basement Wyatt almost didn't see it. It was instinct really that made him freeze with one foot in mid-air. Lucy halted when he did her brown eyes wide and anxious.

"Thank you, Mr. Logan."Hines said as he finally turned. "You just triggered my way out."

Wyatt cursed silently. His left ankle had brushed against something but he'd stopped but from what Hines said that had been enough pressure on the trip wire. Aiming the gun Wyatt fired. He caught Hines in the right shoulder and fired again. The second shot went wild. As he went to aim once more the mechanism the trip wire had triggered slid open revealing a timy cavern in the dirt wall. Adjasent to the cavern was a sloping wooden plank. Hines smiled at them despite being shot and dropped into a roll. The confderate rolled down the plank into the small cavern and out of sight.

"Wyatt?"Lucy prompted.

"On three I'm going to tackle you over the trip wire."Wyatt replied. "I'm sure it's connected to something to keep pursuers from following."

Lucy nodded.

"On three."Wyatt said as he put his gun away and pulled Lucy close. "One, two, three."

As soon as he said three Wyatt launched them over the trip wire and onto the dirt floor. He covered Lucy with his body and waited for whatever was going to happen.