Hello again!
Remember when I said that I MAY do an epilogue for Torrent? Well, I started it almost immediately after writing Chapter 35 and had every intention of publishing it around Christmas...but then life happened...and well, obviously I'm a bit behind. To be honest, I wrote about 5K words (all of this first portion and part of the next one) of it and then set it aside to work on other things...especially after it became clear that I was not going to meet the Christmas and the later, New Years deadline I had set for myself.
You'll notice that this epilogue, therefore, is very holiday centric...and that is why. You'll also notice that this is Part 1. I knew that this epilogue was going to be long, but it has now reached epic proportions (I'm closing in on 20k words) and I did not want to hit you with all of that at once - it just seems a bit much for one reading. Besides, as many of you know, I despise proofing GIANT works, so releasing bits of it in installments just seems to work better for me and my own sanity.
That said, I hope that you enjoy this first section. It's been completed for so long, and I am just so happy that it's finally going to see the light of day, as it were.
You all have been so supportive of this story and I just want you to know how very much it means to me.
P.S. Those of you reading What Might Have Been, expect a new chapter in the next day or so.
Happy Reading.
EPILOGUE PART 1
Wyatt raised a gloved finger to his lips as Lucy and Rufus crouched behind a nearby tree watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to make their move. The icy wind blew like a hurricane, cutting through them like a sharp knife. Though laden down with thick, woolen cloaks, Rufus and Lucy huddled together seeking out added warmth as they observed the scene at McConkey's Ferry.
In the distance, they could see Washington's men, laboring under the heavy Durham boats they were desperately attempting to position in the ice-choked waters of the Delaware river. It was Christmas night and the American forces were preparing a surprise attack on the British and Hessian forces surrounding Trenton.
"Are you sure Flynn isn't going to be on the other side waiting for them?" Wyatt asked Lucy in a hushed voice.
"Yes." Lucy whispered back, "the Hessians are warned by American loyalists that an attack is imminent…but they do nothing."
"Why?" asked Rufus, "I mean, I get I'm not Delta Force over here," he pointed towards Wyatt who acknowledged him with a nod, "but if someone came along and told me that a damn army was preparing to come kick my ass, I would…ya know, look into it."
"There's lots of reasons Rufus." Lucy rolled her eyes in annoyance. "The ice being one of them. In fact, there were supposed to be three crossings in total, but the other two crossings fail. Washington's artillery doesn't even make it across until 3AM. Besides, if you haven't noticed this weather isn't exactly ideal for a boat ride." she muttered as she shivered violently.
"Okay…that's one reason." Rufus acknowledged as he warmed his hands with his breath and rubbed them together, "what's the other reason?"
Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Wyatt's quiet voice, "It's Christmas." He muttered simply as he offered an impressed Lucy a small smile.
"That's right." Lucy acknowledged. "There's sort of an unwritten code of warfare that you just don't…do stuff like this on Christmas."
"Yeah, seems like a pretty dick move." Rufus agreed with a shiver.
"Yes, well it helped ensure that Washington was successful, didn't it? The Hessians are taken completely by surprise tomorrow morning. It's a significant victory for Washington." Lucy breathed out, pulling her shawl closer around her shoulders as a bitterly cold gust of wind rushed through the Eastern Pennsylvania hillside overlooking the river. Their breath, visible on the chilled air, rose in wisps in front of their chapped lips and red noses.
"Well what the hell is Flynn waiting on?" Rufus asked through chattering teeth. "You sure he's not pulling a 1754 and just led us here to fr…freeze to death?"
Wyatt raised his eyebrows and turned his gaze to Lucy who had her hands shoved in the folds of her cloak. She met his eyes and gave an apologetic shrug, obviously as clueless as the rest of them as to Flynn's motivations. "He's got a point, Lucy." Wyatt observed. "How do we know this isn't another one of Flynn's traps?"
"We d -don't." Lucy stuttered out as she shivered violently. "B…but th-this is a very im..important event. We c..can't risk F…Flynn ch..changing anything." She huffed a breath into her gloved hands and rubbed them together before tucking them back in the folds of her cloak, "T…timing is everything tonight. Washington's already going to be three hours behind schedule when he arrives on the other side of the river." Lucy explained. "Once they get there, it's another 10-mile march to Trenton, in all of this ice and snow. He c…cannot" Lucy sneezed violently before continuing, "be delayed any longer or it could mean disaster."
Wyatt crossed over to her and crouched down, taking her frozen hands in his and pressing his lips to them, his face etched in concern. "Lucy, we need to get you someplace warm. Why don't you go over to the inn and wait for us there?"
Lucy gaped at him, "Absolutely not!" She protested as Wyatt rubbed her hands in his. "I thought we agreed, where you go, I go."
"Lucy," Wyatt argued, "that was for the missions and you know it. It has nothing to do with what happens on the missions."
Lucy shook her head at him firmly, "I'm not going anywhere without you."
"Well if you aren't going to go to the inn, can I?" Rufus asked through chattering teeth.
Wyatt cast Rufus an annoyed look and heaved out a breath, "Okay...look, I'm going to go down there," Lucy made to argue, but Wyatt lifted his finger and continued on, "you can follow me, but I want you to stay out of sight, alright? Both of you." He added with a look towards Rufus. "If I can warn them that there might be trouble then maybe we won't have to hang around here for whenever Flynn decides to show up."
"B…But Wyatt…" Lucy protested again.
"Lucy, we're gonna catch our death out here in this storm. I think we can trust that Washington and his men can take care of themselves."
"Against modern weapons?" Lucy chided, "Are you being serious?"
"Lucy," Wyatt moaned, "What do you want me to do? Rufus is right, we're gonna freeze to death out here if Flynn doesn't show up soon."
"We c-can't risk the Battle of Trenton…it's t-too important." Lucy maintained through clenched teeth.
"If they have another 10 miles to march after crossing the Delaware, Flynn could sabotage them at any point between here and there." Wyatt argued. "What do you want to do? Follow them the whole way to New Jersey?"
Lucy looked up at Wyatt with pleading eyes giving him an indiscernible shrug.
Letting out a resigned sigh he stood up, pulling Lucy to her feet with him, "C'mon Rufus, we're gonna head down there."
"Dammit." Rufus muttered as he begrudgingly got to his feet, "I had a feeling you were gonna say that…though I have to give you props, Wyatt…there for a minute I was thinking you had her convinced to pack it up and go home."
"You don't know me very well, do you Rufus?" Lucy asked as Wyatt wrapped his arm around her shoulders in an attempt to shield her from the blowing wind.
"Not as well as Wyatt" Rufus admitted with a half shrug. "Alright, so we get our asses down there and what? Tell Washington that we're just three wandering Patriots, out for a midnight stroll in the middle of a damn snowstorm…and hey, by the way, do you mind if we tag along with you to New Jersey?"
Wyatt and Lucy weren't listening, however. They were already making their way down the sloping hill towards the ice-choked Delaware River. The sounds of the soldiers readying themselves for the crossing were suddenly audible above the howl of the wind. Wyatt settled them behind a tall evergreen, the full boughs shielding them from view as they took in the scene.
Oh, so we're just gonna freeze behind another tree?" Rufus observed irritably, "I don't know what was wrong with the one we were already freezing behind."
"I'm trying to get a feel for the situation, Rufus." Wyatt muttered as he peered through the tree limbs. "It's war. I'd rather not sneak up on an army in the middle of their clandestine operation…or would you like to have another musket ball fished out of your ass?"
"It wasn't my ass, thank you very much…it was my leg." Rufus corrected. "And no, I'll pass on getting shot, but if it will get me home quicker, then I might just consider it." Another icy gust blew through the trees causing the three of them to huddle closer together, shivering in a cluster of hats and cloaks. "Holy shit," Rufus observed as the wind ceased it's punishing assault on the trio, "I think it's colder down here."
Lucy rolled her eyes at Rufus, while taking his hands and rubbing them in her own gloved ones.
A boisterous voice sounded over the howling wind causing them turn their attention back to the soldiers. "That'll be Henry Knox" Lucy whispered as she nodded to the portly man shouting orders to the troops now loading themselves into the boats, "Washington put him in charge of this whole operation. You can understand why." Lucy noted as Henry Knox's voice rang loud and clear through the night.
"The man can definitely give an order, I'll give you that." Wyatt quipped as he scanned the scene in front of them. There were small fires dotted throughout the American encampment. Not that it seemed to be doing any of them much good. The river was so choked with ice, soldiers were breaking it apart with anything they could find in an attempt to set the Durham boats in the water so that they could begin to make their way across. From this perspective, the whole situation looked almost hopeless. "They must be desperate as hell to make an assault in this weather." Wyatt murmured.
Lucy nodded solemnly, "This crossing is so important to the war. Most of these soldiers don't even have shoes…their feet are wrapped in shirts and towels. When they seize Trenton from the Hessians tomorrow, they gain…"
"A shitload of supplies." Wyatt nodded in understanding.
"Plus, it's a strategic victory. Not only is this a significant victory for Washington, but it sets him up later for victory at Princeton which essentially causes Cornwallis to evacuate New Jersey." Lucy muttered.
"I thought Flynn was trying to "save America" isn't that what he told you?" Wyatt asked Lucy with a huff as she nodded. "So why the hell would he want to screw up something so damn important?"
"It could be that he just wants to take out someone…I mean there's a lot of important people here. Henry Knox, George Washington, James Monroe, Alexander Hamilton…"
"Alexander Hamilton!" Rufus yelled out excitedly as Wyatt and Lucy desperately shushed him. "Are you telling me that my man Hamilton is out there right now?"
"Yes" Lucy hissed out, annoyed. "And as much as I hate to admit it he doesplay an important role in American history."
"Care to say that again, Lucy? I don't think I heard you properly." Rufus asked with a devilish gleam in his eye. Lucy, however, just glared back at him as Wyatt rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh…that's what I thought you said."
"Will you knock it off?" Wyatt gritted out as he glared between the two of them. "We have a job to do."
"Really? Because right now I don't feel like we're doing a job. Right now, I think I'm sitting behind a damn tree in 1776, freezing my ass off, waiting for Flynn who may or may not show up. He's probably at home right now, sipping on some egg nog and laughing his ass off.
"Are you going to whine all night?" Wyatt spat out irritably.
"No," Rufus said matter of factly, "I'm not gonna whine all night…we're gonna freeze to death before that happens!"
"Guys?" Lucy called out, but Wyatt and Rufus continued arguing.
"We're not gonna freeze to death, Rufus. You see those men over there? They've got towels strapped to their damn feet, do you hear them complaining?"
"Guys!?" Lucy called again.
"They're used to this shit weather…I may have grown up in Chicago, I might even have suffered through a few winters at MIT, but I didn't camp out in it!"
GUYS!?" Lucy shouted at them as they both looked towards her in surprise. "We've got company." Lucy's arms were raised slightly as Wyatt turned around to follow Lucy's line of sight. Sure enough, Garcia Flynn and his merry band of assholes had emerged from a grove of trees just a few feet away and had their guns pointed directly at them. With all the blustering wind and snow, they had completely missed him.
Wyatt breathed out a curse and rolled his eyes as he raised his own arms and positioned himself defensively in front of Lucy. No way in hell was he about to let that sonofabitch hurt her. "What the hell do you want, Flynn?" Wyatt barked out angrily.
"Would you believe me if I told you I was just stopped by to wish you a Merry Christmas?" Flynn asked silkily.
Wyatt, Rufus and Lucy exchanged doubtful looks before responding, "No" in perfect unison.
Flynn chuckled, "I don't blame you…given our run-ins over the past year, but even I can be generous at Christmas." He smiled at them menacingly, "If you leave now, I'll let you go in peace. No one needs to get hurt, no one needs to suffer in this damned blizzard any more than they already have." Flynn said with a pointed look at Rufus, "Consider it my Christmas gift to you."
"Gee, thanks." Rufus responded glumly. "But I would have preferred if you would have…ya know, just let us have a nice Christmas dinner at home, without dragging our asses out into an 18thcentury blizzard."
Flynn chuckled darkly before he remarked with a smug grin, "You didn't have to follow me here, Rufus. That was your choice. You have a choice now, you all can go home and…"
Lucy gritted her teeth against the biting wind, "And leave you to ruin one of the most important and celebrated events in American history?"
Flynn frowned as he shrugged slightly, "I've told you…I'm only interested in ridding the world of Rittenhouse. This is war and" he chuckled dryly, "I seem to have won this battle. I could've killed you, but in keeping with the spirit of the season, I'm giving you the chance to walk away right now. Live to fight another day."
Rufus shivered as he lowered his arms to hug them around his body, "Yeah, you're a regular old St. Nick."
Flynn laughed again and as he did so, Wyatt quickly and quietly reached behind Lucy and gripped onto a large branch that had been felled by fierce wind. As miserable as it was to be out in blizzard-like conditions, the weather was definitely working towards their advantage. Flynn and his men closing their eyes and bending their heads against the onslaught of sleet and snow that was barreling into them as they held the team hostage. Wyatt whispered into Lucy's ear. "Keep him talking."
Seeing the determination in Wyatt's eye and sensing the movement of the branch behind her, Lucy raised her voice so that it could be heard above the howling wind, "You really think I'm going to stand by and let you stop Washington's Crossing of the Delaware? Do you have any idea what kind of impact that will have on history if this doesn't happen tonight?"
"Who said I'm trying to stop it?" Flynn asked with a look of affected shock.
Lucy stared back at him incredulously, "Don't tell me you have a target?" she scoffed, "you could have chosen any point in time to go after any one of these men…but you chose tonight?"
Flynn smiled at her, "Of course, I thought given the circumstances…weather conditions, you might be persuaded to stay home. But I see you aren't so easily dissuaded from your directive to maintain the status quo."
Lucy bristled, whether from the cold or from anger at Flynn's words, she really wasn't sure but one look at Wyatt had her wracking her brain for something else to say, "Our history may not be perfect, Flynn…but it's ours. What you are doing…it's not right."
Another gust of wind had Flynn and his men bracing themselves against the piercing cold which gave Wyatt the opening he needed. In one swift move, he wrenched the tree branch up and over Lucy's head and knocked Flynn's closest henchmen to the ground, screaming at Rufus and Lucy to run. Pulling out his own gun now as he dodged a bullet sent his way by Flynn himself, Wyatt positioned himself behind another tree taking careful aim while Lucy and Rufus sprinted towards the river where Washington's soldiers were still attempting to cross the ice-choked Delaware.
Wyatt fired off several shots as Flynn and his men attempted to make their way towards him. Sheltered as he was by the large trees, Wyatt was sufficiently protected from Flynn's assaults but he knew without obtaining another weapon, he was going to have a hell of a time keeping Flynn at bay. He had just made a resolution to make a run for it and join Lucy and Rufus when a series of loud shouts, followed by the crack of a several muskets drew his attention to the river.
There was Lucy and Rufus with a large group of soldiers. pointing excitedly towards the trees. His feeling of relief at seeing them however, was suddenly and painfully cut short as a searing pain exploded in his side and sent him tumbling to the ground.
"No! Wyatt!" Lucy cried as she came racing towards him. Grunting in pain and motioning for her to take cover as Flynn's men opened fire, Wyatt eased himself over to the shelter of the trees, allowing the Continental soldiers to continue their volley against Flynn. Propping himself up on his elbow, he pressed his hand over the wound in his side, feeling at once the warm damp of blood that had oozed onto his woolen shirt.
Shit.
Covering her head with her hands as she crouched down next to a tree a few yards away, Lucy was desperate to get to Wyatt but the almost constant eruption of gunfire all around her, kept her pinned to the spot. Besides, anytime she moved away from the protection offered by the large oak tree, Rufus would grasp her firmly by the arm and pull her back to safety. Wyatt may be injured…but that didn't mean he wouldn't still kick Rufus' ass if anything happened to Lucy.
A cry from Flynn and the subsequent chase given by the Continental soldiers gave Lucy the opportunity she needed to rush towards Wyatt's side. As the soldiers spread out with bayonets fixed on their muskets, Lucy and Rufus scrambled over to Wyatt who was grimacing in pain and looking unsettlingly pale.
"Oh my God, Wyatt." Lucy sobbed as she reached his side and ran shaking hands over him, "How bad is it?"
"About as bad as the last time." Wyatt grunted out through clenched teeth as he attempted to sit up.
Lucy and Rufus exchanged serious looks. "I hope you're not expecting me to operate on your again," Rufus uttered tentatively, "it's not that I don't want to save your life but since I can't even feel my damn fingers, I don't think I'd be much help."
Wyatt shook his head, "Just get me the hell out of here." He made to stand up but faltered and leaned against the tree for support.
"Do you think you can walk that far?" Lucy asked in a voice quaking with worry. "It has to be almost two miles to the LifeBoat."
Wyatt look towards Rufus, helplessly, "I can't do it on my own."
Rufus shrugged, "It'll be like that time in Boston…that neither of you were there for….well, technically Lucy was but…you know what I mean." He muttered awkwardly as he draped Wyatt's arm around his shoulder and wrapped his arm around Wyatt's waist. Lucy mimicked the action on the other side, hugging Wyatt as he wrapped his arm around her for added support.
"Keep your eyes peeled for Flynn" Wyatt murmured in warning as they set off together.
"Don't worry about him." Rufus said triumphantly, "My man Hamilton is taking care of him."
Lucy scoffed, "It wasn't just Alexander Hamilton, Rufus…if you didn't notice, there were about 15 other men with him."
"Same difference, Lucy. He sent them over to help us, didn't he?"
"Only because I told him they were Hessian spies sent by Colonel Johann Rall to see if the rumors about an attack were true."
"Good thinking, Lucy." Wyatt gasped out as they began climbing up hill. He tightened his grip on her arm and she hugged him tighter, the icy wind blasts piercing through them like daggers, but they couldn't stop; Wyatt was already faltering as it was and Lucy's worry went to full blown panic when he slumped his weight onto her small shoulders.
"Wyatt?" Lucy called out anxiously. He grunted in response which eased her fears slightly, but she knew they needed to get him back home as quickly as possible. "Just hang on," she breathed out, "we're almost there."
With chapped faces, stinging hands, and feet throbbing from the cold, the desperate trio finally laid eyes on the LifeBoat. Picking up their pace as much as they could, being laden down with Wyatt's solid form between them, Lucy and Rufus found that they were dragging Wyatt the rest of the way. Terrified that he had lost consciousness, Lucy fixed her attention to the metal sphere that was now partially blanketed in a cover of snow. She couldn't afford to lose her mind with worry now…not when they were so close to being home.
Hardly feeling the weight of Wyatt now, Lucy tightened her grip around Wyatt's waist and pressed herself more firmly against his chest as she plowed her way towards the time machine. The sound of the steady beat of Wyatt's heart set her mind at ease, but she was not going to let that comforting sound ease up her current pace. Wyatt needed medical attention and he needed it fast. There was no way to know just how badly injured he was, and the fact that he was no longer moving his feet was enough to make her admonish Rufus for not keeping up.
"I'm moving as fast as I can, Lucy. I don't know about you, but I can't feel my feet anymore." Rufus complained between heavy breaths as they reached finally reached the LifeBoat.
"How are we going to do this?" Lucy asked in desperation, suddenly realizing that dragging Wyatt through the snowy woods was a little different than hoisting him up into the time machine.
Rufus opened his mouth to comment, but Wyatt's voice, weak and soft, cut him off abruptly. "I can do it." he maintained.
"Are you sure?" Lucy asked with concern. "Wyatt, you're so pale…Rufus and I…"she began but one look at Rufus convinced her that he believed that between the two of them they would have a hard time getting Wyatt into the Lifeboat.
Grunting only in reply, Wyatt braced himself against the time machine, still supported on either side by Rufus and Lucy. Twisting his face in determination, he gripped onto the doorframe and with what seemed like the last of his strength, hoisted himself up into LifeBoat. Rufus clambered up quickly after him and helped him to his seat. Once settled, Lucy climbed in after them, casting a fearful look at Wyatt who was slumped in his chair and breathing heavily.
Not wasting anytime, Lucy buckled herself in, doing her best to keep her rising panic in check. "Rufus?" she called out in a quavering voice, "how soon before we can get out of here?"
"Shouldn't be too long now," Rufus called over his shoulder as he punched in the rest of the coordinates. Lucy's stomach dropped as a loud scraping screech and a series of loud cracks reached her ears, turning quickly to Rufus with a terrified gaze, he gave her a nervous, but reassuring smile, "It's just the ice on the rings. They're just breaking free…nothing to worry about." he chuckled lightly before muttering under his breath, "I hope."
"I heard that." Lucy muttered as her hands faltered. Wyatt groaned again and Lucy cried out in fear, "Rufus?! Are we going to make it home or not?"
A few more loud squeaks and groans of metal and the Lifeboat finally began buzzing as usual. Lucy let out a shaky breath as Wyatt, pale and sweating offered her a wan smile. "That ought to do it." Rufus called out happily, "We're going home."