Deceit and Betrayal
Flynn-
Flynn removed the earbuds and carefully closed the lid on his laptop. The anger coursing through him at the moment was so great it was a miracle that he hadn't snapped the thing in half. He knew that conversation was coming and Lucy had written that it'd hurt her, but Flynn had been unprepared for the depth of emotion he'd felt at the pain in her voice. If it were at all possible, he simultaneously wanted to comfort Lucy and throttle Logan. No matter the struggle the soldier was feeling, it didn't justify what he'd said and how much pain he'd just selfishly inflicted on her. It had been grossly unfair of him to subject her to that just to make himself feel better. Someday I'm going to punch that self-righteous bastard right in the face for Lucy, he vowed. She might not appreciate the gesture, but it was something she deserved. Whether she agrees with me or not, he thought, chuckling, clearly able to picture the consternation he knew would be on her face when that time came.
Lucy had tried so hard, had come up with so many frantic excuses for her to go with Logan and Rufus, and that damn soldier had still rebuffed her. Flynn knew, as much as he didn't want to admit it, that Logan had done it to protect Lucy. But then the asshole had gone and unnecessarily hurt her. In the attempt to keep his rage under control, he left his personal sanctuary and went to the kitchen where he found Emma and Anthony. They were conversing about her time in Missouri, again. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"Want one?" Emma asked, noticing his entry, as she was in the process of grabbing a beer from the fridge.
Flynn wasn't really in the mood for the "bonding" activity sharing a beer would seem like, so he shook his head and got right to the point in his usual gruff manner. "Tell me more about what you know about Rittenhouse and their plans before your self-imposed exile into the past." He worked very hard at tamping down the sarcasm he wanted so badly to voice. He had to play his part in all of this, so he would do the best he could. These were times when his brusque nature was his best asset. If he was as discourteous with her as he was with everyone else, it wouldn't look suspicious if he treated Emma the same way. The only two people he treated with a modicum of respect were Karl and Anthony. Karl because he was the closest thing he had to a friend and Anthony because he'd needed a pilot.
As Flynn walked around with Emma, speculating about Rittenhouse plans she 'didn't know about,' he was truly disappointed that Anthony had decided to go ahead and betray him. To be fair, he could've tried to sway Anthony in another direction, but Flynn was acutely aware of how one little change to the course of events could change the future. He needed the future to be set, as set as it could be, for now anyways. Sometimes along the way there was room for deviation, like in Chicago, but that was what felt like an anomaly to Flynn, something that didn't often happen when it came to their journey to take down Rittenhouse.
As Emma talked away beside him, Flynn wondered if Anthony had Lucy had gunpoint yet. He was upset that Anthony would even dare to pull a gun on the woman he lo— Stop it, Flynn! he commanded himself. There was no use going down that road so he put up a mental block on that subject so thick that it would make a Jedi proud. He smiled fondly as memories of sitting and watching those iconic movies with his mom, her pointing out any flaws in the science. He idly wondered if Lucy liked Star Wars. A sudden image flashed across his mind of the two of them cuddled up on a couch, laughing as Master Yoda kicked Luke Skywalker's ass with his maniacal-like laugh and obvious joy having a live person to talk to after so long. STOP!!! This isn't helping!
Concentrate, Flynn told himself. He needed to tell Emma, with as little details as possible, that they needed to prepare for Anthony's betrayal. As he related the coming events to her, he was sickened to see the delight she was unable to mask in the depths of her eyes. She truly lives for the kill, he thought in disgust, making sure to hide his own thoughts concerning her. He didn't need her turning on him before it was time. Emma was extremely interested in how he knew Anthony was going to try to destroy the Mothership, but he'd been as vague as he possibly could. It wouldn't be the last time she asked, her eyes had glittered with curiosity and determination to get answers.
Flynn sighed. He was really going to miss this little haven they'd carved out for themselves in this abandoned church. While Anthony was "out", Flynn gave Karl quiet instructions to begin packing up the small things, things that wouldn't be noticeable to Anthony when he got back. That way they would be ready to go as soon as possible. It wouldn't take long for Mason, Inc. to find the location and they needed to be long gone by then. They would jump to 1927 soon, and there was much that needed preparing for the jump, in terms of supplies they were taking. Now that it was going to be just him, Karl, and Emma, there wasn't as much manpower for the heavy lifting. Hazard of the job, he thought in mild annoyance.
It wasn't too long after Anthony had come back that he suggested that Emma take the Mothership out to "refresh" her piloting skills since it had been so long since her last "flight". Flynn had pulled Emma away, just far enough out of sight to watch him, to give Anthony the choice on whether he was going to try to place the C-4 or not. Masking their footsteps as best they could, he and Emma snuck back up to Anthony. He was so concentrated that he didn't even notice their approach.
"So, Anthony, you've decided to abandon our cause?" Flynn asked sardonically.
Anthony jumped, a look of sheer panic on his face as he turned to look at Flynn and Emma, knowing he was clearly caught. "I—I." He gulped. "I can't let this go on. I can't risk letting Rittenhouse get their hands on this ship. At least, if the Mothership is gone, it's one less chance of Rittenhouse going back in time, changing what they want to their twisted vision." Anthony's words rang with conviction, and Flynn couldn't fault him for his thinking, or the willingness to destroy something a large part of his career had been dedicated to. Especially since it was something as phenomenal as a time machine. But Flynn couldn't afford for a hiccup such as this to his plans.
Flynn held the gun up, to show how serious he was. "I'm sorry, Anthony, but I can't let you do this. I hope you understand," he said, a bit sadly.
Before Flynn could do or say anything else, two gunshots rang out. And they had not been from his weapon. He turned to look to his right and saw Emma with her own weapon raised, a satisfied smile on her face. He had no idea when she'd procured her own gun. He was adept enough at hiding his emotions that no hint of surprise or anger showed on his face. Flynn had already decided that he would not kill Anthony. He had no idea where they were going next or future plans so he wouldn't be able to divulge any secrets when Homeland Security got their hands on him. It wouldn't have hurt to let him live. Besides, Flynn always tried not to kill if it wasn't necessary. Apparently, Emma didn't share the same philosophy.
"Serves the bastard right for his betrayal," Emma said, matter-of-factly.
Flynn just gave her an indifferent look. The irony of that sentence was not lost on him. It took every thread of self-control he had not to turn his own weapon upon the deceitful woman. You still need a pilot, and she's your last option, he reminded himself.
"Yes, I suppose so," he drawled. "Let's get ready, get the C-4 ready. It's time to go."
Emma nodded, leaving to help Karl with the essentials they were taking with them. Flynn headed to his little room and packed up his own meager possessions and equipment. A thrum of excitement zinged through his blood. He would soon be seeing Lucy, in the most romantic city in the world, not as if that really mattered, though. They were certainly not going to be meeting up for a romantic rendezvous. He snorted lightly, the thought of trying to romance Lucy in the catacombs under the streets of Paris, setting up a candlelit dinner while surrounded by thousands of bones, striking him as funny, but not with true humor.
Several minutes later, Flynn met with Emma and Karl by the Mothership. "All ready? The charges set?" he asked.
"Yep," Karl replied. "They're set to blow about ten minutes after we leave."
Flynn nodded. The increasing danger had led everyone else, except Karl and now Emma, to be the only people to still willingly travel into the past with him. He couldn't blame them. He took one last look around before following his last two companions, the word not truly applying to Emma, into the time machine. He buckled his safety harness and let Emma take them to their next hideout. He would unpack, get some sleep, and then they would travel to their next destination. He closed his eyes and let himself think of how it would feel to see Lucy again.
