Hardly sparing a moment for rest, Wyatt led Rufus and Lucy back through the untamed forests of Western Pennsylvania. He moved with a determined swiftness; determined in that there was no way in hell he was going to spend one more night in this damned century. Already, they had been half-starved, dehydrated, and nearly killed…and while they had narrowly escaped the French, Wyatt knew that someone was bound to come looking for them when they didn't arrive at Fort Duquesne…and well, he wanted to be long gone before that happened. If they had been ready to hang them over a saddlebag full of a few supplies and provisions, he didn't even want to think about what they would do over the killing of three of their soldiers…even if one of them was a complete asshole.
Then there was Lucy. This was no place for her…and he realized that sounded about as misogynistic as you could get…but after the harassment she received at the hands of those French soldiers, he knew that the sooner she got home the better. Not that he cared that much about hersafety…he just had a responsibility to his team…and she was part of his team and even though he had absolutely decided to throw in the towel the moment they touched down in 2016, he was still responsible for her protection now and by God, he was going to see that she got back to Mason safely.
Rufus…well, even though he was driving Wyatt up the proverbial wall with all of his whining and complaining, Wyatt knew that he was also at risk here. To these people, Rufus was just an object, a commodity…someone who could be bought and sold…and while he hadn't been harassed and objectified as Lucy had been by the French soldiers, Wyatt didn't want to take anything for granted. They still had miles to go before they could get the hell out of Dodge and as Lucy had said back at that camp, anything could happen. Therefore, Wyatt's objective for the rest of this mission was to see that nothing did happen…to either of them. If he couldn't take out Garcia Flynn, he figured, at least he could deliver his team in one piece before he left this assignment.
Flynn.
They had no idea what the hell Flynn had even come here for…or if he had even stayed. After three days of searching, he could have done anything; he could have changed history three times over and they would have no idea…until, of course, they landed back into a present they didn't recognize.
And then what the hell would they do?
As if reading his mind, Lucy suddenly spoke up, her voice full of hesitation, "I know we're all dead set on going home…and believe me, no one is more prepared to get out of here than I am…but…we still don't know why Flynn came here." Seeing Wyatt's jaw clench, she quickly added, "I mean, he obviously came here…we know that much…so if we just assume that he did stay here to change things…"
"Well, what would he change?" Rufus asked, "You said yourself this war doesn't officially start until 1756."
"It's hard to say," Lucy muttered as she lifted her skirts and stepped over a log, "in this year it's really just the British, led by a 22-year-old George Washington, trying to get the French to move out of the Ohio Valley. I already told you what happened at Jumonville Glen," Lucy added grimly, "Everything else just escalates from there."
"So, maybe he wants to take out a young George Washington?" Rufus suggested, "Change the outcome of the war? Make us the United States of France?"
"Possibly." Lucy said with a shrug, "But…"
"But, what?" Rufus asked as he slowed to a stop beside her.
Casting a nervous glance towards Wyatt who had reluctantly paused his relentless march to wait for the two of them, Lucy continued, "Well…Flynn told me in 1865 that he wasn't trying to destroy America…he was trying to save it."
Rufus scoffed, "He has a hell of a way of showing it." Shaking his head, Rufus continued as he march on, "You actually bought that? The man killed Lincoln…"
"I know." Lucy conceded, "I just…I don't know…why would he change the outcome of the French and Indian War if he was trying to save America? This war sets the stage for the American Revolution," Lucy explained as she lengthened her stride to catch up with Wyatt and Rufus. "To cover the cost for this war and to fund the continued protection of the American colonies, the British government began to impose taxes…"
"Ah…so this is where the "no taxation without representation" argument comes in." Rufus acknowledged with a nod. "And here I thought they were just being jackasses…"
"So why would Flynn want to change anything about this war…even in 1758…if his ultimate goal is to save America?" Lucy muttered almost to herself as Wyatt whirled around in annoyance.
"Whatever Flynn was gonna do," he snapped, "he's probably already done it. There's no use trying to figure that out now. So, let's just cut our losses and go home."
Exchanging a dark look with Rufus, Lucy nodded tersely, knowing that Wyatt was probably right. It wasn't a comforting thought, sure…but what could they do? If Flynn had changed history while they had been running around in these woods, there was no way they could come back and fix it. That was the first lesson in time travel Rufus had taught them all the way back on the first mission to the Hindenburg: no redo's. And if there was ever a mission Lucy wanted to redo it was that one. Losing Amy had been devastating…and all because Garcia Flynn had saved the airship from its fatal disaster.
They had been a disjointed mess of a team then, hardly knowing one another, and they most certainly hadn't trusted one another, and she lost her sister because of it. Now, they were more broken than ever and she dreaded to think what would come of their failure this time.
It was, therefore, only the promise of home that kept Lucy from falling into complete and total despair over their situation. Sure, things looked bleak now in the 1754 Pennsylvania wilderness, but maybe once they were back at Mason, things would be different. Flynn had changed the timeline before…and yes, she had lost Amy…but there was still a chance, a hope to restore her. That, too, could be true of anything else Flynn had done…and who was to say that what he might have done would devastate the timeline anyway? Right now, starving, thirsty and tired as they were, it was only natural that they would be thinking and fearing the worst – they were all completely on edge. Once they were back in 2016, and had a meal or two or three…a hot shower followed by a hot bath…a good night's sleep…maybe then things wouldn't look so bleak. Maybe then even things between them all would improve.
Or maybe things would be just as bad as they feared. Then, what?
That's why Lucy, despite the ache in her feet and the almost debilitating pain in her sides, said nothing as they marched, nearly non-stop, through the unending forest of Western Pennsylvania. Having worn her corset for three days straight, with absolutely no reprieve, she imagined that the indentations it had undoubtedly made along her waist would be permanently etched in her skin…but she didn't let one word of discomfort escape her lips. As Wyatt had said, if they had just told him what they had suspected about Flynn at the beginning of this mission, they would have never gone off on that wild goose chase, would never have been captured by the French, and Wyatt would have never been shot.
So how could she complain about anything, really? It had been her doing. Hers and Rufus'.
If Lucy believed suffering in silence was a form of penance for breaking Wyatt's trust, Rufus believed the complete opposite. Nearly every step of the way, Rufus complained about the bugs, the heat, the clothes he was wearing, the way his shoes pinched his toes, and how hungry and thirsty he was. It was clearly grating on Wyatt's nerves and Lucy, for her part, didn't want to give him any more reason to be angry at either of them. In an attempt to keep things positive, Lucy observed, "This is all going to be downtown Pittsburgh one day…concrete as far as the eye can see. But for now? It's really beautiful, isn't it?"
"Super beautiful." Rufus responded with an annoyed huff, "No, restaurants, no movie theaters, no bathrooms either…I just wiped my butt with some leaves."
That last statement earned him a glare from both Lucy and Wyatt, who quickened his step with a huff and a shake of his head. Lucy waited until Wyatt was well out of earshot before turning on Rufus abruptly, "What is your problem?" she hissed. "You know you're not making this any easier on us…"
"I'm sorry," Rufus returned, affronted, "But I'm not going to sugar coat this mission…it sucks."
"I know it sucks, Rufus." Lucy gritted out in exasperation, "We all do…but Wyatt's right, this…"
But Rufus' attention was suddenly drawn to Wyatt who had tensed in front of them and was drawing his gun. Together, Lucy and Rufus tiptoed their way towards the Delta Force soldier who had now taken up a position behind a tree. As they drew near they could clearly see what had affected Wyatt so strongly. There, before them in a clearing was the LifeBoat…just as they had left it, except now it was surrounded by three men…three men who didn't look at all surprised or bewildered by the giant metal sphere in front of them. "Are those…?"
"Flynn's guys, yeah." Wyatt answered Rufus with a harsh whisper as he peered through the tree limbs towards the time machine. As yet, they seemed completely oblivious to the presence of Wyatt, Lucy and Rufus and instead were walking around the LifeBoat, carefully attaching bricks of….
"Is that…?" Rufus asked nervously.
"C-4" Wyatt acknowledged tensely, his anxiety suddenly spiking at the sight of the explosives. It was obvious that whatever Flynn had done here in 1754, his ultimate plan was to make sure he wasn't followed back to the present. While Wyatt was a damn good shot, he was reluctant to take down Flynn's men while they were handing the explosives. If he were to miss, the damage to the LifeBoat could be catastrophic….and well, he wasn't about to take that risk. Of course, if he didn't take them out soon, it wouldn't matter…the Lifeboat would be blown to hell and while he wasn't an engineer, he was pretty damn sure that wouldn't be a good thing.
With bated breath, he waited and watched as Flynn's henchman covered the surface of the LifeBoat with small bricks of C4 until they finally scurried away and positioned themselves behind trees. It was now or never. Taking careful aim, Wyatt brought down one of Flynn's thugs and while that was most definitely a good thing, it alerted the other two to their presence and the ensuing fire fight had Wyatt yelling at Lucy and Rufus to stay down as bullets whizzed past their heads and into the trees beyond.
Wyatt managed one more hit before he was forced to reload his weapon and in that space of time, Flynn's guys took off running in the opposite direction, but not before one of them took aim at one of the C4 bricks and set it off causing a small explosion on lower right hand side of the time machine.
"No!" Rufus screamed as he scrambled out from behind the tree towards the LifeBoat.
"Rufus!" Wyatt yelled as he gave chase, "What the hell are you doing?"
"They just blew a hole in our ride!" Rufus yelled out frantically as he attempted to extricate his arm from Wyatt's grip, "The Mothership is our only chance to get home!"
As that awful realization dawned on Wyatt, he and Rufus raced after Flynn's men, leaving Lucy scrambling after them in a desperate attempt to catch up. After racing through the woods for quite some time, the forest gave way to a large field where the Mothership sat gleaming in the dying rays of the sun. Wyatt had already managed to clamber aboard the outer ring, his gun raised, as he attempted to force open the sealed door and for one, brief moment Lucy believed that he would. It wasn't until Rufus yelled at Wyatt to "Get down" that Lucy realized it was too late.
As Wyatt tumbled to the ground, the Mothership disappeared in a flash of blinking lights and gushing wind, leaving behind a deafening stillness that seemed to fill the air with a hopelessness that had Lucy sinking to her knees in absolute despair as she breathed out in disbelief, "We're trapped here."
"Not if I can help it." Wyatt gritted out angrily as he brushed off his clothes and got back to his feet.
Rufus stared at him incredulously, "What? Are you going to walk to 2016?"
"We're going to fix that damn Lifeboat." Wyatt called back over his shoulder.
"And just what the hell do you propose we do, Wyatt? Look around you…do you see civilization…like, anywhere?"
"There's got to be a back-up plan or something…a tool kit?"
"The LifeBoat IS the back-up plan, Wyatt!" Rufus yelled angrily. "You think I've got a welder and a couple of hundred spare parts hidden away in that sardine can?"
As the reality of their situation came crashing down on top of him, Wyatt kicked out at nothing in particular, "DAMN IT!" He stared at the space where the Mothership had been, wishing to hell he had been just five seconds faster. Not only had he let Garcia Flynn slip through his fingers for a seventh time, he hadn't even been able to get Lucy and Rufus back home safely…what the hell were they going to do now?
Lucy whimpered as she covered her face in her hands, and Wyatt felt a wave of dread wash over him. It was bad enough they were stranded in the 18th century, but now was not a time to lose their heads. His outburst was a piss poor move on his part...particularly since he knew he was the one Lucy and Rufus were depending on for their survival…if he lost his cool, Lucy and Rufus were bound to lose theirs. But much to Wyatt's surprise, Lucy didn't panic. Instead, she took a steadying breath and in a voice of forced calm asked Rufus, "Do we know that it's absolutely hopeless? I mean, the explosion wasn't as bad as it could have been, right?" As Rufus' eyes darted to her she gave him an encouraging nod, "Maybe…maybe there's still a chance…maybe we can still get out."
"Maybe..." Rufus murmured, though he looked entirely unconvinced. "I…I didn't get a good look at it," he admitted.
"So then let's look at it." Wyatt suggested roughly as he spun on his heel and made his way back into the woods.
After arriving at the Lifeboat, however, one look at Rufus' face told Wyatt all he needed to know, "That bad?"
"Well, the good news is, it looks like we figured out why Flynn came here." Rufus breathed out sarcastically as he shook of his coat and kneeled in front of the gaping, sparking hole in the Lifeboat, "what better way to get rid of us than to strand us in 1754?"
"So, while we were out looking for him, he was looking for the damn Lifeboat." Wyatt gritted out as he shook his head angrily. "Gotta hand it to him, he picked the perfect spot…300 miles from anywhere," he snapped as he motioned to the map, "in an area filled with hostile forces…"
"…and smallpox." Lucy added grimly.
"Yeah…that too." Wyatt spat out roughly, hating this…hating all of it. He had failed. He had one hope of salvaging this damn mission and he had failed. They were stuck in the 18th century and with Lucy and Rufus being Lucy and Rufus he had no idea how he was going to keep them both safe.
Throwing down the map roughly Wyatt sank down on an old log, cradling his head in his hands…and Lucy knew he was blaming them…why wouldn't he? It was their fault. Hadn't they suspected this very thing? That Flynn had come here as a means to trick them? And well, he had….and now they were trapped.
"Dammit." Rufus muttered as he wiped his brow, "I can't even think straight, I'm so damn hungry." Spying a berry bush on the other side of the LifeBoat, Rufus made a beeline for it and had just wrapped his fingers around a berry when Wyatt quickly grabbed his hand and slapped the berry out of it. "What the hell, man?" Rufus asked.
"Those are red berries, Rufus." Wyatt gritted out.
"Yeah, so what? You said the red berries are fine…"
"No, I said 50% of them are fine…the other 50% will kill you." Wyatt lifted a limb of the berry bush, "Do you know what the hell these are? Because I don't. First rule of thumb in eating things in the wild…if you don't know what it is, you don't put it in your mouth!"
"Well, I'm sorry!" Rufus spat out angrily.
"You have to do better than that, Rufus." Wyatt argued. "This is 1754, there are no antibiotics, no hospitals, no drugstores…you make a mistake, you die."
"I get it, okay? I suck at this. I hate the outdoors…and camping…and I really hate this survivalist crap. That's why we have you!"
Wyatt stared back at him, clearly offended. "And who do I have, Rufus?" he asked in a voice filled with emotion.
"Well, you're Delta Force…" Rufus offered with a shrug.
"Delta Force isn't a person…it's a team!" Wyatt exclaimed loudly as he shot pointed glances at both Lucy and Rufus, sick to death of them not understanding, not appreciating the importance of what that meant. "I'm just…I'm just one guy." he breathed out in exasperation, "If I don't have somebody I can count on…and I mean really count on…we're not gonna make it out of here." And with that, Wyatt shook his head and stalked away into the woods leaving Lucy and Rufus standing together awkwardly in his wake.
"Well, that was comforting…" Rufus said in an attempt at levity with Lucy, but she silenced him with an admonishing glare. "Hey, look…I am sorry about the berries…" Rufus offered seriously, "but he's had years of training…we haven't."
"Exactly." Lucy said with a serious nod. "That's why he's worried." She sighed as Rufus' shoulders drooped down despondently, "I'll talk to him." she offered quietly, "Why don't you go back and see what can be done about the LifeBoat?"
Desperate to make things better with Wyatt, especially considering the dire circumstances they were now facing, Lucy followed after him as Rufus turned slowly back to the time machine. Wyatt hadn't gone very far; he was crouching over the body of Flynn's henchman searching his pockets for anything useful. Lucy approached him slowly, unsure of what to even say…she just knew she needed to try. "Look," she said tentatively, "I know I'm the last person you want to talk to right now," Wyatt scoffed as she continued, "I mean, this is all our fault…if we had just told you…" Wyatt rolled his eyes as he pulled out a few clips from the inside chest pocket of Flynn's dead goon as Lucy continued, "I mean it…Wyatt, I'm really sorry. I…I should have told you about Flynn, about the journal…."
"And what about your little deal with Agent Christopher?" Wyatt sneered as Lucy gaped back at him in surprise, "Yeah, were you going to tell me about that? Nothing about me or my wife, but hey, as long as you get what you want…"
Lucy stared back at him, her mouth dropping open in surprise and indignation. "That is not fair." she countered, "It is no secret that I'm trying to get my sister back. I mean, you were the one who told me to figure out what I'm fighting for and well, I am fighting for Amy. I thought you, of all people, would understand that."
Wyatt glared at her with a mixture of anger and resignation. Yes, he had told her to figure out what she was fighting for. Yes, he knew she was bound and determined to get her sister back, but dammit, she knew how he felt about his wife, how he hoped to change his own damn regret, and yet she didn't even think to secure him a deal of his own. What, didn't she think Jessica was worth saving? "Like I said," he spat out, "just so long as you get what you want, right?"
"My sister was erased." Lucy breathed out with growing anger, "Your wife was murdered…. it's not the same thing." she blurted out passionately but as the last word fell from her lips, she immediately regretted it. One look at Wyatt told her she had taken her argument one step too far – even if she was right, even if Amy's disappearance and Jessica's death didn't amount to the same thing – Wyatt was still suffering, he was still mourning the loss of his wife, just as she was mourning the loss of her sister.
Before she had a chance to apologize, however, Rufus interrupted, "Okay, guys…I've got good news and bad news."
Casting one hard glance at Lucy, Wyatt pushed past her and joined Rufus at the Lifeboat, hoping to God he had found a way to get them home so he could get the hell back to Pendleton. "Okay, Rufus…where are we?"
"Well," he sighed, "aside from the obvious damage to the side panel, there is some serious damage to the circuitry. The good news is, I can cannibalize the wiring from the nav system, and if I can get some iron, I could maybe patch up the hole…
"What's the bad news?" Lucy asked breathlessly.
"We're short a couple of capacitors."
"Like a flux capacitor?" Wyatt asked blankly.
Rufus tried but failed to hide an amused smile as he answered, "No…those don't exist."
"Well," Lucy offered, "wh…what would it take to get a real capacitor?"
"You buy one." Rufus answered simply, "from RadioShack."
"Come on Rufus," Lucy begged impatiently, "You built a time machine. If you absolutely had to build a capacitor here, now…what would it take to build?"
Rufus rubbed a hand on his forehead as he leaned against the outer ring of the Lifeboat, "I would um…need foil"
Lucy let out a despondent sigh, "Okay, well that's going to be a bit difficult since foil wasn't manufactured until the late 19th century."
"Okay, barring that I could…um…hammer some copper or tin…very thinly…I'd need some salt and a couple of glass jars…"
"Okay, good…." Lucy exclaimed hopefully. "What else?"
"I'd need a forge." Rufus said with a nod, "And then I'd need to learn to be a blacksmith."
At that, Wyatt threw his head back in exasperation, but Lucy was not deterred in her optimism, "And then you'd be able to fix it?" she asked, not even wanting to dwell on the impossibility of their situation.
"Probably not." Rufus admitted in defeat, but at Lucy's anxious face, he corrected, if for anything but to give her something to cling to, "Maybe."
Clinging to that "maybe" like it was a lifeline, Lucy shook off the nagging doubts that were threatening to overwhelm her as she picked up the map Wyatt had discarded earlier, "Okay, we are less than five miles from Fort Duquesne…they are bound to have a forge…and…all that other stuff you needed."
Wyatt let out a derisive laugh as he looked at her incredulously, "Fort Duquesne? You mean the fort where the French soldiers were taking us to hang? That Fort Duquesne?" Lucy tossed her head back defiantly as Wyatt closed in on her, "What are we going to do? Walk up to the door and ask to borrow their forge? You don't think they're gonna remember us?"
"Well, we either do that or we learn to start farming." Lucy stated plainly as she met Wyatt's gaze with a fierce determination.
They were only an arm's length apart, both of them attempting to stare down the other in a battle of wills that, from the looks of it, promised to be an all-out siege until one or the other capitulated by either conceding to the other's point of view or blinking…whichever came first. As they were both of them, stubborn, Rufus thought it might actually be entertaining to see how long this panned out, but much to his surprise, Wyatt backed away from Lucy with a scoff, before turning to him and asking, "If you can get these supplies, if you can get the things you need…do you think you can fix this machine and get us the hell out of here?"
Rufus raised his eyebrows as he glanced between the two of them, "I haven't even gotten to the hard part yet."
"Oh, good to know." Lucy breathed out sarcastically as she slumped down on a nearby log.
"If we use the wiring from the nav system, I won't be able to control where we land." Rufus explained, "It doesn't matter if we fix the Lifeboat or not, we'll never survive this trip home unless…" Rufus trailed off as a realization dawned across his features, "The Protocol."
"The Protocol?" Lucy asked as Rufus dived into the Lifeboat, "What's that?"
She watched with rapt curiosity as he pried up a panel from the floor of the time machine, his head disappearing into a hidden compartment between the seat she claimed as her own and Wyatt's. "We're going to send a message to Mason." Rufus' muffled reply came as he blindly handed a tiny shovel to Wyatt whose own curiosity had gotten the better of him.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Wyatt asked doubtfully.
"You're going to need to dig a hole," Rufus answered as he flipped through a black notebook, "um…three feet in front of the Lifeboat." Setting down the notebook, Rufus dove into the compartment once more, this time pulling out a small lockbox. "Dig it deep," Rufus ordered as Wyatt stared back at him, "this message needs to stand the test of time…and since this is all going to be Pittsburgh someday, we need to make sure no one else finds it before Mason does."
"Finds what, exactly?" Lucy asked as flipped through the notebook Rufus had discarded.
"Behold, the power of non-biodegradable polyethylene." Rufus announced as he lifted a small plastic tube from inside of the lock box.
"Wow," Lucy exclaimed, unable to hide her disappointment, "You know, when you said send a message, I didn't think you literally meant in a bottle."
"Hey," Rufus interjected defensively, "this bottle could very well save our asses." At Lucy and Wyatt's doubtful expressions, Rufus explained, "Our coordinates are locked in at Mason Industries…they know exactly where we are…."
"Yeah, but we have the only damn time machine, not counting the Mothership - and somehow I'm thinking that Homeland Security isn't going to be catching up with Flynn any time soon…" Wyatt huffed out as he slammed the shovel into the Earth.
"No…you've got it all wrong. They're not coming to get us…I mean, I guess technically they could…someday…but this, "Rufus said as he raised the polyethylene bottle, "Connor will fly to this spot with a team of archaeologists and dig this up…inside be a note, telling them that our navigation systems have failed and we need them to guide us in."
"And what if they don't get this note? I mean, in 260 years this place is going to look a lot different than it does now." Lucy reminded him, "This could be a parking lot for all we know."
Rufus' expression turned solemn as he muttered quietly, "Without help, we could land anywhere…. on a mountain, inside of a mountain, the middle of Fallujah would be amazing considering…"
"Considering what?" Wyatt asked as he paused in his digging.
"The Earth is 70% water." Rufus said with a shrug, "You do the math. We're more likely to land in the middle of the ocean than on actual land."
Wyatt's eyes darted to Lucy who blanched as she raised a shaking hand to her head. She didn't need to say a word for him to know exactly what was going through her mind. She had narrowly escaped death once before, had been pulled from a raging river as her car slowly sunk to its watery depths and it had traumatized her so much, she still struggled with waking nightmares and claustrophobia. Without taking his eyes from her, Wyatt asked, "Let's say they didn't get this note…what are the odds of us surviving?"
"Somewhere between one in a billion and impossible." Rufus stated seriously.
Lucy slowly lifted her head at that factoid, fear etched all over her face as she attempted to steady her voice, "So," she asked quietly, "what are our options?"
"Number one and the most ideal?" Rufus began, "Mason finds this bottle and helps us get home…that is, if I can fix the LifeBoat."
"And how will you know it's fixed?" Wyatt asked.
"I won't…until the rings start spinning." Rufus replied with grim honesty. "Second option, we fix the LifeBoat and Mason doesn't get the note…we die trying to make it back home. Third option, we're stuck here. We live our lives out in 1754…until we eventually die from typhoid, dysentery, smallpox…or being murdered by any number of hostile forces."
Wyatt bit his lip as he contemplated the choices before them. The likelihood of Rufus' canister surviving nearly 300 years of urban development was like a snowball's chance in Hell; he knew it, Rufus knew it and as Wyatt eyes drifted to Lucy's, he knew she knew it. It was already a risky and most likely failed venture to expect Rufus to learn to be a blacksmith and repair the Lifeboat anyway, but to repair the damn thing and take that flying leap into the unknown with a one in a billion chance of survival, barring some miracle that Mason actually received their 300-year-old SOS? They'd have better odds living out the rest of their lives here…though Wyatt was sure their life expectancy would be a hell of a lot shorter than it would be in 2016.
It was likely death either way.
Damn his luck. Stranded with two people he couldn't trust or depend on…two people who didn't know the first thing about wilderness survival…two people whose secrets and lies had gotten him into this mess to begin with…he sighed as his eyes met Lucy's…two people whom he had a responsibility to protect. There was no other option but to try. Sure, they could live their lives in 1754…but based on what he had seen over the past three days, he highly doubted they would make it to December…hell, he wasn't sure if they would survive the damn week. So why not throw in all his chips to the option that could possibly get them the hell out of there? What the hell did he have to lose? He would fulfill his obligation to Lucy and Rufus to the best of his ability and then, if they made it safely back to the present, he could head back to Pendleton with at least one win from this insane assignment. Wyatt nodded his head as he made his decision, "What the hell? I'm in."
Lucy's eyes darted to his and Wyatt could tell she was forming her own resolution. Though she looked terrified at the prospects laid out before them, there was a courage bubbling within her that Wyatt had come to recognize. He had seen it up close and personal as she pleaded with him at the Alamo, he had seen it when she desperately pleaded with Ian Fleming at the Nazi Castle, he had seen it when she saved his ass during that Watergate mission. Nodding almost indiscernibly, Lucy kept her eyes locked on Wyatt's as she murmured a quiet, but resolute "Me too." Wyatt understood. She had no choice. She had to survive. If she was truly fighting to save her sister, it was all up to her; no one else remembered her…and in that moment, Wyatt felt guilty for coldly throwing that back in her face.
When he had first met "world-class" Lucy Preston he had dismissed her as a high-strung, white-collar elitist with whom he could never bond…they were just too damn different…from two wildly different worlds. Yet when she came racing into Mason, helpless and panicked over the disappearance of her sister, he understood, probably better than anyone in that room, what it was to not know…what it was to feel your entire world collapsing around you as your mind attempted to wrap itself around the startling reality that someone you loved was now gone.
So, of course, she would make a deal to get her sister back. Amy Preston's disappearance was directly linked to these missions…and as much as Wyatt hated to admit it, Lucy was right…Jessica's death was not. While he would always regret what happened that night in February 2012, while he would give anything to change it, her disappearance, her death was not the result of some time traveling homicidal maniac. No. Jessica's death was on him and only on him…and he was just going to have to live with the fact that once upon a time he had been a jackass and his wife was murdered because of it.
Wyatt agreed to this suicidal plan because he had nothing left to lose…but Lucy, Lucy had everything to lose if they didn't try. She had a sister who needed her, a mother who loved her, and a sort of fiancé…she had a life filled with hope and purpose…and no matter how much Wyatt wanted to be angry at her for her part in getting them into this mess, her willingness to risk it all, to join him in the ultimate show of recklessness, gave him a newfound determination to see that the protocol, at least on their end, was a success. With that in mind, Wyatt repeatedly slammed the shovel into the soft ground, prepared to dig to China if he had to so that their message to Mason would survive over the next 260 some odd years. They had no guarantee that even if it did, Mason and his team would find it, but that was a risk they were all just going to have to take.
They had no choice to do otherwise.
Lucy watched as Wyatt continued to delve deeper and deeper into the ground as darkness slowly descended upon them, bringing with it a bone chilling wind that howled ominously through the trees. When there was no light left in the sky to work by, Wyatt wiped his brow and with the help of Rufus, climbed out of the deep hole he had dug. "That's got to be about six feet," Wyatt remarked as he rubbed his calloused hands together, "you think that's deep enough?"
"Let's hope." Rufus sighed as he folded up the message he had written and placed it carefully in the polyethylene bottle. Handing it to Lucy, he smiled, "You want to do the honors?"
Taking the container from him, Lucy nodded and carefully stepped to the edge of the hole Wyatt had spent the evening digging. With a heart full of desperate hope, she let the bottle slip through her fingers and into the Earth below. It was literally out of their hands now…there was nothing more they could do, but wait…and see.
"It's gonna be a cold night." Wyatt observed as a gust of wind swirled the leaves around their feet. He motioned them over to a tight grouping of trees, "Why don't you two go over there and try to get some rest? The trees should block out most of this wind…I'll finish this up here."
As Wyatt went to work filling the hole he had dug, Lucy and Rufus slowly made their way over to the trees. Wyatt was right; the tight grouping provided a nice barrier against the wind, but it did nothing to ease the chill of the night air.
Rufus, for all of his complaining, fell asleep almost immediately once he made a small bed from some leaves and pine needles. While Lucy didn't begrudge him…or any of them…much needed rest, she suddenly felt very alone; she needed someone to talk to, to worry with and Rufus' grunts and snores did nothing to quiet the nagging doubts and fears that had taken hold of her as she lay beside him, restless and wide awake.
How were they going to do this? They had already been here three days and were nearly starved as it was…what would they do for food? Where would they even live? With winter coming on fast, they couldn't camp out like this…they would freeze before they even had a chance to fix the time machine. Which brought her to the next problem…could they even fix it? Rufus admitted he would have to learn to be a blacksmith…how long did it take for someone to be a skilled blacksmith? Weeks? Months? Years? Oh God, what would happen to them if they were stuck here for years? With a war on the horizon…how would they survive it? What if Wyatt got conscripted into service? What would she and Rufus do without him? What if he was killed? What if Rufus was killed…or worse, sold into slavery? What would happen to her? What would happen to her if both Rufus and Wyatt were killed? What if they got sick? What if they had to sit by helplessly and watch each other die from some horrible disease? What if they never made it home?
"Lucy?" Wyatt's voice was full of concern as he rested a steady, warm hand on her shoulder. Lucy startled at the sight of him; she hadn't heard him approach and as she took in his prone position, she realized he must have been there, lying next to her, for quite some time. "Are you okay?"
Her heart was racing, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps, and she realized as she lifted her hand to her face that she was trembling. Not wanting Wyatt to think that she was weak, Lucy turned away from him, "I'm…I'm just cold." she muttered.
Heaving a sigh, Wyatt shook off his coat and handed it over, "Here," he grunted, "It's not much, but it might help."
Lucy draped the coat around her, grateful for Wyatt's thoughtfulness despite...everything, "Thanks…" she murmured as she looked over her shoulder at him, "but…but won't you be cold?"
Wyatt was laying with his back on the ground staring up at the sky with one arm tucked behind his head. Frowning slightly, he shook his head, "I've been in worse conditions." he muttered with a frown.
Lucy nodded and turned away once more, wondering what kind of conditions he had lived through in his years with the military. She knew, of course, about Syria…but only because she had overheard his conversation with Jim Bowie at the Alamo. She had no idea what other types of missions he had gone on before his time at Mason, no clue what horrors he had seen…and she doubted he would tell her even if she asked.
Unlike Rufus, Wyatt was a closed book. He rarely spoke about himself, only offering glimpses of his life, of his past…and now, as they faced the very real prospect of death, she found that not knowing more about Wyatt bothered her. As he had said back at the Alamo, everybody he cared about was gone…and suddenly she was thinking of Amy and how she was the only one left who remembered her…who would remember Wyatt?
She and Rufus cared about him…but right now, he didn't believe that…why would he when they had given him every reason to believe they didn't trust him? She felt an unspeakable tug of sympathy for him as she laid there beside him, wrapped in his coat. If she felt alone, it was probably nothing to how Wyatt was feeling. He was just one guy, after all…and like he said…he needed someone to rely on, someone to help him…someone who would take some of the responsibility off of his shoulders.
With a shuddering sigh, Lucy turned over onto her back and glanced over to Wyatt's pensive face. "Wyatt?" she whispered, "I…I just…thank you." she muttered sincerely. "I…I know you're doing everything to try to help us get through this…"
"Just doing my job." Wyatt grunted in reply, his eyes still fixed on the sky above him.
"No." Lucy said with a shake of her head, "It's not all on you…or at least, it shouldn't be…you're right…you need a team you can trust…and I know we haven't made it easy for you…" Wyatt sighed heavily and shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, "..but you're right...we're going to have to work together to make it out of here."
Wyatt gave one terse nod, but said nothing more…his eyes never wavering from the starry sky above them.
They laid side by side in silence for a log while before Lucy, unable to stand the frostiness between them, turned to him once more and stammered, "Wyatt? I'm…I'm sorry about what I said earlier…about Jessica. You deserve to get her back…you deserve to be happy."
Wyatt swallowed hard as he slowly turned his face towards Lucy's. Seeing her eyes shining with unshed tears and seeing the sincerity in her features, Wyatt couldn't help but feel a tug of gratitude towards her. He nodded at her with a frown and quickly turned his face back towards the heavens as another bout of silence fell between them. After a few moments, Wyatt cleared his throat, "Well, for what it's worth," he murmured in return, "I'm sorry for what I said about Amy. If I could make a deal with Agent Christopher, I would…I'd do it in a heartbeat…so I can't blame you for doing the same."
"What's the point of having a time machine if you can't fix your regrets, right?" Lucy said with a derisive chuckle…realizing as she did so that that was exactly what Garcia Flynn was claiming to do...changing the past to change what had happened to his wife and child.
Did her desire to restore Amy make her like Flynn? Is that what he meant when he said they would be "quite the team" someday?
As another wave of panic and dread washed over her, Lucy shivered again, clenching her eyes shut as she tried to stem the flow of anxious tears that were threatening to spill out at any moment. "You okay?" she heard Wyatt's voice ask in concern. She could feel his gaze on her, even if she couldn't see it…and the last thing she needed him to do was worry about her and her fears over what Flynn had predicted for her in that damn journal.
In an attempt to play off her latest bout of panic she voiced her anxiety over her other concerns, "It's nothing…I'm just thinking about what we're going to do for shelter…with winter coming…"
"Hey," Wyatt eased as he turned towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder again, "one thing at a time, right?" Lucy nodded as the tears she was trying to keep at bay began to slip unbidden onto her cheeks, "Alright then, we'll worry about shelter tomorrow…tonight, just try to get some sleep, okay?" he added bracingly as he gave her shoulder a squeeze. Lucy tugged Wyatt's coat a bit higher over her chest, wrapping her arms in its folds as she attempted to stave off the chill that had settled in her chest and had her trembling from head to toe.
Wyatt watched her from the corner of his eye, knowing all too well that it wasn't just the cold air that had her crying and shaking in the dark. He had seen this in the field more than once…she was having a panic attack, freaking out, cracking up…and he had no advice, no words of comfort to offer her this time. They were in a shitty situation, more so than they had been in Nazi Germany. At least there, if they had been stranded, they still had access to decent medical care and civilization. Here? Here, they could all die from disease within a few months. Here, they would be forced to hunt for their food…and with winter coming, that was going to be a challenge…especially for someone like Lucy…who wasn't used to this sort of thing.
She was just going to have to learn…they all were.
Still, he hated seeing her looking so…so…vulnerable and helpless. In an attempt to offer her some sort of comfort, both in the physical and the emotional sense, Wyatt sighed as he turned towards her and tentatively wrapped his arm around her torso…much as he had done unconsciously that first night in this hell hole. Lucy immediately stilled beside him, her jaw clenched in tension and Wyatt thought that perhaps he had made a big mistake by crossing some invisible line that existed between them…a line which, as co-workers and team-mates, should not be crossed. He was just getting ready to mutter a quick apology and retract his arm, when Lucy turned to him abruptly and snuggled into his chest, lifting his coat, as she did so, so that it draped over the both of them.
Wyatt sucked in a breath, unsure of what to do…
Yes, he had slept this way with Lucy before…but he hadn't realized it at the time…he had just woken up to find himself wrapped around her like a cocoon. This…this was different. They were both awake…and both very much aware that they were in each other's personal spaces. It had been years since he consciously held a woman this close…years since he had fallen asleep to the feel of a steady heart beat pounding against his own…and while his first impulse was to re-establish a comfortable distance between them so as to not make things awkward, the feel of her pressed against him, nuzzled under his chin, warmed him in a way no blanket ever could. Relenting with a sigh, Wyatt allowed himself to relax as his hand rested comfortably against Lucy's back, tugging her a bit closer as she shivered once more…it was his responsibility to protect her, after all…and well, if that meant keeping her warm on a cold, Autumn night in the middle of the 18th century…so be it.
Notes:
Okay - this is the LAST chapter that will ring familiar for a while. We have now stepped off the breaking point and are in our AU world.
You may notice that I moved things around, changed up some convos, etc...and that's because while this is still "Stranded" I wanted it to be somewhat fresh and new. I love this episode so much...so I want to be true to it while giving it my own personal spin, so I appreciate you guys coming along for this ride.
Things are starting to bubble between Lucy and Wyatt...and please remember this is a SLOW BURN story...so don't get too frustrated...there's going to be LOTS and LOTS of Lyatt moments...but these two idiots are going to be stubborn..until, well, they can't be stubborn anymore...and thats all I'm saying. I hope it will be a fun ride. It may drive you all crazy...but just bask in the cuteness of Lyatt and remember that I am a fan of happy endings...and this story will most certainly have one.
I'm already 3/4 of the way through the next chapter of this - I'm really trying to get ahead so I can focus more time on WMHB and get that out of the way, but inspiration keeps drawing me over to this one and well, I can't fight that...I will say, though, planning this fic out has been a lot of fun. I've never really stayed in the same place in a LONG fic before so that , in itself, has been quite a challenge.
I hope you all enjoyed this update...thank you for reading and have a great day!