The group approached the base of Clawtooth Mountain and looked up, seeing that it almost touched the clouds.
"It's a little freakier than I remember from the movie." Jack observed.
"Reminds me of death." Finn added.
"Encouraging." Laura Reed remarked.
"Well, your compass awaits. Shall we?" Katherine led the way.
"Wait. If these marigold petals... create... portals," Jack gestured with his hand. "Why not just pick one and go home? Why the compass?"
"Because there aren't any more petals." Charles corrected him. "Whatever story you think you know, young man is most certainly wrong."
"There was a family of dinosaurs and one gets lost and something about fireflies and a wild kid."
"Sounds like a lovely tale, but the truth's a little bit more gruesome." Charles explained. "The dinosaurs grew the flowers, but rather than use the petals for good, they used them to plunder all the lands. There was a man who fought a terrible war, defeating all but one of the evil dinosaurs. The petals were destroyed by the dinosaurs as they died. If they couldn't have their magic, then nobody could. It's really very bad form."
"Evil dinosaurs who made magic portal flower petals?" Jack looked doubtful. "Why doesn't anyone just go up and grow some more?"
"Because one dinosaur survived- The strongest and most terrible of them all. And we'll have to get past him to-"
"The magic compass." Laura Reed finished the sentence.
"Indeed." Katherine agreed. "The treasure remains, and amongst it is the compass. Now it will guide us to your land. Evelyn has the means to open a portal with the door ashes, but she can't find your land without the compass. Once we get it, steal the ashes from her, and we're on our way."
"How do we know you're not just using us to get the compass for Evelyn?" Finn asked suspiciously.
"Because you four are far safer company. All I need is a ride back. I'll swear allegiance to whoever gets me there first."
Jack looked doubtfully at Katherine but agreed. "Then we'd better start climbing."
"Right, so… I failed to mention that the dinosaur enchanted the mountain to repel intruders."
"All right, so how do we get up there?"
"I've got a gadget from Evelyn. If you'd be so kind." Katherine held up her wrists, which were still tied together. Laura Reed untied her. Katherine held up one of her arms, showing a cuff. "Thank you. I've got one more of these. Evelyn was to accompany me. So… Which one of you four shall take her place? Hm? Go on, fight it out. Don't be afraid to, you know, really get into it."
Portland, Oregon
11 years ago
As Jack came out of a building, he looked behind him to see if anybody was watching him. He approached a parked yellow beetle and phased through the door to get inside. Jack then used a screwdriver to start the transmission and drove off.
"Impressive." A young woman, around 18, popped up from the backseat of the car, making Jack scream. "But really, you could've just asked me for the keys." She leaned forward and held up a pair of keys. "Just drive. It's fine."
"I just stole your car. Your life could be in danger."
"Samantha." She introduced herself.
"Yeah, I'm not telling you my name."
"No, I don't need it to have you arrested when the robbery's in progress."
"Jack."
"Good name."
"So do you just live in here, or are you just waiting for the car to be stolen?"
"Why don't I tell you over drinks?"
"Excuse me?" He turned to look at her and unknowingly ran a stop sign.
"Hey. Eyes on the road."
"I'm not having drinks with you. You might be a slut."
"I might be, but you're definitely a car thief."
"I said I was sorry."
"You didn't, actually." They soon heard a police siren approaching. "Oh."
"Darn it."
"That's why I said, 'eyes on the road.'" They pulled over, but Sam noticed the screwdriver still in the transmission. "Screwdriver." Jack gave her the screwdriver and she put in the keys.
A cop approached the window. "License and registration."
"Hi."
"Terribly sorry, officer, but this is actually my car. I'm-I'm trying to, uh, teach my boyfriend how to drive stick." Sam lied.
"He's got a lot to learn."
"I know. But, you know... men."
Jack gave her an offended look.
"All right, I hear you. It's a warning... this time."
"Yeah. Thank you so much."
The cop left and Sam got in the front seat.
"What are you, some sort of a feminist?"
"You're welcome. Oh, go. We got lucky."
"'We'? This isn't your car either, is it?"
"Hmm?"
"I stole a stolen car?"
"Now how about that drink?" She smiled.
That night, Jack waited outside the entrance to a deserted amusement park. After a while, Sam approached him carrying one coffee to go in each hand.
"You said you owed me a drink. I thought we'll meet in a place like a bar. A restaurant. Or someplace - you know - with chairs."
"Patience. I've got something better in mind. Here. Hold this." Sam handed Jack her coffee and kneeled down. Using a wire, she opened the locked door.
"What are you doing?" Jack asked, watching.
"Tumblers. It's all about the tumblers." Sam succeeded in opening the door. "Come on. It's worth it. I promise." They entered the park. Sam switched on the carousel's lights. "What did I tell you?"
"Yeah, alright. It's pretty cool."
"Come on. Hop on."
Jack sat on one of the swings. Sam took a seat in front of him.
"So, what's your story, Sam?" Jack wondered.
"That's an interesting choice of words. My 'story' is that I left a screwed up situation and that kind of screwed me up."
"Crummy home life? I get that."
"Nah, it wasn't always. It- That's the problem. It was really great once."
"So, why don't you go back to try and fix it?"
"I can't really go back. It's my family."
"Strict type?" Jack guessed.
"Not at first. But they changed." Sam explained. "That's when things got really crazy. But before that? It was home. It was nice. That's how you know you've really got a home: When you leave it, there's that feeling that you can't shake. You just miss it."
The group was still at the bottom of the mountain, and they argued while the Muntzes watched.
"All due respect, I'm the best equipped to go." Finn insisted. "How many fights have you been through?"
"My share." Laura Reed answered.
"It should be me." Holley offered.
"You? You're a tech agent, Shiftwell."
"This is about us getting home to our family. Why would you-" Laura Reed argued.
"Because I have no family. If I fail, you can still go on."
"It's me." Jack spoke up. "I'm going, and I'm not going to fail."
"You're new here." Laura Reed reminded him.
"It's about getting back to Hilary. I don't care what I have to face. You're not going to argue with me?"
"Would it do any good?"
"No. My powers can help me with a dinosaur."
"Come with me." Finn took Jack aside. He pulled out a small grenade and handed it to Jack. "This – knockout gas. He has to inhale it."
Jack nodded. "Your missiles – how strong are they?"
"The most powerful weapons ever made."
"Are they strong enough to blow up that mountain?"
"Indeed."
"Give me ten hours. If I'm not back, you blow it up and keep going."
"Elastigirl won't like that."
"That's why I'm asking you. If I don't get back, you get her home."
"Folks. In this world, we're slaves to time." Katherine spoke up. "And ours is running out. In other words, hurry up." Jack approached her. "I was hoping it'd be you."
"Just get on with it." Jack said slightly annoyed.
"Put your hand right here." Jack put his hand on Katherine's shoulder. She snapped the second cuff to his wrist. "That's a good boy.
This will allow you to climb. There are other dangers. Thankfully, you've got me to protect you."
"Don't think I'm taking my eyes off you for a second." Jack warned.
"I would despair if you did."
"Let's go."
Jack and Laura Reed glanced at each other before he and Katherine began their climb up the mountain. They soon managed to reach the upper part of it.
"First mountain?" Katherine asked. "Well, you never forget your first. You know, most women would take your silence as off-putting, but I love a challenge."
"I'm concentrating."
"No, you're afraid. Afraid to talk, to reveal yourself, to trust me. Things'll be a lot smoother if you do."
"You should be used to people not trusting you."
"Well, I don't need you to share. You're something of an open book."
"Am I?"
"Quite. Let's see. You volunteered to come up here because you were the most motivated. You need to get back to a child."
"That's not perception. That's eavesdropping."
"Ah, but you don't want to abandon her the way you were abandoned."
"Was I?"
"Like I said, an open book. Love has been all too rare in your life, hasn't it? You ever even been in love?"
"No. I have never been in love."
Jack and Sam soon stopped at a convenience store. Sam wore a bag underneath her dress.
"I think this little guy is hungry. Go ahead and get whatever you want, sweetie. I'm going to get directions."
"I will."
Jack walked up to the clerk. He pulled a map off the shelf and opened it, trying to block the clerk's view. Meanwhile, Sam was swiping food.
"Listen, my wife and I... are really lost. I'm trying to get to Eugene, and I think we've been going the wrong way. Can you show me what's going on here? Where are we, first of all?"
"Okay, wait. Do I look like a tour guide? Why don't you buy the map? Then I can help you."
"Okay." Jack put some money on the counter.
"Okay. Now, your problem is…" While the clerk was distracted, Sam swiped a keychain just as another customer entered. "Is you're way up here. You see that?"
"Oh, my God. That is a problem."
"Yeah. Now what you wanna do is you wanna go all the way south. You have to take 5 all the way south towards Salem. That's right down there. You see that?"
The customer saw Jack pocketing a chocolate bar. "Hey!"
"That's where you're going. You got it?"
"Hey, mister, that guy's stealing that-" The customer began to say.
Sam created a diversion by pretending to be going into labor. "Oh, God! Oh, God."
"Honey?" Jack rushed over to her.
"Oh. Oh. I think- I think it's time."
"He's ready?"
"Oh, yeah."
"You didn't see him take the-" The customer tried to say.
"Oh, it hurts really bad!" Sam shouted.
"Do you guys need help?" The clerk offered.
"No, no, Mister, you didn't see-" The customer argued.
"It hurts really bad!" Sam cried.
"Okay, okay." Jack tried to calm her down.
"You want me to call an ambulance?" The clerk asked.
"No, it's fine! My car's out front. I know, I know. Breathe, baby. Breathe! Let's go! Come on." Jack led Sam out of the store.
"You know they were stealing." The customer pointed out.
Outside, Jack and Sam ran to their car.
"The little guy saved us."
"He sure did. The miracle of birth!" Sam pulled the bag out from under her dress and threw it to Jack.
"Wow. Good haul."
"Thanks. I got you a keychain. Do you like it?"
"Yeah."
They kissed.
"Okay. We got to go."
Later, Jack and Sam waited in a motel parking lot as a family left their room.
"Twenty minutes till housekeeping." Sam observed.
They gave each other a 'let's do this' look and entered the motel room. Jack dumped the bag's contents onto the bed.
"You want to shower first?"
"Oh, look. The family left this." Jack picked up a dream catcher that was left hanging on a lamp.
"What's that?"
"It's a Native American dream catcher." He explained. "It's supposed to keep all the nightmares out and only let the good dreams in to protect your home."
"Its flypaper for nightmares?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Let's keep it."
"Yeah. Hang it where? The car?"
"It's not much of a home. Maybe it's time we get a real place."
"Are you saying-"
"Why not? We've been on the road long enough, baby. It's time we retire the Bonnie and Clyde act. So I think- I think it's time."
"Together?"
"Don't you want to?"
"Like where? Neverland?"
"I'm serious. We could do this."
"Where?"
Sam grabbed a framed map of the United States off the dresser and laid it on the bed in front of Jack. "Where? I'll tell you where. Close your eyes and point. Whatever spot you pick- that's our home."
Jack closed his eyes and randomly pointed to a spot on the map. "Tallahassee."
"We got a winner."
"Is it near a beach?"
"Yeah, it's Florida. Everything's near a beach."
"Okay, then Tallahassee it is."
"Tallahassee it is."
"Are you sure? Is this… What you really want?"
"What I really want is you."
They smiled and kissed.
Jack and Katherine reached the top of the mountain where they found the ruins of a giant castle, with skeletons scattered around.
"What happened here?" Jack wondered.
"It's where the final battle was." Katherine replied. "Give me your hand."
"What?" Jack looked at his hand.
"Your hand- it's cut. Let me help you."
"No. No. It's fine."
"No, it's not." She grabbed his arm.
"So now you're gonna be a lady?" Jack asked, sarcastically.
"Dinosaurs can smell blood, and I'm always a lady." Katherine uncorked a bottle and poured its contents over Jack's bloody hand.
Jack winced and cringed in pain. "Ah! Oh! What is that?"
"It's rum. A bloody waste of it." She looked at his cut hand and then wrapped her scarf over it. "Here's the plan. We wait for the dinosaur to fall asleep. When he does, we'll sneak past him into his cave. It's where the treasures are, where the compass lies."
"And then?"
"And then we run."
"I don't have time to wait for a dino to fall asleep. The grenade Finn gave us...we need to use it. We gotta knock him out."
"Well, that's riskier."
"Than waiting for a dinosaur to fall asleep when we need him to?"
Katherine smiled. "Point taken. Ooh, you're a tough guy. You'd make a great explorer." She gave him the grenade. "For someone who's never been in love, you're quite perceptive, aren't you?"
"Maybe I was once."
Jack waited for Sam by a tree in a park. When she arrived, he held up a paper bag. "I got doughnuts. I got jelly." She faked a laugh. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"No, no. Hey. What's wrong?"
"This was on the wall at the post office." She handed him a 'wanted' poster searching for Samantha. "I didn't even know they still did that."
"When did this happen?"
"I was living in Phoenix- This high-end jewelry place. The manager was drunk. He would forget to lock the case to the expensive watches."
"Sam-"
"I resisted twice. The third time, this guy's asking to get taken. So I-I grabbed a couple of cases of watches and I hopped on a train to Portland. The store's got insurance. Anyway, I stashed 'em in a locker at the train station. They're still there. It's hardly stealing."
"So you got away clean."
"I didn't get away clean. The manager may have been drunk, but the security cameras are stone sober. I thought this heat had died down, but it hasn't. I'm sorry. Tallahassee's out. I gotta go to Canada."
"That's fine. I like maple syrup."
"I gotta go to Canada alone."
"Why?"
"If I get caught, and you're with me, you're in trouble-"
"You're not gonna get caught."
"How can you say that? You think crossing the border's easy?"
"We get fake I.D.s and passports."
"Those cost money. We have a stolen car."
"We make it legit. We take a V.I.N. number off of another car."
Sam started walking away, frustrated. "Jack, I'm not gonna have you in the seat next to me with $20,000..."
"Wait. Wait. Seriously, wait. Wait. Wait." He caught up to her. "What if I go and get the watches out of the locker? No one's looking for me. We can-we can fence them and then we have the money. We can do whatever we want. We can go wherever we want, right? We could change our identities and go to Tallahassee."
"So you... you want to steal the watches to help me with get away with stealing the watches?"
"Yes. That is exactly what I want to do."
"I can't let you risk everything..."
"I love you."
"I love you, too. You think you can do it?
"I know I can." They both smiled, their foreheads touched.
Jack, armed with the grenade, was perched on top of a statue near the entrance of the castle. Katherine, still on the ground, picked up a large bone.
"You ready?"
"Yeah."
Katherine used the bone to hit a giant shield. They soon heard growling and footsteps approaching. A green Apatosaurus with a long neck, a big nose, brown eyes, and a long tail appeared at the castle entrance.
"Oh, no." Jack said to himself, frozen in fear.
"Hey! Hey! You big lizard!" Katherine shouted. The dinosaur spotted her. "Yeah, you. Huh? You wanna kill a human? Huh? Do you want to kill a human? I'm the worst human around. Come on! Come on then!" She moved towards the dinosaur. "Come on then!"
Jack threw the grenade and it exploded, knocking the dinosaur out. "Katherine? Katherine!" he called.
"He's out cold. I don't mean to upset you, Jack, but I think we make quite the team."
"Let's go steal a compass."
"They hoarded all of their greatest stolen treasures in here—piles of jewels, and every room filled with coins." Katherine explained as they entered a room filled with treasures. She stopped and picked up a coin.
"Let's get to it. The compass."
"What's your rush?"
"How long do you think knockout powder lasts?"
"I have no clue."
"That's my rush."
"Too right, Mister. Come. Everything we need is right in front of us."
Jack nervously stood in front of the lockers at the train station. Nearby, he saw two cops talking. Holding the key, he scanned the locker for the correct one. He hesitantly unlocked the locker and pulled out the bag of watches. Successful, he casually left the station.
They kill all the housekeepers, too?" Jack asked. "How are we going to find a compass in this mess?"
"By looking. Start searching." They split up to look around. "I wonder how much treasure we could carry down the mountain. In addition to the compass, of course."
Katherine continued walking when Jack stopped her by pulling her into his arms. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!"
"It's about time." She said, flirty.
Annoyed, Jack pulled away. "It's a tripwire. Quite a security system."
They looked up to see a cage attached to the tripwire.
"Well, that's a plausible excuse for grabbing me, but next time don't stand on ceremony."
"Let's find the compass and go home." Jack gestured for her to go first. "After you."
Katherine went ahead, stepping over the wire.
Jack rushed into the car, where Sam was waiting for him.
"Oh, thank God." She sighed, relieved.
He handed her the bag and they kissed. "Let's see 'em."
She took out the case of watches and opened the lid.
"That's not as many as I thought."
"Yeah, but they're super pricey. This is twenty thousand dollars, easy."
"Twenty thousand?! Tallahassee…"
"Listen, I'm going to go meet the fence. I'll meet you with the money. Remember where? The parking structure by the tracks."
"Yes."
"Nine o'clock, sharp. This is so there are no mix-ups…" Sam took out one of the watches and fastened it around Jack's wrist.
"So, I guess we're keeping this one?"
"How can we not? Look how good it looks on you." They kissed, again. "Tallahassee, baby. We're almost home." Sam exited the car with the bag.
"Home." Jack smiled at the thought.
Sam walked down a dark street with the watches. Another woman appeared and began to follow her. Sam tried to appear composed but then decided to make a run for it. The other woman chased after her into an alley, where Sam tried to jump a fence. The woman grabbed her and pulled her to the ground before she could scale it.
"You got the wrong one, officer! I wasn't even jaywalking!"
"It's not like that. Do you want to protect Jack? Come with me."
"What?"
"Get up." The woman brought Sam up to her feet.
"How do you know Jack?!"
"Name's Kelly. And it's a long story, but trust me, you want to hear it."
"Alright, Kelly. You're not a cop? Who are you? You got two minutes."
"Think of me as Jack's guardian angel."
"Guardian angel?" Sam looked at her like she was crazy. "I'd say you've been doing a pretty bad job."
"I've been looking for him for the past two years. Now I finally found him, and he's robbing convenience stores with some deadbeat. Tell me again who's doing the bad job."
"Let me tell you something. I'm the best thing that's ever happened to him." Sam argued. "Two years? Where were you the rest of his life?"
"I'm not perfect. This world? Full of temptations. Turns out I'm not that great at saying no. I'm not built that way. But I'm here now."
"Who are you?"
"We were in the same home as kids, and I thought he'd be safe inside the system, but now that he's out? Back then I promised I would take care of him."
"Well, we promised to take care of each other."
"You love him. Good. That means you have to do right by him."
"That's all I'm trying to do."
"Then leave him."
"Never."
"He has a destiny, and you- this life? You're going to keep him from it. Okay. Do you believe in magic?"
"I take it you do."
"So will you. Trust me. I'm going to show you something- Something that's going to make you look at everything differently. And when you see what I have in here, you're gonna listen. You're gonna believe every word I say."
Kelly led Sam to her motorcycle, where she had a box attached to the back. She opened the lid.
"Yeah, right." Sam said doubtfully. She looked at the contents inside the box and was shocked. Kelly closed the lid. "Okay. I'm listening." Sam agreed, finally convinced.
"There's a curse… and it needs to be broken." Kelly explained. "Jack is the key. I was tasked with keeping him on track, and you, sister, just got caught in the crossfire. Now, I'm gonna tell you a story, and at the end of it, you're gonna have to make a decision. Will you do the right thing... Or not? So… are you ready?"
At the parking structure, Jack checked his watch, waiting for Sam. He tried to call her on his cell phone but got an 'out of service' message. "Darn right it's an error."
Soon, a cop appeared, armed with a gun. "Unless she set you up. Hands above your head, please, Mister."
Jack raised his hands. "Wait. Why?"
"Possession of stolen goods. Left you holding."
"I have nothing."
"Sorry to tell you, but your girl took off. Probably in Canada by now. She called in a tip, told us to take a look at the surveillance footage at the train station. Give me the watch. Now!" Jack began to unfasten the watch from his wrist. "You know your rights?"
"Yeah." He handed the watch to the cop.
"Good boy. Turn around." Jack obeyed and the cop handcuffed him. "Where's the rest of the watches?
"They're gone. They're not coming back." Jack replied, realizing what had happened.
"Let's go."
"So it's just...in here somewhere?" Jack asked, still looking around.
"Allegedly." Katherine walked over to a golden birdcage. "Give me a boost would you?"
"So I can't see what you're pocketing? No way. You give me a boost."
"Try something new, darling. It's called trust."
Jack sighed. "We do it side by side, and fast. Who knows how long before the-" They heard thunderous footsteps approaching.
"Someone's up. Quickly. Get under something."
The dinosaur charged into the treasure room, causing part of the ceiling to cave in and fall on Katherine.
"Katherine?" Jack shouted.
The dinosaur then charged at Jack and grabbed him with his tail.
Vancouver, Canada
2 months later
Kelly stood by the coastline when she saw Sam drive up to her in the yellow bug.
"Been a while. Where'd you go?"
Sam got out of the car. "Tried to lose myself. It didn't work. I want to talk to you about Jack."
"I hope you're not trying to reach out."
"I just- I feel like- it- if I knew that he was okay, then I could move on. Is he?" Sam asked, concerned.
"He will be. He got eleven months."
"That should be me. I should be doing that time." Sam sighed, frustrated.
Kelly shook her head. "No. We went over this. It's good."
"How's it good?"
"It's a minimum-security place in Phoenix," Kelly explained. "and no, I'm not going to tell you which one. He'll get out of there and he'll be fine. You keep your promise and steer clear, and he can have a good life. He can do what he's supposed to do."
"And if I can't be there for him, you got to promise me that you will be."
"I promise."
"All right, then you should do something for me." Sam pulled money out of her pocket. "I was able to fence the watches. Don't judge me. I'm giving it all to him. And the car. I got a clean V.I.N number for it, so it's legit. I just... it'll feel like I'm there with him, you know?"
"Money's not what he needs... not for what's ahead."
"Can you just see that he gets it?"
Kelly looked hesitant. "Sure." She took the money, keychain, and car keys.
"And one more thing. If anything changes, and he does his job, this insanity ends, and he's free..."
"I'll send you a postcard."
"I'm not what you think!" Jack tried to say, struggling in the dinosaur's tail.
"You're a thief, and you poisoned me, so yeah, I'm pretty sure you're exactly what I think."
"No. Look, you have a compass. I need it."
"I don't care what you need." The dinosaur tightened his tail's grip, as Jack struggled to breathe.
"No, for my daughter! To save my daughter! Don't you have a family?"
"No. Because humans killed them all."
Jack turned into a monster-like creature and bit the dinosaur's tail. He dropped Jack, who cut the wire with his claws, setting off the trap. The cage fell onto the dinosaur, trapping him.
"Nice security system. Efficient." Jack, now back in human form, pointed a sword at the dinosaur's face.
"No. No! No! No! No!"
"I can tell by your face you know what this is. Let me guess... it's dipped in some sort of poison. You have a compass. I need it."
"You're going to kill me either way. Go ahead. Kill me."
"You don't know me."
"I know your kind. They massacred us and destroyed our flowers."
"I heard it the other way."
"That's because the victors get to tell the story." Jack drew the sword closer. "Okay! Stop. Here." The dinosaur slid the compass across the floor. Jack picked it up. "See? I'm not the bad guy."
"Maybe you are telling the truth. Doesn't really matter. I have to go. Are there any more of you?"
"No. I'm alone."
Jack spotted a shriveled looking marigold flower attached to the dinosaur's necklace. "What's this? Is this a flower? Can the petals make portals?"
"Not anymore. It was destroyed like the rest of them. I wear it as a reminder... a reminder that you're all killers."
Jack pointed the sword towards him, again. "You're wrong." Jack lowered his sword and started to walk away. When his back was turned, the dinosaur broke free from the cage. He pushed away a boulder that was covering a tunnel that led outside.
"Go."
"Why?"
"Because you could've killed me, and you didn't. You get one favor. Now go, before I change my mind."
Jack started to leave, but then stopped. "Actually... I get two favors."
"What?"
"Well, the way I see it, I could've killed you twice... the poison and when you were knocked out. I didn't."
"What do you want?"
Jack smiled, getting an idea.
Jack pulled Katherine out from under the debris.
"Katherine."
"You are brilliant. Amazing. May I see it? The compass." Jack held out the compass for her to see. "It's more beautiful than legend."
Suspicious, Jack withdrew his hand and pocketed the compass. "Come. Let's go." Katherine extended her hand to Jack, but, instead of taking it, Jack grabbed a nearby shackle and chained Katherine to the wall. "What are you doing? What are you doing?"
"Katherine, I… I-I can't-"
"Jack, look at me. Have I told you a lie? I brought you here. I risked my own safety to help you. The compass is in your hand. Why do this to me now?"
"I can't take a chance that I'm wrong about you. I'm sorry."
"You're sorry? You're sorry?! I got you here! I got you the compass!"
"I got the compass."
"Well, you're just going to leave me here to die? Have that beast to eat me, to crush my bones?"
"He's not a beast. And you're not going to die. I just need a head start – that's all." Jack walked out of the room.
"Swan. Swan! Swan!" Katherine shouted.
Finn checked the clock, seeing it had been ten hours. He drew his missiles and aimed them at the mountain.
"Whoa. Wait! What are you doing?" Laura Reed ran toward him.
"Just stay back. Jack gave me ten hours."
"No! No! No!"
"What, you're just going to leave him to die?" Holley asked.
"Ten hours. He may already be dead."
"No." Laura Reed and Holley cried.
Finn launched a missile at the mountain and a surge of magic was released upward.
"NO!" Laura Reed charged towards Finn.
"No, stop!" Holley shouted as Laura Reed tackled Finn to the ground and they began to fight. "Stop! Stop!"
"This was your son's wish!"
"I don't care what you say! You do not put my son in danger!"
"Stop!" Jack appeared at the base of the mountain. Laura Reed and Finn stopped fighting.
"Jack-Jack! You okay?" Laura Reed ran toward him, out of breath.
"Two earthquakes and teleporting from a mountain. I think my brain's still rattling around a little."
"I did what he ordered, nothing more than that. Did you get it?" Finn said.
"Yep." Jack showed them the compass.
"Where's Katherine?" Holley asked.
"She's detained. Let's go. Get your stuff. We got ten hours before she follows us."
"What? How?" Laura Reed asked.
"I got a friend looking after him till then." Jack started to follow Finn and Holley when Laura Reed pulled him back.
"You told him to blow it up?"
"Yes. I couldn't risk-"
"We go back together. That is the only way." Laura Reed said sternly. "Do you understand?"
They hugged. "Yeah."
"Good. Now, let's go get that dust from Evelyn."
"Yeah, and go home."
"Mm-hmm."
Jack sat in a jail cell in Phoenix, Arizona. A female guard entered, holding a manila envelope.
"Swan, you got mail. Know anyone in Phuket?" Jack didn't answer. "I've got to open this in front of you. Those are the rules." The guard opened the envelope and held up a set of car keys. Jack recognized the attached keychain. "Okay. Look. Car keys. Hope you got the car it goes with. Nothing else. No letter. Sorry." She put them back in the envelope. "But good news. You get a car when you get out." She turned and left.
In the Parr's apartment, Hilary was asleep in bed when she suddenly woke up, screaming.
"Hilary? Hilary." Clark rushed downstairs to check on her. "Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. You're okay." He tried to calm her down. "You're okay. You're okay, you're okay."
"I-I just had the worst nightmare."
"It's over now."
"Okay."
"Okay? Here. This will help." Clark plugged in a nightlight.
"A nightlight?"
"Yeah. They keep the nightmares away. Now, talk to me. What was so bad?"
"I… I was in this room, and… And it was red." Hilary explained. "And there were no doors, no windows. And these curtains… And they were on fire. And… I was in this corner."
"Right."
"And… And… And… And I was looking out, and there was someone else there. She was staring at me through the flames. Th-Then I woke up and…"
"Hey, don't worry, alright? It was just a bad dream."