As night fell the unsettling noises of the Southern low country had Lucy gripping the reins of her horse more tightly than she had hitherto done in any other moment of this mission. Every croaking frog, every chirping bug, even the water lapping against the shore had her completely on edge.
This place was eerie…and she didn't like it.
Surely, by now, she thought, they would have heard something, seen something, but as Flynn reminded her, they were making a wide berth of the Confederate army so as to take the Rebels on the other side of the river completely by surprise and therefore, would be well out of earshot of any activity happening
Still, something just didn't feel right.
"You should be grateful" Flynn remarked as they passed under a grove of trees covered in Spanish moss, "by all observations Colonel Porter's plan is working. As you say, we haven't seen any disturbances on the river, haven't heard the crack of gunfire in the air…we haven't had any indication that the Confederate troops are even expecting this raid to happen tonight…which is what we wanted, isn't it?"
"Yes." Lucy muttered, still anxiously turning in her saddle to glance behind her.
"Then what's the problem?" Flynn asked, shrugging. "If Montgomery can land his men safely and undetected just we cross to the far shore, it'll be a complete rout, we'll have the Rittenhouse sleeper right where we want them and the raid, along with Harriet Tubman, will be saved."
"I know, but…" once again, Lucy turned and anxiously glanced behind her, "I just…I can't shake this feeling that something is wrong." She shook her head, "I know it's silly, but I feel like…like I'm missing something. Like there's…there's something we missed, something we…we overlooked."
Flynn frowned at her thoughtfully, "You're still worried about that note, aren't you?"
"Who sent it?" Lucy asked him with a hiss, casting wary glances at the soldiers around them, lest they be overheard. "Save Harriet Tubman" – that's what it said. Why? Who would know that she was Rittenhouse's target? I mean," she added with a furtive glance at Flynn, "besides us? I mean, what if this is…"
"What?" he asked with an incredulous laugh, "a trap?" Shaking his head, he chuckled, "Why would Rittenhouse go through the trouble of grooming this Colonel Ryerson, putting him in the position he's in, setting all odds against Harriet Tubman's success…if their plan was to save her anyway?" Flynn shook his head, "Seems a bit strange…"
"Yeah." Lucy muttered, trying to shake the overwhelming sense of dread she felt since the sun had disappeared into the desolate horizon.
Maybe, Lucy thought, that was it. The sheer nothingness that surrounded them on all sides – a seemingly endless marsh bordered by a forest of gnarled and twisted trees that reached their blackened limbs towards a starless and cloudy sky. The darkness felt isolating and even in the midst of all of those soldiers she felt vulnerable…like at any minute, they would be ambushed. She had read enough in her studies about the guerilla tactics used by both Union and Confederate troops along desolate roads such as these…it was enough to make anyone feel a little paranoid.
"You said Harriet Tubman was important to the Union." Flynn remarked with a musing frown, "Wouldn't it therefore be in their best interest to keep her safe? What's so strange about that?" He shook his head at Lucy, "I understand your concern, I do…and believe me, I had the same concerns at first too." He acknowledged with a nod, "but in this case, I think you might be over-reacting."
Typically, Lucy hated being accused of "over-reacting" – especially by a man. In her mind, it was just another lame stereotypical knock against her as a woman…but, in this case, she swallowed her wounded pride and nodded as she considered Flynn's point. With Ryerson's move into the low country, it had most likely alerted Army intelligence of the risk to Harriet Tubman and this raid. Despite not being an official soldier in the Union army, her aid to the soldiers was well-known, her intel of this area, especially, was invaluable and her courage…more than admirable. It was to their benefit, therefore, to see that she remained protected. Ryerson's bold action had probably caused them great alarm, not just for the ramifications of what it meant for the campaigns planned for this area in the next month, but for their own network of spies and agents working in these parts – all of whom relied on Harriet Tubman in one way or another.
Saving her would, of course, be a priority…and one they likely communicated to anyone within range to do something about it.
"Yeah…yeah…I guess you're right." Lucy acknowledged with a weak smile, still looking completely ill at ease. "I just wish we knew without a doubt that…that she was okay."
Flynn smiled at her knowingly, "Just her?"
Smirking, Lucy replied, "Of course not. It's not that I don't think Wyatt can take care of himself…" she added with a scoff, "I know he can…I know that." She bit her lip, as she sought to ease her own anxiety, "But Flynn…it was just the two of them…against an entire army." She let out a heavy sigh as she muttered fearfully, "We should have never split up…"
"We couldn't know the raid was cancelled." Flynn reminded her. "We thought this was the better option, to cover more ground in the least amount of time." He steadied his horse to a halt and sighed, "Perhaps Wyatt and Rufus will be waiting for us at the bridge…then we can leave Colonel Porter and his men to do what they need to do and we…well, we can go back home to that cozy little bunker of ours."
Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes at Flynn's last remark. Home, though it was, that rusty old bunker was anything but cozy. Maybe if the furniture wasn't a combination of mid-century modern plastic and metal rejects from Ikea, it would be a little more tolerable. Still, it was home…and everyone in it was…well, really was her family – now, especially since her own were nothing but a bunch of world-dominating psychopaths.
As it was, however, Wyatt and Rufus were not at the bridge when they arrived nearly an hour later. It loomed before them, dark and lonely, floating just on the surface of the brackish water and while Lucy was grateful they hadn't destroyed it, their absence only made her all the more anxious.
"I'm sure they're fine." Flynn remarked, seeming to read her worried thoughts.
Unable to give any weight to her voice, Lucy merely nodded quickly as she blinked back a few tears, desperately attempting to compose herself as Colonel Porter reined in his horse next to them. "We'll make our crossing here." he said as he jerked his head towards the river, "then we'll proceed to follow the river until we get to the Middleton plantation. Colonel Montgomery's latest intelligence indicated that that was where Ryerson is holed up." He steadied his eager horse as he added, "I advise you both to take care…I cannot be responsible for your safety."
It wasn't until that moment that Lucy realized they were essentially going into battle…unarmed.
Noting her hesitancy, Flynn smirked, "What's the matter, Lucy? Never gone to war before?"
"As a matter of fact, I have." she replied, casting him a sardonic glare, "The Alamo, to be exact. Can't say that it was something I'd want to do…" she trailed off as her thoughts strayed to Wyatt – lonely, desperate, heart-broken Wyatt…ready to end it all there among his heroes. That was the moment she knew she had fallen for him – the moment when she realized that she couldn't bear to think of her life without him. It seemed so strange to her at the time, he was the reckless hothead who drove her absolutely crazy, after all…but now, she wondered how there could ever be any doubt. Wyatt, despite all of his earlier arrogance and bravado, had consistently been the one to support and defend her. First with Amy, then with Ian Fleming…and so many countless missions afterward. She knew with him she was protected, safe…and supported. When he told her that day, in the Lifeboat, he had been fired – it had terrified her, but within those battle-worn walls of the Alamo, after witnessing his self-less bravery time and time again, she knew she would be absolutely lost without him. She needed him….and there was no way she was going to leave him there to die. Flynn cleared his throat, startling her back to attention. "Oh, sorry," she replied sheepishly shaking those thoughts out of her head.
"You um…didn't like the Alamo, I take it?" Flynn remarked with a smirk.
"The battle?" she asked, turning to him, "No," she assured with a shake of her head, before adding with a sigh, "but it did have its moments, though."
"All battles do." Flynn replied as he urged his horse behind the line of soldiers already crossing the bridge.
Because the bridge was narrow and, being a pontoon bridge - not quite structurally sound, it took some time for the long line of troops to make their way across…and while Lucy was not overly eager to have front row seats to a battle, she was anxious to get to the other side of the river. Wyatt and Rufus' continued absence worried her, and she wanted nothing more than to find them both and get back home as soon as possible.
When Lucy and Flynn finally made their way across among the ambulances and munition wagons, they could hear the echoes of gunfire coming from somewhere down river.
"Montgomery" Flynn observed. "He must have landed his troops."
"It took too long to cross the bridge." Lucy lamented, "We're not going to be able to take the Confederates by surprise…especially not with Ryerson being the sleeper…he'll think the raid is…"
"He'll think the raid is going to go on as written." Flynn reminded her, "He doesn't know that we have Colonel Porter."
"That's true." Lucy acknowledged, as she gripped onto her reins tighter, "Let's just hope that's enough."
"One of mine?"
"No, one of theirs."
"You mean…? Oh…I see. Well…what do you propose we do with him?"
His head may have felt like it was literally splitting open, but Wyatt lay as still as he possibly could, desperately trying to concentrate on the hushed conversation being carried out over him. He was no longer outside, he knew that much – the feel of carpet on his face was enough testament to that fact, but how he got inside was anybody's guess. Carried? Dragged? Who knew? But he sure as hell hadn't walked in.
The irony was not lost on him that Jessica had literally and figuratively stabbed him in the back. The dull ache in his shoulder reminding him that he was a damned fool for letting his guard down, for trusting that she actually did care, that she actually was trying to save his damn life. Wyatt fully understood now the horrible sense of betrayal Lucy must have felt…hell, had been feeling since discovering her mother, her idol, was nothing more than a lying, scheming, Rittenhouse goon.
"Keep him here." came Jessica's reply, "My job was to neutralize him. I've done that."
"But Nicholas…"
"Nicholas wants him out of the way." Jessica interrupted impatiently. "I got him out of the way…but I need you to make sure he stays out of the way."
"You may or may not know this, but I'm a little busy this evening. I don't have time to babysit your problemand I don't see why I should call on my men to do it either. If Nicolas wants him out of the way…then why don't I just…"
"You touch him, you die." came Jessica's warning and from the sound of it, she had her gun drawn. "Don't think that just because you're somebody here in 1863, that I've forgotten who you really are." She scoffed, "Your father was a failure who couldn't even pull off a simple hit job…"
"That's not…"
"You should be grateful that you were given a chance to uphold your father's end of the bargain…that you and your mother weren't killed right away when your dad and your uncle both managed to screw up one simple mission."
An icy chill ran down Wyatt's spine, but it wasn't Jessica's cold-hearted tirade that had his hair standing on end, it was the oddly familiar story. He was suddenly back in that parking garage basement with that Rittenhouse sleeper who had tried to kill Agent Christopher….a man who claimed he hadn't signed up to kill anybody – had no idea that it was even part of the job. "Just an incredible adventure" he had said. Rittenhouse had bailed them out of a jam and asked for only one thing in return…and if he failed…
"Please," he had said, "I have a wife and kid in 2018…if I don't do everything Rittenhouse says, they'll kill them."
Was this the kid?
Jesus.
"I think I've more than held up my end of the bargain. I have done everything Rittenhouse has asked of me, haven't I?" he barked back at Jessica, "I graduated West Point at the top of my class, I earned the respect of my fellow soldiers, risen to the rank of Colonel, won battles…"
"Only because we put you in contact with the right people and gave you some help." Jessica reminded him hotly. "You think General Lee is walking around with a copy of the Complete History of the Civil War?" She scoffed, "Listen, Ryerson…whatever you think you've done here, has only been because Rittenhouse has allowed it. One word from me and you'll lose everything."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's a promise." she gritted back, coolly. "You know your orders. Get your men ready…and keep him here."
A heavy, resigned sigh followed this pronouncement, "Fine. I'll get one of my men to tie him up." he said finally, "We can lock him in the root cellar."
"Good." Jessica, huffed. "I need to get back…they'll be waiting for me."
Wyatt listened to their retreating footsteps and breathed out a sigh of relief. He was alone, but he knew he wouldn't be for much longer. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was in a small house of some kind….no doubt an outbuilding of the plantation home that Ryerson was using as his headquarters. The room was essentially bare, save a small desk and chair and a large stone fireplace. Using all the strength he could muster, he pushed himself off the ground and the room immediately began to swim. He faltered and fell against the wall, desperate to get his bearings as he heard the familiar cries of troops being mustered for battle.
The raid.
His thoughts immediately went to Lucy. If Rittenhouse wanted him out of the way, they must have had plans for her…and he sure as hell wasn't about to be their leverage.
He was bracing himself against the wall when the door flew up and there, in the doorway stood two Confederate soldiers, looking amazed to find him conscious. Taking advantage of their surprise, Wyatt rammed himself into them, knocking one of them out with a swift elbow to the head while tussling with the other over his rifle. His shoulder was killing him…as was his head, but pure adrenaline had him fighting like his life literally depended on it…hell, not just his life…Lucy's. With one mighty jerk of his arm, he wrenched the rifle out of the Confederate soldier's hand and swiftly knocked him out with it, stumbling out of the door only to find himself face to face with Jessica who stood before him, pointing her gun directly at him.
"Just where do you think you are going?"
Breathing heavily, Wyatt glared at her, "I'm leaving." he huffed back, "Isn't that what you said I was best at?"
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Wyatt." Jessica replied, cocking her revolver.
"Well," Wyatt grimaced as he tossed the rifle to the ground and stepped towards her, "I guess you're just going to have to kill me, then Jess…because there's no way in hell I'm going to sit by and let you Rittenhouse assholes hurt Lucy."
"No one is going to hurt her." she breathed out in exasperation. "It's her mother, for God's sake, Wyatt, she just wants her to come home."
"Lucy doesn't want to go home." Wyatt snapped back in annoyance, "I think she made that pretty clear the last two times you assholes kidnapped her." He scoffed as he tried to move past his ex-wife, "Just leave her the hell alone."
"They want you dead, Wyatt." Jessica called to him, her voice trembling with emotion. "They won't stop until one or both of you are dead."
"Well then," Wyatt sneered, as he pushed past her and started moving towards the large house, "I guess I'm just going to have to kill them first."
"Don't make me do this." Jessica warned as she gripped her gun with both hands. "I don't want to have to kill you, Wyatt."
Turning, Wyatt glared at her and scoffed, "You don't have to do anything, Jessica. If you pull that trigger," he added, nodding to the revolver in her hand, "it'll be your choice…not theirs."
"You don't understand…"
"I understand a hell of a lot more than you think." Wyatt spat out angrily, "I've fought these assholes for two damn years…they aren't the people you think they are, Jessica…and the sooner you understand that, the better off you'll be."
With an angry grunt, Jessica went to hit him with the revolver again, but this time Wyatt was ready for her. Blocking her blow, Wyatt knocked the gun out of her hand, but was rewarded for his efforts by a swift hard kick in the chest. Falling backwards, he quickly grabbed at Jessica's ankles as she dove for the gun, knocking her back to the ground, but once again, he underestimated her. No sooner had she hit the ground than she recovered via a combat roll, springing up quickly and kicking him in the face before diving once more for the revolver.
Wyatt scrambled after her, but it was too late, her hands gripped the gun and soon she was back on her feet, standing over him, "I told you" she said quietly as she took aim, "it didn't have to be this way"
Rufus looked towards the Confederate camp for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour and still, there was no sign from Wyatt. He tried to keep himself busy, handing out stockpiles of rifles Harriet Tubman had stashed throughout the marshes, but he couldn't help but feel anxious.
Something had to have gone wrong because if there was one thing Wyatt was…he was dependable.
Sure, there had been a couple of close calls – Salem, for one…but he always turned up and Rufus was sure this time would be no different. He probably just got held up…or something.
Rufus didn't want to spend too much time thinking about what that something could be, but the more time passed with absolutely nothing indicating that he had taken out the sleeper, the more concerned he became.
He was just making his way towards another slave cabin when a volley of gunfire sounded from across the river. Running towards the sound, he could see the explosions from the many rifles, could hear the faint sound of yelling and there, just beyond the bend in the river, he could make out dark smoke rising from what could only be a steam ship.
Lucy had done it….
Turning to a few of the men beside him, he could barely contain his excitement as he yelled, "This is it! The raid! It's time!" A rousing cheer went up among the men who quickly ran to arm themselves as women and children prayed their thanks to heaven aloud. For Rufus, it was surreal moment that made him feel, for the first time, like a real hero. He was going to help his fellow black Americans fight for their freedom…right alongside Harriet Tubman.
There were plenty of times Rufus really hated time travel, but sometimes…just sometimes he really loved this job.
He still hadn't received his sign from Wyatt, but given the change in circumstance, Rufus figured he might as well continue on with their plan – at least it might distract the Rebels on this side of the river enough to keep them from running to the aid of their fellows on the far side. Armed with a torch, Rufus ran up the dirt road towards the mill as officers shouted orders, mustering their confused and unprepared men to battle.
The old mill stood a good half a mile away from the camp and though Rufus was no natural runner, he sprinted down the lane, jumping over felled trees and rusted pieces of farm equipment until he had finally reached the dilapidated edifice. Its heavy doors hung on their hinges, mournfully swaying in the light breeze as if they knew it would be the last time they'd get to do so. Not wasting anymore time, Rufus wheeled back his arm and let the torch fly; it dazzled against the black sky for a moment, arcing beautifully in the air before it hit its mark and erupted into an explosion of flame and smoke.
Almost dumb with awe at how fast the fire was spreading, Rufus slowly backed away until the field next to him was consumed. With fire now facing him on two sides, he ran back as fast as he could towards the sounds of battle…except now, those sounds were considerably much closer.
At first, Rufus thought that the slaves had completely overtaken the Confederates, but when he got closer to the camp, he saw that all hell had broken loose. A confused scattering of Confederate soldiers and flag bearers seemed to be running in all directions while soldiers in blue pursued them. Horses without riders were galloping this way and that causing him to weave in and out of the road so as not to be trampled.
Ducking as a volley of gunfire sounded somewhere over his shoulder, Rufus attempted to take cover near an overturned wagon, but just as he stepped into the road, another horse reared up next to him, kicking its legs wildly as its rider sought to calm it.
"Rufus?!"
He knew that voice.
Lowering his arms from his head, Rufus looked up to see Lucy swinging down from the saddle, "Oh my God, Rufus!" she exclaimed, as she threw her arms around him in a frantic hug, "Are…are you okay?"
"I'll live" he said, eyeing the horse warily. "Is this all you?" he added pointing to the Union soldiers.
"Yeah, we were able to get some reinforcements." Lucy breathed out, "They were going to cancel the raid but Flynn and I were able to convince Colonel Porter to come along…I haven't seen Harriet Tubman though…"
"I have." Rufus stated with a nod, pulling Lucy down behind the overturned wagon for safety, "She found us…"
"Oh good, she's alive." Lucy breathed out, suddenly looking around her, "Where's Wyatt?"
"I don't know." Rufus replied honestly, "He was supposed to take out the sleeper while I helped The General arm a few of the slaves. Haven't seen him since." They both ducked their heads as another volley of gunfire sounded, "Where's Flynn?" Rufus asked when the smoke had cleared.
Lucy shrugged, "I don't know. Everything was fine until the battle started. Flynn told me to stay back with the wagons, but my horse got spooked and…well, that's when I ran into you."
"Well, I'm glad to see you Lucy…even if you did almost kill me."
"That makes two of us." Lucy breathed out, peeking her head over the top of the wagon. It was sheer pandemonium – a jumbled mess of overturned carts, ruined tents, battered flags and people…blue, grey and a whole slew of slaves – some fighting, some – the women and children – huddling together for safety. "We need to get them out of here." Lucy mumbled as she desperately looked for some way to help them escape, when her eyes landed on the steamboat chugging across the river, "There", she cried, pointing towards the river, "one of Colonel Montgomery's ships…we need to get them on board." She turned to Rufus, "Do you think we can make it?"
Before Rufus could answer however, Lucy was already ducking across the road, running to the next wagon, "Lu…Lucy!" Rufus hissed as he trailed after her, "You're gonna get us both killed!"
"The fighting is moving that way, Rufus." She breathed out before urging him on again, "Come on!" Skirting their way across ground already fought over, Lucy and Rufus made their way towards the huddled mass of women and children, clinging to one another as they looked on with fear at the raging fire just beyond the battle. Encouraging them forward, Lucy stood with her arms extended, directing them across the road to a waiting Rufus who further directed them towards the steam ship now docked quietly along the shore.
Once all were safely across, Lucy worked her way to the front of the group next to Rufus, both of them assembling the women and children together for a more orderly advance to the boat when several gun shots whizzed past her head to the boat beyond. A panicked scream arose from the group, all of them ducking down to the ground as several more shots rang out above them until a bullet finally hit a munitions cache on deck, causing it to explode before them with a force that had them all falling back into the road in terror. Lucy stumbled backwards, gripping Rufus' arm, her face agape at the ruined and flaming boat before her, "Wha…no….this is…this how they are supposed to…"
"Oops."
Lucy froze as the familiar voice of Emma Whitmore sounded behind her. Stunned, horrified, and almost paralyzed with fear, not just for herself – but for the women and children around her, Lucy slowly turned to see her red-headed nemesis smirking at her. "I was aiming for you…honest." she claimed in a mocking tone.
Not wanting to give her the satisfaction of a response, Lucy began shielding the women and children behind her, staring back at Emma's haughty face with a determination that she hoped communicated her resolve to protect those people with everything she had…which granted, since she was unarmed, wasn't much.
Seeing this, Emma laughed heartily. "Relax, princess. I'm not here for them." she sighed heavily before aiming her gun back at Lucy and turning serious again, "I'm here for you…let's go."
Bedraggled and dirty, Lucy stumbled up the stairs of the plantation house, her feet tangling up in her long skirts as Emma pushed her forward. Rufus did his best to try to keep her steady, holding onto her arm as they climbed, but on the last stair, Lucy tumbled to the porch, her knees quaking at the thought of what awaited them inside.
"You okay?" Rufus whispered as he helped her up, but Lucy merely brushed herself off and offered him a curt nod in return. She was not okay. Not even a little bit. Once again, she was in Rittenhouse's hands and this raid, as far as she knew…was failing. With Emma destroying one of Colonel Montgomery's ships, the slaves could not be transported safely across the Combahee and onto freedom. History had changed…and with Rittenhouse now holding the upper hand, she feared what the consequences might mean for the future.
They had barely crossed the threshold of the front door when they were met by a relieved Carol Preston who rushed to Lucy and wrapped her up in a tight embrace, "Oh thank God you're okay."
"Mom." Lucy responded flatly.
"Oh Lucy, I was so worried about you." Carol Preston continued as she pulled away from her daughter and began caressing her cheek, "You could have been killed…"
"I almost was, actually." Lucy replied with a side long glance at Emma, who had just brushed past the two of them and made her way into the ornate front room beyond. "No thanks to Emma."
"If I wanted to kill you, Princess." Emma replied, tossing her head to the side, "you would already be dead."
"Enough, Emma." Carol warned ushering Lucy further into the hall where Nicolas was having a heated conversation with a Confederate officer…the sleeper…Lucy supposed…but then, where was Wyatt? Exchanging a concerned look with Rufus, Lucy attempted to listen in…
"…I thought there wasn't going to be a raid! You told me that my objective was to…"
"Your objective was to move into the low country and present a threat," Nicholas reminded him coldly, "a threat that would jeopardize every campaign from now until the fall of Vicksburg."
"I don't understand…I did everything you asked me to do. My men trusted me…and we were ambushed. Colonel Porter is out there right now destroying my army."
Lucy couldn't help but smile with pride at that statement, happy to be the means by which Rittenhouse failed. But her moment of satisfaction was short-lived for no sooner had she inwardly congratulated herself for one small victory against her family, then Nicholas acknowledged her, "Well, Ryerson," he stated calmly, "I believe you have Lucy to thank for that…doesn't he, my dear?"
"If you mean I'm the one who got Colonel Porter to assist Colonel Montgomery, then you're right." she sneered unapologetically, "I did."
Nicholas grinned and nodded to her mother, "You were right, Carol. I'm impressed."
Lucy felt her mother's hand on her back, caressing it the way she always did when she was having a "proud mom" moment and immediately Lucy felt uncomfortable. Looking at the two of them in confusion, she couldn't help but ask, "What…why…why are you impressed?"
"Only because you did exactly what I thought you would, dear." Carol beamed proudly. "We set the stage and you, why you executed the plan perfectly. You see," she added with a bracing hug, "you really are one of us."
Lucy shook her head, "No….no…I…"
"Colonel Horace Porter, or as I always referred to him," Nicolas interrupted with a smile, "Uncle Horace was my father's brother."
Lucy gaped at him in horror as she remembered with a pang of sickness that Colonel Porter had told her she reminded him of his aunt. "You mean…" she shook her head, still not fully understanding what was happening.
"Yes, Lucy." Carol breathed out, still beaming with pride, "he's your Uncle too. A direct descendent of the Rittenhouse line."
"No," Lucy argued, "no…he came here to save Harriet Tubman."
"Indeed, he did." Nicolas stated proudly, "Don't tell me you honestly think that we would have seen someone as important as Harriet Tubman thrown on the scrap pile of history?"
"Why not?" Lucy countered angrily, "You did it to Alice Paul."
"Feminists are a dime a dozen." Nicholas dismissed, "But Harriet Tubman, well…she's a true hero. Lucy," he sighed heavily, "How many times do I have to explain this to you? Ours is a delicate operation…we don't rule by force or tyranny…not overtly anyway…"
As Nicholas went into one of his lectures…lectures she had heard so many times before…her mind began to drift to a sitting room, not unlike the one before her…and a boy…a boy who casually explained to her how peasants were no more capable of choosing their path than the hands of a clock. They were unknowingly manipulated and controlled by the clockmaker…by Rittenhouse.
"…if we were to rule with an iron fist, after all," Nicholas continued, "it would cause resentment, uprising. That isn't to say an iron fist isn't sometimes necessary to re-exert control…but it's so much easier when one can turn the tide of public opinion to their will through acts of benevolence and charity. Why, people downright love you for it. They feel safe, protected, cared for."
Lucy shook her head, "No. No…this isn't. It's tyranny disguised as…."
"And if the people are happy and content? What does it matter?" Nicholas argued, "We are saving the world from unnecessary strife. The entire Union army will be talking of Porter's courageous last-minute rescue of Harriet Tubman who had been besieged by the formidable army of Colonel Ryerson. Further, the capture of Ryerson's army will give him just the clout he needs to challenge Grant for commander of the Army of the Potomac next year…and later the Presidency."
Lucy gasped, "Why? He…I mean…he…his Presidency was…"
"Full of scandal, yes." Nicholas mused. "Grant might have been easily duped into positioning our people within his administration, but his trusting ignorance emboldened too many fools." He scoffed angrily, "The consolidation of our power and influence became too obvious…and it resulted in embarrassment and yes, scandal." Nicholas added with a shake of his head, "Scandal that ultimately forced Uncle Horace to turn down that lucrative offer from Gould." He sighed heavily, "That was a great loss for our family…we can change that now, thanks to you."
"Wait a minute" Colonel Ryerson argued, looking completely betrayed, "Are you telling me that you sent my men here to die so that Colonel Porter could become President instead of Grant?"
"No, no…of course not." Nicholas said soothingly before pulling out a gun and shooting Colonel Ryerson point blank in the face. "I sent you here to die." Lucy startled backwards with a yelp of horror as the soldier teetered for a moment and fell to the floor, the blood from his wound already forming a puddle at her feet.
"What the hell did you shoot him for?" Rufus exclaimed as Nicholas looked up at him in surprise.
"Ah, yes…the pilot?" he asked as he looked at a nodding Emma for confirmation. "Excellent, wonderful to have you along." He picked up his hat and coat, looking completely unconcerned as he explained, "I'm afraid Ryerson has outlived his usefulness. We placed him here as a child for pity sake. I'm actually quite amazed he's accomplished as much as he has…given his family…but now that he's done his job, I have no further need of him. And as you see…" he remarked as he stepped over Ryerson's dead body, "he had forgotten his place. If he had been outside with his troops, he might very well still be alive."
"Oh yeah," Rufus muttered casting a wary glance towards Lucy, "It was totally his fault."
They were just making their way to the door when a blonde woman Lucy vaguely recognized stepped through it, announcing, "That fire is getting close, it's already taken over the back room of the house." Her eyes fell on the dead Ryerson and she started, "What happened to him?"
"Nevermind him." Nicolas barked, "Where have you been? We've been waiting for you for a half an hour, at least."
The woman cast a stony glare at Lucy, nothing but hate in her eyes as she muttered curtly, "There were…complications."
"But did you…."
"I took care of it." she gritted out angrily. "He won't be an issue."
Lucy's eyes widened in realization as she took in the woman before her. "Je…Jessica?" she gasped, hardly believing that she had not immediately recognized her for who she was…though she had only ever laid eyes on her through the grainy black and white surveillance photos Agent Christoper had provided. But what was she doing here?
"Well, this is awkward." Emma sneered, but Lucy didn't feel any shame or embarrassment about the situation…because there was something else far more pressing on her mind.
Her eyes had fallen on an unmistakable streak of blood on Jessica's dress, and that sight – that sickening sight superseded every other feeling with an overwhelming sense of panic and dread, "Where is he?" she demanded, choking back tears, "What did you do?"
"What's it to you?" Jessica sneered, "He's my husband." Lucy stared back at her, wanting to tear her to pieces…and she may very well had done if her mother and Emma weren't holding her back as she attempted to claw her way towards the haughty and cold woman standing before her.
"Where's Wyatt?!" Lucy screamed, her tears streaming down her face now even as her mother cooed in her ear.
"Lucy, Lucy…Look at yourself." she tutted as her daughter sobbed in her arms, still fighting against her, "Chasing after a married man. Sweetheart," she soothed, "you could do so much better."
"No!" Lucy screeched as they began to move in concert towards the door, taking both herself and Rufus as prisoner. The flames were all around them now, licking at the edge of the house, as if tasting it before consuming it whole. Union troops were ushering slaves towards the direction of the pontoon bridge while the remaining Confederate troops seemed to be attempting to quench the fire in the fields.
"We must hurry." Nicholas urged as they rushed down the steps, but Lucy had finally broken free of her mother's grip and was now wrestling with Emma on the steps of the burning house, attempting to wrench the gun out of her hand. Rufus quickly joined the fray, eager to help his friend, but he was soon roughly cast aside by Nicholas who threw him towards Jessica. "Keep a gun on him." he barked as twisted Lucy's arm free of its grip on Emma's wrist and dragged her down the stairs. "You, young lady…are a total disgrace to this family." he growled as he dragged her across the yard.
"I hope I am." Lucy gritted back, ripping her arm free of his grip and spitting at him.
Furious, Nicholas took two strides towards her and slapped her hard across the face knocking her to the ground. "Get up" he ordered, but Lucy lay there, holding her bleeding lip, refusing to comply. "Alright," Nicholas spat out as he rolled up his sleeves, "I guess it's time I taught you about a little thing called respect.
Wyatt stumbled to the ground, gripping his bleeding side. He had tried to wrench her gun away, but she had got the better of him. He had not anticipated that she could fight as well as he could…and dammit, because it was her, he could not bring himself to be the aggressor. Instead, he acted defensively, blocking her many blows, until she exploited his injury and well, shot him.
He struggled to get back to his feet, desperate to save Lucy if he could…he might not be able to fight, but by God he could shoot…and he'd kill every last one of those Rittenhouse assholes if he needed to…yes, he thought to himself, even Jessica.
His eyes and lungs burned from the smoke billowing all around him as he staggered his way, borrowed gun in hand, through a literal inferno. Coughing and wheezing, he tripped along a path leading towards the river next to the big plantation house that was currently consumed in flames. Dragging himself towards the front lawn, he could hear voices and he hoped that maybe…just maybe…Oh God. He leaned against the portico, blinking hard as he fought against his own body - his hand shoved in his jacket attempting to stem the flow of blood.
This was bad.
It was then that he saw her, silhouetted against a backdrop of flame…Lucy - fighting hard against a man Wyatt immediately recognized as the insane asshole who was somehow her great grandfather. He stumbled forward, swaying dangerously when, with a rush of cold fury, he saw him strike her hard across the face, forcing her to the ground. Every rational thought left his mind at that sight. Charging forward, even though he was in no condition to do so, Wyatt raced towards her, but not before the sonofabitch grabbed her by the arm and hit her again.
"Pick on someone your own size, asshole." Wyatt growled plowing into him and knocking him away from her.
"Wyatt!"
Lucy half screamed, half sobbed for him as he fought Nicholas Keynes, landing blow after blow against her great grandfather, but it was clear to her that he was injured and…badly. She scrambled to get to him, only to have Emma roughly grab her by the arms and hoist her up and away from the two men. Wyatt landed two or three good blows to Nicholas before his injuries again, caused him to lose the upper hand. Nicholas, taking note of Wyatt's bleeding side, concentrated his attention there causing Wyatt to stumble onto the ground, howling in pain.
It was painfully obvious Wyatt was not going to get back and up and Lucy, desperate to protect him, kicked hard against Emma, knocking her back away from her giving her the very chance she needed to make a run for Wyatt just as Nicholas stood over him, his gun drawn. "Fine," he spat out, straightening himself up, "I'll do it myself."
He had just taken aim when Lucy pushed him away and flung herself over Wyatt, shakingly grabbing the gun that was now lying by his side. With trembling hands, she pointed it up at her great grandfather, "Leave him alone." she gritted out through her tears.
The sound of a gunshot split the air and for one horrifying moment Lucy thought she had failed, that Nicolas had in fact, killed Wyatt…but no sooner had she let out a gasp then she saw her great grandfather wince and turn the other direction as blood began seeping out of his shoulder.
"Flynn!" Lucy screamed, seeing him duck behind a tree, gun in hand.
With Nicholas' attention now on Garcia Flynn and the rest of the group desperately seeking a safe distance from the flames closing in around them, Lucy hoisted a wheezing Wyatt up and braced him under her shoulder, "Come on, Wyatt…let's go."
Holding onto her, Wyatt readily complied, using her as a crutch as they limped their way across the lawn while Flynn traded shots with Nicholas Keynes. Once safely situated away from the firefight, Lucy set Wyatt down next to an overturned wagon and immediately began ripping off strips off her skirts to bind his many wounds. "Wyatt…" she sobbed, "I'm…I'm so…so sorry."
"No, Lucy." he groaned as she began to tightly wrap strips of cloth around his waist, "I'm sorry…I…"
"Shhhh…" she hushed him, "it's okay, it's okay…"
But it wasn't okay. Wyatt was clearly suffering. Sweaty and pale, she knew he needed to get back home and fast…
"I'm…I'm going to try to get Rufus." she breathed out, seeing him across the lawn, pinned to Jessica's side practically surrounded by a wall of flame. But as Lucy moved to make her way across the yard, Wyatt grabbed her arm and pulled her back down just as the porch of the enormous house collapsed in a fiery heap. The ruined house fell in on itself, spilling its burning skeleton across the yard, absolutely cutting them off from everyone else…except Garcia Flynn who was currently racing towards them, cradling his own bloody arm.
"Rufus!" Lucy yelled, once again trying to make her way towards him, but it was too late. Nicholas had him by the collar and was dragging him off in the opposite direction toward the remaining line of Confederate troops still desperately trying to put out the fire.
"Go" she heard him yell to Jessica who was standing across the clearing staring at her, "Go, we have their pilot…go!"
"It's okay." Flynn reminded Lucy as he limped up beside her, "We've got the auto-pilot, remember?" He looked down at Wyatt and frowned, "Nicholas Keynes?"
"No, Jessica." he gritted out, before adding with a derisive grunt, "Figures, right?"
An unreadable expression flitted across Flynn's face before he sighed and asked heavily, "Can you walk?"
"No." Wyatt grunted out, looking absolutely pained to admit it, "Not without help."
Without a word, Flynn draped Wyatt's arm around his shoulder while Lucy mimicked it on the other side, both of them working together to get Wyatt home to safety. It was clear however, as they walked on, that Wyatt was struggling. His feet were dragging and his weight became more and more of a burden for even the two of them to bear. By the time they reached the pontoon bridge, still choked with the last of the slaves and Union soldiers desperately trying to cross, Wyatt was urging them both to stop.
"I can't…I can't…"
"We only have…." Lucy swallowed hard, knowing that it was another good mile or two to where they had hidden the LifeBoat from where they currently were, "we're almost there, Wyatt…we can find a wagon or…" desperate, she raced up to a nearby Union soldier, "please, you have to help us, he's…he's injured…"
"If you can get across the river, we can tend to him in the ambulance, Miss" he replied, "but I'd advise you to hurry," he said with a nod toward the trees, "them Rebs are regrouping and we're gonna need to blow this bridge."
"O…okay," Lucy nodded breathlessly, before turning back to Wyatt, "He said they can help you…we just need to…"
"Lucy," he grunted out in pain as he looked at her seriously, "I'm not gonna make it."
One look at him and she knew…she knew that he was right. He was deathly pale now and shaking furiously, but she would not accept it, "Yes, you will Wyatt" she gritted out, "they've got an ambulance…they can help you." but even as she said it, she knew it was pointless. Wyatt had lost too much blood and this was the 19th century…
A rousing shout from the trees, had Lucy sucking in sharp breath of panic. "They're coming," Wyatt observed as he fumbled for his gun. "You need to get those people to safety."
"No," Lucy gritted out angrily, "no Wyatt…I'm not leaving you." Desperate, she cupped his face and kissed him hard on the lips, petting his hair out of his eyes as she looked at him with pleading eyes and promised, "I'm staying with you."
"Lucy," he whispered, as he caressed her face with his bloody hand, "your job is to protect history. My job is to protect you." he nodded at her seriously, his eyes searching hers, "Let me do my job…ma'am."
That word…that one word was enough to communicate everything in the world she and Wyatt were to each other - taking her back to the very first day they met. The annoyance, the respect…the endearment – all wrapped up in that one little word that only he could call her.
And never would again.
Devastated at the thought of losing him, Lucy cried desperately, yanking at his shirt in a frantic attempt to get him back on his feet, "No, Wyatt…please," she begged, crying, "Please...I love you."
"And I love you, Lucy Preston." he replied softly, covering her hand with his as she sobbed bitterly into his shoulder. "Which is why I need you to go now."
Lucy shook her head against him, determined to stay right where she was when an unearthly shout sounded from the road. Lifting her head, Lucy could see the remains of Ryerson's once proud force racing towards the bridge only a few hundred yards away.
"Lucy!" Wyatt gritted out sitting up slightly as if in anticipation for another fight, "Go…go now!"
"No…No…"
"Flynn," Wyatt shouted as Lucy gripped onto his shirt harder, "get her the hell out of here!"
Flynn who had been quietly standing by, dutifully marched towards Lucy's small figure and with his good arm, hoisted her up and away from Wyatt.
"No!" she screamed, flailing against him even as he carried her across the bridge. She watched helplessly as Wyatt positioned himself right at the entrance, as if determined not to let one Rebel soldier through until Lucy and Flynn were safely across and the bridge was blown. She fought in vain against Flynn, but he absolutely refused to relinquish his tight grip on her, wordlessly carrying out Wyatt's last request with a frustrating sense of duty that Lucy knew he would have never adhered to in any other circumstance at any other time.
Only until they had reached the other side of the river did he release his grip, but it was too late. The detonations sounded, ominous and foreboding and as Lucy tumbled out of Flynn's arms and raced back toward the ruined bridge there was nothing more for her to do than collapse on the shore and cry bitterly over everything she had lost.
Notes:
DON'T PANIC.
Believe me, writing this chapter was EXTREMELY difficult because Wyatt is my favorite and oh heavens, I did not want to do that...but, I HAD TO. Again, if you haven't figured out why yet, you will know in the next chapter and it's all tied to the Flynn problem.
But that's for next chapter's notes...now for this chapter.
Let's start with Colonel Horace Porter - he's an actual person, did serve in Grant's cabinet, did turn down the lucrative blackmail offer from Gould...and was never implicated in any wrong doing. That made him stand out like a sore thumb for me. LOL.
As I said last time, I wanted some kind of connection to the things Flynn did in S1 to the storyline in S2. I knew I wanted The General to be the big show down scene..again because it's the Civil War and I kinda like the metaphor there in regards to Rittenhouse versus the time team and I also knew that because Jessica wasn't coming into the bunker...we weren't going to have a Chinatown. Knowing that, I tried to look for a connection from S1 to the Civil War...and of course, it's the Lincoln episode and Flynn wanting to kill Grant.
Grant himself wasn't a bad guy...he just trusted the wrong people...and so I started looking at who he put into his administration and as I said Porter stood out like a sore thumb. But that's not all. As I looked up Colonel Porter, I noticed that his father's name was David RITTENHOUSE Porter...and well, I knew then I had found my guy. I'm sure in real life he was probably fine. I mean, he did have the integrity to not take a bribe (even though I'm using that against him in this story - lol) but the familial connection to Rittenhouse was just too goo to pass up. He wasn't around the South Carolina Region during this time...so I took a little poetic license there...but he wasn't really doing anything either...just prepping for the battle of Chickamauga in the Fall of 1863- so I brought him over here with the story that he was about to head West...which is pretty much what he was doing at this time in real life...heading out West for those Tennessee campaigns.
I did a little twist on the Ryerson story just to add interest. We hear about that sleeper and his wife and child for a little blurb in the Reagan episode and then he dies...and knowing what we know about Rittenhouse, you have to wonder...did they actually kill his wife and child or would they have used them to their advantage? So, I had the kid be a sleeper (ala the Hollywood episode)...because for Ryerson to lead a Confederate army would have had to have been pretty young to gain the trust of all of the military and political folks around him to get that position...even with his cheat sheet. The South, especially, was not short on officers...the North was. The US Army - pre-Civil War was no kidding like 90% Southern - this is an OVER SIMPLIFICATION, but a factor of why it took so long for the Union to get their act together and start winning battles.
The other thing I did here was beef up Nicholas Keynes. It BUGS ME to this day that this big bad that we were introduced to in the first episode did nothing more than paint, eat pickled eggs, flirt with Emma and get shot in the face. I thought he was going to be this formidable force...and I TOTALLY expected a show down between him and Wyatt...and it didn't happen. So, I gave him a little more oomph and had him fight with Wyatt because I feel in my bones that he should have been a bigger threat than he was.
This chapter has been hanging over my head since I plotted this fic...(again, I'll go into more detail why I did it this way in the chapter's notes) and as I said last time - it's a big reason why I put this fic on the back burner. I didn't want to do it...I didn't want to write it out...and then to have COVID come on the scene and some personal things pop up in my own life it was just one of those..."yeah, not today" kind of situations. You all might be cursing me right now, but I promise you a happy ending. So cling to that...don't send me hate mail. The next chapter is ALMOST done and it SHOULD be the last one...I MAY split it if it gets TOO long, but I promise you - there are blue skies on the horizon. SO keep your chins up and thank you so so so very much for patiently sticking with this story and bearing with me.
