"Great, now hand over the communicator," Josh says dryly.
"You'll want to toss that, too. Definitely bugged," Curran says though the tone of his voice indicates that he couldn't care less. He tells Mark to drop him off wherever it's convenient, and Mark pulls over abruptly. "Didn't mean it that literally, man," Curran says. "But whatever. I respect you holding up your end of the bargain and not killing me, especially after what I said about your sister and-"
"I get it," Mark cuts him off harshly and Maddy eyes them curiously. "You don't need to spell it out for me that I'm a better man than you could ever dream of being. I'm not personally killing you, but when you die just know I put one of the nails in your coffin for threatening my family. And one for Ken."
Curran quirks his eyebrows, visibly confused by Mark's words.
Josh slides open the door and pushes him out, leaning him against a brick wall. "Aren't you gonna untie me?" Curran asks, his voice wavering. "Can't you at least give me a rebreather back?"
"Why make it harder for Recruitment?" Josh asks. "They can use all the help they can get, amirite?"
"What … what do you mean?"
Josh holds up the communicator, waving it in the air with a smirk. "Traceable you said?" He tosses it out, landing just out of reach near Curran.
Mark looks back at him. "We're not personally going to kill you for the path of destruction you've left in your wake for god knows how long," he says. "But we're handing you over to Recruitment for all of your crimes this time. They'll know what you've done, including lost their greatest asset – may Maddy rest in peace."
Maddy grins at the look of horror on Curran's face.
"You ... you can't do this!" he stutters.
"Have fun in jail, Curran," Maddy says. "I'm sure there are quite a few old friends you'll get to reconnect with there, yeah? Only … hmm, I suppose some of them may not be too happy to see you, you know, since you turned them in to save yourself."
"You said you wouldn't kill me!" Curran spits.
Josh grabs the door handle to slide it closed. "We don't have any weapons," he shrugs. "And don't bother going back on your lie about Maddy's death. They have no reason to believe you now, and we'll be in Terra Nova before they realize they can't find the body." The door is slammed shut on Curran's stuttering pale face, and the four drive off.
Maddy isn't entirely sure how she is supposed to feel right now, and given the silence in the car, she is certain the others feel the same way. There isn't any outright rejoicing. There aren't any concluding comments or expressions of relief. It's silent. Do they even have a plan as to where to hide out until the morning now? Before Maddy can pose her question to the group, Mark reaches across the space between them and grabs her hand, giving it a soft squeeze.
They'll figure out what's next, because they're together.
For the first time since she ran into Curran with Emily in that café which, somehow, was only this morning, Maddy breathes deeply. She's no longer ridden with guilt – that's how she feels. There are still uncertainties that lie ahead, and they haven't completely gotten away yet, but already Maddy feels free. She feels okay.
She also can't remember the last time she's ridden in a real car and is enjoying peering through the window. "Wait," she breaks the silence. "Pull over for a second? Trust me."
Mark looks around before pulling over just before an alleyway not unlike the one where they almost lost their lives, where they lost Ken. Maddy reaches in the back and gathers up the rebreathers from the soldiers, instructing her siblings to go through their other supplies. Once they have a nice collection of top-of-the-line rebreathers, blankets, and basic freeze-dried food found through various compartments of the car, Maddy tells the rest to wait in place. Arms full, she flies out of the car toward some people huddled in the alley.
"Ma'am?" Maddy addresses a woman who, upon nearing her, Maddy realizes can't be much older than herself. The girl looks at her bewildered at being addressed with such basic respect. "I thought you could use this," she hands her a rebreather. The young woman had previously had a scarf tied around her face and has let it fall down, her mouth hanging open. "I have more … if you have friends."
The homeless woman beckons some others over. An older man, a younger man. Two little girls. A woman with a baby in her arms. She and Maddy distribute the goods, Maddy smiling harder than she has in a long, long time when she helps the woman wrap the baby in a fresh blanket and hands her a bottle of clean water. "Mia angelo," the woman says in a hoarse voice. "Sei il mia angelo, tesoro." My angle. You are my angel, honey.
Maddy grins before responding in Italian, much to the mother's delight. "Essere al sicuro là fuori." Stay safe out here. They embrace before Mark starts tapping on the window, getting Maddy's attention.
Maddy turns to leave when someone calls out, asking why she has come to their aid. "Sono donazioni. Dal signor Ken Foster," Maddy says, before getting in the car and driving off.
In the car, Josh squeezes her shoulder comfortingly. "And that is why your mom's favorite," he jokes.
"It wasn't about me," Maddy replies. "I told them they were donations. From Mr. Ken Foster." Mark sighs and reaches for her hand again but says nothing.