Eight

Maddy manages to locate the camp where Solomon's family is when she finds their names in the manifest. She makes the appropriate phone calls immediately and it only takes an hour for her to ensure that they will be on the next available flight to New York. When Maddy tells Solomon the news, his eyes light up and he is moved almost to the point of tears. The sincerity in his voice makes Maddy's heart swell and she reminds him that it was the least she could have done for him.

She leaves Solomon to enjoy the news in his own space on the plane. She returns to her seat, and much to her surprise, Archer is awake and looking out the window.

"You found his family, huh?" His eyes are still fixed on the scenery on the other side of the circular window.

"I did, yes," she nods. "They'll be together within the next couple of weeks, maybe even sooner if the rush I put on their passports is approved."

"How's your hero complex doing right now?" He turns to face her.

"I didn't do it to feel proud of myself," she tells him. "I did it for Solomon."

"And for peace and all that mumbo-jumbo, right?"

"Archer, if you're going to be a jerk again, I'm going to sit at the front of the plane by myself."

He scoffs. "Go on then, Miss Bowen, I'm not stopping you."

"You should be happy that Solomon will get to be with his wife and children again," she says as she gets up.

"I'm glowing for him," he answers flatly.

"How would you feel if you were taken from your family?" She snaps harshly.

Archer looks up at her. His stoic indifference to the situation turns quickly into sadness and even more quickly into anger as the last images of his brutalized parents come crashing back into the forefront of his mind. He swallows hard. His chest feels heavy. Maddy sees the instant change in him and she can't believe what she just said — she threw the fact that he does not have any family at all back in his face in the cruelest way. She sits back down and goes to hold Archer's clenched fist, but he yanks his entire arm away. He's sitting rigidly at the edge of his seat now, like an animal that has just been threatened.

"Archer, I'm sorry," she says gently. "I'm so sorry."

"For a journalist," he hisses as he gets up hurriedly, "you're pretty fucking careless with your words, huh."

"Archer, I wasn't thinking," she apologizes. "Please sit down, I'm sorry."

He punches the headrest of the seat in front of him as he pushes past Maddy's knees. He regrets agreeing to come to New York and, just for a second, he even regrets getting Maddy to safety after she was shot. He feels a twinge of shame for having such a morbid thought, but he is so angry that he isn't thinking straight. Archer doesn't know how to handle thinking about his parents again. He usually battles the memories with alcohol and cigarettes, but he has neither at his disposal and that only fuels his rage. His sober consciousness is making him more volatile than usual.

He storms to the front of the plane and throws himself down in the free seat in front of Solomon. He's sweating. His nails are digging into his palms. His teeth are clenched so tightly that he fears they will crack. His temples are throbbing. He needs something to shoot, something to break, something to destroy. He lets out a strained exhale that sounds almost like a growl and that's enough to prompt Solomon out of his seat.

"Mister Archer," he says quietly. "What is the matter?"

"Fuck off, a'right?" he snaps instantly, whipping his head around to look at the black man.

"Mister Archer…"

"I said fuck off, Solomon!" Archer yelps.

He punches the back of his seat and his fist almost goes through it. Solomon is startled at the show of aggression and he sits back down. He doesn't wish to further anger Archer. Maddy hears Archer hit his seat and she gets up and goes over to him.

"Archer," she sighs carefully as she kneels down in the aisle beside his seat. "Archer, I didn't mean what I said."

"Maddy, please," he responds. He sounds urgent, desperate almost. "Go back to your seat and leave me alone for the rest of the flight."

"I'm not going to leave you alone," she answers with a shake of her head. "I want to resolve this now before we land."

"You fucking Americans are really thick," he turns to look at her, "you know that? Especially you, Maddy."

"Archer, you don't mean that," her voice trembles lightly as she speaks.

"Don't tell me what I do and do not mean, a'right? Because you have no fucking idea, you just think you do."

Solomon doesn't like the way he's treating Maddy and he gets up again, this time joining Maddy in the aisle. "Mister Arche—"

Like a tiger going in for the kill, Archer bolts up from his seat and lunges over to grab Solomon by the collar of his shirt. Maddy scrambles up to her feet and stands just in time for Archer's tight fist to connect with her cheek. She falls back into the wall of the plane with a loud enough thud to draw attention from the pilots.

"What's going on back there?" One asks loudly.

"Fucking Christ almighty," Archer breathes.

"What is going on?" The pilot repeats.

"Nothing!" Archer spits.

He lets go of Solomon's shirt with a bit of a shove. He drops to his knees and pulls Maddy up into his arms. He grabs her chin to steady her head to see what damage he caused her. Her eyelids flutter as she tries to focus on Archer's face.

"Are you happy now?" Archer grits his teeth.

Maddy squeezes her eyes closed. Big tears roll down the sides of her cheeks.

"Get me a fucking towel or something," Archer turns to look back at Solomon, who darts to the back of the plane to the restroom.

He returns with a handful of small, rolled up hand towels. Archer grabs one and shakes it open before using it to wipe the blood from her face as he cradles her head in the bend of his arm. He doesn't know where his punch connected and he doesn't know where the blood is coming from. Her nose? Her mouth? Her cheek? He dabs the bright red substance gently and Maddy hisses when he touches her cheek. He sees that he's split her cheek open and a swell of guilt explodes in his stomach.

"Christ, Maddy," he shakes his head.

"Were you… were you trying to knock some sense into me?" Maddy hiccups between ragged breaths.

"Ja maybe I was," he responds as he juts his jaw out for a moment. "Did it work?"

"I guess we'll h-have to wait and see."