See Chapter 80 for season 3 notes. Please enjoy and here are individual responses to reviews. Please continue to review. Feedback really helps and is very much appreciated:
Ghostwriter: Yeah, things are definitely happening. I think Fiona is probably gone, but she certainly set some sinister things in motion. Glad you're enjoying!
Grace5231973: Yep, Vance got sucked back in. Suppose it would be hard with a mystery like this. Yeah, some things don't exactly work here with the character changes. Glad you liked the changes. Glad you're enjoying!
Sexystarwarslover: Glad you're enjoying it so much! I miss Manifest too. Yeah 84 days is a long time to be apart. Yeah Egan is something else for sure. Yeah, a little different how they got the house here. Yeah, it's sad for Bella, even though her Mom was not a good person. Yep, David saved Kory's brother and Vance is seemingly back in control. Should be interesting. Glad you're enjoying again!
Sorry for the delay on this one. I took a long hiatus from this story, but hopefully, I can update more frequently.
Lightning in a Bottle
Chapter 84: Tailspin, Pt 1
Nine weeks. Nine long weeks away from Margaret, Henry, and Eden and he was just about at his wits end. The separation was wearing on his wife too. She was getting along with her father and they truly seemed to be mending their broken relationship, but they missed each other terribly. He still had Margaret supporting him and grounding him, but it wasn't quite the same as her being here and he could have used her gentle understanding at this moment, as he looked at his glowing hand again.
"Everything okay?" Emma asked.
"It's happening again…lighting up like a Christmas tree," David replied, as he showed her his hand.
"What do you think it means?" she asked. He shook his head.
"I don't know…it sounds insane, but I can feel the tailfin. It's like it's calling to me," he explained.
"What aren't you telling me?" she asked. He sighed.
"I called Vance and he's sending a car for me," David replied. Her eyes widened.
"Nine weeks of radio silence and he's suddenly sending you a car?" she asked.
"I told him about my hand," he confessed.
"David! He's working for the NSA again. They see this and you're a lab rat!" she exclaimed.
"He endangered his life to save mine. He's not going to let that happen," David insisted.
"David…" she started to protest.
"No matter who he works for…I trust him," David replied.
"And I trust you…that's why I told you where I'll be. Just in case," he said. She nodded.
"Be careful…MM expects you to be in one piece when she gets home," Emma replied. He smiled and kissed her forehead, before getting ready to leave.
"Hi, Mom," Olive said, as she answered her phone.
"Hi, honey. Excited for prom? Which dress did you settle on?" Margaret asked.
"I'm actually gonna skip it," Olive replied. Margaret frowned.
"What? Are you sure?" she asked.
"I doubt I'm missing much," Olive answered.
"I know you bought those tickets for you and TJ, but you might regret not going. It is prom," Margaret urged.
"I barely see those people anymore," Olive said.
"Yeah, but that's the point. One last rager," Margaret replied.
"Rager?" Olive questioned. Margaret winced.
"Not still a thing?" she asked.
"No, nobody says that," Olive replied, as she saw a car pull up from the window.
"Dad, your badass carriage awaits," she called. David grabbed his things.
"All right. Wish me luck," he said, as he left and Olive went back to talking to her Mom.
David got into the car and noticed that it was Vince, the man that had accompanied them to Cuba and then made sure he got out.
"Have you seen him?" he asked, as Vince drove and there was no answer.
"I'm assuming he's all right," David said and still nothing. He rolled his eyes.
"All right, how about this one. Where exactly are you taking me?" he asked. Nothing again, but his question was answered, as they pulled up to a plain looking building that
looked like an old factory or warehouse.
"You really think the tailfin is here? Just hiding in plain sight?" Vince asked, as he looked at the building. Vance came out of the building just as another car pulled up to drop
Regina off.
"Unmarked buildings, inconspicuous heavy security. Sounds about right," David said.
"What, you don't call, you don't write…" David said to Vance's stoic face.
"Regina, why don't you head inside? Mary at the security desk will take your phone and ID," Vance said. She did so, leaving Vance and David alone.
"All you had to do is sit tight and trust that I had things handled," Vance hissed.
"I couldn't let you rot in a Cuban prison," David insisted.
"You can't imagine the things I've answered for. So thanks for the favor, but I didn't need it. Anything you see, anything you learn is highly classified, never to be shared
beyond these walls," Vance warned.
"Is the tailfin here?" David asked. He nodded.
"Along with a confluence of top scientific minds convened to study the phenomenon," Vance replied.
"This is it? This is the entire 828 investigation? Wait, you're part of it again?" David asked.
"I'm in charge of it," Vance corrected.
"I guess my contacting the NSA didn't turn out so bad for you after all," David replied.
"Well, I was about to negotiate my own release until you swooped in, caused a massive international incident and almost landed me in federal prison.
"Are we going in?" David asked. He nodded.
"Welcome to Eureka," Vance answered.
"Morning," Neal said, as he stood at the stove, making eggs for their first breakfast in their new home.
"Morning," Emma replied, greeting him with a kiss, before sipping at some orange juice he had put on the table for her.
"Still weird that this house is ours now," she mentioned. He smiled.
"Believe me, I know…it's the nicest place I've ever lived in," he replied, as he delivered their plates to the table and they sat down to eat.
"Something on your mind?" she asked, noticing his pensiveness.
"Yeah…I'm just not sure how to describe it," Neal replied.
"Did you have a Calling?" she asked anxiously. He hadn't had one since his miraculous resurrection at the lake.
"No…this is different. I think I can feel what other people are feeling. Pretty intensely," he said.
"Wait…like mind reading?" Emma asked.
"Not exactly…it's more that I can feel exactly what someone is feeling. Like you're feeling anxious about your family being apart," Neal replied.
"That's not a huge stretch to know that," Emma pointed out. He nodded.
"Fair. But it was how I knew you needed my help to distract Angelina's parents in Costa Rica. I felt exactly what you were feeling to the point that I could see it," he explained.
"This…this is new," she said, not sure what to make of it.
"You're also worried about David being anywhere near the tailfin and the NSA again," he said. She nodded.
"Yeah…he's desperate for answers and if they find out about his glowing hand, they're going to want to run tests on him. These people aren't above using us like lab rats," she
replied.
"I know…he'll do anything to keep his family safe," Neal said.
"That's what worries me," Emma replied, as they finished breakfast.
"So…what's on your agenda today?" she asked.
"I think I'll visit Dad and then get back to job hunting," he replied, as they shared a kiss.
"Good luck," she said.
"Thanks…with my background, I'll need it," he replied.
"So no phone or credit card activity after December 28th?" Killian asked. Bella shook her head.
"No, this is when I last spoke with her," she said, as he scanned the phone records.
"And this is you right here at 9:37 p.m.?" he asked, pointing to the call on the paper. She nodded.
"My mom told me she was getting off the ferry and headed home. But she never made it," Bella explained.
"I'm combing through all the police calls from that night. Still nothing," he said.
"There has to be something, I know it," she insisted.
"I'm gonna keep looking. We'll find your mother," Killian promised.
"Thank you for being so thorough. I'm really grateful," Bella said.
"Just doing my job. Listen, if you happen to remember anything else, please let me know. Okay?" he insisted. She nodded.
"You know, sometimes when she's had a hard day at work, she takes the long way home. Strolls through some park. Says it helps her leave work at the door," Bella
mentioned.
"I'm guessing she didn't say which park," Killian said.
"Sorry, she didn't and I never asked. I wish I had," Bella replied.
"It's okay. Looks like I got some homework to do. I'll let you know if I find anything out," he promised.
"Pete. Pete. Are you okay?" Angelina asked, as she stood outside his cell.
"You have to tell me. I'm trying to help you before it's too late," she added.
"You've been so nice. Coming here all the time. I don't deserve this," he insisted.
"Of course you do," she admonished.
"Why are you wasting your time with me?" he asked skeptically.
"How many times do I need to say it? I choose to be here with you. I was chosen to be with you," Angelina insisted.
"Whatever you're seeing, you don't need to be afraid. The callings saved me and they can save you," she said.
"No. I think I'm way past that," Pete insisted.
"No. No, you're not. Look, you drowned in that lake, but now you're back, breathing air. But this second chance has an expiration date. You have less than one week until your
Death Date," she warned.
"Even if everything you're saying is true... there's nothing I can do about it in here," Pete said, as he turned away from her. But she persisted by staying.
David looked around, as they were led into a room that was definitely a state of the art room designed for research and had everything imaginable.
"It's quite a step up from the clinic backroom. I miss the lollipops but we have a few more toys here" Vance said.
"What exactly are you researching?" David asked.
"We've undertaken a broad spectrum of projects surrounding 828," Vance replied, as Regina stepped up to one of the computers, completely enthralled by what she was
seeing. It was far more advanced than her tiny lab.
"Careful," a woman said, as she approached.
"We have everything from aeronautic engineering, to meteorology, neurology, biology," the woman, clearly a doctor of some kind, said.
"You're surveilling private homes?" David asked in disbelief.
"The inquiry's scope is necessarily all-encompassing," the woman answered.
"David Nolan and Regina Mills, meet Dr. Gupta, Director of Research," Vance said, as she regarded them.
"I still think it's a mistake to bring passengers in here. Not to mention they don't have clearance," she said sternly.
"You've made your point, Dr. Gupta, but they're with me.
"At the very least, we should be running full diagnostics on them," she insisted.
"Thank you, Doctor," Vance said, as he led them on through the facility.
"She's a very committed researcher, but after two years of doing things a certain way, new approaches can be challenging," Vance explained.
"What about the Major? What if she resurfaces?" David asked. Regina and Vance shared an uncomfortable glance.
"She won't," Vance insisted.
"You can't guarantee that. What happened to not trusting the government?" he asked.
"I demanded full oversight. And as you can see, I got it, thanks to the tailfin discovery," Vance answered.
"A discovery we made together," David insisted.
"Exactly. Which is why I let you come in here. Speaking of, what's this mystery development you called me about?" Vance questioned.
"I just...needed to see the tailfin. When can I see it up close?" David asked.
"Soon enough. I need to show you something first, Vance replied cryptically.
Emma came home later that afternoon and found that a lot of unpacking had been done.
"Wow…you've been busy," she said, as he greeted her with a tender kiss.
"Yeah…Dad and Belle wanted to see the new digs and came by for lunch. Then Belle insisted on helping do a little unpacking and I didn't turn down the help," he replied.
"I'm glad you and your father have mended things," she said.
"All part of staying sober," he replied.
"Yeah…I think it's a little more than that with family," she said. He smiled.
"Guess so…having a family definitely changes things," he replied, as there was a knock at the door and they saw that it was Angelina.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know where to go. You said if I ever needed anything…" she said.
"Of course. Come in," Neal said.
"Pete needs your help," Angelina replied.
"Did he say something about Jace? Where he might be?" Emma asked.
"No. Pete had a calling. I was there, I saw it. You said it's important to follow the callings if we want to survive. Pete's not like his brother. He can still be saved," she insisted.
"Maybe, but he has to work for it," Emma said.
"And he would. But how can he follow the calling if he's in jail?" Angelina asked. Emma sighed.
"Maybe we can follow it for him. And along the way, maybe get a lead on Jace," Neal suggested, making Angelina's eyes light up.
"Yeah, but Pete's gotta want to talk to me," Emma insisted.
"I'll come with, give Pete living proof the callings can save him. Please. He's almost out of time," Neal replied.
Ruby smirked, as she approached Killian's desk and saw him laboring over that same disappearance case and then sat back and sighed in frustration.
"You know, my dad always said that stubbornness in the face of an impossible obstacle is a waste of time," Killian said. She smirked again.
"I'm guessing you didn't listen," Ruby replied.
"Oh, I'm persistent, not stubborn," he corrected.
"Seriously, though, why so drilled down on finding this Fitz woman if she's such a Monster?" Ruby asked, as he looked at the file. Being that the woman was involved in
the military and intelligence and there was a lot of classified stuff, it was pretty clear that she was involved in some questionable things.
"Bella drew the short straw when it comes to moms, but she still deserves answers," Killian insisted.
"All right, we getting any closer?" Ruby asked.
"I'm trying. I literally pulled every 911 and nuisance call between the ferry and Fiona Black's apartment that night," he said, handing her the pages.
"Okay. Domestic dispute, drunk and disorderly…" Ruby said, as she reviewed the information.
"Most promising is a noise complaint in the park nearby. Bella said her mom used to walk through it," he said, as he played more of the video footage from the park.
"This seems like it might be something," Killian said.
"A Sanitation truck idles off-hours in a residential area? It's kind of weird," she agreed.
"What's even weirder, there's not another noise complaint in that area for the rest of the night," he said.
"Affluent areas pull a high volume of nuisance calls. Off-hours garbage truck? I mean, a bunch of entitled neighbors would've called that in. Makes you wonder whether the
truck wasn't on the job," he said, as they spotted a cop car in the video drive by. She smiled.
"I mean, at the very least, maybe a cop saw something suspicious," she replied. He smirked.
"Guess I'm not the only persistent one," Killian said.
Pete was led from his cell into the visiting area, but immediately turned back when he saw Emma.
"No, no, no. Wait, wait, wait! Pete, please. Angelina really wants us to help you. She cares about you a lot, okay?" Emma asked, as he noticed Neal and recognized him
from that night at the lake.
"You?" he asked.
"My name is Neal," he offered.
"You're the one. The one Angelina told me about. The one who survived," Pete said.
"Neal followed a calling and saved Henry's life and his own that night," Emma replied.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Pete asked.
"Because you have less than one week before your Death Date, Pete. Please tell us about the calling. Maybe we can help," Emma insisted.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Pete refuted.
"Weeks before my Death Date, frostbite started setting in. I was dying. It's started happening to you, too, hasn't it? You feel water in your lungs. Your time is running out,
Pete, but we're here to help you," Neal said. Pete looked surprised by that.
"How?" he asked, but then sighed.
"Okay...I was in some dark place and I ran and got nowhere, and everywhere I turned, there was this huge...clock. Counting down," he explained.
"Have you seen it before?" Emma asked.
"Our high school football field. Mom would work late so we would stay after practice and keep throwing around till night," Pete revealed.
"Who's we? You and Jace?" Neal asked. He nodded.
"And Kory and a couple others...till we got booted off the team. After that, life sort of went south," he replied.
"Who kicked you off?" Emma asked.
"Coach Hannity," Pete replied.
"Why? Why would he do that?" Emma asked.
"'Cause he could," Pete recalled bitterly.
Angelina peeked into Olive's room to see her getting a dress out of the closet.
"Tonight's your prom?" Angelina asked.
"Yeah, but I'm not going," Olive replied.
"I skipped mine, too. My parents thought prom was some high school version of Sodom and Gomorrah," Angelina said.
"I'm really sorry," Olive offered.
"What's your excuse?" Angelina asked.
"Well, I was supposed to go with TJ, but he's halfway around the world," Olive replied glumly.
"Maybe he wants to make sure he survives his Death Date so you guys have more time Together," Angelina suggested. Olive looked thoughtful at that.
"A few months apart now in exchange for happily ever after," she mused.
"I didn't peg you for such a romantic. You really think we can survive?" Angelina asked.
"Neal did. And I'm not going to stop trying until I make sure that my family, TJ and you do, too. So that's why I'm spending my prom day digging into some Egyptian
mythology," Olive said.
"Mind if I help?" Angelina asked. Olive smiled.
"Sure," she answered.
Neal and Emma arrived at the High School football field and spotted a coach on the sidelines.
"That must be him," Emma said.
"Think this will lead to finding Jace?" Neal asked.
"All I know is that while he and Kory are out there, Henry's in danger. This is the most Pete's talked in two months," Emma replied.
"So if we can solve this calling…maybe he turns on his brother," Neal said, finishing her thought, as they approached.
"Hi. Can I help you?" the coach asked. Emma flashed her badge.
"Terry Hannity, I'm Detective Nolan," she said.
"Well, what can I do for you, Detective?" he asked.
"I'm hoping you could recall a player from a ways back, Pete Baylor," Emma replied.
"The Baylor boys. Darkest moment of my career. Still haunts me," the coach recalled.
"How so?" Emma questioned.
"I never had kids of my own. These boys, they're all I have. When I found Derek dead in the locker room…" he said, trailing off.
"I'm sorry. Who's Derek? What happened?" Emma asked.
"Overdose. We searched the lockers, questioned the kids. Come to find out Pete sold Derek the drugs," the coach replied.
"You never suspected anything?" Emma asked.
"Well, I always knew his brother and that other kid they ran around with were trouble," the coach said.
"Jace and Kory," Emma replied.
"Yeah, exactly. But Pete denied he was selling for them. Insisted it was him alone. Ended up in juvie. I kicked those other two off my team. I couldn't risk it. Four young
lives ruined," he lamented.
Thank you for your help, Mr. Hannity," Emma said, as they walked away.
"Pretty big omission from Pete," Emma said to him.
"You didn't know?" Neal asked.
"No. His records as a minor are sealed. I think the callings want Pete to reckon with this teammate's death. You know, come to terms with his grief, his guilt. Sounds like the
three of us are a bit more alike than we realized," she answered.
Vance led David and Regina into the room where Flight 828 was now housed, complete with the tailfin once again.
"The hull of the Montego 828 plane that landed in New York has been housed here for study since it blew up on the tarmac, under the tightest security," Vance explained.
"So how does a piece end up in Cuba?" David asked.
"It's the first question I asked when I was reinstated," Vance replied, as he led them to a monitor.
"And then I saw this. Are you ready?" he asked. They nodded and watched the recording of the tailfin vanishing into the thin air.
"It vanished?" David asked.
"That's impossible," Regina replied.
"As a colleague of mine told me the day you landed, I think we've taken impossible off the table," Vance reminded her.
"So, the tailfin disappears from here and our Cuban friends happen to fish one out of the Ocean?" David asked. Vance nodded.
"Are you sure it wasn't stolen? The footage wasn't altered?" Regina asked.
"I'm certain, David, you were right. The Cuban tailfin is the real one," Vance replied.
"I'm glad you finally believe me," David said.
"There's more. Unlike the rest of the plane, the corrosion on the recovered tailfin is consistent with having spent seven years in saltwater," Vance said.
"The time elapsed since 828's original disappearance," David asked, as he saw the timestamp.
"Wait. The tailfin disappeared on the same night that Neal survived his Death Date and the Meth Heads drowned in that lake," he realized, making a connection that Vance's
colleagues had not yet…