The Truth at the Wax Museum, 4/4
Title: The Truth at the Wax Museum, epilogue
Fandom: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Rating: T/PG-13
Word Count: 1,206
Main Characters: Fictional Rockapella (Sean, Scott, Elliott, Barry)
Summary: See first part.
Will be posted to 10_hurt_comfort.
"El! El, wake up! Please. . . . No . . . you're so cold. . . .
"Barry?! No . . . not you, too . . . ! Barry!
"Sean?! Say something! No . . . you're . . ."
Scott started awake, his heart thumping wildly out of his chest. He had curled up against the inside of the door on the ride through upstate New York. The car was still moving. The sky was overcast, the dark clouds threatening to spill open on them again. Sean was driving, seeming to be concentrating fully on the road. Barry was next to him, gazing out at the scenery.
Elliott was next to Scott, wide awake and concerned. "Scott?" He looked at his best friend, seeing him return to the conscious world.
Scott looked to him, swallowing hard. If he said what he had been dreaming about, it would make Elliott feel worse, and probably Sean too. But it was written all over his face anyway.
Elliott leaned forward in the seat, sickened. "I'm so sorry," he said.
Sean looked at them in the rearview mirror. "What is it?" he frowned.
Scott rubbed his forehead. "Nothing," he said. "It's nothing."
"It's something," Sean said. "Scott, of all of us, you were the most strongly affected by what happened. We all know that. Trying to hide it will get you nowhere."
Scott leaned forward as well, looking to Elliott. "It's just . . . El, I was right there in the room with you at the beginning!" he cried. "I was supposed to stay awake and keep watch . . . at least that's what I told myself. But I fell asleep. I never knew you left the room, or that McKinley had put a wax dummy in your bed, or any of that! I didn't hear a thing!"
Elliott shivered. He had seen the dummy when he had returned to their room to collect his belongings. It would have been horrible to wake up seeing that, especially if Scott had thought it was Elliott at first.
"Scott, you were so tired," he said. "You'd been out late on a solo mission the night before we left."
"But then we were all on the mission yesterday," Scott said. "You were tired too, by the time we finally ended up at that mansion."
"It wasn't as bad for me," Elliott said.
"Barry and I were right next-door, and we didn't hear anything either," Sean said. "McKinley was sneaky."
". . . And then Barry disappeared," Scott went on.
"I fell into a panel in the wall," Barry interjected.
Scott nodded. "And Sean and I went upstairs and . . . and found you, El. . . ." The horror was still so fresh in his memory. "I . . . I just went blank after I ended up seeing that note. . . ."
"That was sick," Elliott said, anger seeping into his voice again.
Sean was silent. ". . . Hey, Scott," he said then, glancing in the rearview mirror once more before looking back to the road, "I . . . I'm sorry about what I said back there. I know I was probably too harsh, letting my thoughts get away with my mouth again. . . ."
"No." Scott shook his head. "It needed to be said, Sean. I'm not sure anything else could have gotten through to me right then."
"Well . . . if it served a purpose," Sean said, still sounding doubtful.
"It did." Scott's voice was firm.
". . . You know, we never did hear how El revived," Barry said, looking to the curly-haired brunet.
Elliott looked away. "It was awful," he said. "I came to in that tunnel . . . and Scott was just completely in despair. . . . I realized he thought I was dead. . . ."
"I couldn't believe it was real at first," Scott said. "But when I figured out that it was . . ." He trailed off. There was no way to accurately describe how he had felt, seeing Elliott alive after being convinced of the worst.
Sean nodded. ". . . But then you had to worry I was dead," he said, bitterness slipping into his tone. "All because I took one misstep. . . ."
"You couldn't have known the floor would open right then," Barry frowned.
"Of course you couldn't have!" Scott said. "Sean, we're just overjoyed that you're alive."
"But you had to see that sick wax figure first," Sean objected. "McKinley must've crafted it in advance, too. They wanted to make it look like I was done for!"
"So they planned in advance to kill you in the wax," Barry said darkly.
Elliott clenched a fist. He was debating whether to say that Scott had actually fainted at the sight of the dummy, but there would not be any point in it unless he was worried that Scott needed to be looked at by a doctor. And anyone could see that Scott had collapsed from sheer stress and agony. If he could just rest now, he would be alright. Scott would not want Elliott to mention the fainting episode.
"And Barry, you had to see her again. . . ." Sean looked to the older man.
Barry glanced to him, then out the windshield. ". . . Seeing her wasn't as painful as knowing why I was seeing her," he said.
"If you want to talk about it. . . ."
"I don't," Barry said, though he was grateful for his friends' concern.
He was outraged at her actions, as of course they all were. She had deliberately manipulated all of them just in the hopes of getting Barry to snap. If anyone should carry the burden of guilt that Scott bore, Barry felt it should be him.
". . . At least we all came through this," Sean said.
"It could've been so different," Scott said, shaking his head, "so easily. . . ."
Elliott laid a hand on his shoulder. It would take a while for them to recover from this experience.
But they would recover. They would help each other through whatever happened.
"You know," Sean mused, "I bet the reason she does things like this is because she can't comprehend how people can care about other people."
"Or have morals," Barry growled.
Sean nodded. "Exactly."
"And McKinley took up with her just to get paid!" Elliott said in utter disgust.
"I wonder what's going to happen to the wax museum now that he'll be in jail," Sean said.
"Maybe some investor will buy it," Scott shrugged.
"Or we could," Sean smirked.
"No thanks!" Scott and Elliott chorused at once.
"If I ever see a wax figure again, it'll be too soon," Scott added.
"I am in complete agreement with you there," Sean declared. "The investor can have them all."
He drove in silence for a while. ". . . I wonder what those other houses are like that look like that one," he said.
"Hopefully better," Elliott sighed, "with honest people running them."
Sean shrugged. "Not that we'll ever have any occasion to visit either of them," he said.
"Right now, I don't know any more," Barry said, shaking his head.
"I do know one thing," Sean smirked. "Our naughty mad scientist is going to have to stay confused about us. No matter how hard she tries, she'll never understand anything so completely opposite to her own nature."
"Just like we'll never understand her," Elliott said.
Scott leaned back. He was content just to watch and listen to his friends talking. They were alive and well, something he had thought he would not see again.
He would never stop rejoicing that he had been wrong.
Fandom: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Rating: T/PG-13
Word Count: 1,206
Main Characters: Fictional Rockapella (Sean, Scott, Elliott, Barry)
Summary: See first part.
Will be posted to 10_hurt_comfort.
"El! El, wake up! Please. . . . No . . . you're so cold. . . .
"Barry?! No . . . not you, too . . . ! Barry!
"Sean?! Say something! No . . . you're . . ."
Scott started awake, his heart thumping wildly out of his chest. He had curled up against the inside of the door on the ride through upstate New York. The car was still moving. The sky was overcast, the dark clouds threatening to spill open on them again. Sean was driving, seeming to be concentrating fully on the road. Barry was next to him, gazing out at the scenery.
Elliott was next to Scott, wide awake and concerned. "Scott?" He looked at his best friend, seeing him return to the conscious world.
Scott looked to him, swallowing hard. If he said what he had been dreaming about, it would make Elliott feel worse, and probably Sean too. But it was written all over his face anyway.
Elliott leaned forward in the seat, sickened. "I'm so sorry," he said.
Sean looked at them in the rearview mirror. "What is it?" he frowned.
Scott rubbed his forehead. "Nothing," he said. "It's nothing."
"It's something," Sean said. "Scott, of all of us, you were the most strongly affected by what happened. We all know that. Trying to hide it will get you nowhere."
Scott leaned forward as well, looking to Elliott. "It's just . . . El, I was right there in the room with you at the beginning!" he cried. "I was supposed to stay awake and keep watch . . . at least that's what I told myself. But I fell asleep. I never knew you left the room, or that McKinley had put a wax dummy in your bed, or any of that! I didn't hear a thing!"
Elliott shivered. He had seen the dummy when he had returned to their room to collect his belongings. It would have been horrible to wake up seeing that, especially if Scott had thought it was Elliott at first.
"Scott, you were so tired," he said. "You'd been out late on a solo mission the night before we left."
"But then we were all on the mission yesterday," Scott said. "You were tired too, by the time we finally ended up at that mansion."
"It wasn't as bad for me," Elliott said.
"Barry and I were right next-door, and we didn't hear anything either," Sean said. "McKinley was sneaky."
". . . And then Barry disappeared," Scott went on.
"I fell into a panel in the wall," Barry interjected.
Scott nodded. "And Sean and I went upstairs and . . . and found you, El. . . ." The horror was still so fresh in his memory. "I . . . I just went blank after I ended up seeing that note. . . ."
"That was sick," Elliott said, anger seeping into his voice again.
Sean was silent. ". . . Hey, Scott," he said then, glancing in the rearview mirror once more before looking back to the road, "I . . . I'm sorry about what I said back there. I know I was probably too harsh, letting my thoughts get away with my mouth again. . . ."
"No." Scott shook his head. "It needed to be said, Sean. I'm not sure anything else could have gotten through to me right then."
"Well . . . if it served a purpose," Sean said, still sounding doubtful.
"It did." Scott's voice was firm.
". . . You know, we never did hear how El revived," Barry said, looking to the curly-haired brunet.
Elliott looked away. "It was awful," he said. "I came to in that tunnel . . . and Scott was just completely in despair. . . . I realized he thought I was dead. . . ."
"I couldn't believe it was real at first," Scott said. "But when I figured out that it was . . ." He trailed off. There was no way to accurately describe how he had felt, seeing Elliott alive after being convinced of the worst.
Sean nodded. ". . . But then you had to worry I was dead," he said, bitterness slipping into his tone. "All because I took one misstep. . . ."
"You couldn't have known the floor would open right then," Barry frowned.
"Of course you couldn't have!" Scott said. "Sean, we're just overjoyed that you're alive."
"But you had to see that sick wax figure first," Sean objected. "McKinley must've crafted it in advance, too. They wanted to make it look like I was done for!"
"So they planned in advance to kill you in the wax," Barry said darkly.
Elliott clenched a fist. He was debating whether to say that Scott had actually fainted at the sight of the dummy, but there would not be any point in it unless he was worried that Scott needed to be looked at by a doctor. And anyone could see that Scott had collapsed from sheer stress and agony. If he could just rest now, he would be alright. Scott would not want Elliott to mention the fainting episode.
"And Barry, you had to see her again. . . ." Sean looked to the older man.
Barry glanced to him, then out the windshield. ". . . Seeing her wasn't as painful as knowing why I was seeing her," he said.
"If you want to talk about it. . . ."
"I don't," Barry said, though he was grateful for his friends' concern.
He was outraged at her actions, as of course they all were. She had deliberately manipulated all of them just in the hopes of getting Barry to snap. If anyone should carry the burden of guilt that Scott bore, Barry felt it should be him.
". . . At least we all came through this," Sean said.
"It could've been so different," Scott said, shaking his head, "so easily. . . ."
Elliott laid a hand on his shoulder. It would take a while for them to recover from this experience.
But they would recover. They would help each other through whatever happened.
"You know," Sean mused, "I bet the reason she does things like this is because she can't comprehend how people can care about other people."
"Or have morals," Barry growled.
Sean nodded. "Exactly."
"And McKinley took up with her just to get paid!" Elliott said in utter disgust.
"I wonder what's going to happen to the wax museum now that he'll be in jail," Sean said.
"Maybe some investor will buy it," Scott shrugged.
"Or we could," Sean smirked.
"No thanks!" Scott and Elliott chorused at once.
"If I ever see a wax figure again, it'll be too soon," Scott added.
"I am in complete agreement with you there," Sean declared. "The investor can have them all."
He drove in silence for a while. ". . . I wonder what those other houses are like that look like that one," he said.
"Hopefully better," Elliott sighed, "with honest people running them."
Sean shrugged. "Not that we'll ever have any occasion to visit either of them," he said.
"Right now, I don't know any more," Barry said, shaking his head.
"I do know one thing," Sean smirked. "Our naughty mad scientist is going to have to stay confused about us. No matter how hard she tries, she'll never understand anything so completely opposite to her own nature."
"Just like we'll never understand her," Elliott said.
Scott leaned back. He was content just to watch and listen to his friends talking. They were alive and well, something he had thought he would not see again.
He would never stop rejoicing that he had been wrong.