Plenty of Pain to Purchase, 1/1
Title: Plenty of Pain to Purchase
Fandom: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Rating: K+/PG
Word Count: 2,838
Main Characters: The Dying Informant/Scott, Eartha Brute, Sean, Elliott, Barry
Summary: My version of rose_of_pollux's great idea of what would happen if the Dying Informant had to return to the scene of his worst torment.
By Lucky_Ladybug
The Venezuelan night was dark, but illuminated by flashes of fierce lightning as the Dying Informant stood on top of the mountain next to Angel Falls. Wind blew his long blond locks about and he grabbed onto his fedora to keep it from blowing away in the storm.
He shuddered as he squinted through the night, relying on the lightning to help him pinpoint Eartha’s location. It was bad enough to be here again, bad enough to be chasing Eartha Brute again, and the electrical wonders in the sky did not help. That only made him think all the more strongly of the last time he had been in Venezuela, when Lake Maracaibo had also been part of their itinerary.
Eartha was among the most brutal members of Carmen Sandiego’s gang, and never had that fact been more apparent than when she had stolen the Arc de Triomphe from Paris, France. When the Dying Informant had tracked her to Venezuela and she had found him out, she had retaliated with a series of unspeakably horrific acts: keel-hauling him under her boat, forcing cement shoes onto his feet and throwing him into Lake Maracaibo, and finally, sending him over Angel Falls.
Those who had not been there when Eartha had shipped him back to ACME often scoffed at the tale, saying that no one could have survived such treatment. Sometimes he wondered himself how he had managed it. It had taken him a long time to recover, and even now, sometimes he still had nightmares about it. Whenever his roommate and dear friend knew of that, he tried to offer comfort, for which the Dying Informant was grateful. But he knew that deep down, Elliott still carried a dark hatred for Eartha and what she had done. He couldn’t blame him, and really, he doubted either of them would ever fully get over it.
He had been stricken with horror as soon as he had realized where Eartha was going this time. Back to Venezuela, back to the scenes of the worst torment he had ever experienced on one of his missions. . . . But there had been no choice. He was a loyal ACME agent and he had to follow her. He couldn’t abandon the mission just because she was going to a place that still stabbed him with sickened terror.
Eartha had found out she was being followed. Again having borrowed Wonder Rat’s helicopter, she had flown over Angel Falls and abruptly jumped out on the mountain. The Dying Informant had been forced to follow her. Now they were both wandering around on the mountaintop, with both the thunderstorm and Angel Falls booming in their ears. The Dying Informant pulled his trenchcoat closer around himself as he advanced, looking for any sign of V.I.L.E.’s strongwoman.
It figured that he would spot her right at the head of the falls. He hurried over, hoping that the darkness of the night and the cacophony of the sounds would mask his arrival. Indeed, she seemed to be transfixed by the water, staring down at the rushing falls while the wind rocked her beehive hairdo.
“Eartha Brute!” he yelled. “Stop, in the name of ACME Crimenet! You are under arrest!”
Instead of sounding surprised, Eartha just laughed. “I figured it was you tailin’ me, Dying Informant,” she sneered, turning to look down at the small and slender agent dwarfed by her height and weight. “How about that? We get to have a reunion!”
Lightning flashed overhead and the Dying Informant flinched. “I would have just as soon not had it, Eartha, but I go where the crime leads me.”
“Yeah, you’re so determined and stuff. I gotta give you that; I thought I woulda broke you after last time!” Eartha took a menacing step forward. The ground shook.
The Dying Informant held his footing. In one swift move he reached out, snapping on one of the extra-strength handcuffs ACME Technet had been forced to develop to hold Eartha. “You will never break an ACME agent!” he retorted.
Eartha wrenched her wrist away before he could apply the other handcuff. The closed bracelet dangled from her wrist, clanking in the windy night. “Maybe I’ll give it a good try,” she said, grabbing him by the trenchcoat’s lapels and lifting him high over the merciless falls. “How does this feel, lookin’ down on Angel Falls again?”
The Dying Informant gasped, gripping at her wrists. Now that he was in this dire predicament again, restrained by the V.I.L.E. agent he feared most and staring down at one of the instruments of torture he feared most, it was impossible to hide his terror. Of course, Eartha was delighted.
“I knew that’d get ya,” she crowed. “And here’s somethin’ else to chew on.” She indicated a watch-like object on her left wrist. It was flashing red. “This is a remote control thingie that links me with my helicopter. Guess where it is now?”
“I have no idea,” the Dying Informant retorted, his heart pounding in his ears.
“It’s just been discovered by your three pals. I know they came to help ya when they realized you were coming here. That’s why this is flashing; it’s a signal when anybody comes close. It only works when people come, not animals, and there’s no other people except them! And all I have to do is press this button and the whole thing blows up and takes them along too!”
The Dying Informant went pale. It could be a bluff, but he couldn’t take that chance. Eartha was vicious, but she wasn’t smart. He doubted she could bluff convincingly.
“You . . . you can’t do that!” he gasped, now more worried about the others than he was about himself. “You won’t have any way to get down!”
“Ha! Once I throw you over the falls, I’ll just take your helicopter!” Eartha retorted.
The Dying Informant swallowed hard. “I couldn’t land it here either,” he said. “The pilot’s probably somewhere near where yours is!”
“And I bet you got somethin’ on ya that brings it back, right?” Eartha held him out even farther with one hand while she groped through his pockets with the other. “Here it is!” She pulled out a walkie-talkie.
The Dying Informant closed his eyes tightly. This was an impossible situation. He was forced to believe she was really holding the others hostage by remote. He didn’t want them to lose him, or to be separated from them himself, but Eartha had forced his hand. He was going to have to face his fear even more. He had to make the ultimate sacrifice.
His eyes snapping open, he reached out in desperation and grabbed the walkie-talkie. Not expecting the snatch, Eartha watched as it flew out of her hand. “Hey!” she cried. “I’ll blow ’em up. You wouldn’t risk that!”
“If I throw this over the falls, you won’t be able to send for my helicopter,” he said. “And then you won’t dare blow up your helicopter. You’ll need to send for it to get away!”
Eartha’s lip curled. “Yeah, maybe, but I can sure throw you over the falls right after your thing!” she snarled.
Praying for strength, the Dying Informant pitched the walkie-talkie into the water and watched as it short-circuited, its small bolts of electricity an eerie contrast to the lightning storm overhead. “You were going to do that anyway,” he said. “At least this way, I’m the only one who goes. ACME takes back the night!”
“But you’re never gonna see another morning!” Anger and hate flaming in her eyes, Eartha tried to thrust the Dying Informant into the falls.
He grabbed her beefy arm, holding fast. Death was inevitable now, but he couldn’t trust that she wouldn’t find some way to harm the others, even if she didn’t set off the bomb. If he could, he would take her down with him.
She hadn’t expected that, either. “Hey! Let go!” She struggled, bringing her other hand over to pry him away from behind.
He fought and clawed, managing to kick her in the shin.
She yelped, punching him hard in the face. At the same moment, however, the other inevitable happened-she lost her balance. With a yelp of horror, she tumbled over the falls, still locked in combat with the Dying Informant.
He looked up as the water poured over them and drove them on. “Sorry, guys,” he whispered. “It had to be this way.”
Eartha’s remote control began to spark, short-circuiting and erasing any possibility of the bomb still going off. Even as the Dying Informant held tight, receiving the electrical shock that Eartha was also receiving, peace filled his heart.
“That’s it then,” he gasped.
His hands slipped free. Eartha, falling limp as well, released her grasp.
The falls carried them on.
****
“Scott! Scott, come on! Wake up!”
The Dying Informant slowly became aware that someone was desperately calling his name. Someone else was pushing on his chest, trying to extract the water he had swallowed.
“Scott, please,” a second voice begged. “Not now. Not like this!” The person sounded like he was practically in tears.
El . . . he thought in his mind. What . . . what’s going on? Am I . . . not dead?
At last the desired effect came and the Dying Informant jerked, water flying out of his mouth. He turned onto his side, coughing and gasping.
“Scott!” Now three voices were filled with joy. “You’re alright!”
The Dying Informant choked, opening one eye as he rolled onto his back to look up at them. “How . . . ?”
“We’ve been looking for you in the helicopter,” Sean explained. “You washed up on shore with Eartha. She tried to just leave you there, hoping we’d find you after she was gone and hate ourselves, but we dropped down right in front of her.”
“She . . . told us what happened,” Elliott said quietly.
“Bragged about it, is more like it,” Barry added.
Scott studied them, picking up on the silent words they were not saying. “. . . And you hit her, didn’t you, El?” he said, also quietly.
Elliott looked down and nodded. “I couldn’t take it. When she made fun of you for trying to save us and being willing to die for us, I hauled off and punched her.”
“She wasn’t expecting it,” Sean said with a bit of a smirk. “She went crashing down hard on the ground. The animals probably thought it was an earthquake.”
Scott could see that the smirk was half-forced. Sean had really thought that if Scott were still alive, the horrific crash would have revived him. When it hadn’t, Sean’s hopes had greatly plummeted.
“I’m sorry I worried all of you,” he rasped, trying to push himself up. Elliott hurried to help him. “She said she was going to set off a bomb and kill all of you. . . .”
“She said she really was, too,” Sean said. He clenched a fist. “If we hadn’t come after you, you probably could have handled her all on your own. We just made everything worse.”
Scott was stunned. From Sean’s words it was obvious: he felt it was their fault. “No!” he exclaimed. “She was going to throw me over anyway. If she had, and you guys hadn’t been here to find me, she probably would have killed me onshore. And then . . .” He swallowed hard. “Shipped me back to ACME again.” His eyes flickered with the memory and pain of that disgrace.
Elliott looked sickened. “She probably would have.”
“I’m grateful you all came after me,” Scott insisted. “Now we’re all together and we have Eartha. And we’ll be able to get back safe, won’t we?” Images of wandering through the jungle for days danced through his mind. That didn’t sound pleasant in the least and Eartha would probably find a way to break free before they got out.
“Sure,” Sean said, “if we can all get back in the helicopter. I just need to signal the pilot to come back.” He looked Scott over searchingly, wondering if he would be able to get up.
“Great,” Scott said. “I’ll be able to make it . . . with you guys’ help.”
“And you’ll have it,” Elliott vowed.
****
The helicopter ride was long and sometimes bumpy. Sometimes, during the worst parts of the continuing storm, the pilot had to put down for a while.
Scott mostly slept, weary from his near-death experience and not really feeling like conversing further. But at one point he awakened and saw Elliott nearby, sitting next to where he had stretched out across several seats. “El?”
Elliott snapped to attention. “Scott!” He looked down at his dear friend. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I went over the tallest waterfall in the world and survived,” Scott mumbled. He stared up at the ceiling. “That’s the second time it’s happened.”
“It never should have happened any time,” Elliott said angrily.
“. . . The first time was the worst, I think,” Scott mused slowly. “I wasn’t prepared for it and Eartha took advantage of it. And she’d already tortured me so much by the time we got to the falls that I couldn’t even struggle against her.” He closed his eyes, shuddering at the memories.
“And this time?” Elliott prompted after a moment.
Scott opened his eyes again. “This time I knew exactly what was going to happen,” he said. “I was afraid all along that it might, but then when I was actually faced with it, I accepted it and even encouraged it. I thought it was the only way to save all of you. I didn’t want you to have to go on without me, and I sure as heck didn’t want to leave you, but . . .” He gave a weak shrug. “We’ve been all trained to know that the time could always come. I thought mine had.”
“I feel horrible about that,” Elliott said. “It really does feel like it’s our fault for coming.”
Scott struggled to sit up. “El, please don’t think that,” he implored, grabbing Elliott’s hand. “What I said back on the banks was true. She would have thrown me anyway. And without all of you here, I would be a lot worse off by now.” He smiled. “I’m grateful you all came to help me. You knew this would be a tough assignment for me.”
Elliott smiled too, but it was wan. “At least I wish we’d been available right at the time to go with you. We were all on other assignments, and when they wrapped up, we mutually decided to find you on our way home.”
“Anyone who has friends like you three is the luckiest guy in the world,” Scott declared.
Elliott looked into Scott’s eyes. “The same goes for us knowing you,” he said.
Scott smiled more. “I try.”
“You do a lot more than that.” Elliott paused. “I guess this area will have even more horrible memories for you now.”
“Maybe,” Scott said slowly. “I really hope I won’t have to come here again. But . . . it feels a little like I’ve come full circle. This experience has been a lot better than the first time I was here. This time I knew I was doing something valuable to save my friends. I wasn’t just getting my mission cut short. And all of you were then here to save me. I can’t guarantee I won’t still have nightmares about this place sometimes, but overall, I don’t think I’m terrified of it anymore.”
“I’m glad,” Elliott fervently declared.
“We all are,” Sean spoke up from the next row of seats.
Scott looked over in surprise. “How long have you been awake and listening?”
“A while,” Sean said, and Barry nodded in agreement. “We figured we’d let the two of you talk things out.”
“Sean . . .” Scott studied their leader in concern. “Do you still blame yourself for coming out here?”
“I don’t think so,” Sean mused. “Not so much anyway. What you said makes a lot of sense, especially how we all helped each other. I’m glad we were here for you.”
“That’s the way it’s always going to be,” Elliott said firmly.
Scott certainly hoped so. If it was at all possible, he knew that the others definitely would hold to that. He would as well. Right now, however, he didn’t want to worry about the future. He just wanted to be grateful that the present was good.
Fandom: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Rating: K+/PG
Word Count: 2,838
Main Characters: The Dying Informant/Scott, Eartha Brute, Sean, Elliott, Barry
Summary: My version of rose_of_pollux's great idea of what would happen if the Dying Informant had to return to the scene of his worst torment.
By Lucky_Ladybug
The Venezuelan night was dark, but illuminated by flashes of fierce lightning as the Dying Informant stood on top of the mountain next to Angel Falls. Wind blew his long blond locks about and he grabbed onto his fedora to keep it from blowing away in the storm.
He shuddered as he squinted through the night, relying on the lightning to help him pinpoint Eartha’s location. It was bad enough to be here again, bad enough to be chasing Eartha Brute again, and the electrical wonders in the sky did not help. That only made him think all the more strongly of the last time he had been in Venezuela, when Lake Maracaibo had also been part of their itinerary.
Eartha was among the most brutal members of Carmen Sandiego’s gang, and never had that fact been more apparent than when she had stolen the Arc de Triomphe from Paris, France. When the Dying Informant had tracked her to Venezuela and she had found him out, she had retaliated with a series of unspeakably horrific acts: keel-hauling him under her boat, forcing cement shoes onto his feet and throwing him into Lake Maracaibo, and finally, sending him over Angel Falls.
Those who had not been there when Eartha had shipped him back to ACME often scoffed at the tale, saying that no one could have survived such treatment. Sometimes he wondered himself how he had managed it. It had taken him a long time to recover, and even now, sometimes he still had nightmares about it. Whenever his roommate and dear friend knew of that, he tried to offer comfort, for which the Dying Informant was grateful. But he knew that deep down, Elliott still carried a dark hatred for Eartha and what she had done. He couldn’t blame him, and really, he doubted either of them would ever fully get over it.
He had been stricken with horror as soon as he had realized where Eartha was going this time. Back to Venezuela, back to the scenes of the worst torment he had ever experienced on one of his missions. . . . But there had been no choice. He was a loyal ACME agent and he had to follow her. He couldn’t abandon the mission just because she was going to a place that still stabbed him with sickened terror.
Eartha had found out she was being followed. Again having borrowed Wonder Rat’s helicopter, she had flown over Angel Falls and abruptly jumped out on the mountain. The Dying Informant had been forced to follow her. Now they were both wandering around on the mountaintop, with both the thunderstorm and Angel Falls booming in their ears. The Dying Informant pulled his trenchcoat closer around himself as he advanced, looking for any sign of V.I.L.E.’s strongwoman.
It figured that he would spot her right at the head of the falls. He hurried over, hoping that the darkness of the night and the cacophony of the sounds would mask his arrival. Indeed, she seemed to be transfixed by the water, staring down at the rushing falls while the wind rocked her beehive hairdo.
“Eartha Brute!” he yelled. “Stop, in the name of ACME Crimenet! You are under arrest!”
Instead of sounding surprised, Eartha just laughed. “I figured it was you tailin’ me, Dying Informant,” she sneered, turning to look down at the small and slender agent dwarfed by her height and weight. “How about that? We get to have a reunion!”
Lightning flashed overhead and the Dying Informant flinched. “I would have just as soon not had it, Eartha, but I go where the crime leads me.”
“Yeah, you’re so determined and stuff. I gotta give you that; I thought I woulda broke you after last time!” Eartha took a menacing step forward. The ground shook.
The Dying Informant held his footing. In one swift move he reached out, snapping on one of the extra-strength handcuffs ACME Technet had been forced to develop to hold Eartha. “You will never break an ACME agent!” he retorted.
Eartha wrenched her wrist away before he could apply the other handcuff. The closed bracelet dangled from her wrist, clanking in the windy night. “Maybe I’ll give it a good try,” she said, grabbing him by the trenchcoat’s lapels and lifting him high over the merciless falls. “How does this feel, lookin’ down on Angel Falls again?”
The Dying Informant gasped, gripping at her wrists. Now that he was in this dire predicament again, restrained by the V.I.L.E. agent he feared most and staring down at one of the instruments of torture he feared most, it was impossible to hide his terror. Of course, Eartha was delighted.
“I knew that’d get ya,” she crowed. “And here’s somethin’ else to chew on.” She indicated a watch-like object on her left wrist. It was flashing red. “This is a remote control thingie that links me with my helicopter. Guess where it is now?”
“I have no idea,” the Dying Informant retorted, his heart pounding in his ears.
“It’s just been discovered by your three pals. I know they came to help ya when they realized you were coming here. That’s why this is flashing; it’s a signal when anybody comes close. It only works when people come, not animals, and there’s no other people except them! And all I have to do is press this button and the whole thing blows up and takes them along too!”
The Dying Informant went pale. It could be a bluff, but he couldn’t take that chance. Eartha was vicious, but she wasn’t smart. He doubted she could bluff convincingly.
“You . . . you can’t do that!” he gasped, now more worried about the others than he was about himself. “You won’t have any way to get down!”
“Ha! Once I throw you over the falls, I’ll just take your helicopter!” Eartha retorted.
The Dying Informant swallowed hard. “I couldn’t land it here either,” he said. “The pilot’s probably somewhere near where yours is!”
“And I bet you got somethin’ on ya that brings it back, right?” Eartha held him out even farther with one hand while she groped through his pockets with the other. “Here it is!” She pulled out a walkie-talkie.
The Dying Informant closed his eyes tightly. This was an impossible situation. He was forced to believe she was really holding the others hostage by remote. He didn’t want them to lose him, or to be separated from them himself, but Eartha had forced his hand. He was going to have to face his fear even more. He had to make the ultimate sacrifice.
His eyes snapping open, he reached out in desperation and grabbed the walkie-talkie. Not expecting the snatch, Eartha watched as it flew out of her hand. “Hey!” she cried. “I’ll blow ’em up. You wouldn’t risk that!”
“If I throw this over the falls, you won’t be able to send for my helicopter,” he said. “And then you won’t dare blow up your helicopter. You’ll need to send for it to get away!”
Eartha’s lip curled. “Yeah, maybe, but I can sure throw you over the falls right after your thing!” she snarled.
Praying for strength, the Dying Informant pitched the walkie-talkie into the water and watched as it short-circuited, its small bolts of electricity an eerie contrast to the lightning storm overhead. “You were going to do that anyway,” he said. “At least this way, I’m the only one who goes. ACME takes back the night!”
“But you’re never gonna see another morning!” Anger and hate flaming in her eyes, Eartha tried to thrust the Dying Informant into the falls.
He grabbed her beefy arm, holding fast. Death was inevitable now, but he couldn’t trust that she wouldn’t find some way to harm the others, even if she didn’t set off the bomb. If he could, he would take her down with him.
She hadn’t expected that, either. “Hey! Let go!” She struggled, bringing her other hand over to pry him away from behind.
He fought and clawed, managing to kick her in the shin.
She yelped, punching him hard in the face. At the same moment, however, the other inevitable happened-she lost her balance. With a yelp of horror, she tumbled over the falls, still locked in combat with the Dying Informant.
He looked up as the water poured over them and drove them on. “Sorry, guys,” he whispered. “It had to be this way.”
Eartha’s remote control began to spark, short-circuiting and erasing any possibility of the bomb still going off. Even as the Dying Informant held tight, receiving the electrical shock that Eartha was also receiving, peace filled his heart.
“That’s it then,” he gasped.
His hands slipped free. Eartha, falling limp as well, released her grasp.
The falls carried them on.
****
“Scott! Scott, come on! Wake up!”
The Dying Informant slowly became aware that someone was desperately calling his name. Someone else was pushing on his chest, trying to extract the water he had swallowed.
“Scott, please,” a second voice begged. “Not now. Not like this!” The person sounded like he was practically in tears.
El . . . he thought in his mind. What . . . what’s going on? Am I . . . not dead?
At last the desired effect came and the Dying Informant jerked, water flying out of his mouth. He turned onto his side, coughing and gasping.
“Scott!” Now three voices were filled with joy. “You’re alright!”
The Dying Informant choked, opening one eye as he rolled onto his back to look up at them. “How . . . ?”
“We’ve been looking for you in the helicopter,” Sean explained. “You washed up on shore with Eartha. She tried to just leave you there, hoping we’d find you after she was gone and hate ourselves, but we dropped down right in front of her.”
“She . . . told us what happened,” Elliott said quietly.
“Bragged about it, is more like it,” Barry added.
Scott studied them, picking up on the silent words they were not saying. “. . . And you hit her, didn’t you, El?” he said, also quietly.
Elliott looked down and nodded. “I couldn’t take it. When she made fun of you for trying to save us and being willing to die for us, I hauled off and punched her.”
“She wasn’t expecting it,” Sean said with a bit of a smirk. “She went crashing down hard on the ground. The animals probably thought it was an earthquake.”
Scott could see that the smirk was half-forced. Sean had really thought that if Scott were still alive, the horrific crash would have revived him. When it hadn’t, Sean’s hopes had greatly plummeted.
“I’m sorry I worried all of you,” he rasped, trying to push himself up. Elliott hurried to help him. “She said she was going to set off a bomb and kill all of you. . . .”
“She said she really was, too,” Sean said. He clenched a fist. “If we hadn’t come after you, you probably could have handled her all on your own. We just made everything worse.”
Scott was stunned. From Sean’s words it was obvious: he felt it was their fault. “No!” he exclaimed. “She was going to throw me over anyway. If she had, and you guys hadn’t been here to find me, she probably would have killed me onshore. And then . . .” He swallowed hard. “Shipped me back to ACME again.” His eyes flickered with the memory and pain of that disgrace.
Elliott looked sickened. “She probably would have.”
“I’m grateful you all came after me,” Scott insisted. “Now we’re all together and we have Eartha. And we’ll be able to get back safe, won’t we?” Images of wandering through the jungle for days danced through his mind. That didn’t sound pleasant in the least and Eartha would probably find a way to break free before they got out.
“Sure,” Sean said, “if we can all get back in the helicopter. I just need to signal the pilot to come back.” He looked Scott over searchingly, wondering if he would be able to get up.
“Great,” Scott said. “I’ll be able to make it . . . with you guys’ help.”
“And you’ll have it,” Elliott vowed.
****
The helicopter ride was long and sometimes bumpy. Sometimes, during the worst parts of the continuing storm, the pilot had to put down for a while.
Scott mostly slept, weary from his near-death experience and not really feeling like conversing further. But at one point he awakened and saw Elliott nearby, sitting next to where he had stretched out across several seats. “El?”
Elliott snapped to attention. “Scott!” He looked down at his dear friend. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I went over the tallest waterfall in the world and survived,” Scott mumbled. He stared up at the ceiling. “That’s the second time it’s happened.”
“It never should have happened any time,” Elliott said angrily.
“. . . The first time was the worst, I think,” Scott mused slowly. “I wasn’t prepared for it and Eartha took advantage of it. And she’d already tortured me so much by the time we got to the falls that I couldn’t even struggle against her.” He closed his eyes, shuddering at the memories.
“And this time?” Elliott prompted after a moment.
Scott opened his eyes again. “This time I knew exactly what was going to happen,” he said. “I was afraid all along that it might, but then when I was actually faced with it, I accepted it and even encouraged it. I thought it was the only way to save all of you. I didn’t want you to have to go on without me, and I sure as heck didn’t want to leave you, but . . .” He gave a weak shrug. “We’ve been all trained to know that the time could always come. I thought mine had.”
“I feel horrible about that,” Elliott said. “It really does feel like it’s our fault for coming.”
Scott struggled to sit up. “El, please don’t think that,” he implored, grabbing Elliott’s hand. “What I said back on the banks was true. She would have thrown me anyway. And without all of you here, I would be a lot worse off by now.” He smiled. “I’m grateful you all came to help me. You knew this would be a tough assignment for me.”
Elliott smiled too, but it was wan. “At least I wish we’d been available right at the time to go with you. We were all on other assignments, and when they wrapped up, we mutually decided to find you on our way home.”
“Anyone who has friends like you three is the luckiest guy in the world,” Scott declared.
Elliott looked into Scott’s eyes. “The same goes for us knowing you,” he said.
Scott smiled more. “I try.”
“You do a lot more than that.” Elliott paused. “I guess this area will have even more horrible memories for you now.”
“Maybe,” Scott said slowly. “I really hope I won’t have to come here again. But . . . it feels a little like I’ve come full circle. This experience has been a lot better than the first time I was here. This time I knew I was doing something valuable to save my friends. I wasn’t just getting my mission cut short. And all of you were then here to save me. I can’t guarantee I won’t still have nightmares about this place sometimes, but overall, I don’t think I’m terrified of it anymore.”
“I’m glad,” Elliott fervently declared.
“We all are,” Sean spoke up from the next row of seats.
Scott looked over in surprise. “How long have you been awake and listening?”
“A while,” Sean said, and Barry nodded in agreement. “We figured we’d let the two of you talk things out.”
“Sean . . .” Scott studied their leader in concern. “Do you still blame yourself for coming out here?”
“I don’t think so,” Sean mused. “Not so much anyway. What you said makes a lot of sense, especially how we all helped each other. I’m glad we were here for you.”
“That’s the way it’s always going to be,” Elliott said firmly.
Scott certainly hoped so. If it was at all possible, he knew that the others definitely would hold to that. He would as well. Right now, however, he didn’t want to worry about the future. He just wanted to be grateful that the present was good.