The Elsewhere Files

Cost and Consequence - Mission One

Bring me – don’t drop.

[Nguyen]: “When you’re done spanking her, can I add a few taps myself? If she wanted us to bring it, why the hell didn’t she just grab it and bring it?”

[Crowe]: “This is her not so subtle way of giving us what we need and yet walking away from us at the same time.”

[Nguyen]: “You mean she broke up with us?” tone mockingly hurt sounding

[Crowe]: “Cute.” Tone flat, not joking “We have to get her back.”

[Nguyen]: “I like the girl, but is it smart to bring her back if she’s going to keep doing this?”

[Crowe]: packs the cross into the bag and slings it over his shoulder “It’s not a matter of smart. I need to get her back before she realizes a few things.”

[Nguyen]: understanding dawns on his face “Oh, those things…. Yeah. Alright. How exactly do we find someone who knows your tricks and doesn’t want to be found?”

Major Crowe stays silent and leads the Captain back outside, this time circumventing the window and simply unlocking the church door. They step outside to see the hail has stopped  and the storm is now just a normal rainstorm. Nguyen raises his eyebrows and taps the bag over the Major’s shoulder. Crowe grunts and they head back out to the SUV, quickly driving out of the city. Scene catches up with itself, picking up where it had left off earlier:

[Nguyen]: sighs  “We broke into a church with you promising that we weren’t going to touch anything, just looking. Then we needed to search the place carefully, maybe she left us a clue behind….” Shakes head “How did I let you talk me into taking this with us?” hefts a bag with a heavy item inside.

[Crowe]: gives Nguyen a pointed look, then focuses back on the road “You saw it the same as I did. I didn’t have to talk you into anything.”

[Nguyen]: grunts “Did that seem too easy to you?”

[Crowe]: nods “It really did.”

[Nguyen]: stays silent a moment, looking thoughtful “Do you think she’d already removed the obstacles for us?”

[Crowe]: no reaction for a long while, then he nods affirmative

[Nguyen]: “Great…. I manage to get wrapped up in the one project where even you almost die repeatedly and to make things even better, your soul mate is thrown into the mix. Great googly moogly you two are nothing but trouble.”

[Crowe]: “Googly moogly? Have you been taking cursing lessons from Kiera?”

[Nguyen]: glares at the Major “Ha. Ha. I notice you didn’t deny the soul mate part.”

[Crowe]: “That’s because you know I don’t believe in that shit. She’s a pain in the ass handful and I plan on smacking her up the back of the head the moment I can. Until then, there’s no point worrying over it.”

[Nguyen]: “And how do you plan on finding her?”

[Crowe]: grins darkly “I may or may not have found a way to get a tracking devise worked into her engagement ring.”

[Nguyen]: stares at the Major, jaw dropped in surprise “I don’t understand how come you didn’t use it before….”

[Crowe]: shifts, clearly uncomfortable “It showed her as being here in the SUV with us. Thought that maybe the tracker had malfunctioned.”

[Nguyen]: laughs  “No, she was just in here with us. Alright then, where is she?”

[Crowe]: jerks chin toward windshield “Somewhere on the side of the road, walking in that.” The storm outside is still dumping liters of rain very quickly. Both soldiers are watching the sides of the road as much as out the front windshield, but they still almost miss the mud covered and drenched figure walking along the side of the road. Major Crowe slams on the breaks and the SUV screeches to a stop, letting the Major hop out of the car.

[Crowe]: seems oblivious to the rain “Kiera! Get in the damn car!”

[Kiera]: glares at the Major and continues walking, trying to step passed him.

The Major steps at the same time, keeping himself in Kiera’s way and she tries to shove him out of the way. That had apparently been what the Major was waiting for, as the moment Kiera’s hand landed against him, he spun quickly and with a snick of metal, Kiera found herself handcuffed around one wrist, the other end around the Major’s wrist.

[Kiera]: “What the hell?”

[Crowe]: “I can’t keep you alive if you keep running away.” Nguyen climbs out of the SUV but ignores the pair, climbing back in, this time in the backseat.

[Kiera]: “I’m not the one that walked in the front door of an ambush!”

[Crowe]: “No, you’re the one that sent us to that ambush!”

[Kiera]: “Oh no, we’re not rehashing this old argument again. It’s like the first time I ran into Barry. I didn’t set you up then, I didn’t set you up now. Sorry if I have the bad taste to assume that you’re a capable professional!” tries to punch the Major.

[Crowe]: jerks his wrist that is handcuffed to Kiera and her punch misses entirely. He continues the movement, twirling his arm, quickly tucking Kiera’s corresponding arm up behind her back. By the time he’s finished the quick movement, Kiera has one arm twisted behind her back, the other caught in the Major’s grip and pulled behind her head and he has her held firmly in place. “Enough.” Voice low, almost a whisper in her ear “I’m sorry you had to hear that lie. I’m sorry I made you feel that way. And I more sorry than you know for putting you into this situation at all. But the facts haven’t changed from so long ago. You and I don’t need to see eye to eye for this partnership to work. If I have to, I’ll keep these cuffs in place and where ever you go, I go. I don’t want to have to do it this way Kiera, but god damn it I’m keeping one of my women alive at least. Now get in the SUV or am I going to have to do this the hard way?” tone has gone hard, but he’s still speaking softly.

[Kiera]: “I’ll stay until we kill Barry. After that, you and I are going to have a long, uninterrupted conversation.”

[Crowe]: spins Kiera so she is untangled “Sounds lovely. Now get in.” tone hard. The Major uncuffs Kiera and waits for her to climb in before getting in himself.

[Nguyen]: “Trouble in paradise?”

[Crowe and Kiera]: “Shut up Nguyen.” Scene ends