Are you?

Carson eases down next to Misty in the sand, folding his legs up Indian-style. He listens quietly…he’d had times in his life where he thought he was going to die…he could relate…he knew it wasn’t fun to think about.

The information that he was the one thing Misty hung onto stirs a strange feeling within him…he knew Misty cared about him…had fallen in love with him…but there was a deepness there he didn’t yet understand.

Mention of the Agency brings a muttered curse to the surface. Carson had been afraid of that…it just went to prove how heartless the Agency really was, and made him all the more glad he was out of it.

As Carson hears the tears in Misty’s voice, he reaches over to put an arm around her shoulders. He couldn’t remember ever needing to comfort anyone, and it felt just a little awkward…but he didn’t want to withdraw from Misty…not now.

He sighs deeply as she concludes, trying to process the information…trying to decide how he should be feeling. He was so angry with the Agency, he could taste it. He wasn’t mad at Misty though…he understood now…he wasn’t sure he would have done differently. Half the time she hadn’t remembered, and half the time she was trying to protect herself and those she cared for.

Carson gives Misty’s shoulders a gentle squeeze. “I’ve never experienced as great a pain as I did when I thought you’d died because of me,” he mentions quietly. “And I still carry with me the guilt because though you didn’t die, you experienced horrors that no one should have to go through.”

He swallows hard, grasping for control over his emotions. “You don’t have to make up for anything, Misty. The only thing you did was what you felt was right, and…you can’t regret that.”

Carson allows a long pause, contemplating the present…the future. “What happens now? Are you going to stay in hiding?” He turns his head to look her in the eye. “Or are you going to go back with me and face this thing to end it once and for all?”

A hard determination settles into his eyes. “Hiding only gives the Agency just what they wanted, and I’ll be hanged if I let them be satisfied with their dirty work.”


Scott ambles across the floor, jingling something in his pocket.

“Hey, Scott, can you help me over here?” Susanne calls from her office, holding up some cords that look like they shouldn’t have been pulled from something.

Scott throws her an annoyed but amused smirk. “Hang on. I’ll be there in a minute.” He continues his route to Katie’s cubicle where he leans on the wall, looking down at her. “Hero! Good to see ya today.” He grins at her and pushes his glasses up further on his nose.

“Listen, I, um…I got a buddy in town who owed me for some tech jobs I did for him a while back, and…I decided to cash in. Just so happens he works at that car lot over at the east end of town.” Scott cocks his head a little and shrugs. “I did a bit of haggling and ended up with these.” He reaches into his pocket and tosses a set of keys onto Katie’s desk.

“She’s got about 3,000 miles on her so she’s just broke in. Engine’s great and purrs like a kitten. I checked everything out, and all she needs now is a driver and someone to give her a name.”