Some Answers

Carson opens his mouth to say more on the same subject, but realizes that Misty is giving him an out, so he takes it, following the redirected conversation.

“Oh, kind of…not really.” He chews on a fry thoughtfully, the frustration showing through. “She said the Agency waited until now because they actually thought that I’d come back to them at some point…they didn’t really believe I was on this side for good. When they realized that, they got desperate.” He shakes his head, still confused. “They think I know where the last remaining computer chip is.”

Carson pauses, not understanding the whole thing. “I guess there’s a war going on internally at the Agency. Medridge is starting to play around with his own men now, creating havoc. He told someone that I was the key to where the chip was, but he wouldn’t give them any more than that. So one of the gangs assumed that meant I knew where it was and decided to come after me. They want to find out where the chip is, in order to get to it before TJY, even though Medridge didn’t tell them to.”

He finishes off his burger and leans back in his chair, chewing until he can talk again. “So I know why they want me bad enough to kidnap Mick…they want me alive – maybe that’s a good thing. Problem is, I don’t have a clue where that stupid chip is. Why Medridge would say I did, I don’t know. But what I really wanted out of Ashlyn was to know where this would go down tomorrow…how many of their men would be there. But…she wouldn’t give it to me.”

Carson stands up to pace a little bit, trying to sort through his mess of thoughts. They were all tangled up with each other, leading to nothing that was helpful. “The good thing is, that one, they don’t want to kill me. Two, that if they’re not being led by Medridge, you can bet they’re not as organized. And three, they don’t have a clue how many of our own will be there.”

He stops to lean on the counter, staring at the sink. “We’ve got to get Mick out of there alive…”


Jason turns his head back to Aerith, unable to help but find a spark of amusement. She really did talk too much, but her innocence wouldn’t let Jason get upset. Katie tried to get into his head, Con tried to talk him out of his actions, Nate tried to give him advice on everything…but Aerith didn’t have a clue about his situation and was simply receiving information without judging or trying to advise him. It almost felt strange.

He opens his mouth to reply when the phone on his belt buzzes and he rolls his eyes. Picking it up he sees it’s Nate and decides not to answer, but waits to hear the message, separating his thoughts from Aerith for just a minute. Listening to what Nate says, Jason quirks an eyebrow, but lets out a tired sigh. Would this ever end?

He puts his phone back and shakes his head a little. “Work,” he explains. “Guess it’s an early morning for me.”

Looking back to Aerith again he almost quirks a smile. No, he wasn’t going to elaborate on his own life…he’d already said too much. But her company was worth keeping up a dialogue. His body language clearly tells her that he doesn’t want to talk about his troubles, and he switches the conversation, using the opening she had provided. “Fishing, huh? Was that a random topic, or do you actually like to fish?”