Cogs Of Fate

A Truth Whispered At Night

Present Day

Agent Christopher watched as the team climbed out of the Lifeboat. She spotted the dried blood on Rufus's shirt. "What happened?"

Rufus announced without glancing down, "It's not my blood."

"Thank God," Jiya sighed, hand to her chest.

"What happened?" Denise asked again, eyes darting between the team.

"A lot," Wyatt remarked. The team took the time to describe and explain everything to Agent Christopher as best as they could.

"So this Mary was really Hazel Drew?" Agent Christopher asked.

Wyatt nodded. "I don't understand why they kidnapped her from her timeline, only to kill her somewhere else."

Lucy cleared her throat. "I'm wondering if she's even the real Hazel Drew."

"What do you mean?" Agent Christopher asked. The rest of the team had turned to look at her, waiting on her answer.

Lucy glanced about the others. "When we got back from that mission, I looked her up...I can't find any records of her anywhere. There were some articles about unsolved murders in that town -"

"Whose murders?" Wyatt questioned.

"The mayor and the Bloodstone agents at the lake," she explained. "But there was no mention of Hazel...no death records, birth records, nothing."

Agent Christopher thought for a moment. "So what happened to her?"

Lucy shook her head. "My guess, after this mission? She was part of Bloodstone from the beginning and everything she told us in Sand Lakes was a facade."

A dark silence overtook the room after her admission. A moment later, knowing there was more to the story, Agent Christopher asked, "What else?"

"We might be able to narrow our search for Reynolds down a little bit," Rufus stated. "One of the Bloodstone agents told us that Reynolds has an accent."

"Do you know what kind of accent?" Agent Christopher questioned. The team exchanged looks, none of them answering the question. Agent Christopher's brow knitted together. "I'm not sure how helpful that's going to be."

"Maybe you should try again anyway," Flynn suggested.

Denise nodded. "Get cleaned up." She glanced at everyone before muttering, "You smell like the sewers."

The team nodded, separating from the common living area.

Wyatt and Lucy entered their room to gather their things for the showers. "You've been quiet," Wyatt pointed out. "What's on your mind?"

Lucy sighed. "I was thinking about something Poe told me when you and Rufus went to Frederica's house."

"Yeah?" he asked, stepping up to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist. "What'd he say?"

She looked him in the eye, getting lost in the blue. "He ... talked about second chances." She decided not to tell Wyatt the exact conversation but the nature in which it was spoken. She nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I've been unfair to you," she whispered. "I should give you a second chance because we all make mistakes, Wyatt, but I'm hoping we've learned from them."

Wyatt nodded, pulling her closer. "I am so relieved to hear you say that."

"But we can't do this again," she warned him, that teacher-like lecture behind her expression. "We have to be honest with one another and we have to stick together, no matter what the circumstances."