Cogs Of Fate

In Hushed Whispers

Rufus and Jiya climbed the rickety stairs back up into the abandoned building where the Lifeboat remained. Rufus had the gun aimed out before him like he'd seen Wyatt do it numerous times before as they cautiously moved forward. He glanced about the nearly empty floor, eyes darting around but finding nothing except the Lifeboat, sitting exactly where he left it. He motioned with his head for Jiya to follow him.

They carefully made their way over to the Lifeboat. Rufus glanced inside, finding it empty while Jiya looked over the outside. They returned to one another at the entrance. "It's clear," Rufus whispered, turning his gaze over the empty room once again.

Jiya nodded slowly. "It's okay on the outside too..." She watched Rufus for a moment. "Do you think it was a distraction? An effort to separate us?"

Rufus's brows furrowed, slight shrug. "I'm not sure..."

He turned to Jiya, ready to speak again when they heard the familiar sounds of footsteps echoing from the stairwell. He motioned for her to get into the Lifeboat. He gave Jiya a boost, following her once she got inside.

The two waited for a moment, listening to the sounds as they thumped closer. The moment Rufus spotted the unforgettable red hair, he hissed, "It's Emma! Get us out of here!"

"What about - "

Rufus didn't let her finish. "We'll come back for them! Get us out of here!"

Jiya jumped into the pilot's chair just as Emma opened fire upon them. The hatch closed. Bullets ricocheted off the chaise. The Lifeboat roared to life and disappeared from 1980.

Emma blew a hard sigh from her lips, gritting her teeth. She shook her head, seething from the failed attempt to take the Lifeboat away from them. She wondered what had gone wrong and where.

Present Day

The Lifeboat returned to the padded landing room of the Bloodstone bunker. When the two rushed out of the padded landing room, Wyatt and Flynn stared at them, noting two members were missing. The panic washed over Wyatt's expression as he glanced between the returning two. Wyatt's voice began to rise as he asked them, "Where are they?"

"We had to leave -," Rufus started to explain, hands lifting defensively.

Wyatt grabbed Rufus by the collar, panic coursing through his veins as he demanded, "Where are they?!"

Flynn broke Wyatt's hold of Rufus, pushing the soldier away, keeping a hand on the soldier's chest. "You're not going to get answers from him if you beat him up!" Flynn shouted.

Rufus jerked his hoodie down to straighten it, shifting in place. His eyes darted over to a worried Jiya as she snaked her arm around his comfortingly. Rufus met Flynn's gaze. "Thanks," he muttered. Turning to the others, he spoke louder for them to hear as Agent Christopher walked over. "We saw Future Wyatt and Emma talking to one another - "

"Excuse me?" Wyatt choked, trying to calm down. "You expect me to believe-"

"Shut up," Flynn told him, shooting him an annoyed glance. "Let him finish."

Rufus nodded his thanks once more to Flynn, eyeing Wyatt carefully. "They went in different directions," he explained. "We decided to follow them in case Emma wanted to steal the Lifeboat...and she did. She attacked us as soon as we returned to the machine - "

"So, you guys decided to separate and leave half of you behind - the helpless ones at that?" Wyatt seethed, motioning at Rufus's hand, "And I see you have Tenley's gun." He scoffed, running a hand through his hair out of frustration.