LOTF: Before and After

Phase 3: Chapter 6

The Langley family arrived at the Federal Buerau of Investigation's International Crime office in central Georgia only a week after the rescue.

It had been decided that all the surviving Bainbridge Military Academy Unit 8 boys would undergo the Flag State questioning process in the FBI's Atlanta office. This was decided because lots of the boys were from Georgia, and those who weren't had ties through the academy.

The Georgia office wasn't substantially large, and so each of the boys' families were given a specific day and time to come in to the office as there wouldn't be space to separate all twenty two of them into questioning rooms at the same time while still maintaining normal operations. Only about four of them were brought in at a time.

When Ralph arrived, he was surprised to see Sam and Eric sitting in the waiting area of the front office.

"Ralph?" Eric looked over at the brunette. The twin almost hadn't recognized him fully clothed with proper hygiene.

Ralph excused himself from his parents as they checked in to go greet the twins. They hadn't spoken at all since the rescue. In fact, there was no interaction between them at all after the twins covered for him when they found him hiding from the hunters right before the Marines showed up.

"You guys here for your flag state interviews too?" Ralph assumed as he sat down beside them.

"Yeah" they confirmed in unison.

It was awkward and tense for a moment as silence filled the air between them.

"Look, Ralph, we never meant to—"

"I know" Ralph cut Sam off to say.

"We never really wanted to hurt—"

"Guys, I know" Ralph cut in again. "Really. I'm not mad. I don't blame you for switching sides."

"You don't?" Eric questioned.

"You did what you thought you had to do. To protect yourselves. I get it, really" Ralph insisted.

"We should've stayed with you" Sam admitted shamefully. "They all should've."

"Doesn't matter now" was Ralph could think to say.

"We're sorry" they said together.

"Like really sorry" Sam added. "I hope we can still be friends."

"Course" Ralph forced a smile. "I never got to thank you guys for not ratting my hiding spot out to the others. And for warning me about their plan."

"We should've stood up to him, you were right" Eric confessed as Sam nodded in agreement.

Ralph could see how guilty the twins were feeling about the decisions they'd made towards the end. But Ralph knew it was unfair for him to judge the choices they made while under the impression they'd never get rescued, especially not from where they were sitting today. And they shouldn't judge themselves either, Ralph told them.

Each of the twins were whisked away to separate questioning rooms shortly after. Their seats had been taken by Ralph's parents as the Langley family awaited his turn to go in.

"You're gonna come in with me, right?" Ralph asked his father worriedly. "I'm a minor so I have a right to have a parent with me."

"Actually no, Ralph. That isn't how the flag state operates. Since the island you were on isn't American owned, your rights as an American aren't protected in this case" Jeffery's heart broke to admit to his son.

"So that means I'm not allowed to have anyone with me? Not even a lawyer?" he asked, worry and sadness in his voice.

"It's part of how the flag state conducts their investigation, Ralph. They don't want to risk mine or anyone else's presence having any influence on what you tell them. It's just a way they rid interviews of potential bias" his father explained.