The door cracked open and Crow leapt up from his position sat against the wall into a defensive crouch, his crowbar in one hand and a large hunting knife in the other. Unless it was Jay, then any other company down here was not welcome. Thankfully it was her. He smiled. "Look what I managed to get hold of" He said, holding up a bottle of vodka. It was full. Jay's expression brightened considerably. "I figured you might need some pre-emptive pain relief if you're serious about this plan of yours."
Jay smiled wryly. "Got that right." Her smile faded. "Will you be okay tonight?"
Crow's smile also faded somewhat. He knew what she was referring to. He rubbed the brand at the base of his thumb absentmindedly. It was the Greek letter sigma (Σ).Before Socrates had forced them together, they had been like any of the other Ghosts, screaming their way through the night as the nightmares took hold. Now they relied on each other to keep the terrors at bay. If Jay went through with her plan, she wouldn't be there for him tonight. He would have to survive on his own- for the first time in almost six months.
He swallowed. "I'll be okay. You do what you have to do."
Jay reached over and squeezed his hand. As she did so, he traced a Σ on the back of her hand. She gave him a soft smile. "Always." She murmured.
"Have you got a particular Watcher to provoke in mind?" he asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
Jay nodded. "Ivan. He was Oleg's brother."
He looked at her in shock. "The Watcher you killed? Have you lost your mind? You know he won't hold back."
She didn't say anything.
After a few moments of silence the pair stirred. "I think it's about time we had a drink, don't you?" Jay asked brightly. Crow nodded enthusiastically and got up to retrieve the glasses from inside the wall.
As he was pouring the shots, he said quietly "You should use it. The Vent." The Vent was an opening into the air ducts that after several twists, turns and makeshift ladders later, led to the Outside. They had known about it for months but had never dared to use it. To be honest neither of them had ever wanted to; there was nothing left for them Outside.
Jay frowned. She had been thinking about it all day but hadn't wanted to broach the subject with Crow. If she helped Morgan to escape via the Vent, then their one shot of ever getting out on their own would be lost. The Vent was the only weak point in the armor of the underground complex; if anyone were to try escaping it would be painfully obvious how they had done it and the Vent would quickly be filled in.
They always thought of the Vent as their last resort, their safety net, that should they ever want to escape then they could use it. But if she did what Crow was suggesting that safety net would be gone, and they would truly be trapped. Still, she couldn't think of another way to get Morgan out.
"Are you sure?" she asked quietly.
Crow nodded. "I think we should be honest with ourselves. If we were ever going to use it, we would have already. You should use it to help your friend escape."
"Thank you." She murmured. And with that she knocked back her first shot. It burned slightly as it ran down her throat but she liked the warm fuzzy feeling it left in its wake. Crow however did not drink at first.
"You could go with him." He said softly. "It's obvious he cares about you. The FBI could protect you." He didn't know why he said it. He'd fall apart if Jay left. But a small part of him wanted her to escape, before Washington could take her.
