Two Hours Ago

Morning. Scott was much quieter than normal. Refusing to eat breakfast, he only had a little bit of orange juice, ignoring Dalton's promptings to eat anything else with the excuse that he didn't feel well. He agreed to go to work anyway though...he had to, or else he wouldn't be able to meet Garret.

The ride to work was even quieter. Scott didn't want to talk to Dalton, and when asked anything, his responses were short and sharp. He wanted to be left alone. He wanted to get this over with. And he didn't want anyone to miss him if this whole thing went south.

After they'd gotten to the office, Scott only worked a little while before getting up from his desk. He tucked his hands in his hoodie pockets and aimed for the door, but stopped and glanced over his shoulder before he got out in the hall. He wanted to say something. He wanted to thank Dalton for being one of his few friends...for taking care of him...for being so patient even now when he'd been downright mean to him. He wanted to make sure Domino would be taken care of if he didn't come back today... he wanted to tell Dalton to stop worrying about him and just thrive in the Elite like he could. But...nothing could be said, lest he be kept from his plan. So dropping his eyes, he left. 

Walking past Hope's office, he forced his feet to keep going. Similar thoughts ran through his mind about Hope and what he should say to her. But there was no way he could even see her this morning and maintain his composure. He was already shaking and knew if he didn't go now, he never would.

Finally making it outside, he headed across the parking lot and didn't look back. No one would notice he was gone until it was too late to stop him. No one would know until it was over, and either he would have succeeded or failed...


Laura came down the stairs with a basket of dirty laundry, prepping for the day's housework. Nate had left to take Maggie to school then go to work just a bit ago, leaving her with Brian - and Garret. Since he hadn't gone with Nate and she hadn't even seen him yet this morning, she assumed he probably wouldn't come out of his room until later, and she wasn't anticipating him offering to help with the tasks Nate had suggested last night. She wouldn't bother him today though - she'd let him be for now, knowing he just needed time.

As she got downstairs and turned the corner though, she almost ran into him, scaring her half to death. "Oh! Garret!" She stepped back and almost dropped her basket, rolling her eyes. "Sorry. I didn't even know you were up." She realized that not only was he up, but he was dressed with his boots and jacket on, ready to go out. "Change your mind about going to work?"

He shook his head as he fastened his wristwatch. "Just...need some air." 

"Oh." Laura studied him for a moment, but couldn't read anything - he had a thick wall around him this morning that wasn't allowing any emotion through, and she wondered why. "Okay." 

He simply nodded and aimed for the front door. And within a couple minutes, he was gone. 

Laura, still standing in the hallway finally just shook her head and continued to the laundry room. Something felt weird today, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe it was just her. 


Seeing the Elite vehicle coming towards the curb, Scott gave a small start, then realized it was just Garret. After waiting for him to stop, he got in the passenger seat and buckled in. When they didn't move though, he looked over at Garret with question. 

Garret sighed. "You sure about this? 'Cause you know I'm risking everything, right?" 

Scott set his jaw stubbornly. "It's either that or risk Victoria's life." 

"I could just kill you now." 

"But you won't."

"How can you be sure?"

Scott looked him square in the eye. "Because you don't want to." 

Unfortunately, he was right. Garret had been around Nate's family too long now, and he'd lost his edge. He couldn't convince himself that Scott's life was worthless, and he could just take it without regret. He was soft...and though he didn't like it, it was true, for now. Knowing that, he had little choice but to comply.

It took just over half an hour to reach the old one-story building. It was overgrown with grass and weeds, and several window panes were broken. Just as Wyatt and Pete had pointed out, it did look abandoned. Garret parked and gave the entire area thorough look before deciding it was safe. He wished he had a gun, but he hadn't been given that luxury yet. Getting inside, the two cautiously found the trapdoor and made their way to the lower level where there was a lap just like Wyatt and Pete had described. And it didn't take long for Garret to get the equipment turned on and prepped. He knew what he was doing - he wanted this to provide a new tool for the Elite - but how it was happening was not what he'd had in mind. And he knew he'd pay dearly. But at least Victoria would be safe...

...Scott tried not to let his fear show, but as Garret strapped his wrists down, his hands trembled. His body wanted nothing but to bolt from this place right now. He was reliving the worst nightmare of his life, and it took all he had not to throw up.

“Easy.” Garret wasn’t used to or good at being gentle with anyone but Maggie, but calmness was all they had to get them through this. “Think about something else.”

“Oh sure. Like what?”

“I dunno.” Garret continued to prepare. “How about Hope? She’s your girl, right?”

“Not...not really. I mean…she was. But after I started going downhill, she and I fell apart.”

“Why?” Garret really didn’t care – it was just a topic to distract Scott for a few minutes.

“Well, because I wasn’t worth her time and effort anymore, let alone her love.”

“She said that?”

“No...It’s just a fact.” Scott shifted uncomfortably in the chair as his heart rate rose. “She didn’t like it, but I knew I should let her go ‘cause I couldn’t function properly.”

Garret started hooking up the wires to the strap around Scott’s head. “So you’re the one who broke things off? Even though you loved each other?”

Scott’s discomfort transferred to a different emotion. “I had to. It was only right.”

“Really? You can’t control if someone else loves you just by distancing yourself. If she wanted to stay with you, then that was her choice, wasn’t it?”

Scott blinked. “She...deserves better.”

Garret finished strapping Scott’s legs down in the chair. “Sounds to me like she made her choice. But then...what do I know?” He moved in closer. “Okay, now relax.” He forced Scott’s good eye open with the device that wouldn’t allow him to close it during the process. Garret then went to the computer and started the program, which turned on the screen and readied the intel. “Now or never. On your mark.”

Scott’s head was strapped down too tightly to nod. “Do it.” Even though he now understood how everything worked, it didn’t help ease any of his fear. But he’d come too far to back out now.

“Just remember… focus. You’re looking for intel on Carson’s case. Don’t let go of that thought.”

What happened next would become a vague memory, lost amidst the fear and pain. Writhing in the chair, Scott’s screams filled the room as the data was brutally forced into his mind...


Reese poked his head into the office and looked around before glancing to Dalton. "Hey. Just wanted Scott to come look at something on my computer, but I can't seem to find him. Any ideas?"

Jamison had his own chair today and half a desk space, but for the moment he was standing behind Dalton, learning. His eyes also quickly swept the office. "I haven't seen him since I got here and that was two hours ago."


Gage spun around in the desk chair in Sapphire's cubical as the wheels in his mind worked.  "...So they're losing their senior janitor and offered the position to me, and I could take two classes instead of just one, or if I didn't take as much pay as they're offering, maybe I could take three classes." He set his feet down to abruptly stop spinning, and stared at her wide-eyed. "Maybe I can get that used car I've been looking at and actually get some of my own transportation." 

Every day he succeeded, the happier and more animated he grew. He was living in a better apartment now, and although still had very little, having the art school's support was a huge boost for him, not to mention Sapphire's support. 

His lips curled into a smile. "I could actually take you out to supper tonight, if you want." He glanced at the clock. He didn't have to be back to work for another hour. "Am I bothering you? 'Cause I can leave if I am. I was just excited."


Eli cut the engine on his motorcycle and let it rest on the kickstand before dismounting and taking off his helmet. The garage looked busy today - good for business, bad for moods. Maybe. The guys had been pretty good lately, especially while trying to keep Ryan's spirits up. 

Wandering into one of the open bay doors, he waved to Leo, then Ryan. "Hey." He ambled closer, looking at the engine she was working on. He had the day off work and was going to do lunch with Scarlet, but had decided to stop here on his way instead of just texting. 

He grinned and motioned to his face then pointed to her own cheek. "Got a little grease there..." He chuckled, before thumbing back outside. "I gotta run, but I wondered about tonight, if you still wanted to have Hunter over or something?"