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Dead Men Walking
Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (70,882 Views)
Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
So an intervention was what Annie was hoping to pull off. Antonio nodded in agreement; it was the safest option to start with. He doubted how effective an intervention would be, but he did his best to maintain a positive mental outlook on it.

"A few times. Though mostly dealt with drugs rather than... this."

Antonio exhaled sharply and took another glance over his shoulder just to make sure that nobody was nearby. They were still clear.

"Interventions are difficult beasts. Thankfully, we have a group of people and we all know the general extent of the problem and agree that it has to change. That actually takes care of the first few steps of the planning process. But it leaves two big steps; we need to decide what we are going to say to him and what the consequences will be."

While he was here, he decided he may as well give a general rundown of an intervention. Not everyone had been through this process before, after all.

"When we have all of that, we can call him out somewhere without telling him why. We take turns talking to him and expressing our feelings and concerns on the matter. Then we can discuss options on how to help. And if he refuses those, we need to lay out the consequences that each of us will take if he does not accept our help."
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Again, Annie nodded along. It was all fairly standard stuff, and a lot of it wasn’t easily applicable to this situation, but it did raise at least one important question.

“If he does refuse to stand down…” Annie started, biting her lip again. “What are the consequences?”
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"We take the cure and leave him." Brandon admitted glumly.

Even just saying it left him feeling dirty. Realistically it was the only thing they could do, the only power they could exert and the only thing Eli wouldn't want to happen. Could they trust Eli not to take off on his own with the cure at the first opportunity after giving him an ultimatum like this? That would be in keeping with recent behavior.

If they were really going to do this they did need to work out what they were going to say. Once they confronted him tempers might start flaring up and there could easily be some foul things said. Brandon had been umming and ahhing about something else that might reveal itself in a situation like that. Something that could be disastrous. He didn't think Annie would let herself fly off the handle but he couldn't know for sure. The longer she had to process that information the better. It was also information he had no right to keep from her regardless of his intentions.

"There's one other thing I need to tell you about. I didn't want to tell you before I got to talk to Connor about it, and I only didn't tell you because I didn't want to stress you out even more, but if we're doing this then you need to know right now. Yesterday when we were trading shots with the others Eli called for us to charge at them, and he gave Connor the okay to join us." Brandon informed Annie tentatively.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
Antonio furled his brow; he remembered that order from Eli.

"In his defense, it was only after the other guys stopped firing. And he told Connor to stay in the back. Though it was an inexcusable action regardless, I figured it would only be fair to put some context into it."

He figured now was not the best time to have Annie flipping out over the welfare of her son. Brandon, perhaps, should have brought this up at a later time when it was just the two of them -- but it was a little late for that now. Hopefully his words could diffuse the situation a little without sounding like he was actually defending Eli's actions there.
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"They hadn't surrendered yet. It's the reason I'm here. I could maybe ignore the other stuff, but not that." Brandon added.

The situation had still been dangerous. The way Brandon saw it there was no justification for allowing Connor out there.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." he apologized to Annie.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Annie squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her forehead. This news was disconcerting, and yet another notch against Eli. If she hadn’t wanted him out already, it would have been the tipping point.

A part of her wasn’t surprised, though. Connor had been angling to get more involved in the action, and unfortunately, him being in danger wasn’t anything new. He was in far more danger when he was in that SUV that fell off the bridge, or when he was smeared in rotter viscera and escaping the warehouse later that day. And being in that minivan while they were fleeing Cory’s army – he had never been in more danger than he was then, and she couldn’t rightfully blame that on Eli.

At least, she couldn’t blame Eli alone. Eli wasn’t the one that chose to take him on this journey in the first. Annie was. She had to admit, she was probably more culpable than anyone.

She’d have to call herself to account later.

“It’s… okay,” she accepted Brandon’s apology as she opened her eyes. “I understand. It’s just… it’s one more reason we have to do this. And you’re right about the ultimatum. That’s what it has to be, there’s no way around it.”

Her hands returned to her side. She took another long, steadying breath.

“Now we just need everyone else on board,” she said. “Brandon – could you talk with Willow and Emily? I don't know what their thinking will be, but I'm sure they will back you up. And Antonio – where do you think Nolan is going to land on all of this?”

The priest had known the young man longer than any of them, so maybe he had some insight. The way Nolan and Eli almost came to blows after what happened to Darren seemed a strong indicator that Nolan would be on board, but she still wanted to know what Antonio thought.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
"Taking the cure is a good ultimatum and all, but doesn't Eli have the cure? There is no way he would willingly hand it over to us like that, even moreso after we demand that he do it. Those threats carry no leverage if we don't have our hands on the cure already."

Antonio inhaled deeply and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. It was a tricky subject to be sure, he didn't even know what to do on it. Stealing the cure seemed easy a while back, but he wasn't so sure it still would be. Before all of this, one could just threaten to take away child visitation rights or having their loved one move out -- those might serve as suitable consequences for someone who wouldn't get help for their problems. There were plenty of things people had that could be taken away. The same wasn't necessary true anymore.

"But on Nolan, I think he wants to see the good in Eli. Like what his father saw."

The statement was pretty presumptuous on Antonio's end, but that is what it looked like to him. Despite the disagreements he saw between Eli and Nolan, the young man always came back around to give Eli the benefit of a doubt. Even when Eli clearly didn't deserve it.

"But he will be on board. This isn't just about getting Eli out of power, it's about helping him be more like himself and freeing him of his self-imposed burdens. I have no doubt that Nolan would be willing to help us under that pretense."
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“Okay,” Annie said, and then moved on to the other business Antonio had raised. “And about the cure, it’s worse than you know. He doesn’t just have it, he’s hiding it. Brandon went looking for it yesterday and it was missing.”
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
Antonio lips curled into a frown.

"Doesn't that make our threat even less viable? We couldn't take the cure from him even if we wanted to now."
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"He'll go get it when we leave." Brandon pointed out.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“And then he’ll hide it again when we stop, probably,” Annie’s frown matched Antonio’s. “Unless you want to take it from him at gunpoint, which I don’t see working out too well.”

“I'll get it,” Emmett said.

It was his first contribution of the meeting. Until then, he had been absorbing everything quietly and stilly, blinking along and nodding only slightly at points.

“No guns,” he said. “I’ll follow him. I’ll see where he puts it.”

Annie thought about that, then gave the big man a grateful nod. She remembered all the times he seemingly appeared from out of nowhere, and just how quiet he could move when he wanted to. If anyone could pull something like that off, it was him. If she was honest, this was exactly the kind of purpose she’d hope he might fulfill when she invited him to this meeting.

“That could work,” she said.

Emmett nodded back, then withdrew again into his stony silence.

Annie looked around – the others must have been getting close to ready. They should probably dissolve the meeting before Eli got suspicious.

“I think that’s all for…” she trailed off, and realized it wasn’t all, not exactly. “Actually, what about Jimmy? We’re bringing in everyone else.”
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
"I don't know." Antonio answered frankly. "Jimmy is... difficult to read sometimes. You can only catch glimpses of what he is thinking -- and they disappear as quickly as they appear. You know him better than anyone else here, Annie. I think the judgment on him should be yours to make."

He hated dumping that decision on her. But Jimmy's thoughts and opinions were often concealed under a carefree exterior that Antonio could never hope to read through without spending a considerable amount of time with the man. And he had spent almost none with him. If there was anyone among this group that knew where Jimmy would stand before talking to him about it, it was Annie.

"That being said... we are bringing in everyone else except the kids..."
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"I don't think Jimmy would care either way." Brandon stated flatly.

From what little he'd come to understand about him, Jimmy was either happy to go with the flow or stay out of it entirely. This whole thing would probably be more drama than he'd be comfortable with. He might give Eli a heads up about it but then he might not even take that much interest. He certainly didn't seem to care about the cure much so he probably wouldn't object to them having it.

That attitude had confused and annoyed Brandon begore but he'd come to be quite happy about it. Jimmy could take care of himself, he wasn't put to cause trouble and if he didn't care about any of this then Brandon didn't have to care about either. Jimmy was drama free, which made for a healthy working relationship.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“You might be right,” Annie admitted to Brandon. “But I think there’s more to him than we see. I think maybe he can rise to the occasion.”

Or maybe, I just want to think that she thought, and her expression reflected that.

She had to consider the possibility that perhaps it just made her feel better to think her three-time drinking buddy had more going on under the surface than he let on. The truth could have easily been that he didn’t. He probably would have been the first to say he didn’t, even.

Antonio had left the decision to her, though, and Brandon hadn’t objected.

“I’ll think about it,” she said. “In the meantime, as soon as you get a chance, Brandon, talk to your friend and your girlfriend. Antonio, talk to Nolan. And Emmett…”

“I’ll do what needs to be done,” he said.

“I know,” she nodded back.

And she did. If anybody could be counted on to do what they say, it was Emmett.

“Then that’s it,” she said. “We should get back.”

With that, their secret meeting concluded.

* * *

Jimmy and the others were already gathered by his truck. Hank and his family, and all of his passengers, were waiting by the RV. Eli would join them in just a minute, and then they would hit the road. But there’s something he needed to do first.

He arrived at the remains of what was once a schoolhouse on the property. Literature in the house indicated that for roughly 20 years in the early 1900’s, the school served more than a dozen students from first to eighth grade, with the teachers boarding first with the ranchers, and later at an abandoned ranger station – the remains of which were also on the ranch. By the end, the school district considered the building a fire hazard and allows the Swett’s to burn it down.

Eli had first found the present day remains the night they all arrived, while he was wandering around in the dark, tired and frustrated and taking it out on the rotters he was gathering for Kelsey and Connor’s practice. When he saw a distinctive rock in the ruins, he had an idea. The idea involved digging a hole.

Now, he kicked the rock aside, and found that hole. The black canister – the one that had caused him so much pain and would keep causing him pain until he completed his mission – remained where he left it.

He wasn’t taking any more chances. He had lost it once to the bandits at Fort Erie, had almost lost it again to the bandits at Lincoln, and had left it behind before going to Green River. With each of those incidents, he risked never seeing it again.

No more, he remembered vowing that night.

Eli found the cure. He fought it at first, but he knew now it was his responsibility. He could only trust it to himself. And only to himself.

He picked it up and headed back.

* * *

The crowded Winnebago bounced along, heading west on an empty road. Hank was behind the wheel. Eli was in the passenger’s seat, as Riley and the kids had claimed the bedroom as their space. A few others claimed seats in the dinette. Andy had set up a lawn chair between Eli and Hank.

Everyone else stood or sat on the floor. There wasn’t a lot of room to manoeuvre, but they all fit.

“You guys okay back there?” Hank looked away from the road and over his shoulder.

It wasn’t the first time he had asked.
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Is that so?
Nolan trudged back to the house. It was time to rally everyone up to leave. And frankly, he couldn't wait to be off this ranch now. Even if it was beautiful, all he could do was associate it with Jen. This is where she died.

After helping Jimmy prepare his truck for the road, he was starting to feel it. His limbs were sore and stiff and even the thin layer of sweat he had worked up was seeping into the stitched up wound on his forehead and left him with a dull stinging sensation over his left eye. Even though the scar would probably be pretty sick once it healed, he wouldn't go getting himself ejected from another car anytime soon. He was lucky to get out of that was just bumps, bruises, and a handful of stitches -- and he still felt like an old man. He couldn't begin to imagine what Brandon or Emmett were going through right now. Both of them had it worse than him.

He slowed to a stop as he approached one of the cabins. It was a soft sobbing that caught his attention; it was coming from the back side of it. It was peculiar and he couldn't exactly just leave it be, so he made a detour to investigate. Huddled behind the cabin was a young girl in a heavy jacket; she held her legs close to her chest and had her face buried in her knees. It was Kelsey.

"Hey, Kels."

Nolan sat down beside her and rested his back against the outer wall of the cabin. The moist ground made his butt wet, but that wasn't exactly a big deal. His little sister looked up at him through red, tear-stained eyes. He wanted to ask what was wrong. What had happened. But she lunged toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into her side, where she continued to sob quietly. Nolan wrapped his right arm around the little girl and embraced her tightly. He couldn't ask what was wrong. Not right now. So instead he just let her cry.


* * * * *

A bump in the road snapped Nolan out of his conveniently timed flashback. He was in Jimmy's truck. Swett Ranch was behind them and they were on their way to Salt Lake City now. At his side, Kelsey rested her head against Nolan's arm. She was fast asleep; he never had a chance to ask her about what happened earlier. After she finished crying, she quickly reverted back to herself. A forced facade, but one he had come to expect from her. That was the first time he could remember actually seeing Kelsey cry. She had always been so tough, but ever since the incident with Jen, he had noticed her starting to crack a little. Had that been the first time she saw someone she knew personally transformed?

"Hey, Annie?" Nolan decided to break the monotonous sound of the truck's engine rumbling. "What do you think caused all this?"

It was a question that everyone was thinking, but nobody really had an answer to. Annie was a doctor -- and a good one at that -- that had seen these things firsthand. If anyone could come up with some sort of diagnosis, it would be her. Maybe it was a morbid line of questioning, talking about rotters, but it was something he had been intensely curious about. And Nolan was nothing if not overly curious.

* * * * *

Willow didn't care that Hank kept asking the same question over and over again. She was riding in an RV. Despite the tight quarters, everyone had room to lay out and relax a little. And they had running water and a functioning bathroom! And a TV! Even if she had to relax on the floor, just having those luxuries was well worth it.

"We're still fine, Hank." Willow answered him nonchalantly, not even bothering to glance over the top of the book she was reading; The Scarlet Plague. "Though I think Emily farted."
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