How do you return to normal everyday life knowing that the world you're surrounded by is a lie? You simply don't. So perhaps it was a good thing that Scarlett's life wasn't normal, at least it hadn't been since a terrorist entered her life and destroyed everything that she'd worked so hard to build. Only now it wasn't just the terrorist's fault but this elusive organization known as Rittenhouse.

Scarlett planned to storm straight into her father's office and demand answers, but when she arrived just outside the door she could hear the ongoing argument within. Rather than join, she bided her time, listening to see if she'd glean any new information.

"Because I don't have a car," Rufus exclaimed, answering a question Scarlett assumed her father had asked prior. She could hear Rufus shuffling behind the door as he continued his rant. "Ask my why I don't have a car. Because I am too scared to get in mine because your Rittenhouse guys hacked me while I was going fifty miles an hour!"

"Are you all right?" Mason asked.

"Do I look all right?" Rufus snapped.

"Right, well, I'm sorry," Mason apologized, but it didn't sound very genuine. "They, um, shouldn't be contacting you directly."

There was a tense pause before Rufus's incredulous voice scoffed with disbelief. "Is that all you have to say? You sold me out. You had them send some goon to threaten me and my family."

"Wait a minute. I'd never do that," Mason quickly interjected. "You're like a son to me. Scarlett looks at you like a brother. Now, for you to think that I would..."

Rufus's voice softened—both with disgust and like he was trying to leave the conversation. "I don't know what to think of you... What would Scarlett think of you?"

"You leave her out of this," Mason's voice lowered—almost like a threat—then switched to a less-sympathetic warning. "Well, now you know what they're capable of. You have to cooperate. We both do."

Scarlett left before she could listen to anymore. Sprinting down several halls until she'd found herself well lost throughout the maze of the industry interior. She pressed her back against a wall, breathing heavily as she tried to process the information she'd unknowingly been handed.

Rittenhouse was real. They weren't just the delusions of a paranoid terrorist anymore, but from the fear that quivered in her father's voice, she understood they were a threat to be reckoned.

Just when she was beginning to accept the truth, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Slowly, she pulled it out into the open, then almost chucked it across the room when she saw her father's name. She allowed it to ring four times before finally picking up in the midst of the fifth. However, she remained silent, her tongue suddenly dry with disdain.

"Scarlett?"

"Mmhm."

Her father paused. She could hear him take a breath on the other side as if trying to keep the fear out of his voice, the concern in his question was evident though. "Are you alright? It took you awhile to answer. You're not hungover again, are you? Because I notice more than I let on—"

"I'm fine," Scarlett snapped, her voice cold. "My stomach's churning, but that's just a side effect of rolling over and remembering that my fiancé is dead. Y'know because of your stupid time machine. Not to mention I've received no moral support from the man who's claimed to be my father—"

"Now wait just a moment," Mason interrupted. "We may not be biologically related, but that doesn't make me any less your father."

"Really?" Scarlett asked. "Because a father doesn't put their kid in life threatening situations. A father shouldn't keep secrets. A father should encourage their child to follow their dreams."

"I thought you wanted space," Mason countered. "You said you didn't want anything to do with Mason Industries."

"Yet you called me in anyway," Scarlett snapped. "So now I'm involved, and the least you could do is either show some sympathy or at least stop hiding things from me. Don't think I haven't noticed you pulling Rufus aside for those private little conversations."

"He's worried about your well-being. That's all we discuss," Mason contradicted. Another half-truth in the making. "And you were the only other trained pilot qualified to fly the Lifeboat. What would you have had me do?"

She seethed, tears watering in the corners of her eyes. "Learn to fly the damn thing yourself."

Then she hung up before he could formulate a response. Because she knew if she let him continue, he'd find something to say that would make everything seem like it wasn't so bad. He at least knew how to do that as a father. Not comfort, no, but manipulate the situation so it didn't reflect poorly on him.

She took a deep breath, then shoved off from the wall and began to make her way back toward the control center, using the signs along the walls for guidance. She could only really pretend to get lost in the maze of circuitry and pipes since her father had the signs installed quite early. She was twelve as she recalled, struggling to cope with her new family dynamic. Mason brought her everywhere, refused to hire a nanny or a babysitter because back then he saw something in her—a claimed spark destined for greatness. It was all too overwhelming really, so she'd run as fast as her little legs could go and wound up lost. She could remember the look of relief on Mason's face when she was finally found, then how he immediately ordered the sign installation.

She wiped her eyes, cleared her throat, and reclaimed her lost confidence before entering the control room. She raised a hand into the air and called for Jiya's attention. "So where are we headed this time?"

——— • — 𖥸 — • ———

"So, Alamo, huh?" Rufus rhetorically questioned as he input the coordinates.

"A word synonymous with gory and inescapable death," Scarlett agreed, reflecting on her conversation with Mason. "And I thought Nazi Germany was bad."

"Wyatt, you wanna say something strong and reassuring?" Rufus asked.

"Hey, don't look at me." Wyatt shook his head. "I just got fired."

Lucy immediately looked up from her safety belt—she still continued to struggle with it every time they took a trip. "What?"

"Yeah. This is gonna be my last mission," Wyatt said, but didn't offer any additional information.

"How'd you get fired?" Rufus asked, facing the console as he quietly added. "How do I get fired?"

"I mean, you...You seem pretty okay with this," Lucy noted as Wyatt continued to fidget with the bag at his feet.

"Yeah, well, I know the guy they're bringing in," Wyatt replied. "He's good. You'll like him better than me."

"The bar was pretty low to begin with," Scarlett joked with a sly grin, to which Wyatt rolled his eyes while placing a handful of grenades in his pack. Scarlett raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Are those explosives?"

Rufus whipped his head around with concern while Lucy nodded her head in agreement. "What if those go off in here?"

"They won't," Wyatt contradicted. "I know what I'm doing."

"Okay, but still." Lucy frowned. "You're bringing grenades to the Alamo?"

"Well... I get one last shot at Flynn... you better believe I'm gonna take it. What are they gonna do? Fire me?" Wyatt asked. Scarlett snorted, agreeing with the sarcastic quip.

Rufus sighed, inputting the final preparations before looking over at Scarlett for confirmation that all was a go. She nodded her head, and in unison they took the controls and lifted off.

——— • — 𖥸 — • ———

"So are we just, like, walking into a war?" Rufus asked, stepping out of the Lifeboat once they landed.

"Relax. It's not for another four days," Lucy explained. "When General Santa Anna and his 4,000 troops kill 180 men in less than an hour."

"Right." Rufus scoffed. "I'll just relax."

"But after they were overrun, the whole 'Remember the Alamo' thing," Lucy continued, "it got everybody all fired up and it turned a small rebellion into a huge revolution overnight. I mean, this battle is why there's even a state of Texas. A bunch of famous people died here too. Jim Bowie."

"The knife's named after him, right?" Scarlett asked.

Lucy nodded her head, adding on to her previous list. "Davy Crockett."

"So how do we get in?" Rufus asked.

"Right through the front door," Lucy replied. "Honestly, they're so undermanned they'll probably take any help they can get."

"So what does Flynn want?" Wyatt asked.

"I don't know. To make it worse, I guess?" Lucy suggested.

"How the hell do you make the Alamo worse?" Scarlett scoffed. "It's the Alamo."

After walking a short ways, they arrived at the front gates then proceeded to stroll right inside without any delay or interference.

Wyatt's eyes lingered as he looked around, disheartened. "I expected soldiers."

Lucy slowly shook her head. "It's mostly local ranchers, farmers, families too."

"Part of me just wants to shout out 'run for your lives,' you know?" Rufus asked, looking between the others.

Scarlett nodded her head in agreement. "I know."

However, Rufus's eye began to wander, settling on a group of men speaking amongst themselves. "Are those, uh..."

"Free men," Lucy confirmed. "Slavery was outlawed in Mexico, and this is all technically still Mexico. At least for one more month, anyway."

"Viva la Mexico," Rufus muttered.

Scarlett's eyes widened and she slapped Rufus on the arm. He whined, pulling away from her while Lucy quietly explained her actions. "I wouldn't say that too loud around here."

"That's gotta be him," Wyatt discreetly pointed to a gentleman with a rather large knife sheathed on his hip.

"That's Bowie," Lucy confirmed, walking alongside Wyatt as he approached the man. "Um... let me take lead on this, okay?"

Scarlett glanced over at Rufus. "Surely they can handle that."

Rufus nodded. "Shouldn't take all four of us... Hey, I heard about your call with Mason—"

"God, you just know all his secrets now, don't you?" Scarlett scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Is he handing you the keys to the kingdom or something?"

"What? No." Rufus quickly shook his head. "We're just worried about you, that's all. It's not like you've been taking great care of yourself."

"The sentiments nice, but you're an awful liar, Rufus," Scarlett patted him on the arm while starting to walk away. "I'll figure it out eventually. You've never been able to hide a secret from me."

She glanced over her shoulder just long enough to see him wince with a gulp. But he remained strong, she'd been hoping that he might break then and there and spill everything he knew about Rittenhouse, but they weren't kids anymore... They'd grown up, and frankly she wasn't sure she recognized either of them anymore.

"That bear was ten feet tall standing on his hind legs." Scarlett stopped at the circle listening to this old man's tale. And it only took a second for her to become just as enraptured. "I saw him coming, all I could think was, 'I'm so skinny, I'm gonna make piss-poor eating.'"

The crowd laughed and Rufus gawked as he stepped up beside her. "Davy Crockett."

Scarlett did a double take, finally recognizing the man as who Rufus had identified. The infamous coonskin hat was held in his hands as he paused his story.

The man nodded. "Guilty."

"He's got the hat," Rufus pointed out to Scarlett as if she hadn't seen it. And for just a moment she could see a younger version of the man she considered a brother, filled with wonder and excitement by all things she considered nerdy—even if deep down she was just as stoked.

"Come on," a member of the audience eagerly egged Crockett to continue. "What happened then?"

"Well, he roared and he lunged for me. I just grabbed him," Crockett continued his story. "That bear locked those teeth around my arm, started chewing on it like a turkey leg at Christmas."

The crowd laughed again, this time is was Scarlett who jumped into the conversation. "What'd you do then?"

"Well, I wasn't gonna let him finish his supper," Crockett replied. "I fought him off, then I wrestled him to the ground."

"You wrestled him one-handed?" one of the guy's in the audience questioned skeptically.

"Shut up, Johnny," another chastised, "He's telling a story."

"Oh, my God," Lucy whispered, leaning closer to Rufus with excitement as she joined the group. "That's Davy Crockett."

"I know, right?" His grin was just as wide.

Then Wyatt rained on their parade, frowning as he reminded them, "We're not tourists. Split up. Scour every inch of this place. We gotta find Flynn. You got it?"

"Yes, got it." The three separately chimed up, grumbling as if the mood soured by the reminder of their purpose in meddling with history.

Scarlett quickly lost track of how much time had passed, but the final results were all the same anyways. Flynn was nowhere to be seen, and they were no closer to knowing why he'd chosen the Alamo in the first place. She was wandering around outside when the flicker of the nearby campfire caught her eye. Her lips twitched as if the flame had burned her despite being fifteen feet away.

Rufus noticed the action as he walked around the nearby corner, clearly having the same amount of luck in the Flynn search department. "Scar?"

It was like she heard him, but couldn't recognize his voice. Her attention was entirely enraptured by the flames. Her posture tensed and her lips trembled while her eyes welled up with tears to compensate the overwhelming flood of deja vu. She didn't like fire. It was close to loathing at this point as she flinched and sneered.

When the Hindenburg had gone up in flames, she was too distracted by Flynn holding Lucy hostage to fall into a catatonic state. They'd also be standing in an open field. Here she felt trapped. And suddenly there was two things she hated: fire and situations she couldn't escape. Maybe that's why it felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack during her every waking moment. She had no control over her life anymore, maybe she never did, but the illusion was nice.

Then a firm pair of hands gripped her shoulders and lightly shook her back to the present moment. Rufus pulled her aside, then crouched to look her in the eyes. "Scar, are you okay?"

"I..." her eyes began to drift back to the fire.

However, Rufus gently turned her head back toward him. "Hey, let's not do that now. You wanna talk to me?"

"I think I need to sit down," Scarlett admitted under her breath, her eyes drifting toward the ground.

"Alright." Rufus nodded, eyeing those milling around the area as he led Scarlett into one of the isolated buildings. He helped her find a seat before moving a stool in front of her, taking a seat as he patiently waited to listen.

"How..." her voice faltered, quaking in a way Rufus had rarely heard before. Fear wasn't often a word in her vocabulary, but her past was more familiar with it than she let on. "How much has Mason told you about me?"

"Besides that you're brilliant, talented, his shining protégée?" Rufus asked. The corners of his lips tugged in a soft smile as if trying to lighten the mood.

It worked momentarily. She chuckled under her breath then shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm pretty sure he'd only say that to motivate you to be better... he'd say the same about you to me."

"But that's not what you meant."

"No," she agreed. "Did he ever mention my life before he adopted me?"

"I only know what you've told me," Rufus admitted. "That you were fending for yourself out on the streets for awhile before he caught you trying to steal the tires off his car."

"Hubcaps," Scarlett corrected, but smiled fondly to herself as she reflected on the memory. "The man was new money and thought that gold hubcaps were a great idea. I initially started with a plan to steal the whole car, but I decided against that plan when I remember it was illegal for a ten year old to be behind the wheel."

"Smart."

"Always was," Scarlett playfully retorted. "Before the streets I bounced around the foster system for awhile, and before that I had a family."

She noticed the look she received from Rufus, but he didn't say anything. She sighed, taking a breath before facing the memory she'd tried so hard to forget.

"I was three," she explained. "And you'd think I wouldn't remember, except being a genius and all includes a heightened memory or whatever. I mostly remember that night in flashes. My parents were scared I think. Running around the house, packing things away."

Rufus was silent, but only out of respect for her to continue. His facial expression had already fallen while his eyebrows scrunched slightly as they knitted together.

"I don't remember very specific things—like what my parents looked like or what the house looked like for that matter—I just remember vague outlines. But I remember my dad placing me in the car, buckling my seat belt, and then suddenly it was like daytime again.

"My dad shouted, but it was hard to hear him over the roar of the flames. That didn't stop him from running back inside the house." Scarlett paused to calm her trembling lip. She no longer saw the room around or Rufus in front of her, but her gaze was fixed on her first childhood home. "My mom was still inside with my sister—a sister I can't even remember and only know once existed from the coroner's report. It all happened so fast."

Rufus placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, reminding her that she wasn't alone. She tried to keep her breathing at a calm pace, but it continued to hitch before she pushed passed the walls meant to protect her from that memory's burn.

"I guess one of my parents forgot to shut off the gas in their rush after dinner because the house exploded. I was shielded by the car for a short while, but the force was enough to knock the car over." She paused, allowing the tears to fall from her eyes. "I—I was stuck in that car for I don't know how long... it was almost too late by time the fire department got there. At first, I wasn't close enough for the flames to really matter, but then it spread through the yard and surrounded the vehicle with me still inside. The windows were cracked—some shattered—allowing the smoke to filter inside. And I can remember the heat that was hot enough to burn on its own without the scorch of the flames. The entire thing was ruled an accident, and I was the only survivor..."

She remained locked on that memory for another couple of seconds before she finally looked up from the ground. There were tear stains on the sides of Rufus's face. He looked at her with such sympathy which she'd normally reprimand anyone else. She didn't want pity, she'd gotten over the hump of that memory a long time ago... or she thought she had. With all the recent events that had transpired—not to mention their present situation—it was no wonder those flashes had leaked back to the forefront of her mind.

Rufus pulled her into a quick hug, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She could feel his breath against her ear as if he planned to whisper something, but the echo of a gunshot interrupted him.

Scarlett gently pushed him away, wiping her eyes as she stood. "We should probably check on that."

When they reached the room from which the sound had come, Scarlett couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips when she saw the corpse on the ground. Rufus pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her once more. Lucy offered them a curious look—but noticing the tear stains, didn't say anything.

"What the hell happened?" Rufus asked.

"That's Colonel Travis," Lucy replied, here eyes had yet to leave the dead man. "He was supposed to die in battle in four days, but not now. Not like this."

"If he was gonna die anyway, then why did Flynn do it?" Rufus asked. He didn't exactly expect an answer, it was just to voice his confusion.

"Because he's a psychopath," Scarlett quietly retorted. "Why does he do anything he does?"

"Oh, no," Lucy whispered, rushing to the side of the nearby desk. "The letter."

That's when Wyatt rushed back into the room. "We've got a problem."

Scarlett scoffed. "Now we've got a problem?"

It was clearly serious because Wyatt didn't retort back. Instead, he led them to the wall. Once Lucy had a look, a panic-stricken look was plastered to her face as she climbed back down the ladder to meet with the group.

"It's a red flag," she said.

"What's a red flag mean?" Rufus asked.

"It means no quarter. No prisoners. Execute anyone who tries to surrender, which is not supposed to happen, by the way," Lucy said, quietly keeping her hysteria contained. "Santa Anna was supposed to let the women and children go free."

"Am I missing something?" Rufus asked as he followed alongside her. "None of this is supposed to happen. That army isn't supposed to be here for another three days."

"Flynn obviously found a way to change it," Scarlett replied.

"But why?" Rufus asked.

"Must be about the letter," Lucy answered.

Rufus tilted his head, his confusion only growing. "What letter?"

"Travis's famous 'Victory or Death' letter," Lucy explained, pulling out the parchment she'd taken from Travis's office. "It's the one that was re-printed in U.S. newspapers all over the country. It's why we remember the Alamo. It's why they were able to defeat Santa Anna in a few weeks."

Horror flashed across Rufus's face. "It's only two sentences."

"Exactly." Lucy nodded. "Because Travis was killed before he was able to finish it."

"Great," Scarlett twisted her lips. "So, no letter, no Texas."

"Wyatt, are you even listening?" Lucy asked, turning to their fourth member.

"All of this, and Flynn manages to trap us in the Alamo." Wyatt chuckled wryly. "Gotta hand it to him."

"Wyatt, I know that you want Flynn, but we really need you right now." Wyatt only sighed; however, he slowly turned to face them only after Lucy proceeded to plead with him. "Wyatt, please."

Wyatt slowly nodded his head. "Rufus, you need to find a way out."

"A way out?" Rufus asked, incredulously shaking his head. "There's two things everybody knows about the Alamo. One, everybody dies. Two, they die because there's no way out."

Scarlett noticeably paled and her hands began to shake.

"The Alamo didn't have anyone as smart as you," Wyatt insisted. "Figure it out. Make a way if you have to. We need to get the women and the children out. Same with the letter."

"Well, like I said before, Travis didn't finish it," Lucy reminded him.

"Then finish it for him," Wyatt instructed. "I'm gonna try to buy us some time."

"And..." Scarlett's voice quivered, but she stilled her breathing and forced herself to act like nothing was wrong. "And what about me?"

"You're with me," Wyatt answered, walking away from the group. Scarlett quickly followed after him. "We don't have many weapons, I need you working on something that will buy Rufus time."

"Now, boys, the general sets one foot outside that tent, and Davy here's gonna nail him," Colonel Bowie insisted. "The man can part his hair two hundred yards. Ain't that right, Davy?"

"I'll part his short hairs," Crockett agreed.

Bowie chuckled. "That he will."

"Colonel Bowie," Wyatt respectfully called for the man's attention.

Bowie lifted his brow. "Yes, sir?"

"A word?" Wyatt asked.

"Excuse me, boys," Bowie said, stepping away from his men before facing Wyatt. "What can I do for you?"

"I can help you," Wyatt replied. "I just need command of some of your men."

"What was your name again?" Bowie asked.

"Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan. U.S. Army," he reintroduced himself. "My friend's working on a plan to get the women and the children out, but we need to buy him some time."

"Everyone's safe for now," Bowie replied. "Thanks."

Wyatt reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him back to the conversation before he could leave. "Not for long, sir."

"Look, don't go putting us in the ground just yet, all right?" Bowie shook his head, yet trying to instill some hope. "Colonel Fannin and his troops are on their way as we speak."

"No. They aren't," Wyatt contradicted.

"No reason to lose faith, son."

"No one is getting out of here alive. Do you understand me?" Wyatt asked. "Santa Anna is waiting on reinforcements, and when they come, which they will, tomorrow, he's gonna come over this wall and in twenty minutes you're all gonna be dead."

"Wyatt..." Scarlett noticed the way Bowie's eyes flickered with anger.

"So we need to get the women and the children out," Wyatt repeated his objective.

Bowie shook his head. "You listen to me. I don't care how scared you are, you will not speak that way around my men. You got that?"

The colonel didn't wait for an answer, he immediately turned back to his men and continued barking orders. Discouraged, Wyatt and Scarlett regrouped with the others where Rufus had brought out a map to the old aqueducts.

"Great news, the aqueduct goes from the fort to the river here," Rufus said, tracing his finger along the map.

"That's right, there was an aqueduct system running all through this area built in the 1740s," Lucy agreed.

"Alright, so if we can get in, we can sneak the women and the children out." Scarlett nodded her head in agreement while looking over the plans. She then lifted her head in Lucy's direction. "Your letter too."

Lucy suddenly grew silent, but Rufus was quick to continue the conversation, pointing out the problems he had yet to solve. "The only problem is where it connects. Under the chapel via a softball-sized hole through three feet of stone."

"So how the hell are we supposed to get through that?" Wyatt asked.

"I'm not sure I see the great news here, Rufus." Scarlett begrudgingly agreed with a sharp exhale then turned to Lucy. "How's the letter coming?"

"It's not," she admitted with a sigh. "I'm having the world's worst case of writer's block. I know that there's something about 'patriotism' and 'liberty' and 'American character'. I think."

"You don't know?" Rufus asked incredulously. "You're the historian."

"Yeah, believe it or not, I have not memorized every single letter ever written in the history of time," Lucy retorted, "and this letter, if I don't get every single word exactly right..."

"It's just a letter," Wyatt interrupted.

Lucy shook her head, only growing more upset. "It's not just a letter. It's the letter that created Texas. No pressure or anything."

"For God sakes. You're in your own head," Wyatt huffed with frustration. "Just write something. Anything. It doesn't have to be exact."

"Oh, I can just say whatever I want like you did with Bowie?" Lucy questioned, crossing her arms.

"Yes. You say what's in here," Wyatt pressed his hand against his own chest where his heart should be. "Quit pretending. All this dress-up and the grade school drama and the 'we're from San Felipe.' I..."

"That's the job," Lucy interjected defensively. "That's my job."

"No, the job is Flynn! And I cannot do it with all of this crap!" Wyatt contradicted with a shout and a sharp exhale. "How am I supposed to do my job with my hands tied behind my back? You know what, maybe Agent Christopher was right. Maybe I'm not the guy for the job." Wyatt shook his head, turning to leave the room. "I'm sorry."

"Wyatt..." Lucy called out, following after him.

However, that's when the music stopped and the explosions began. Scarlett and Rufus turned to face one another, then sprinted out of the chapel only to be met with dirt in the faces from the nearby explosions.

Scarlett dropped to the ground, covering her head with her trembling hands as hallucinations flickered around her. It wasn't until Rufus dragged her back inside the chapel that she felt like she could breath, and it wasn't until they received a visitor that she finally snapped out of her daze.

"The hell are you doing?" Crockett snapped. Scarlett blinked rapidly then noticed Rufus hacking away at the ground with a pickaxe.

"Trying to get the women and children out," he replied with a huff, swinging the pickaxe down over his head again.

"Through the aqueduct," Scarlett added, her voice quivering as she slowly stood, moving to see if there was anything she could do to help Rufus.

"Just gotta get through these first... three... feet," Rufus huffed again as the axe clattered against the ground, hardly making a dent.

"You know that's stone?" Crockett asked.

"I am aware!" Rufus snapped, slamming the pickaxe against the ground once more before taking a step back to catch his breath. Panting, he turned back toward Crockett. "How do you do it? How are you not... screaming in terror right now?"

"You're not screaming in terror," Crockett countered.

"On the outside," Rufus contradicted, shaking his head. "You... you're, like, macho at a level I can't even deal with. All 'King of the Wild Frontier'. You wrestled a bear, for God sakes."

"I never wrestled a bear," Crockett admitted.

Scarlett's eyes widened, but she remained silent. Rufus, however, was incredulous. "What?"

"Not even close," Crockett reaffirmed. "But there was a bear."

"What happened?" Rufus asked.

"Well, I was out scouting, I got cornered, she charged me, and I pissed myself," Crockett explained. "Fired wild, and I fell into a creek. When I got myself up, I couldn't believe the shot took her down. I was scared outta my mind."

Scarlett took a shaky breath, closed her eyes, then joined the conversation while looking at her own trembling hands. "Then what did you do?"

"Well, I went back and told my men that I wrestled a bear," Crockett replied, then added on with a quick smile, "One-handed." He chuckled, looking between the two. "Because sometimes folks need a leader who can wrestle a bear."

There was a solemn silence between the three. However, Crockett eventually grabbed his things and cracked a smile as he walked back toward the door. "Now don't you go telling everybody and ruin my reputation."

Only once Crockett was gone did a look of inspiration cross Rufus's face. Scarlett turned back toward the hole in the ground then looked up at Rufus. "You figured it out, didn't you."

"It's crazy," Rufus admitted.

"Said the guy who literally drove a time machine to the Alamo," Scarlett retorted.

"Touché," Rufus agreed. "I need to find Wyatt."

——— • — 𖥸 — • ———

"Crockett," Colonel Bowie shouted. "Pull all our men, the cannon, everything off the north wall."

Scarlett's brow knitted together in confusion as she and Rufus approached Wyatt. "Um, G.I. Joe, why are we making ourselves vulnerable? I thought you were buying time?"

"This way we can focus the attacks on one area and bottlenecks the opposing soldiers," Wyatt answered, hardly looking in their direction as he was too focused on the men removing the cannons from the north wall. "It buys you time to figure out how to get the women and children out."

"Right, well I've got something," Rufus said. "And I definitely should have thought of this before—"

"Thought of what?" Wyatt interrupted before Rufus could begin a panicked rant.

"Do you still have those grenades?" Scarlett asked, knowing that Rufus was too shaken to share the idea.

Wyatt's eyes widened, but then he chuckled and shook his head. "The two of you are crazy."

"I think we could use a little crazy right about now," Scarlett countered.

Wyatt nodded his head then handed the bag of grenades to Rufus, he then turned to Scarlett. "You come up within anything else to buy us time?"

"You'll see when they fire off that cannon," Scarlett vaguely replied, nodding her head in the direction of stocked cannons. "It might pack a little bit more of a punch now."

"When did you have time to do that?" Wyatt asked.

"Before Rufus learned about the aqueduct," Scarlett replied, jogging back toward the chapel where Rufus was already inside. "Just make sure no one uses it close rang... it'll be an incredibly painful way to die."

"Um..."

She didn't wait for Wyatt's reply. Rather, opened the doors to the chapel with just enough time for Rufus to pull her behind cover before the grenades went off. Her ears rang for a solid minute before sound filtered back. Slowly, she and Rufus poked their heads around the corner and stared at the gaping hole in the floor.

"It worked!" Rufus almost sounded shocked as he laughed.

"Let's not just stand here," Scarlett reminded him. "We still need to grab Lucy, Wyatt, and all the women and children."

"Right," Rufus nodded his head. "I'll grab Lucy, you get Wyatt."

"Sounds like a plan," Scarlett agreed.

It was difficult to find the solider in the crowd of a dozen others, but she eventually did. He quickly jumped up from behind some cover and fired a round from his pistol. However, another enemy soldier approached before he had time to reload. As a last resort, he yanked his handgun from his waistband and fired a single shot before slumping back down behind cover.

"Wyatt!" she called out, moving to his side.

His hand reached toward his gun, but seeing that it was an ally, he sighed with relief. "Scarlett."

She nodded her head. "You know that wouldn't be so much of a problem if you'd just give me a gun."

"What, so you could shoot me in the back?" Wyatt asked jokingly.

Scarlett feigned offense. "I would never... without justifiable cause. Now let's go, Rufus's plan worked. We've got our way out."

Wyatt's eyes looked back toward the fight with a look she recognized. She'd had it on her own face several times earlier in the day herself. His wide eyes shone with panic, but it was clear he wasn't looking at the same horrific battle field, but one from his own past.

She tried to shake him from his daze. "Wyatt, we've got to go! Wyatt. Wyatt!"

Slowly, Wyatt shook his head. "I'm not going."

"What?" Scarlett's asked incredulously. "What do you mean you're not going?"

"You don't need me," Wyatt explained. "They're getting rid of me anyway, right?"

"Well you certainly can't stay here," Scarlett countered. "Everybody dies."

"No, I know..." Wyatt's eyes drifted back toward the fight. "I can't leave good men like this, not again."

"Wyatt—"

The arrival of Lucy interrupted whatever Scarlett had planned to say. The historian was out of breath, but she could tell something was wrong as she looked between Wyatt and Scarlett. "Rufus found a way out. What's taking you so long?"

"He's not coming."

"What?" Lucy asked as if she hadn't heard right. "What do you mean he's not coming?"

"That's what I said," Scarlett noted before adding an explanation. "He thinks that he should stay here since he was fired."

Lucy quickly shook her head. "No. No, Wyatt."

"What difference does it make?" Wyatt asked. "Jessica, everyone I care about is gone. Let me do one good thing. Let me buy you the time to get out."

"Look, I've lost people too, and I'm not offering to blow myself up to get everyone to safety," Scarlett countered. "Carlos was only the last. We need to move on... They'd want us to move on. Besides, that's not the way we work. We find another way. We don't leave one of our own behind."

"What about them?" Wyatt asked, gesturing to the soldiers and those that had already fallen.

"What about us?" Lucy asked. "We're counting on you."

"The next guy's gonna handle it," Wyatt replied.

"I don't want anybody else," Lucy snapped. Wyatt almost looked surprised. "Look, I trust you. You are the one that I trust. Rufus needs you. Scarlett needs you. I need you. Okay?"

Wyatt sighed, looking out at the battle field one last time before nodding his head. "Get ready to run."

Lucy sighed with relief. "Okay."

The three sprinted back for the chapel—picking up one of the younger soldiers along the way—then slammed the door behind them, startling Rufus half to death.

"What took you so long?" Rufus hissed.

"John, watch the door," Wyatt instructed the kid then Lucy. "Give him the gun."

"You're not John Smith by any chance, are you?" Lucy asked. "Travis's messenger?"

"Yes, ma'am," the boy agreed.

The gunfire from outside only grew louder.

"I need you to come with us," Lucy said, trying to hand her letter to the boy. "You have to deliver this letter to General Houston."

The boy tried to shove it away. "No, I'm not going anywhere, ma'am."

"No, you have to," Lucy insisted.

The doors flew open. Crockett and Bowie limped inside, the older of the two leaning against some of the scattered crates. Wyatt and Scarlett rushed to close the doors before the enemy realized where they'd gone. It'd be pointless to get the women and children out if they were immediately found out after the escape.

"We're completely overrun," Bowie informed the group. "We can't hold 'em off much longer."

"We almost got 'em all out," Rufus replied.

"You all need to hightail it now," Crockett instructed.

"You gotta come with us," Rufus pleaded.

Crockett chuckled, shaking his head. "You just be sure to tell everybody I fought off a thousand of 'em... One-handed. Get."

Scarlett and Rufus didn't dare argue. They hopped down into the passage, quickly moving toward the exit Rufus had mentioned. Lucy and Wyatt followed behind a couple minutes later, having convinced John Smith to deliver the letter. It didn't take much more convincing for the group to sprint back to the parked lifeboat and rush home.

——— • — 𖥸 — • ———

"The men, including Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, were killed," Lucy read from the computer screen. "But the women and children escaped, and the word of the Alamo inspired Texas to rise up and defeat Santa Anna."

Mason nodded his head. "And the fact that we even know that..."

"Means your letter got out," Wyatt interrupted. A soft smile passed his lips as he looked over at Lucy. "That must have been one hell of a letter."

"I'll say," Scarlett agreed with a chuckle under her breath. "Could we never do that again? Please?"

"I gather that Flynn is still out there," an agent said—the one standing beside Agent Christopher whom she didn't recognize—reminding her of the reason they'd even been there in the first place.

"Yes, but he did have a very large army at his back this time," Wyatt replied.

"You're relieved of duty," the agent informed him. "You can report to your commanding officer for reassignment."

Wyatt nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Master Sergeant Baumgardner is in the waiting room, where he is about to learn that time travel is real," Agent Christopher noted.

There was a pause of silence as Wyatt offered them a look of comfort—despite being the one to leave. Lucy frowned then quickly shook her head. "No, just... Just hold on. You can't replace Wyatt."

Wyatt turned back around. "Lucy."

"We're the ones out there risking our lives," Lucy insisted. "I trust him... he makes the right choice every time. I won't do it without him."

"We won't do it without him," Rufus agreed, stepping up beside Lucy, but he seemed to be glaring at Mason.

"Rufus," Mason warned.

"I know I'm just supposed to shut up and cooperate, but I can't." Rufus shook his head. His gaze steely. "I won't."

"Exactly," Scarlett added her own input, stepping up beside Rufus and Lucy. "We're the best you've got. You put us in this position."

"Rufus and Scarlett are our only pilots, sir," Agent Christopher explained. She almost looked impressed as if hiding a smug look behind her eyes. "Without them..."

The agent sighed, shaking his head with an extreme frown of disapproval. "What you've done to deserve this, I can't imagine."

"So he can stay?" Lucy asked with a hopeful expression on her face.

"Seems you gave us no choice," the agent agreed.

The celebratory moment was brief, but it was clear Wyatt greatly appreciated it. Most of the team headed back down to the wardrobe floor to change back into modern day garb; however, Scarlett remained behind. She pulled her father aside.

"I was starting to think you'd never speak with me again," Mason admitted. The smile on his face implied he thought the argument was over.

Scarlett shook her head. "I want to look back into the fire."

Mason frowned. "Scarlett, we've been over this. It was ruled an accident. Besides, is this even healthy considering the amount of loss you've been through recently?"

"I need something to keep my mind busy," Scarlett admitted. "So there's really only two options here: you give me access to the files or I take it for myself. I'm done spending my nights at the bottom of a bottle."

"As happy as I am to hear you're moving on..." Mason paused. "And as much as I don't approve of your self-destructive methods—if you're going to look either way—you better believe that as your father I'm going to be involved."

"Great," Scarlett agreed. "We'll start tomorrow."

"And what will you be doing tonight?" Mason asked. "Preferably avoiding the bar or that death trap you call transportation."

Scarlett frowned. "You just sent me back to the Alamo in a time machine and you're calling my bike a death trap? No. Jiya found me the address to the gravesite where Carlos is buried. I just want to say goodbye."

Mason was silent. He was silent whenever she mentioned Carlos's name. She supposed it made sense because I'm this timeline Mason never met her fiancé, but it was still an odd thing to get used to.

She didn't allow the silence to linger for long; instead, she stopped by the wardrobe department then hopped on her bike and rode off into what remained of the night, finally taking the first step in letting go and moving forward... only by focusing on a different traumatic aspect of her past.

She never wanted to feel as helpless as she felt that night—nor how she felt when living through the Alamo—ever again. She knew it was unavoidable, but the best coping mechanism she could think of was to take control of the event that changed the entire outlook of her life then move forward from there. Maybe one day she'd revisit Carlos's murder. She'd find a way to prevent it. He'd always have a piece of her heart, but for now it was time to step away and say goodbye. For there were too many mysteries that needed unraveled, and that required a clear head and a heart that didn't ache with every waking moment.

——— • — 𖥸 — • ———

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 | It's certainly been a little while but I'm back with another chapter. It's taking a while, but I think Scar is finally beginning to reach a stage of acceptance. Of course she still feels a strong need to avenge her fiancé's death, but with the mysteries of her own past and the acknowledgement that Rittenhouse is real, she has something else to focus on for now. As always don't forget to vote and leave a comment! All feedback is appreciated!