Escape

[Max452]

OOC: This takes place after a Simple Fix thread

The yellow Nisson Escape idled to a stop. Sam, drumming the steering wheel, stared at his old home. Gillette, Wyoming. Why in the world did Rebel want them to be here? They didn't receive anymore texts since they were in New York. It was clear that Rebel wanted Sam to see his mother. A burning angry pulsed through him as he recalled his alcholic and abusive mother. Letting out a slow breath, as to calm himself, Sam was trying to build up his nerve to see his Mom.

Sam shifted in his seat. The bruises and cuts he obtained at the diner in New York was becoming itching. They had been traveling for a few days and had finally managed to lose the Agents and soldiers that were after them. He turned briefly to look at the occupants in his car, and then back at his house. "This is a stupid idea..." He muttered, losing the nerve to go inside.

[trinn]

Etta glanced out the window at the place they had stopped for. The house wasn't anything unusual. It seemed normal enough, and yet Sam was clearly anxious about getting anywhere near it. Leaning forward in her seat, she carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. "We don't have to here for long, Sam. Just a quick in and out." She gave him a smile, which stung her cracked lip. In fact she had several cuts on her arms besides the one on her lip, not to mention bruises. The incident at the diner had left them all a bit haggard. "I can go with you, if you want." she offered, though she didn't think he would take kindly to that idea.

[Max452]

Sam snorted. "Its never quick and easy with Mom." He turned to look at Etta, finding a sense of comfort from her presence. "Of all the places..." He grumbled again at Micah. He really didn't want to relive the past, especially when it revolved around his mother. Upon hearing Etta's offer, Sam hesitated for a moment, but nodded, albeit, slowly. "Maybe she'll behave with others around." He made the excuse, actually finding that he would behave if Etta was around him. "Let's go."

Sucking in a breath, Sam got out of the car and carefully walked over to the house.

OOC: Is Alicia with them too? I forgot what Jeriah had in mind for her...=/

[trinn]

OOC: haha, I don't remember either! I skimmed through the thread you mentioned, but it's still a bit hazy.

Surprised that Sam accepted her idea, Etta stared for a second. She then hastily opened the car door and slipped out of the vehicle. She stretched, a bone in her shoulder cracking, making her grimace. Then, briefly, quickly, she bent down and brushed her hand against the sparse grass. Instantly she felt somewhat rejuvenated, and she felt warmth return to her limbs. Placing her hands on her hips, she moved up beside Sam, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. He still seemed nervous, though he was doing a good job of hiding it. It was strange to think such a brave, strong man could be nervous about an old woman. Merde she swore to herself in French. What if this little reunion didn't go smoothly? Well, she would have to do her best to make sure it did without getting too involved with the family business.

[Max452]

OOC: lol. Well...she can hop in when she wants, I guess. I really don't remember much. lol

Grateful that Etta was with him, they walked over to the house. He knocked on the door, but no before taking in a deep breath. How long has it been? Would she even recognize her son? And, would he be able to forgive her for everything?

An young lady opened the door, a confused look on her face as she opened the door wide to look at Sam and Etta.
"Can I help you?"
"Uh," Sam looked at the woman. A confused look on his face. He looked at Etta, more confused. I don't know her... His face seemed to say.
The woman squinted at Sam, and some recognition came to her. "Oh, are you Sam?"
"Uh,..yeah."
"Your mother's been expecting you...come in." She gestured to have them come inside. As Sam entered his childhood home the woman continued to talk. "I'm glad you came. She's been asking for you..." She led them to a bedroom, where, an old fragile woman laid in bed, a life monitor hooked up to her. It was like a mini hospital.
"What...what's wrong with her?" Sam asked confused.
"Cancer. She's only got a couple of days..." The woman, who Sam now recognized as a nurse, looked at him with confusion. "She said she told you."
"I haven't spoken to her in years." Sam replied, feeling his head spin. His mom had cancer? and only had a couple of days. Sam started to hyperventilate. "This can't be happening.."

[trinn]

Etta shrugged when Sam looked at her. She was just as surprised to see a young girl at the door rather than his mom. Following after them, she felt trepidation when the house began to take on the air of a hospital. When at last they stood before the frail woman, Etta couldn't help but stare. Poor Sam, to come back home to this. Hearing his disbelieving voice, she glanced at him, only to find he a look of panic in his eyes. She grasped his shoulder, forcing him to look at her. "Sam, I know this is tough, but you have to speak to your mother. Whatever happened between you two, you have to make it right, and now is the time. It's not too late yet." She kept her voice low but firm, trying to keep him calm. "Go speak to her. I'll be right behind you."

[Max452]

As Etta gripped him, Sam struggled to listen to her words. After a moment, his breathing came back under control. He nodded and slowly made his way to his mother's side. The nurse left the room, to grant privacy, for which Sam was grateful. Feeling Etta's presence behind him, he began to talk to his mom.

"Hey Mom." He tried to smile.
"Sammy?" His mother's voice was frail. "Oh, I knew you would come. He promised you would..."
"I'm here Mom." He gripped her hand with his, gently. And then a moment. "Who promised you?"
"The little boy." His mother smiled. "He said you were doing great things. I just...oh, Sammy, I'm sorry for everything...." SHe coughed.
"Its okay, Mom." Sam tried not to cry. He didn't want to see his Mom like this.
"No, no. I wish I could have been better. You didn't deserve any of it...I wouldn't have reached out to you...but, I have to tell you...there something you need to know..." Her voice became very haggard. "I can't explain it, here...they're listening..."
Sam froze. Who was listening.
"I have something for you...it will help you stop this bad man..."
Sam looked at his mother, bewildered. "Mom..."
"Hush, Sammy, I only have a few more minutes. Do you remember you hideaway spot?"
Sam nodded. How could he forget? He use to escape their whenever his Mom got crazy enough.
"Go there. I have something for..." Her heart monitered began to flatline.
"MOM! Mom!" Sam began to panic. "No..MOm!!!" A tear drop left his eye.
The nurse suddenely appeared. "You need to go now...they're be here in 5 minutes."
"No, Mom!" Sam didn't seem to hear. "You can't leave yet.."
The nurse seeing that Sam didn't seem to listen turned to Etta. "The agents are coming! Get going now!" She told her urgently.

[trinn]

Etta stood behind Sam, watching the tender reunion. Her own eyes began to fill with tears. She hated seeing such unavoidable sorrow. As his mom passed, Etta tried her best to keep herself from crying too. She had to remain calm and strong, so that Sam could have someone to rely on. The nurse returned, and she realized Sam wasn't going to listen easily to the warning. Her heart skipped a beat when the nurse mentioned the agents. "How do you know?" she began to ask, then quickly added, "nevermind." She turned back to Sam and, once again, gripped his shoulders. This time a bit harder. "Sam, we have to find your... hideaway spot. This nurse is going to take care of the arrangements for your mother. Do you hear me, Sam? The agents are coming for us. They are going to kill us. Your mother doesn't want you dying here with her. She wants you to live, because she loves you, Sam. You have to honor her memory now. That will be the best thing you can do for her."

[Max452]

Sam didn't want to leave. He didn't want it to end like this! He never got to tell his Mom if he loved her or not! Feeling Etta's firm grip, he pulled his hand away from his Mom and nodded to the nurse. "Thank you." He muttered as he wiped away a tear. He turned to Etta. "Let's go. I need to get you safe." He said, trying to focus on anything besides his Mom's death.

Hurrying out the door and back to the Escape, Sam started the engine. "We need to go to the Cemetary. That's where I would go." He knew it sounded creepy, but that was seriously the only place he could go to find peace, especially in the Masoleums (sp?) there. He waited for Etta to get in.

[trinn]

Needing no further encouragement, Etta fled out the door with Sam. She stumbled a bit when she reached the car, but caught her balance against the passenger door. The oddness of the cemetery as a place of retreat did not catch up to her until she was in the Escape and buckled in. Only then did she realize what Sam had said. She glanced at him, curious, but said nothing. Looking over her shoulder, she watched out the back window for any signs of agents. Distantly she regretted that she did not have a flower or even a blade of grass to hang onto. Without that her powers were useless. She was useless to any fight that might soon be in.

[Max452]

Slipping the car into gear easily, Sam sped off to the local cemetary. It was a nice quant looking place, but it bordered the woods, giving it a small omnious feeling. Sam parked the car a few ways off and hopped out. He gazed around, feeling that no one had followed them, yet. He took a deep sigh as he walked over to the passenger's side, waiting for Etta.

Once she got out, he would led her to the biggest Masoleum in the center of the cemetery. There, he wondered, what his Mother wanted to know or to find.

[trinn]

Etta gazed out the window, examining the cemetery they had stopped at. It reminded her of the flowers she had sold as funeral arrangements, all the sad faces of the people who had lost a loved one. That's what she thought of cemeteries. Just a place of sadness. Sliding out of her seat, she shut the door behind her and came to stand next to Sam. The whole place felt quiet, solemn. The woods nearby were alluring, but they didn't have time for her to go frolic among them. Not that she would frolic, per say. Silently she followed Sam towards a large building near the center. Inside the atmosphere was peaceful, though she felt a little more creeped out by being surrounded by bodies above ground now too. She glanced at Sam, wondering why this place was his sanctuary.

[Max452]

Sam walked quietly with Etta as they reached the large Masoleum. It looked like a greek temple, the way the architecture was bulit, but more importantly, from the two large angel statues that stood as sentinals at the sides. The large copper doors were intimating as they stood guard over the slumbering dead. Sam walked up the set of stairs and stared at the door. A plaque was placed over the door.
"For the brave souls that enter into heaven, may we always be reminded of their sacrifice." He touched the plaque respectfully. "This is where my family has always been buried. My Dad would always tell me war stories about them...he said they always protected those who couldn't protect themselves." He slowly opened the door. "I use to come here, whenever my Mom would get wasted pretty badly, praying that the souls of my family would protect me." He turned to Etta. "Kinda creepy, now that I think about it." He motioned inside the door.

Across the walls, names and tombstones of the Cale family line were embedded in elegant lettering. Cale traced the names of some, telling Etta some random fact. "Grandpa Ernie. He was an old wily man. Always said I was born to fight. Use to give me chocolates for my birthday. Oh, here's Great Great grandma Lucy. Rumor has it that she was a spy for the CIA." He shrugged, "I think my grandpa was lying, though. His stories were always exaggerated." He stopped at his father's plaque. "Jeremiah Lawerence Cale. My Dad. He died when I was 19. He was abroad on a mission when one of his soldiers stepped on a mine. He was able to to trick the mine for a minute that the soldier was still on it using his knife, but...well, he couldn't trick it long enough." Sam stared at his father's name a bit longer." He shook himself out of his brooding mood. "Anyway, I don't know what my Mom wanted us here for..." He glanced around, and then noticed a new addition. Squinting, he walked over to the other side. "This can't be right." He read the marker out loud. "Julia Tanner Cale. That's my mom's marker...but...they usually don't add it until AFTER they die right?" He glanced at Etta, confused. He touched the marker, but it didn't feel like the others, it wasn't metal, more like...fiberglass. Intrigued, it dawned on him that it was what his Mother wanted him to find. Turning his fist into a metal crusher, Sam punched the marker. Inside, he found a pile of papers and a box of audio cassettes. "What is this?" He grabbed them and began browsing them. "These are Primatech files..." He looked at Etta, confused more than ever.

[trinn]

Etta stood silently, listening to Sam talk about his relatives. She was sad that he had lost his father so young, and it was clear that he admired him. The somber mood shifted when the fake marker was discovered. He suddenly punched it out, causing Etta to flinch slightly. She peered at the papers he pulled out, but they made little sense to her. "Primatech?" she asked, returning Sam's gaze, as confused as he.

[Max452]

Sam gazed at the files and audio cassettes and then returned back to Etta. "Its...its a company that tracked people like us...its not quite sure if they were trying to help people like us or...trying to figure out how we tick." He explained carefully, recalling the things that he heard and read. He heard some things from Micah too, but not too much; Micah didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it a lot. "I think we better get going...I...I want to see what these files and tapes are." He told Etta and motioned to leave.

[trinn]

Etta nodded, just as intrigued. They made their way from the mausoleum and into the relatively fresh air of the cemetery. The tombstones reminded her of the agents chasing after them, seeking to end their lives because of their "gifts". Fear made her move faster towards the car. She paused though, near a larger tombstone. A fresh row of flowers had been planted before the marker, yellow geraniums. "Hold on a sec." She said to Sam, kneeling down. Carefully she dug up one of the flowers, making sure to keep soil around its roots. "Just in case we don't stop for a while." she said offhandedly, cupping the tender flower, dirt and all, in her hands. "I tend to get weaker the longer I go without any contact with plant life." she explained, standing back up. She shrugged and gave a small uncertain smile, before continuing on towards the car.

[Max452]

Sam let out a sigh, taking in the fresh air that caressed his face. Wanting to see what was in the files, but more importantly, on the tapes, Sam rushed toward the car. Is only distraction was Etta. Hearing her voice, he stopped, and glanced at her gently as she removed the flowers. He stared at her for a moment, not out of annoyance, but out of concern. He didn't know that she needed to be in contact with plants to live. He made sure that he would remember that. He gave her a small smile. "I wouldn't want that to happen." He told her, his feelings growing for her as he watched her stand back up. "Come on." He told her gently and made way to the car.

He hoped in and planned to check into a motel, where they could listen to the tapes and read the files before Agents could catch their scent. Hopefully, they thought them long gone, since the incident at his mother's house.

[trinn]

Climbing into the car, Etta settled back in the passenger seat. The dirt and the flowers she placed into the cup holder, packing the soil tight so the flowers wouldn't be jostled too badly. Smiling at her handiwork, she buckled herself in for the ride. From time to time she reached out to brush a finger against one of the yellow petals, reassured by the presence of life the plant gave her. Each time she did so she became aware of the plants emotions, though that was perhaps the wrong term. The plants didn't really have feelings, more like primal thoughts, needs. Though she had a thousand thoughts buzzing through her own mind, she felt suddenly too tired to voice them. Sam was probably feeling the same way. She glanced at him, noticing the lines near his eyes. They weren't age lines, that was positive. They were more like stress lines. He was still handsome besides those. Rugged even. How lucky was she to have been first of all rescued, and second of all by a stud. The thought made her want to laugh at her own girlishness, but she instead cleared her throat and looked at the flowers again.

[Max452]

OOC: Stud indeed! lol. Man, I want a Sam Worthington...lol

Trapped in his own thoughts about the new material he had just gained, Sam didn't feel like talking. He placed the stuff inside the car and then seated himself. He glanced at Etta, noticing how gently she treated the plant in her hands. He caught her eyes briefly as she was gazing at him. He too, cleared his throat at the same time as Etta. Feeling slightly abashed, he started the car and they journeyed to the motel.

After a half hour or so of not uncomfortable, but, content silence, Sam found a motel that was good for them. Grabbing the things they needed, he checked in and entered into their designated room. Third floor on the edge near a convienant easily, accessiable stair. Sam closed the blinds as they got in, making sure no one would see them.

"Well, this is, kinda nice." He glanced at Etta for approval as he placed their things down on the table. "We should be okay for the night." He told her, and his eyes gazed over to the files.

[trinn]

OOC: Yes. Yes he is. lol. He's in a movie coming out soon, "Man On a Ledge". The movie looks horrible, but Sam Worthington is the man on the ledge lol. I might just have to go see it.

The motel wasn't a five star by any means, but Etta was used to humble abodes. She hesitated on getting out of the car, debating if she should take the Geraniums with her. It would only slow her down if they needed a fast escape. Deciding to leave them where they were, she hopped out and followed Sam into the motel. Their room had one king size, which wasn't surprising considering the motel. And besides, Etta half expected the agents to come barging in on them at any moment. They probably wouldn't even have time to sleep. There was a dresser with a TV set on top, as well as a small round table. The bathroom was decent, though a bit small. "Cozy." She said with a smile, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Seeing the direction of his gaze, Etta to glanced over at the tapes and files. "We should probably look into those." she said needlessly.