Twilight jerked awake at the sound of her cell door opening and looked up to see Simmons closing it behind him. Her eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms and stared at her.

“Can I help you?” she asked, making no effort to hide her displeasure.

“Not really. Just wanted to say goodbye."

“Goodbye?” she repeated, confused.

“Yes, goodbye. You’re leaving.”

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, then narrowed again. “Is that your idea of a joke? What the heck’s wrong with you!?”

“Shhh!” the captain hissed, gesturing for her to quiet down. “None of the other agents know what I’m telling you, and I’d like to keep it that way if you don’t mind.”

“And what exactly are you telling me?”

“I called your friend right before we set off about an hour ago. He knows what route the convoy’s taking and he’s moving to intercept us. I don’t know what he has planned, but I think we can be reasonably certain that you won’t be here much longer.”

“Sorry, I’m just having a little trouble believing anything you say.” she said coldly.

“I completely understand. You have the right to take everything I say with a grain of salt, but just know that he is coming.”

Twilight stared at him for a long moment, trying to detect any traces of dishonesty or amusement. Finding none, she spoke to him in a much calmer tone. “Why are you doing this?”

Simmons hesitated before answering. “Earlier, you asked what my boss was offering me in exchange for capturing you. He’s going to…he said he’s going to guarantee me a position in the president’s inner circle of advisors. All I had to do was capture you and bring you to D.C. without making too much noise and the spot would be mine.”

“That doesn’t sound suspicious at all.” Twilight said sarcastically.

“My partner and I are starting to think that way, too.” Simmons replied. “We were rather surprised by how you responded to your capture. We’ve come to the conclusion that our boss lied to us about you, and there’s a good chance he’s lying about a few other things as well. I don’t know what his real endgame is, but I’m quite certain that it has nothing to do with the well-being of this country.”

Twilight scoffed. “Your point? It seems like everyone in this universe always wants more than they have. What makes you any different?”

“Some of us still hold to the ideals that this country was founded on.” Simmons retorted, then took a breath. “I wanted the Cabinet position because I felt I could do more good there than I’d ever be able to do as a simple CIA agent. I felt it was the only way I’d be able to make a real difference in this world instead of just being another soldier.”

She cocked an eyebrow at that. “Really?”

“God knows this country has enough maniacs with guns.”

Twilight stared at Simmons for a while, beginning to see him in a different light. He glanced around the small cell, slightly uncomfortable with the intensity of her gaze.

“Humans are strange creatures.” she said finally.

“Yeah, we know.”

Twilight gave him a small smile, then turned serious again. “What will you do if your boss finds out what you’re doing?”

“Hopefully, he won’t and I can just pass this off as an accident. He knows Ghost gets help from a professional hacker, so I might be able to use that as an excuse for his sudden appearance. With any luck, I’ll be able to pin all the blame on Ghost, stay in business long enough to find out what my boss is really up to, and bring him to face a Supreme Court justice.”

“And if that doesn’t work?”

“I’m trying not to think about it too much.” Simmons said nervously. “Consequences for treason can range from a lengthy stint in prison to the death penalty.”

Twilight shook her head sadly. “Of course they can."

Silence filled the small cell after that, both of its occupants waiting patiently for the arrival of the masked man who would rescue Twilight. Simmons was now quietly contemplating what the future held for him if his involvement in her escape was discovered, while Twilight fumbled with a dozen mixed emotions; joy at the prospect of being rescued, surprise at being aided by one of her captors, sympathy for the consequences he could look forward to if his treachery was discovered…

“Captain Simmons?”

“Hm?” he responded, looking back over at her.

“Thank you.” she said. “You’re taking a huge risk to help me escape, and I just want you to know how grateful I am for that.”

Now it was her turn to feel uncomfortable, Simmons cocking his head to the side and studying her while she rubbed her arm anxiously.

He contemplated her for a moment longer before responding. “You know, I think I’m starting to see why Ghost is so adamant about protecting you.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“When Ghost called you innocent, I’ll admit I let the term fly over my head. Let’s face facts: no one in this world is innocent. Everyone’s done something at one point or another with the intent of harming someone else or has taken something that doesn’t belong to them. But you?” he said, pointing at her. “You may not be from around here, but you’re still probably the only truly innocent person in the world.”

Twilight was slightly surprised. “Is this universe really that bad?”

“Maybe, or maybe you’re just-”

Simmons was interrupted as his radio beeped. “Lieutenant Harris to Captain Simmons. Harris to Simmons. Come in.”

“Pardon me.” Simmons said as he slid the radio off of his belt and pressed the button. “Simmons here. Go ahead.”

“A large red pickup just pulled out into the middle of the road up ahead. What are your orders?”

“Can you drive around it?”

“Possibly. Given the terrain, however, it might be slightly ris-WHOOOAAA SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!”

Both Twilight and Simmons cringed at the yelling that suddenly filled the cell. Simmons immediately shot out of the cell, almost forgetting to lock it behind him, and bolted over to a window just in time to see one of the escort vehicles pass by, its left wheel rolling away and bumping into a group of rocks.

A second later, he stumbled away from the window as the trailer gave two huge jolts and knocked a majority of its occupants off their feet. He grabbed onto his desk, which was bolted to the floor, and waited for the trailer to stop shaking.

After a few long seconds of wobbling around like children on a trampoline, the occupants of the command trailer finally managed to stand upright. They began milling about; talking amongst themselves, helping those who fallen back to their feet, and making sure no one had been injured.

Simmons straightened up and walked back over to the window to fumble with the lock, wanting to lean out and see just how serious the damage was.

Before he even reached it, however, he heard his radio beep over the conversations of the other agents.

“QUIET!” he shouted, and the trailer instantly fell silent.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen.” said a familiar voice. “This is Ghost broadcasting on an open channel. Let me explain the situation to you. You are currently holding a good friend of mine inside that trailer, and I want her back. These fine gentlemen are coming to retrieve her, and you are going to keep your hands in the air while they do so.

“Now, fair warning: I’m quite upset about what you guys put us through two hours ago. If you give my boys any grief, or if I see someone’s hand dip behind the dashboard, just remember that bulletproof glass is virtually useless at this range. That is all.”

Simmons stared wide-eyed at his radio for a few seconds. That was some damn good acting, kid. Almost too good.

He shook his head as he slid the radio back onto his belt and went to unlock the cell again.

“Sir! We can’t just hand the anomaly back to him!” said a nearby sergeant. “Not after everything it took to finally catch her!”

“Cullen, are you willing to die here?” Simmons said, proceeding to open the door.

“If I have to, then yes!”

“Well I’m not, and a good three quarters of this convoy would agree. I refuse to have the lives of everyone outside riding on my conscious.” He paused to drag a shaken-looking Twilight out of the cell, then continued in a dangerously low voice. “Do you have a problem with that?”

The sergeant looked away in defeat. “No sir.”

Simmons nodded. “Well, in that case, open the door. We wouldn’t want to keep those ‘fine gentlemen’ waiting, after all.”

((((((*******))))))

“Like fucking fish in a barrel.” Allen said smugly as he loaded a fresh clip into his rifle, the spent clip clattering against the bed of the truck.

“Why wouldja fuck a fish in a barrel? Sounds difficult.” Arnold piped up, effectively shattering his moment of glory as he wrapped a bandanna around his face.

“Why wouldja fuck a fish at all? Also, how wouldja do that?” Skeeter asked, donning his ski mask.

“Why don’t you both go fuck each other?” Allen snapped, irritated at how short-lived his victory had been. “Well play comedy club later, but for now go collect Twi so we can go home.”

“Yes, sir!” they replied in unison, getting out and saluting him before picking up their respective firearms and starting towards the semi.

Allen sighed as he bent down and resumed watching the now-disabled convoy through his scope. You two are gonna give me a fucking aneurysm one day, I swear to God.

He loved the twins like they were his own flesh-and-blood siblings, and treated them as such. At the drop of a hat, he would run to their aid if they ever needed his help. They were the absolute closest thing he’d had to a family after his own family had been taken from him.

Even so, it wasn’t always healthy to deal with both of them at the same time.

He adjusted his focus slightly so he could better see the escorts in the back. He’d been slightly worried about having to deal with four armored SUVs, especially considering how difficult it had been to take out just one. Anxiety had been replaced with confidence, however, when he’d noticed that there was nothing protecting the axels of each escort. The thin metal rods had snapped like twigs under the near-point-blank force of his rifle shots, and he’d had the satisfaction of watching each escort spin out and even flip over on one occasion.

The semi had been even easier to deal with, despite its size. All he’d had to do was pop its front tires and watch it grind to an extremely slow stop on its bumper. It was now so far ahead of its escorts that they posed little to no threat to his friends.

He watched for a moment as they approached the left side of the trailer, which slid open to allow a slightly shaken-looking Twilight to exit. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the feds had given her proper treatment for the wound in her shoulder, then shrugged and resumed panning the scene ahead of him.

The twins arrived and took up positions on either side of her, then began the trek back to the pickup. Allen was surprised by how very smoothly this rescue was going, having expected at least one of the agents to make some risky move in an attempt to gain the upper hand. The fact that they were being so cooperative was…unsettling.

“What are you starchies up to?” he mused.

He got his answer as the trio reached the back wheels of the semi. The passenger suddenly kicked the door open and threw himself at Skeeter, who buckled under the surprise extra weight. Allen took aim, but could not get a clear shot as the two men battled for the upper hand. Arnold dropped his machine gun and stooped down to yank the surprise attacker off of his brother, only to keel over from a hard kick to the gut.

Just off to the side, Allen noticed one of the other agents reach for his door handle and snatched up his radio. “YOU MOVE, YOU DIE!” he yelled, watching the agent raise his hands above his head again before returning his attention to his friend

For a while, Allen watched the fight anxiously, looking for any opening he could use to end it. Just as he was debating on risking a shot, however, Skeeter managed a hard left jab to the agent’s throat followed by a headbutt. As the other man held his nose in agony, Skeeter sprang to his feet and tossed him into the side of the truck, slamming the butt of his shotgun into his temple for good measure.

“Niiiice.” Allen said with a grin as the agent fell unconscious to the road.

The three continued their hike back up the road while his gaze darted between the escorts, the trailer door, and the semi driver. Eventually, they reached the big red pickup and climbed in, Twilight sliding into the back and the twins taking the front seats. Allen waited until they were all settled in before addressing the feds again.

“Thanks to most of you for cooperating. Now, we’re going to leave, and you’re all going to stay put for about ten more minutes. Remember…I’m watching you.”

With that said, he knocked on the roof and Skeeter drove forward. He pivoted in the truck bed as they passed the escorts so he could continue watching them, crosshairs jumping between the escorts and the trailer even as the distance to them continued to grow.

Eventually, Skeeter took them all down a decline and Allen, having lost sight of his targets, opened the back window and squeezed himself back into the cabin. He set the rifle in the space between him and Twilight, then leaned his head back and breathed a sigh of exhaustion. “You fellas know what I’m doing as soon as we get back to the garage.” he said sleepily as he lowered his scarf.

“Amen.” Skeeter replied as he, too, removed his mask.

Arnold chuckled as he untied his bandana. “Ya’lls a coupla’ lightweights, ya know that?”

“Bite me.” Allen replied with a yawn.

Twilight looked blankly between the twins for a few seconds, then shook her head in dismissal. “Thank you guys so much for coming to rescue me."

Arnold turned around in his seat. “It was our pleasure. By the way, Ah don’t belive Ah’ve had the pleasure of makin’ yer acquaintance ma’am.”

“Nor I yours.” Twilight replied cheerfully, extending her hand. “Twilight Sparkle.”

“Arnold Bailey. Pleasure.” he said as he accepted the handshake, making her wince as he nearly crushed her hand with his. “Whoops, sorry. Army grip.”

“Oh no, it’s fine.” she assured him, shaking the feeling back into her hand. “Trust me, I’ve had worse things happen to me tonight.”

Allen chuckled at that. “I’ll say. You took a bullet to the shoulder, survived having a crane fall on top of you, and learned how to drive in less than five minutes.”

“Wait, she can drive?” Skeeter asked suddenly.

“More or less.” Twilight answered. “It’s not like I really had a choice.”

“Oh, so you wanted to hop onto the side of a speeding SUV and take out all three of its occupants by yourself? Why didn’t you just say so?” Allen asked innocently.

“Even if I did want to, you didn’t really give me much time to say anything! You said ‘take the wheel’ and you were gone!”

“Please…you know you enjoyed yourself.”

“I…just…no I didn’t!”

“Will ya’ll two get a room already?” Skeeter suddenly interjected, causing Allen to glare at him.

“Screw you pal.”

“What he said.” Twilight seconded.

“Calm down kiddos.” Arnold said calmly. “Le’s just focus on gettin’ home so I can put ya’ll down for a nap. Lil’ Skeets needs his dipey changed, and Al wants his bottle o’-”

“Skeeter.” Allen said calmly.

“Roger that.” replied the mechanic, who promptly slapped his brother in the back of the head. Said brother just laughed in response, then turned to stare out the window.

Twilight shook her head at their antics. “So what happens now?”

“Now, we lay low.” Allen replied. “Skeeter’s gonna repair the Mach 1, and tomorrow night I have to meet with the Administrator so I can pick up my falsified credentials.”

“I’m comin’ with you.” Skeeter said automatically.

“No. I have to do this alone.”

“Al…”

“No Skeeter.” Allen said firmly, then in a calmer tone, “Thank you, but no. Admin’s more paranoid than I am, and I don’t want to risk scaring them off by bringing any extra help.”

Skeeter opened his mouth to speak, then sighed and closed it. “Fine.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. When I get back, we’re gonna give that Prius what it deserves and have a big bonfire in the middle of the desert.”

“Sounds good.” he said with a smile. Arnold chuckled sinisterly, causing Allen and Twilight to stare at him in confusion.

“What’s so funny?” Twilight asked.

“You’ll see. Tomorrow night.” Skeeter replied, still smiling.

The occupants of the back stared at those of the front for a moment, then shrugged and leaned back to enjoy the rest of the ride.

Twilight stared out the window, watching Las Vegas edge closer with every passing minute. She didn’t think she’d be seeing it ever again, let alone so soon. She never thought she’d ever see another friendly face again, and yet here she was surrounded by the biggest bunch of jokers she’d ever met.

She turned to look at the reason for her good fortune, which had its head leaned back against the seat, trademark fedora resting on its lap. Allen seemed to sense her staring at him and looked back at her with tired eyes.

For a moment, they both just stared at each other; then Allen cracked a wide, cocky grin. Twilight smiled back at him, then turned to resume staring out the window.

Gang members, feds, entire armies could come after her, but she knew he’d be right there beside her, ready to face them no matter the risk.

Author's Note

This took longer than I intended it to. I think I'm losing my touch.
The next chapter might take a while, as I'm going through a few financial issues at the moment. Don't worry, though. I won't be gone for nearly as long as last time.
As always be sure to leave me a comment with your thoughts and click the like button if you enjoyed.
Peace!