{"id":1159,"date":"2022-02-14T20:12:16","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T02:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/?page_id=1159"},"modified":"2022-02-27T17:09:38","modified_gmt":"2022-02-27T23:09:38","slug":"part1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/episodes\/episode13\/part1\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Episode 13: \u00a0A Lost Odyssey<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 1<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAshes to ashes, dust to dust\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

It was raining that Sunday afternoon. The weather was fitting, given the circumstances of that day. Though there were plenty of people at the service, Nick only had eyes for those he cared about. Next to him, Pearl was weeping openly, a rare sight for her. In fact, Nick couldn\u2019t remember the last time he\u2019d seen her cry. A floating umbrella hovered above her; he could hear the quiet hum of her machinery. He hugged her close, feeling the tears seeping into the shoulder of his suit. Not that it mattered; the downpour was soaking them anyway.<\/p>\n

Diamond was on his left, sniffling and dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief, trying not to mess up her makeup. Agent 009, Leo DiCrapio, was also at her side, holding an umbrella to cover the two of them. Neither of them spoke, though Leo seemed to look around a lot, as if in search of someone. After scrutinizing Leo, Nick\u2019s gaze settled on Kevin beside the grave; he appeared silently lost in thought as the motion of his stare mimicked the descending casket. Once it settled into the ground, Jay kissed a rose before tossing it into the grave. Jay turned back to Red, who hugged him tightly, crying into his chest.<\/p>\n

Styx was at the back of the crowd, looking distant. Others from HimTak had gone out of respect, but the rest didn\u2019t matter. He recognized government agents and a young woman who looked like she could be Opal\u2019s older sister. He knew she had one named Anjali. He remembered Brian mentioning her at one point. The resemblance was striking, though she had none of Opal\u2019s innocence in her appearance.<\/p>\n

Nick wanted to scream, do something. He\u2019d been the last one who had heard from her alive. How could this have happened? Why? Opal Odyssey — Ashavari Desai — was a gentle soul who had no enemies Nick could think of. Yet, the events of the past week had led up to this finale, one none of them could have predicted. It had ended in the loss of someone who wanted to do good. Someone too good for the evils that surrounded her in the world she wanted to help save.<\/p>\n

Finally, he found the one he was looking for. The man was about five foot seven, wearing a long black overcoat. The falling rain drenched him, plastering his golden curls to his head. However, when he turned and met Nick\u2019s gaze, he appeared unaffected by the weather. His normally jovial blue eyes were empty, stony, and cold. Like the soul within them had been stolen the day his lover died.<\/p>\n

Nick walked over to him, unsure how to comfort his friend but wanting to do so anyway. It was hard to believe he had once despised the CIA officer, but a lot had changed since then. Too much. They hadn\u2019t spoken since Opal had been found. Nick hadn\u2019t known what to say. Brian had shut out everyone around him. He\u2019d even done something he never would\u2019ve predicted from him.<\/p>\n

He walked out of the CIA and away from protecting the country he loved.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrian\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian stared ahead at the grave before them. His eyes scanned over the sleek mahogany casket, the very thing that held the now lifeless body of the woman he loved. Never would he hear her laugh or see her smile ever again. He stared at it intently, as if that could change or undo it. Kevin stepped up to them, placing a hand on his cousin\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

Brian whirled around, his face contorted with a rage Nick had never seen in him. \u201cSave it. I don\u2019t want to hear it. You didn\u2019t do a damn thing to try and save her, so you\u2019re as responsible as the rest of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick opened his mouth to say something, appalled at the Southern man\u2019s reaction and the bitterness that was so unnatural in him. Before he could, however, Brian\u2019s cold, intense stare met him once again.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you know what, Nick? You were right. The government IS fucked! But, here\u2019s the thing: you don\u2019t realize that your precious organization is just as fucked as the ones you hate!\u201d he screamed before leaving in a fury.<\/p>\n

Brian didn\u2019t even give one single glance back at the crowd, who now stared at Nick and Kevin. No words were said to any who cared about him. Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating all of them in the dark as Nick watched his friend walk away.<\/p>\n

The last words he heard from Brian that day were, \u201cSomehow, someway, Ashie, I\u2019m going to find the ones who did this to you. And they\u2019re going to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Seven Days Earlier<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe this!\u201d Ashavari exclaimed as she walked into the country home she shared with Brian just outside of Washington D.C., shutting the door behind her.<\/p>\n

Brian sat on the couch with a slew of paperwork spread out on the coffee table in front of him. He looked up at her with a smile, his eyes lighting up when he saw her. \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s up? Just the fact the FBI is filled with cowards!\u201d She set her laptop case down and slammed her briefcase on the table.<\/p>\n

Brian frowned; he wasn\u2019t used to her being so angry. What he\u2019d always loved about her was her easygoing nature. He stood, wrapping his arm over her shoulders, and guided her back to the couch to sit beside him. \u201cHey, what happened? Why are they cowards?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re negotiating with some terrorist group. It\u2019s about the alien technology and language Pearl and I cracked. Someone got a hold of it somehow, but they want to know how to use it. I was just coming in to submit my reports when I overheard the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian\u2019s brows knitted together worriedly. \u201cBabe, maybe they\u2019re going along with it so they can catch the guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I know what that\u2019s like. This isn\u2019t it. They heard me before I could leave. Told me I needed to crack the code so that they could keep this quiet. I got threatened with treason if I tell anyone they\u2019re cooperating with scum!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I don\u2019t count again.\u201d<\/p>\n

A smile formed on her face for a moment. \u201cYou know what I mean.\u201d Her expression grew serious once again. \u201cThey don\u2019t know we cracked it. But as soon as they do, they\u2019re going to give it to people who are just going to use it to kill innocent people!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure there\u2019s another reason behind this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere isn\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know who it is trying to blackmail them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I did.\u201d She sighed. \u201cYou know you have the right idea working with HimTak instead of against them. If we\u2019d just unite with them completely, we\u2019d probably be able to shut down terrorists like that without a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I\u2019ve thought that at times myself. But there\u2019s reasons why we don\u2019t. I\u2019m sure of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ashavari stood again, walking over to the bay window next to the front door. She stared out at the tree-filled yard before looking back at Brian, her jade eyes melancholy. \u201cI\u2019m not anymore. Maybe Nick isn\u2019t as deluded about our government as we always thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t be serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly? I think I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cBrian, I think I\u2019m going to resign\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He stared at her, trying to understand. \u201cWhy would you quit your job? I know you\u2019re frustrated, but this isn\u2019t the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what is the answer? Why do you think I\u2019d be ready to walk away from everything I\u2019ve worked for if I thought there was another solution?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had any idea, I wouldn\u2019t be asking. Ashie, come on. You just threw your entire career away based on what? The FBI pissing you off?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her green eyes flashed with an uncharacteristic fury as she whirled around on Brian in the living room. In the two days since she\u2019d first expressed her frustrations with the FBI, Ashavari had become more frazzled and more paranoid; it worried Brian more than ever. He could sense there were things she wasn\u2019t saying, things she kept even from him. Hearing her yelling at their department director over the phone had brought him rushing downstairs to see what was happening.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that simple, Brian! God, don\u2019t you think better of me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I do! So help me understand!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t if you don\u2019t want to!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTry me, please<\/em>, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

All he\u2019d caught clearly was the tail end of the conversation, her usually soft-spoken voice practically shouting, \u201cI can\u2019t work for an organization that makes deals with terrorists but puts down the group actually trying to stop them! Something needs to change!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Obviously she\u2019d been referencing HimTak, but why? Why had she brought them up in all this? Besides the fact that their top scientist, Pearl, had helped Opal crack the code to the alien language that had baffled the government agencies, HimTak was relatively uninvolved at the moment, focusing on their own internal issues that Kevin refused to discuss. Close as the cousins were, they both accepted that, due to their careers, there would be many untold secrets between them.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause now I know Nick is right<\/em>, Brian. I think the CIA, the FBI, they\u2019re all self-serving, and we were too blind to see it!\u201d<\/p>\n

His brow furrowed as a frown formed. \u201cI know you\u2019re upset that the feds are behaving this way, but maybe there\u2019s more we don\u2019t know and–\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just this, though, and that\u2019s more than enough. Look at the Carmen Sandiego escapade we had to deal with last year! They wouldn\u2019t give us, one of their own, a chance to even breathe. They assumed we were guilty and were determined to paint us as such. No \u2018innocent until proven guilty.\u2019 No chance to explain. Had I not gone on the run to find out the truth, we\u2019d both be in federal prison right now!\u201d<\/p>\n

A sigh followed. \u201cThe feds did that. I think our agency would\u2019ve sought the truth out and remedied it soon enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why didn\u2019t they?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t exactly give them a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

She walked over determinedly, gazing up at him. \u201cIf you\u2019d really believed that, you would\u2019ve gotten me asylum with work rather than your cousin\u2019s agency.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before he could reply further, she looked away toward the mantle above the fireplace, where an old photo of the pair adorned the shelf. A photo from happier times when he\u2019d been a new recruit and head over heels in love at first sight. \u201cI\u2019m going upstairs. I need to think. I need space. I need to\u2026 I don\u2019t know. But I hope you try and understand. Really think about what I\u2019m saying. I need you to. Please, Brian.\u201d She kissed his cheek softly, almost sadly, with a note of resignation in the air. Then up she went without another glance behind her.<\/p>\n

He watched her go, running a hand through his blond curls. Part of him wanted to follow her, to try again to understand. But that wasn\u2019t what she needed right now, and he knew it, as much as it pained him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the iPod Touch Pearl had customized and upgraded as a gift for his last birthday. It communicated directly with whoever he wanted to within HimTak on a private and untraceable line. And he knew that all he had to do was choose the right \u201csong\u201d and then press the buttons in a certain order — because, unlike a certain other blond, he actually read the instructions.<\/p>\n

Brian thumbed through his \u201cplaylist\u201d of contacts before finally settling on \u201cMambo No. 5.\u201d Within minutes, Nick\u2019s face appeared on the small screen, a brow raised. \u201cHey, country boy, what\u2019s cookin\u2019?\u201d He grinned. \u201cYou look like someone stepped on your favorite cowboy hat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maybe he shouldn\u2019t have chosen Nick to talk about this with. \u201cLook, Opal\u2019s\u2026\u201d His eyes shifted upwards. \u201cShe\u2019s acting strange, and, crazily enough, I thought maybe you\u2019d help me understand why.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs she okay?\u201d Nick had the biggest soft spot for Brian\u2019s girlfriend. It was actually rather endearing, even though he\u2019d never admit it to him. Theirs was a playful rivalry these days.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe quit the CIA.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Nick literally fist pumped. \u201cFuck yeah! Go Opal!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not helping.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry. Look, you know how I feel about the government, man\u2026 Maybe she\u2019s seeing the light.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I should\u2019ve called K\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey now, come on, Brian.\u201d Nick yawned, leaning back in his chair. From what Brian could see, the agent was down in Pearl\u2019s lab yet again, though he couldn\u2019t see the scientist herself anywhere. \u201cI was kidding. Sort of. Did they do something? I thought it was the FBI who were on her last nerve between recruiting her for that alien tech and the Copenhagen incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t that, though it added to it. She hasn\u2019t talked about it as much as I\u2019d like.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cC\u2019mon, spill!\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian rolled his eyes. \u201cThis isn\u2019t gossip time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry. Really.\u201d<\/p>\n

It felt more and more like a bad idea. \u201cWell\u2026 they\u2019re\u2026\u201d He knew he shouldn\u2019t be telling Nick, though he was sure Himitsu Takana would find out soon enough if they didn\u2019t know already. Wasn\u2019t that why he\u2019d called to begin with, to try to get the perspective of someone who might see it differently?<\/p>\n

A ding interrupted Brian\u2019s thoughts, though it came from Nick\u2019s end of their chat. \u201cShit. I have to go. Meeting.\u201d Nick smirked. \u201cHigh priority, and K threatened to have Lancy style me again if I\u2019m late for another one. But, dude, I\u2019ll call you after it\u2019s done, alright? Help you get to the bottom of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian nodded, though he thought that this might be for the best. A sign that he should try and work this out with his girlfriend on his own. Once Ashavari calmed down, she might be more forthcoming. While definitely more in line with her perspective, Nick might give him advice that would aggravate the situation even more. After giving his friend a wave, he shut off his iPod Touch and went to get a cup of coffee to take out onto his front porch.<\/p>\n

What he needed, more than anything, was time to think.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Part 2<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Episode 13: \u00a0A Lost Odyssey Part 1   \u201cAshes to ashes, dust to dust\u2026\u201d It was raining that Sunday afternoon. The weather was fitting, given the circumstances of that day. Though there were plenty of people at the service, Nick only had eyes for those he cared about. Next to\u2026<\/p>\n

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