5Disclaimer: I do not own Timeless.
The Sinking of PT-109: Part 3
Jessica shook the clear plastic bottle into her hand and a couple of white pills fell out. She popped them into her mouth and swallowed them with her bottled water. She took a breath and looked at her face in the mirror.
She looked like she was back in high school. The maternity books never warned her about acne. Growling to herself, she started applying liberal amounts of concealer.
Once her war paint was on, she called the agent in. His name was Glass, and his family had been with Rittenhouse for about twenty years now. Not a legacy- but influential in the print media. He used to teach journalism at one of the state schools back when online classes were first being offered. He was able to bring a lot of journalists over to their side. Now he was the unofficial director of all Rittenhouse media, after the last one had been brought down by Lucy and Flynn.
"What's the update?" she asked.
"The story of our exposure has been more or less forgotten. We were able to keep the public interest pretty low. No one except maybe Cahill is a name anyone remembers anymore. Rittenhouse is effectively back in the shadows."
"That's good news," Jessica said. Her stomach rumbled, annoyingly. She was craving something sweet and sour, and her first thought was of a margarita. How unfair was that? That a pregnancy could make her crave alcohol.
"Any hang-ups with some of our people?"
"There's a news producer at a local Milwaukee cable station," said Glass, handing over a file. "There's a rumor that she wants out. Unusual internet activity. Researching private schools out of the country. Cashing in on some savings bonds. On their own, it doesn't mean anything, but does look like the first steps someone would take if they were looking to get out."
Jessica huffed. "What can we do about it?"
"She can be persuaded. She's got kids."
Jessica's stomach lurched. In the file, there was a photo of a little boy being dropped off at an elementary school.
"Do you know her personally?" Jess asked, trying to sound presidential.
"She was a student, oh… fifteen years ago?"
"Did she perform better when she got discipline or praise?"
Glass looked like he was thinking a moment. "Praise," he decided.
Jessica mentally breathed a sigh of relief. "Then let's try the carrot before we try the stick, okay?"
"You're the boss," said Glass.
"That's an odd way of saying 'Yes, madam President'," said Jess. It came out harsher than intended. She gave a lame smile to try to make it sound like she was joking.
Glass looked nervous, like he hadn't caught the joke. "Yes, of course, madam President," he chuckled.
"I'm kidding," she said dismissively. "Is that everything?"
"Yes, madam President," said Glass. He collected the file and stood up. He looked relieved to be dismissed. Not because he was scared- more like the meeting was a chore he was glad to be done with.
She watched him go, her mind whirling. She wished she had the kind of demanding presence that Emma did. Not for the first time, she wondered why Emma had decided she should be president.
.
Jack and Kirksey led them to the command tent. "His name's Commander Warfield," Jack was telling them. "He's a real hardass."
"Are we gonna be allowed in?" asked Jiya.
"Anyone asks, I'll tell 'em you're with me," Jack said. "Look, I remember what happened the last time I saw you guys. If you're here, that means I get you anywhere you need to be."
"This is like having our own sleeper agent for once," Flynn chided.
"A what?" asked Jack.
"It means a spy who's been put in place years in advance of an operation," said Wyatt. "The term doesn't really exist yet, but 'sleepers' are pretty common in World War II. Which is what we're in now," he added, with a look at Jack.
"I remember," Jack said.
Lucy caught up to Wyatt and tugged on his sleeve. "Rittenhouse is here for him," she said. "Again."
"Yeah, I figured," said Wyatt. "We just gotta keep him alive. Shouldn't be too hard."
"No, you don't understand," said Lucy. "This is the night that Kennedy becomes a war hero. His patrol boat sinks and he rescues almost his entire crew. The story gets told over and over again- they even make a movie about it. It's what propels him to become a Senator- it's why there's a President Kennedy!"
Flynn was listening in. "So not only does Kennedy need to survive but.."
"He needs to save the day," said Lucy.
They reached the command tent. Lucy's mind was whirring. Engineering a heroic action was going to be almost impossible in a war zone. And that's without Emma and Rittenhouse tipping the Japanese off to the PT boat's weaknesses she thought to herself.
The commander- Warfield- droned on about the battle plan, but Lucy couldn't follow all the tactical and military jargon they were using. The sailors listening were all looking at the maps and nodding along.
"Commander," said Wyatt, breaking Lucy's train of thought. "You expect these boats to fire on Japanese destroyers from a distance, on choppy water, in the dark? Do you know what the odds of that are?"
"Like trying to hit a womp rat?" Jiya chided quietly.
Warfield blinked. "And just who are you, son?"
"Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan, US Army," said Wyatt.
"Uh-huh," said Warfield. "Well I don't know how you army boys do it, but this is a Naval operation. Our boats will have radar."
"Four of your boats have radar," corrected Wyatt. "The rest are blind. Especially if they're under radio silence and running without lights."
"It's called the element of surprise."
"Oh yeah, I call it bull-"
"Enough!" snapped Warfield. "Lieutenant Kennedy, is this man with you?"
Jack smirked. "Yeah, the War Department sent him over to make sure I didn't crash any more boats, sir."
Several of the men snickered, like they were enjoying an inside joke.
"Well, keep his mouth shut for him," said Warfield. He looked around. "All hands, better get to it."
The men all rose and filed out of the tent.
"That man's an idiot," said Wyatt.
"Yeah, tell us something we don't know," said Jack. "So what happens? I mean- what do you know to happen?"
"The operation fails," said Lucy. "The destroyers make their rendezvous with the Japanese garrison and return safely. None of your boats make any hits, and your boat gets rammed."
"Rammed?" asked Jack.
"That's how it happens," said Kirksey, looking scared and wide-eyed. "Isn't it?"
He looked from Jiya to Lucy, but Lucy had no clue what he was talking about.
"That won't happen now," said Flynn. "If I was Rittenhouse and I had knowledge of the battle beforehand, I'd turn the ambush around. If you know you're walking into a trap, you set it off and trap the trapper."
"So what do we do if we lose the element of surprise?" asked Jiya.
"We call off the mission," said Wyatt. "So how do we convince Warfield?"
"Even if he would listen, we can't abort," said Lucy. "Jack needs to make a name for himself in this battle. It's the only way to keep history on track."
Jack looked stunned. "What are you talking about?"
Wyatt didn't acknowledge him. "We need to keep him alive."
"That's not enough!" argued Lucy. "Just staying alive isn't good enough!"
"Hey!" said Flynn. "We have to control the battle. There are four PT squadrons, and there's four of us."
"We're splitting up?" said Jiya.
"It's our best option," said Flynn. "Warfield will be back in his command tent. We can influence the battle better than him if we're on the boats. Make them listen."
They each exchanged nervous glances. "We'll be okay," said Jack. "But we gotta trust each other."
Trusting the others wouldn't be a problem, Lucy thought.
Trusting me is a different story.
.
Emma stood on the bridge of the Amagiri as it cut through the water. The sun was starting to set. She smiled vindictively. Captain Toyama stood next to her.
We will win a great victory today," he said.
Emma nodded.
Yes. She would.
.
A/N: Jeez! Long time for an update. Sorry guys. Life stuff. My biggest regret is not getting these chapters done before Pride because Stonewall is next! Anyway- it will happen. Thanks for your patience! Please review!