Targeted

[Ashi]

The idle small talk lasted all of a few minutes, if even that, before it was most unpleasantly ruined. While none of Clark's doing, it was he who pointed out to Claire the crashers of their party. She peered out the hole in the roof at the bright yellow lights bouncing along the dirt road to the farm in the fading twilight. The chances of it being the owner of the land and the barn were slim, given its condition and the fact that the people pulling up in this truck weren't dressed for farming. They were undoubtedly the trespassers who left the joints, beer, and candy that Clark found. Claire bit her lip, racking her brain for an idea. Hiding wasn't going to help. The only place to hide was the loft and it wasn't large enough for those people to not find them up there.

"Good, 'cause we're about to play cops." Claire said, standing up from her seat on the bale of hay. She tidied her clothes up as best she could, fixing her gun on her belt and putting her ID in her pocket. She took a second gun from her bag and, dragging Clark to his feet, put it on his belt. "I need you to pretend to be an agent. You don't have to speak; actually, it's probably best if you don't. Just let me do the talking and try to look like you could kick some ass, or at least look serious. Stand as straight and tall as you can, shoulders back, and act confident. Keep your hand on your hip close to your gun, like you're ready to pull it on them. Do you know how to hold it?" Claire instructed, picking stray pieces of hay from his hair and clothes. She pulled her gun to demonstrate how to hold it like an agent would.

"Stay a little ways behind me and don't pull the gun unless you have to; it is loaded." With that being said, Claire gave Clark the bag to carry and climbed down from the loft. The truck was parked not too far from the doors of the barn when she stepped out, head held high. A few people got out of the back of the truck, and three more got out of the cab. All of them looked confused and a little angry that someone else was in their spot. A few wore camouflage pants or jackets and hats and boots, which explained the truck in her opinion. They probably lived in the rural part of the nearest town.

"Who're you and what're you doing here?" One man asked as he stepped ahead of his cohorts. "I could ask you the same thing," Claire took a step towards the man, as if to accept the challenge he presented. "I'm Agent Bennett with the FBI, and this is my partner Agent Curtis. You are aware that you are trespassing on private land?" Claire whipped her ID out of her pocket, flashing her badge. She hadn't thought about what name she would give Clark if she didn't simply use his and she didn't mean to identify him as her actual partner, Randy. The introduction she and Randy gave was ingrained into her memory so that it was automatic.

"What's the FBI want out here?" The man asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "We're investigating a missing persons report. Supposedly, the last place this person was seen was on this land. Tell me, have you seen anything suspicious?" Claire asked, looking over the land as if she might find some clue there. "We haven't seen anything." The one answered, to which Claire growled, "You come out here and party obviously pretty frequently, and you're honestly going to tell me that you haven't seen anything?" The seeming flare in her temper appeared to put them on edge.

"Alright, then, what do you know about the owner of this land? We would like to ask him some questions. Does he live around here?" When she didn't get an immediate answer, Claire nearly yelled. "Do you want me to arrest your asses for possession of illegal drugs and trespassing?! Quit standing there like a jackass and answer me! Where can we find the owner of the land?" When this didn't yield any results, Claire paced a few steps back and forth, pensively. "Look, we need to rendezvous with the local police. If you give my partner and me a lift to town, I'll let you off the hook with the drugs and trespassing. Deal?"

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Clark had held a gun three times in his life and he wasn't too impressed either of those times. Those occasions were because Clark's dad felt he should have at least the experience of holding a gun and firing it. Clark wasn't exactly thrilled with Claire's plan either, but all things considered the choices on the table weren't much better. Hiding and listening to the locals have a party and do things that would make Clark wanna tear his ears off, or go along with Claire's plan? Claire's plan won out in his mind but not by much. Clark stood a little taller and leaned his shoulders back a bit more, but he was only wishing he could take his glasses off because that might help add a bit more of an air about him. As it was though if he took his glasses off he wouldn't be able to tell Randy from Claire.

After Claire made her deal Randy looked at Clark and said, "You got anything to add boy?" Every fiber of Clark's being was somewhat intimidated by Randy not only because of his size, but Randy reminded Clark of all those bullies back in High School and the last thing he needed right now was a flashback. Clark loved reading murder mysteries especially the ones involving a Private Investigator named "Spenser." If Clark took on the persona of Spenser it would add an air of confidence and give him a sense of credibility. Clark took a deep breath and said shaking his head, "Nah, I'm the strong silent type. Besides this is my first real case so I'm deferring to my partner on this one."

Another of the group stepped forward and said, "Hey, if you all are feds where's your car? How did you all get here? Not to mention Old Man Jenkins died over eight years ago ain't nobody come 'round here I think you all are full of shit! Eddie you and the boys go on to the truck get the rifles out. I believe we got the Feds here out gunned and outnumbered. I say we have some fun with them. Unlike those other uptight assholes who are in town."

Clark was starting to wonder what Spenser would do in this situation. Probably throw a few hay makers and then shoot one in the leg to make a point. Shooting someone though was not something Clark wanted to do, and he did know how to throw a haymaker. However, whether that haymaker had anything behind it was a completely different story. Clark calmly said, "Okay fun time is over. Look we made you our offer take it…" Clark pulled his gun, aimed it at Randy, cocked the hammer back, and said, "Or leave it. If you leave it though I assure it won't be pretty."

Clark's hand had a bit of tremor to it and Randy said, "Boy you shaking you ain't gonna do shit to us." Without even pausing Clark turned the gun, fired the gun at Randy's foot barely missing it. Everyone was stunned and just looked at Clark who was focused in and almost snarling at Randy. Clark said, "That was the warning shot. We have had one helluva day as it is, so do we get our lift in to town or do we play…" Clark pulled the hammer back and said, "Who wins the lottery? And who loses the lottery? Make it fast my rookie jitters are making me very nervous!" Clark waited for a moment and said, "NOW!"

Randy nodded and said, "Okay I'll give you all a ride into town. Just don't shoot again."

Clark shook his head and said, "No, I gotta sixth sense that tells me when I'm getting jerked around." Clark looked at the group and said, "Phones over here." The group looked at one another and Clark fired the gun again into the night he said, "NOW!" Everyone quickly threw their phones towards Clark who crushed them under his foot. He said, "Keys to the truck my partner gets 'em." Randy tossed them to Claire and once he saw she had them Clark said, "Okay everyone up in the loft for the next ten minutes. Although I suggest you take a couple hits to take the edge off. Now move!"

Randy and his crew moved rather quickly. Once they were out of ear shot Clark said, "You drive! Just get us out of here! Please!"

As they began to put distance between them and the farm Clark asked Claire to pull over. Once she did Clark got out and vomited for a solid five seconds. Clark shook his head and got his bearings back. Once he did he got back into the truck and said, "Okay figure it's gonna take them at least a couple of hours to get back into town, so that gives us a bit of a head start. Not to mention he said that there were others in town, so that means we can't go there." Clark looked over at Claire and said, "I have no clue what came over me back there. I'm sorry about that. Right now though we need to get somewhere else safe. Do you think going to Canada is an option?"

 

[Ashi]

"'In town?'" Claire thought with growing concern, almost completely disregarding the man's other statements about being outgunned. For a moment, all she could focus on was the fact that the people she and Clark escaped already beat them to town and were likely hunting for them. The only real way to describe what she was feeling was shock, despite she should have seen it coming a mile away. Snapping back, Claire pulled a second gun from where it was hidden beneath her shirt at the small of her back. She pulled back the hammer on both guns and aimed one at each of the men.

"How much do you want to bet that I can pull the trigger faster than you can?" She growled, really angry now. If she didn't have such self control, it was likely Claire would have shot the bastards just to make her point; however, it didn't look like she would have to. Clark was already taking charge of the situation. It was a complete surprise to Claire that he had the guts to even fire the gun, much less that he was acting like such a bad ass. In a single word, she was awestruck. Somehow or another, in her mix of amazement and anger, Claire managed to catch the keys to the truck. Clark didn't need to say a word for, once the group had gotten far enough away, she turned and bolted for the truck.

"Oh my God! Clark! Oh my God!" Claire nearly shrieked, grinning ecstatically. "I never would have guessed that you had that in you! That was.. Damn!" She shook her head in sheer disbelief, still riding the wave of adrenaline coursing through her veins. The barn was far behind them in a matter of minutes, a mere afterthought left in the dust and darkness of the highway. It was an especially good thing since they had to pull over, at least there was no chance of those goons catching up to them.

"Yeah. That definitely puts a dent in the plan, since we don't even know if the Feds they spoke of are still in town. They could already be ahead of us. The upside: They don't know what vehicle we're driving, so they don't know what to look for now. And we have some of the supplies they left in here. Let's see if they don't have a map in the glove compartment." Leaning over, Claire popped the compartment open and rifled through the papers and trash in it for a map. She spread it across the dashboard as best she could with one hand, steering with the other. Thankfully, there were no other cars on the road at that point.

"I think we're somewhere in here... Ran-- Er, my partner was always the better at reading maps." Claire squinted and pointed at a spot on the map. "So.. We can cut through town, take that exit... a few hours tops to the next town over if I don't get caught for speeding." She said with a shrug. With the newfound energy from their close encounter, Claire could stay awake long enough to at least get to another motel. Well, that's what she hoped, anyway.

A majority of the drive was dark except for the headlights of other vehicles on the road, as street lamps were few and far between until but a few miles from the edge of town. Surprisingly enough, there weren't any motels between the two towns even though they were hours apart. It was probably for the best though, considering their pursuers would likely check all the hotels and motels in the area. Claire settled for a bed-and-breakfast in town that luckily had a room available. When asked about luggage and where they were headed, she lied and said they had lost all but one bag when their car got broken into on their way to see family. The lady at the desk didn't ask much else; although she was a bit suspicious since they paid in cash.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Clark's adrenaline rush had given way to quiet introspection as he entered the room of the bed and breakfast. It was a quaint little room like one of those you would see in a journal for the Maine Tourism Board or some other state in the New England area. White was the dominant color and the wicker furniture was befitting of a room for a couple that was just enjoying the chance to get away from it all. He closed the door, locked it, and just took a couple of deep breaths as he said, "Wow, that was…" nodding his head and saying, "Intense I think I know what pushed me over the edge as it were." He took a step into the room and sat in one of the wicker chairs leaned forward a bit and said, "Believe it or not Claire I was a geek slash nerd in High School." Clark looked at Claire and said with raised eyebrows, "Yea I know shocking right. Anyway, that guy tonight reminded me of some may of my tormentors in High School that something inside of me just snapped tonight. I got tired of being bullied. You know? Enough was enough for me."

Clark stretched out his legs and said, "There are certain logistical matters we gotta take care of at some point. One, we can't just keep stealing cars sooner or later they're gonna catch on to us so having our own car would be a good thing. Secondly, if that don't catch us soon, I know it's cliché but I can see them pinning a crime or two on us and planting the story in the press turning our own faces against us. So we might wanna consider changing appearances in some way. I have to wear my glasses so that presents a problem for me. Lastly…" Clark threw his head back and asked, "Where are we gonna go Claire?" He shook it slowly and said, "Going to Atlanta is out, they're probably waiting for us there if nothing else and we don't know who to trust at this point."

Clark stared at the wall for a moment and then he smiled for a moment. Clark said, "I think I got an idea Claire." He stood up and felt a sort of a rush not unlike his "Spenser" moment back at the barn and said as he began to pace, "Before I went to Agent Simmons or even let on to anyone that I had seen the information I made a copy of all of it and put it on a flash drive. I sent it to a cousin who's a lawyer in Raleigh, North Carolina told him to keep it quiet and not to look at any of it. I just had a feeling that I should have back up information somehow someway and not just count on the one set of files with all the original information on it." Clark looked at Claire and said, "Besides my cousin is a high profile D-A and about to be elected to Congress his death would create way too many issues, and besides he has a security detail. Anyway, we get to him and get the flash drive upload all the information onto the web then that's it." Clark nodded and said, "It won't matter after that the information is out there and the proper law enforcement officials will take action from there."

Taking a step towards Claire Clark said, "I know it sounds like a crazy plan Claire, but if we pull this off we have our lives back. There will be no way that those bastards can touch us. Information is power and in this case it is our ticket out of this mess." He took another step towards Claire and said, "I know this isn't what you signed up for, and it sure as Hell ain't what I had in mind either, but Claire we can't afford to take too many risks and keep hoping our blind luck holds out. We need to do something. They think they hold all the cards and that we're just pawns in their game, but damnit I am tired of people thinking that I am someone they can push around I want us to take control of this. These are our lives Claire we deserve the right to live them on our terms."
Clark had no idea where this shot of courage had come from this evening, but he was starting to enjoy it. He also realized that he was only a few inches away from Claire, and he took a few steps back. Clark said, "Sorry about that I didn't mean to invade your space. Not to mention I could use a change of clothes and a shower by now." Clark let out an exhale and said, "What do you think of my idea? Or do you have something else in mind?"

 

[Ashi]

Relieved to escape to their room, Claire unlocked the door and let Clark in first. She tossed the bag into one of the wicker chairs, slumping down on the edge of the bed and flopping back onto it. Her adrenaline rush was finally fading, leaving her feeling draggy and rather like she needed to sleep for the next week. She turned her head to look around, taking in the white room. It was simple, well-kept and clean. There was a theme about the room in soft colors that gave it a sort of homey cottage feel; the bedding smelled refreshingly of laundry detergent and a bowl of potpourri permeated the air with a flowery scent. Unfortunately, there was only one bed.

"I don't know much about bullies." Claire sighed, leaning up and propping herself up on her elbows to look at Clark. "I wasn't that kid when I was in school; I was a cop's kid, so nobody messed with me. But I do know about having enough of people's bullshit." She sympathized, nodding in understanding. "Thing is, it doesn't matter who you were then or what people called you; it doesn't matter what people think now. You don't need to be defensive of yourself like that, at least not towards me. That's just what I've noticed.. when you talk about yourself.." Standing from the bed, Claire sauntered to the window, peeking out through the curtains if just so she didn't have to look Clark in the eyes for a moment.

"I know. Any good agent has picked up on the trend by now, and would know who stole the next car before they get a witness's statement. I'm sure a town like this has a used car lot or something. Maybe we can haggle one off of someone? Or I guess I could make a phone call to a friend, but it would have to be from a payphone. So long as I don't make or answer any calls on my cell, no one should be able to track us." Claire turned finally to look at Clark again, a pensive expression on her face. "Don't even throw that idea out into the universe! Lord knows the bastards will think of it now!" She forked her fingers through her hair anxiously and chewed her lip. It was a trend between the two that Clark would say something and have something happen.

"Appearances are probably the easiest things to fix. We could get you some contact lenses or something, maybe even dye your hair. I could cut mine..." Her voice trailed off into soft mutters before she regained her focus. "Well.. I may know a place we can go. It's remote, though not completely isolated. It's been a long time since I was there, but that shouldn't make a difference. As for your friend, it was wise of you to make a copy; however, I don't know how wise it would be to release it to the media. Sure these people want you dead now, in order to keep their secret, well, a secret. If you reveal that secret, they'll probably want you dead either in order to try to stop it or just for revenge." She furrowed her brow at him, crossing her arms over her chest uncomfortably.

"Are you kidding? There's no going back to how things were before. You may still be put through something like witness protection in case these ass wipes do seek revenge and I will be trying to clean up the corruption in the Bureau. Hell, I don't know how high this goes up the food chain or how many agents are involved. I could very well die trying or be removed from the case altogether and put on desk duty for the next foreseeable future while all of this is swept under the rug after the trial." Claire said hotly, making exaggerated gestures with her hands.

"I'm not trying to be a downer. The plan could work, but we need to make sure whose side he's on, too. For all we know, the head of his department could have his hand in this crazy cookie jar." She took a step back when she realized just how close Clark was to her and turned away uneasily. "You can go ahead and shower then. We can get a change of clothes in the morning." Claire bee-lined around him to sit on the edge of the bed where she continued to think things over. After long, she kicked off her shoes and laid down as close to the edge of the bed as she could be without falling off, where she dozed off in spite of the lamp shining right over her.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Clark could tell that Claire would be the realist of the two in this, for lack of a better term, relationship. It wasn't a partnership because Clark was not an agent so he wasn't her partner. Besides there was no confirmation just an assumption that her partner as dead. Clark though realized that he needed Claire to be their voice of reason. He was used to operating in a world that was very set in its ways, but Claire was used to operating in a world where things could change at a moment's notice and many times it impacted millions of lives.

Watching Claire fall asleep Clark cut on the bathroom light and cut off the lamp. He cut on the water for the shower and let the water get to an ideal temperature. He stepped into the shower and as the water washed over him Clark let his mind wander over the things that Claire had said. He didn't have the strength or energy to argue one very clear point to him. That point was Claire was not going to just go back to the FBI after this was over. Looking at the big picture Clark could see that Claire was just as much of a target as he was now. Clark wasn't about to bring up the fact that Claire nearly ended up with a bullet in her head. Whoever was calling the shots on this would close the book on Clark if he killed him, and if there was a loose end hanging out that loose end would be cut off as well. Claire was now a liability to them if Clark had to guess that raid on the safe house was supposed to kill everyone. Those in power were now scrambling around to try and find them was speaking to the fact that they all were supposed to be dead. Logic would suggest that Claire was more of a target than Clark actually, because she was the trained agent. Without her Clark wasn't going to last too long out on his own.

Her suggestion of the pay-phone wasn't a bad one in theory. The problem was how many pay phones were still in use? Clark could get behind the suggestion of a used car, because he saw a couple of them in town and they didn't exactly look like the most reputable places in the world. As long as it got them from point A to point B and moved quickly when necessary Clark wouldn't care what kind of car it was. Clark thought that maybe they should get traveler's checks, but that was until he realized that in order to use them they would have to sign their names and show ID to use them. Clark was also starting to believe that this would be his and Claire's last night without notoriety. He was convinced by this time tomorrow Claire and Clark would be all over the internet and the news. There was even a part of him that believed that they would be held responsible for either Simmons' murder, or somehow blamed for the safe house shooting.

Clark didn't care that the soaps that he was using wasn't exactly the most masculine smelling in the world. The fact that he was able to take a shower and clean up after what he had already experienced was a blessing that Clark wasn't going to take for granted. After he finished showering for what felt like a month he dried off and got dressed.

Coming back into the room it appeared that Claire hadn't moved at all. He was grateful that he saw Claire still breathing for all he knew they could've killed her while he was in the shower. Clark climbed into the bed and put his arms behind his head. He let his mind continue to wander about, but now he had to question something else. The question was would his cousin be willing to help them out? Gary was family, but he and Clark didn't exactly keep in touch with the exception of the occasional holiday card and phone call for family situations. Not to mention Gary was a politician first and foremost, and to get as far as he did Gary had to have had shook hands with the Devil at least once. The question was did Gary smile when he was done, or was he shocked that he did it?

There was a part of Clark that wanted to stay up all night just to ensure that Claire was all right, because without her Clark was as good as dead, but then Clark realized if he didn't get some rest and soon he was eventually going to become a liability. So with that Clark closed his eyes and faded off to sleep.

 

[Ashi]

Claire opened the heavy wooden door of her apartment as she pulled her key from the lock and stepped into the foyer. She dropped her keys in the shallow dish on the table, causing them to jingle loudly upon impact with another set of keys already there. The door closed slowly and without sound, locking automatically. The apartment was filled with a savory smell, which piqued her interests and curiosity. She tossed her purse onto the sofa as she entered the living room and looked around. The only noise was soft music playing over the stereo.

"Jamie, you here?" Claire called with a raised brow. Usually, he would have come to greet her by now if he was home. It was a rhetorical question though, since his keys were the other set in the dish. If he wasn't there, the keys wouldn't be either. "Something smells good." She stepped around the corner to look into the kitchen. The lights were on, but she didn't see the man anywhere. The table was set for two with a bouquet of roses in a vase as the centerpiece. "Is there some special occasion I was unaware of?" Claire called, looking around a second time. "Jamie?" Her voice was amused and starting to sound impatient. Down the hall, through the cracked bedroom door, the light was on.

"Oh~ I see." She laughed, removing her suit jacket and tossing it aside as she started for the bedroom. She pulled her shirt free of her slacks and began unbuttoning it; but when she opened the door, the bedroom was empty. "What?! Jamie. This is getting ridiculous. Where are you?" Frustration and concern crept into Claire's voice. She marched back to the kitchen. "James Holland! I swear, if you jump out and scare me, you're gonna get it!" She started to walk around the kitchen island to the stove where steak was browning on a skillet. "The food's gonna burn." As she got around the corner, she stopped, gazing wide-eyed at the floor. Her heart dropped. "JAMIE!"

Claire woke with a start, flinging herself into a sitting position. She looked around groggily, finding herself not in her apartment, but in the room at the bed and breakfast on the floor beside the bed. "How did I..?" She wondered, rubbing her head which ached. She must have rolled off the bed sometime in her sleep. Claire stood and stretched. The clock on the bedside table said it was early morning, clearly before dawn since the room was still dark. Her gaze drifted to Clark, fast asleep. She couldn't remember falling asleep, but must have been sleeping hard to not notice his presence.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, Claire entered the bathroom, softly shutting the door so as not to wake Clark. Her reflection in the mirror gave her a start; she looked like hell. The areas beneath her eyes were dark and her hair looked as if a bird was nesting in it. She smoothed it out as best she could before getting undressed and starting the shower. The time it took to clean up was far less than half the time Claire spent in the shower. She sat under the spray, watching the water swirl down the drain as if it might give her the answers to all her questions. Only did she get out when the water turned cold. She spent the time until breakfast cleaning her guns, then went downstairs to get food and coffee.

"Hurry up and eat. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can get done what we need to do and get out of town. The first order of business is new clothes, then a new car, and the convenience store." Claire said around a bite of toast and a sip of coffee once Clark was awake. She'd grabbed a little bit of everything and heaped their plates high, not knowing when or where they would be able to eat again after hitting the road. There was eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast among other things. She had already packed her bag up and tidied up the bathroom, so all they had to do was turn in the room key.

When they did leave, Claire breathed a sigh of relief. The owner's watchful eyes made her a bit antsy. While Claire could make up a plausible story when she needed to, she felt like a child trying to lie to her mother. There was a decent amount of traffic even for early morning, mostly travelers passing through; although, it took some time to get around town in the truck. The first stop was a family clothing store. Her woman sense showed through her straight-faced, serious facade as she scoured the racks. Claire piled Clark's arms full of clothes for him to try on and it didn't take her long at all to find suitable things for herself. After the purchase, she returned to the dressing room to change. It felt wonderful to be wearing clean clothes.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Clark noticed that Claire seemed a bit off this morning. Maybe she kept waking up off and on all night? Or she was having a bout of insomnia? Clark didn't know and he figured it best to just leave it alone for the time being. The truth was though it felt like he slept all night Clark knows that if there was the slightest sound his eyes instantly popped open. He began to wonder if he would ever know what it was like to be normal again.


Clark enjoyed what felt his first real meal in days. It was typical breakfast fare, but considering that Clark's idea of a filling breakfast was usually a granola bar and a diet coke after a morning jog this was a feast. Realizing that he wasn't sure when they would be eating like this again Clark made sure to fill up, but not to the point of being visibly uncomfortable.


Stopping off at the clothing store called McMann's Family Wear was an oasis in the desert for Clark. He was not only ready to lose the clothes and underwear he had been in for the last three days straight, but more rather he was ready to burn them. Claire gave him a sizable selection to try on. Mainly they were jeans, t-shirts, in addition to one golf shirt, one dress shirt with dress pants and dress shoes. Clark had to give Claire credit where it was due she had pretty good taste in picking out clothes for him. Then again it was designed to be clothes suitable for being on the run for the most part.


Clark knocked on the dressing room door and said, "Hey…" Clark stopped short of using her name because if the FEDS were getting close the last thing they needed was people saying they had heard their names. Clark closed his eyes and said, "Dear good job on the clothes selection. I'm ready whenever you are." The whole time Clark was gently tapping on the door hoping that Claire would understand that what he had just did wasn't by choice, but rather out of necessity. Clark stepped away from the door and began to look around the store a little more closely. Clark picked up a duffel bag for his clothes as well. He figured if Claire had one it was time for him to have one.


The cashier asked, "Is there anything else we can interest you in sir?" To which Clark replied, "Oh no it's okay I'm waiting on my…" trying to sound as natural as possible said, "girlfriend. She has the money right now I lost my wallet a couple of days ago on the road. Must've fallen out at the diner just off of route 42." Clark remembered seeing a diner so he thought if he incorporated it into the story it might help sell it a little more. Clark was actually pretty comfortable at playing it cool very "Spenser" like he would say. The whole time though he had his toes curled to channel and focus all his nervous energy into one spot.


All the while though Clark was making sure that he stayed away from the huge display window, because the last thing he needed was to be standing out in the open where everyone could see him. Just then a non-descript Ford Lincoln did a very slow roll by the store. The cashier said, "Wow, something going on we got all kinds of out of towners coming around here today. Annette at the coffee shop said she waited on about 6 others this morning." Clark slowly peered out from behind the rack he was standing behind. It had an extra-long antenna on the back, with dark-tinted windows, and another mirror attached to the side mirror. To the cashier it was an out of towner, to Clark it was screaming under cover vehicle. Clark could feel his heart rate accelerate and a bit of sweat form on his upper lip. All the while a little voice told him to remain calm and hope it would go away.


Clark nodded slowly and said, "Well hey sounds like things will be picking up around here." He walked over to the dressing room and knocked again. Clark said in a calm casual voice, "Hey honey, you won't believe it I just saw a car roll by here that looked just like your Uncle Sam's." Clark was hoping that Claire would get the Uncle Sam hint and realize what he was trying to tell her, and more importantly that she had a plan.

 

[Ashi]

From jeans and t-shirts to dress clothes, Claire picked an outfit for Clark for just about every occasion she could think of that might come up. Did she really think that he would need dress clothes? Not really; however, he would need something nice to wear to court if they ever actually made it there. Since she still had her work clothes, Claire didn't look for anything fancy for herself. Mostly, she picked clothes suitable for travel and would last in the field. There was the temptation to at least try on some of the nicer things, the sorts of clothes she used to wear outside of work, but there wasn't time for that.

"Oh, um, I'm glad you like them." Claire said from inside the dressing room, glad that he couldn't see the look on her face when he called her "dear." She realized after a moment what it was Clark was doing, though it still weirded her out a little. No one had called her that in a long time. Taking the tags off of the clothes she would wear out of the store, Claire started to sort the other items. She paused when Clark mentioned her uncle's car. If she hadn't known better, she would have objected that she didn't have an Uncle Sam. This made her move very much faster.

"Alright, I think this is everything." Claire sighed with finality, a satisfied smile on her face as she set the clothes by the register. "Luckily I keep my wallet in my travel bag." She smirked and winked at Clark, playing on the tale that he lost his. In the short time that she was turned towards him, she scanned the store behind them to make sure they were still safe. On a few nearby racks were displays of hats, jewelry, and sunglasses. Claire walked over, grabbed a couple of hats and pairs of glasses, and placed them on top of the clothing pile. "It's awfully sunny out there." She grinned, fishing some cash out of her bag. Rather than carry bags out, Claire just had the cashier put the clothes in the duffle that Clark grabbed, since that's where they would end up anyway she so rationalized.

"Here." Claire put a hat on Clark's head and handed him a pair of sunglasses, then donned her own. At least, if that car was still out there - and it undoubtedly was somewhere - they wouldn't be so easily recognized amongst the locals and tourists. They drove the truck to the used car lot not too far away, parking in the lot of the store beside it. Claire pillaged some of the things left behind in the truck, namely the map, before leaving the keys on the seat inside. She haggled with the lot owner over a car, an older model four door. It was in decent condition; although, it had more than the ideal number of miles on it. He found it odd that they walked onto his lot and paid in cash but did not voice his suspicions.

"Took long enough." Muttering to herself, Claire climbed into the car. Obtaining it had taken longer than she would have liked, putting them behind on getting back on the road. Rather than going to the store, Claire opted for the gas station. That way they could fill up and still get snacks and cigarettes for the road. As soon as they were on the highway, Claire lit one. Randy's voice echoed in her mind, taunting her, "I thought you quit." She rolled her eyes and took a drag. "Bull."

"So, are we gunning for your cousin's place in.. Raleigh, was it?" Claire asked casually, not taking her eyes off the road. The place she had thought of was only hours from there and not too far from Georgia.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

With a new set of clothes, a hat that stated "Real Men Love Their Mamas" and a pair of jeans and boots Clark felt somewhat safe for the moment. They were in a car that wasn't going to win the Indy 500 but it was going to get them from point A to point B; probably, and they had once again sipped away from the Feds. Clark was wondering though how long their luck would continue to hold out though. Clark knew that sooner or later things were going to get a lot worse. In the back of his mind Clark knew that soon a Nationwide Manhunt would be declared for them, and he had the feeling that they wouldn't be taken in alive. Claire was a FED but with things going the way they were Clark knew she would be shot on sight.


He opened up one of the bottles of water and began to take a few slow sips on it. Claire was back to smoking and on some levels that annoyed Clark. Not because he had to deal with it, but that Claire was probably "nose-blind" to the odors it caused. Which were very pungent and in a bad situation Clark could just imagine being done in by cigarettes. Maybe Clark was starting to get a little too paranoid for his own good, but at the moment Clark was trying to keep things together because seeing the car do that slow roll in front of the store was one of the most terrifying moments in his life.


Claire snapped Clark back into reality with her question about his cousin Gary. Clark put his water down and replied, "Oh yeah Gary my cousin. He's a good guy all around and family so I think we're in pretty safe hands for the moment." Clark took in a deep breath and exhaled. He said, "Truth Claire, I sent the information to him with five hundred dollars to keep it quiet. Whether he did that or not I don't know? With the way things are going right now, and the walls feeling like they're slowly closing in on us, outside of you I am starting to wonder who to trust." Shrugging his shoulders Clark said, "Yeah he's family and all that, but he's a politician as well which…." Rolling his eyes Clark said, "means that there are times when he isn't exactly acting in the best interest of the people in his area." Looking at Claire he asked, "If you can't trust family then who can you trust?"


Clark let out a slight chuckle and said, "If he opened it then he knows what I know. It doesn't take much to figure it out if you know how to follow the money, and who know what he'll do with that information." For some reason though the phrase "follow the money" struck Clark as rather odd. Clark thought for a moment and then his eyes grew in horror, and he felt his mouth slowly drop open. Clark said, "Oh no…" Seeing a nearby grocery store Clark said, "Claire pull in here for a moment quick!"

Clark asked for a twenty and bolted into the store. Within a couple of minutes Clark was back in the car and said, "Pull around the back alley." Once the car was stopped Clark got out of the car and at down in the alley. He took five of the bills from the stack and got out his grocery store purchases. Clark took some orange juice, ammonia, milk and water. He then proceeded to mix them all in a Styrofoam bowl. Once that was done Clark dipped two of the bills in the solution and held them there for a couple of minutes. Clark then pulled out the bills and then began to shake his head very slowly with his eyes shut. Clark showed Claire the bills and asked, "Have you wondered how they've always been almost right on top of us Claire?" He said, "One either the bills are marked, or in this case they have tiny silicon filaments, or…" showing her the other three bills Clark said, "They're in sequential order Claire. I saw this on 'The Discovery Channel one night. This money is their trail of bread crumbs right to us Claire. All they have to do is wait for us to use it in the wrong place at the wrong time, and then they mobilize and come after us."


Pacing for a moment in the alley Clark said, "I think I got a plan. First off we need another car. Face it that bozo back in that town is probably being questioned about the money we gave him which means he'll tell about the car. Before that though we need to get some new currency. Take a little over half and make change. The rest I got an idea for trust me. We just need to find a city that's reasonably sized so we can blend in for a while to do all this."

 

[Ashi]

It was safe to say, on some levels, that Claire was nose-blind. If she smoked after a while of not doing so, she could smell it; but it only took a pack or two before she no longer noticed. Up until the week before this case, she hadn't smoked for four months; however, cigarettes were one of few things that helped with the stress. By logic, Claire shouldn't have been smoking. It would only hurt her health and hinder her ability to do field work in the long run. As far as she was concerned though, that was a bridge she would cross later.

"Hm.. Maybe we should just get the copy you left with him and take care of it ourselves, rather than count on him?" Claire pondered, letting what remained of the cigarette fly out the cracked window. "I know it's kind of instinctual, to count on family, but sometimes the only one you can count on is you. Even families have traitors." She said without hesitation or demure. It was sad to say but the statement held truth for Claire. She had seen many accounts of families turning on their loved ones for less than the stakes in the game she and Clark were now playing. Money seemed the most common reason.

Claire was thrown off when Clark told her to pull off at the store and watched him with raised brows. It didn't make much sense at first, then it became incredibly clear what was happening. Their pursuers were following the money as they spent it. Even if they were one step ahead now, that didn't mean the would-be killers wouldn't catch up to them. Claire sank back in her seat. A torrent of realization and rage at her own lack of sight overwhelmed her into silence. How could she have missed that? How come she hadn't thought of that before? It was so obvious and yet she had overlooked that detail. Could she even still call herself an agent?

"That's got to be why they picked me in the first place. The agent who's never had to cover her tracks surely would be easiest to find." Claire growled through gritted teeth. The idea that she had been played so easily rankled her. She threw the door open and got out, going around to the trunk to rummage through her bag. From it, she took something long and cylindrical, which she fastened onto the end of the barrel of her gun. It was the silencer that she found in the black box back at the safe house before she and Clark ran. Claire promptly turned and started around the back of the store. Parked along the length of the building were the employees' vehicles. She took out the security camera that overlooked the back lot and ran to look at each of the cars. The one she chose was another older sedan with post lock.

Checking the surrounding area to make sure it was clear, Claire crouched beside the car and pulled the shoe lace from one of her boots. She tied a small loop in the middle of the shoelace like a noose, so that it could be tightened, and worked the string into the door in a motion similar to flossing one's teeth. Once she actually got the shoelace inside, getting it to the lock was easy. She caught the loop around it, tightened it, and pulled it upwards. The door unlocked and Claire had it open, going first for the glove compartment to see if there was by chance a spare key. When there wasn't, she scurried back to the car.

"Either we need a screwdriver or someone who knows how to hot wire a car." Claire said to Clark, sounding a little out of breath. "I know how to get into a car and a possible alternate method of starting one, so long as it's an older model. But that's where my knowledge ends. Daddy only ever drove the classics."

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Clark could tell that reality was starting to set in for Claire. With her expressing her frustration at being taken advantage by the FBI Clark was wondering if Claire was seeing what he had been seeing for a while. That she too was a target or, at the very least, expendable in the eyes of her superiors. While she was gone Clark replayed that night at the safe house in his mind again. Clark realized that for someone who had been taking a gang of trained killers Randy was only hit once. If Clark wanted someone out of the way he would've made sure that they were dead, and couldn't get back to warn the other people. Not to mention yes the Agent was wounded in the chest, but one why wasn't the blood leaking out onto the floor? It was contained in the vest like it was within a pouch. Finally, for a firefight that was described as "World War 3" there was no other sounds of gun fire, and if they "bad guys" were winning why didn't they advance on the safe house? Clark wasn't liking where his mind was going at this point, and he damn sure wasn't gonna tell Claire about this unless he had to.

The moments that Claire were gone left Clark with a feeling of impending doom, and once Claire returned he felt a great sense of relief. That was until he found out Claire was about to steal another car. Weren't they supposed to be keeping a low profile? Sooner or later the car theft thing was going to get them caught by the cops. Not to mention once they switched out their money, or got rid of it, it would buy them only a day or two before the Feds went ahead and alerted the Media to Claire and Clark. Turning their faces against them, and forcing to either go so deep underground there would be no way of them ever coming up, or doing something desperate to force their pursuers' hands. In either case at least a day or two was a little more than they had right now. The longer they held onto the money the shorter their chances to escape were shrinking, and shrinking rapidly with each moment.

It was time for Clark to take action. He grabbed the money and said, "Okay time to lose these guys and let the trail go cold here." Clark looked over at Claire and said, "If I'm not back in say 20 minutes…" shrugging his shoulders Clark said, "Make up something up for my last words. Something profound or at the least worthy of being put on a t-shirt." Clark took a deep breath and took off.

Running over to a nearby bank Clark pulled out several bills totaling about a thousand dollars. He made sure that the numbers were non-sequential and entered the bank. Clark approached a teller named Joanna and said, "Hi listen I won a thousand dollars on a scratcher game and got the cash but…" Clark laid the money on the counter and said, "Can I get change you know something in like tens, twenties, and maybe a few fifties as well. Just feels weird carrying hundred dollar bills."

Joanna replied, "Sure thing sir one moment please." Joanna left her desk and came back with a significant amount of cash in a small brown non-descript bag. She said, "There you go sir."

Clark with a smile replied, "Thank you ma'am." With that Clark was back out the door. He still had to get rid of the rest of the cash. Clark looked around and saw a nearby Catholic Church named, "St. Mark's Catholic Church." Clark said, "I'd like to see them get the money back from in here." Clark went into the Church and approached the Altar after kneeling and crossing himself. Clark was Roman Catholic for all his life, but he hadn't been to a service for a while. He was still, for lack of a better term, annoyed with God somewhat for allowing Carrie to walk out of his life, and into the arms of his best friend. Clark decided that this was his chance to make peace with God. He figured Claire and him needed all the help that was out there, so he said a short and simple prayer for their safety and for justice for both of them. When he was done with his prayer Clark crossed himself, went over to the offering plate, and dropped in the rest of the money from Claire's bag.

Once that was done Clark made his way to the local Hardware shop where he bought a full blown tool kit, because he was sure at some point Claire would ask for one. After that trip he made his way back to Claire and gave her the screwdriver. He said, "We have about 1,000 dollars left. I got some change and donated the rest to the local Roman Catholic Church. I didn't have enough time to get change for all of it, and the sooner we get rid of the money the sooner we go back to, potentially, being a step or two ahead." Clark leaned against the car and said, "Okay let's get out of here while we can. What's your plan Claire?

 

[Ashi]

"What?" Claire squinted at Clark in confusion as he got out of the car. Why would he want his last words on a t-shirt? She was still trying to sort this out as he disappeared from view. There was no need for any last words in this case, though; Claire wouldn't allow that. They were going to make it out of this if she had anything to say about it and she had plenty of things to say in that regard. She checked in the rearview mirror to make sure no one had exited the back of the store. The last thing they needed was for someone to witness them stealing the car, or possibly, to have to pile assault charges on top of all the vehicle thefts. Claire was prepared to pistol whip someone if it came to that.

Claire drummed her fingertips on the steering wheel, anxiously scanning the area for Clark and counting the seconds. How long had it been already? It felt like at least thirty minutes, but she figured that was just her lack of a watch or other method of keeping time. She tried not to think about the many opportunities there were for things to go wrong, about how Clark could already be dead since he hadn't come back yet. Claire was about to get out and go see where he was when he returned. She heaved a sigh of relief that she hoped he didn't notice.

"Good. That should be more than enough for now." Taking the tool kit, Claire opened it and rifled through it for a flat-head screwdriver. She stuffed it in her pocket so she could gather some of their things and rushed to the car. "The plan... is to get the hell out of here." Claire spoke pausing to throw their things into the back seat. She pulled the screwdriver out as she sat behind the wheel, closing the door softly just in case. "God, please let this work." She whispered, jimmying the flat head of the tool into the ignition. With a simultaneous push, she turned it. The car purred to life.

"Thank you, Jesus!" Claire heaved another sigh of relief, not caring who knew, and whipped the car out of the lot. "We need to make a pit stop in Kingsport. It's about five hours from Raleigh. I know someone there; we can get another car without having to steal one." She said, fishing in her pocket. She managed to pull out a smoke and her lighter. Rather than speed, Claire took some caution. How awful would it look with a screwdriver in the ignition if they got pulled over?

The drive alone seemed to help relax her enough that she only smoked the one cigarette. Her mind wandered, thinking back over the case. Where was her boss in all of this? Where was Randy? Was he even involved? What about the agent at the safe house? Was there even really a gun fight? So many questions clouded her thoughts that Claire found it easier to just not think about anything but the road and driving. There was plenty of time for lamenting her career choices later.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Clark didn't dare question how Claire knew how to start the car with a screwdriver. He was relieved that they were finally moving and, for the moment, it appeared that they had finally figured out how the Feds were tracking them. Clark said, "Kingsport sounds like a good stopping point. I'm just hoping that my cousin hasn't been contacted by the Feds yet. Not to mention if he opened that Flash Drive up it's not gonna be pretty." Watching Claire take a drag off of the cigarette actually made him somewhat relaxed. Mainly because if that was her big focus then they might be all right. At least that was what Clark was telling himself.

Clark was learning that once an adrenaline rush wore off that led to be very sleepy, but with the Feds chasing them and every time they passed a cop thinking they were gonna get pulled over, that didn't seem to be an issue actually. The one thing he wanted more than anything else was to get to Raleigh and get the Flash Drive from Gary. Assuming he still had it, and then the thought of something happening to Gary crossed his mind as well.

The expression on Claire's face told Clark that there were a million things going through her mind, and he had the feeling they were the same things that had been going through his mind as well. However, he still didn't think it was a good idea to talk about it right now. She was his only real life line right now, and if she was ready to talk about it Clark would listen. Though they had arrived at an interesting place in their time together. It was the awkward silence phase, and actually it was kind of nice because it meant no one had caught up to them or that they felt the need to steal another car.

Clark though would've felt a great deal of guilt if he fell asleep, and Claire had to keep up driving and watch out for potential traps along the way. So he looked over and said, "Where did you learn the screwdriver car theft move from? Something tells me this isn't the kind of thing they teach you at the academy." Okay Clark realized how was saying something to just fill the silence and that wasn't exactly what was needed at the moment. He said, "Sorry just a little nervous at the moment. As much as it could potentially be painful. I'm cutting on the radio. It would be nice to know what's going on in the world."

Clark cut on the radio and began to scan the channels. It was nice that this car had satellite radio, and made a note that the next car they got had to have this as well. On the CNN channel the newscaster was talking about the news of the day, and one of the big stories was North Carolina State Attorney and US Senator candidate Gary Duncan picked up a sizable endorsement from current Senator Adam Kramer. Clark bowed his head and shook it slowly. He said, "No, Gary how could you do that? You son of a bitch." Clark was angered as he looked to Claire and said, "Kramer was one of the names on that flash drive. I hate to say it, but how much you wanna bet he gave Kramer the flash drive for his endorsement? Claire…." Clark thought for a moment and said, "We still go to Raleigh. Gary had to have seen the information so we get him on the record saying what he saw, and go from there." He looked back at Claire and said, "Unless you got a better idea. Right now, it's either that, you come up with something else, or I just give myself up. Right now it feels like the whole damn world is against us." Clark looked out at the road and said, "I try to do the right thing and the Universe decides to beat the shit out of me for it."

 

[Ashi]

Claire said nothing in response to Clark, rather simply listening in pensive silence while he talked. She hoped for both of their sakes that Clark's cousin hadn't looked on the flash drive and that he wasn't contacted by or did not contact the federal authorities about it. It was questionable at best though, since he was a politician; and in Claire's book, politicians could not be trusted. This also brought about the question as to whether her family had been approached by the Feds. It didn't seem likely; however, that remained a strong possibility also. She could see, even if they didn't talk to her family directly, the Feds bugging her family's phones should she contact them. Maybe they even had someone watching her parents' house, waiting to ambush her and Clark if they showed up there.

Narrowing her eyes, she watched Clark turn on the radio, recalling the last time. She had told him no more news, but even she was curious as to whether or not the Feds had gone to the media about them. Thankfully, that wasn't the broadcast Clark tuned into. Less thankfully, it was about his cousin who reportedly got an endorsement from a Senator whose name Clark said was on the flash drive. "Damn it." Claire thought, glowering. "I bet he did use the flash drive as leverage to get it. Looks like we may be paying Kramer a visit, too." She glanced over at Clark then turned her attention back to the road.

"We'll go to Raleigh and pay your cousin a visit. Whatever he did, we'll find out. I have methods for making him talk." Claire said with a foreboding smirk. "Not the world, just the people who have influence in it." She made an attempt at reassuring Clark. It would be lying if she said she had faith in people, but she did have faith in justice and that good always triumphed in the end - one way or another. If and when justice failed, there was still karma.

"My dad," Claire started after a moment. "He has two hobbies outside of work: Guns and cars. He has an old T-Bird that he spent all of his free time fixing up when I was little. I didn't stick around much while he worked on it, so I didn't really learn anything about cars. One thing I did learn, he taught me how to unlock and start a car without keys - a 'Just in case' sort of thing. It was more for if I lost my car keys than for stealing cars, but it works both ways. I never thought I'd have to use it." She chuckled softly, recalling her disinterest in cars as a child. She was still disinterested in them, though now it was more of an indifference.

They reached the exit for Kingsport by the middle of the evening, when the sun was starting to set. It was a sizable city, a place that was easy enough to blend into. Claire pulled off at a store parking lot, where she intended to leave the car. She put the screwdriver back into the tool kit, which she only just managed to fit into her bag. With her hat and sunglasses on, she threw her bag around her and started walking. It wasn't favorable to walk carrying a heavy bag, but at least they could meld with the crowds carrying shopping bags and other assorted things and not leave a trail as they would with the car on traffic cameras.

It was beginning to get dark by the time they reached their destination. It was a little car garage just outside of a scrap yard. The gravel lot was bright with fluorescent lamp light and light from inside the open garage where people could be seen working on vehicles. Claire stopped by the big open doors and set her bag down by Clark's feet. She gave him the sign to wait there and stepped in. The man working on the car in that spot looked up at her as she approached; it was difficult to hear anything they said over all the noise. She came back out, lingering in the doorway. A few minutes passed before a man exited the garage.

The man paused in mid-step, an oil-stained rag in his hands. He was young, though older than she, with blondish-brown hair similar to Claire's and blue eyes. His musculature was obvious in his dirty white tank top, the top of his blue jumpsuit bunched at his waist. He looked stricken and scrubbed a hand over his lightly stubbled jaw as he turned away a moment, unable to believe his eyes. "Claire?" He choked out, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey, Colt." Claire nearly whispered, sounding as if she couldn't believe it herself. The man dropped the rag on the gravel and hastily walked towards Claire, throwing his arms around her in a warm embrace. It felt like time stood still. Then he looked up and noticed Clark, again with a stricken expression. Claire pulled away and gave a somewhat anxious smile. "Colt, this is Clark; Clark, this is my brother Colton." She introduced the two, immediately feeling awkward. "Ah, nice to meet you." Colton offered a hand to Clark.

"What brings you two to Kingsport?" Colton asked, looking between the two. "We're working a case together. This is kind of a pit stop. Um.. We're kind of in a tough spot." Claire said hesitantly, trying to find the words to explain to him what was going on. He sensed immediately that there was more to said case. "You need a favor." He assumed, not even needing to ask. "Yeah." Claire sighed, at which Colton sighed too. "You know I expect an explanation?" He asked. Claire nodded. "Look, I'm about to get off. You can explain it to me then." Claire agreed and Colt went back inside.

"We'll stick around for the night, head to Raleigh first thing in the morning. Sound okay to you?" Claire asked, turning to Clark. "We need his help and he won't help unless I tell him why."

 

[MST3K 4ever]

There was way more to Claire than met the eye was something that Clark was quickly learning. The car trick was something to see, but if her attempts at reassurance came from anyone else Clark would've rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever." Coming from her though it seemed like maybe that things just might be all right. Clark shook hand with Colton and said, "Hey there nice to meet you." Telling him that they were working on a case was an interesting thing to say and what she said was true, from a certain point of view. The last time she tried to use this kind of ploy it ended up with Clark shooting a gun and throwing up on the side of the road. He was hoping that in this case he wouldn't be doing any of that this time, but if he had to pick something Clark was opting for throwing up. Shooting Claire's brother would probably be very awkward on many levels. As it was Clark was facing the prospect of watching his cousin get tortured along with a high ranking Senator. At any other time, all this might seem odd, but considering what was going on it seemed normal almost mundane.

Clark nodded and said, "Sounds like a good plan to me Claire. Keep in mind if he finds out the truth and they find out we were here they will try to make him talk, and they will view him as liability. It's ultimately your decision Claire I can't begin to tell you what to do in this case." Clark walked away from Claire to give her some breathing room and time to think. As he did Clark saw in the waiting room a newspaper that was a couple of days old, but what caught his attention was Gary's picture on the front page. Clark grabbed the paper and began to read the article entitled "State Attorney General Duncan struggling in Senate Bid." The article detailed how Gary's campaign, which was once so promising, was now in state of "spinning its wheels" and in need of a much needed boost. A "major endorsement" from someone like Senator Kramer or a positive showing in the next debate next week could turn everything around, and all but assure Duncan of the Senate Bid. Could it be that Gary took the easy way out, or that Kramer pressured him? Which meant Kramer knew what was going on as well. In either case, and unless Claire got Gary to say otherwise, Gary sold out his flesh and blood for his career. This prospect made Clark wanna beat the shit out of Gary when he saw him. However, there was a part of him that made him feel almost sorry for Gary. Not because Gary made a bad choice, but because Claire was going to get her hands on him. Clark had no doubts in his mind Claire was very good at her job, and if it was something she wanted she wouldn't stop until she got it. If nothing else from all this Clark counted meeting Claire as a positive in his life, and yes he had to admit Claire had nothing to apologize for in the looks department.

There was a part of Clark though that was jealous of Claire in that she still had family she could trust and rely on. In his current situation Clark couldn't risk contacting them. Clark was the strange one in his family. He was the one who would take part a lap top and within twenty minutes had it back together and working better than before. Clark had insatiable desire to know why things happened the way they did and computers seemed to be the easiest ways to figure things out like that. When he was in High School he was the geek/nerd, but he had older siblings who were popular and had his back, but he was also a member of the Cross-Country Team and two-time State Champion which meant he did have a certain degree of notoriety. Not to mention as a prank he edited a video of the Principal making a speech at an assembly that made it sound like he was declaring war on the state, and the Governor sitting there in attendance as well. Clark anonymously uploaded the video and it was played for weeks and weeks. Times like those made Clark smile and gave him a warm nostalgic feeling, but at the moment it gave him a profound sense of sadness. Clark was beginning to doubt he would have times like that again. Then he looked over at Claire for a moment, and the last thing he wanted to do was play the "poor me" card. This was because he wasn't the only one having a hard time. Claire's career and life were being thrown into as much turmoil as Clark's was. The thought that someone was using Clark's willingness to help against him and someone else was making Clark angry. Rarely did Clark get angry but when he did it wasn't a pretty picture. Clark was now determined to make things right not for humanity or himself…he wanted to do this…for Claire.

 

[Ashi]

"I suppose that's the beauty of it being Colton." Claire said, watching her brother across the garage while he finished up his work. "He used to be a marine. He's trained to withstand whatever torture or warfare the Feds dare concoct against him. But, I don't plan on telling him everything, just enough that he'll help." She at least sounded sure of herself. Whether or not she actually was, she would not let Clark find out. Luckily enough for him, he wasn't required to hold or shoot any firearms this time. Claire paced the lobby while they waited for her brother. She noticed the paper but didn't read the article; she didn't need to read it to know that the situation just became even more sketchy.

"Ready to go?" Colton asked, sticking his head in the door. He no longer wore his work suit, but a pair of jeans and a leather jacket over his white sleeveless shirt. He carried their bags out to his jeep with little trouble; although, he did walk with a slight but noticeable limp. The top of the jeep was open, allowing the cool night wind to toss their hair. Any other time, Claire might have objected to the jeep, but the hat on her head kept it from getting messy. The ride took them a little way out into the suburbs where the neighborhoods had lots of trees and the houses were set on acreage.

"Home sweet home." He said as they pulled up in front of the single-story, two bedroom and bathroom house. It wasn't really a family-sized home, but it was ample for Colton's small needs. He didn't have company very often if not rarely ever. Claire was cautious in approaching the house, scanning the area anxiously to make sure the coast was clear. Colton paused in his unlocking the door, watching his sister with a raised brow, though said nothing to her. He chalked it up to whatever this case was that she and Clark were working. Closing the door behind them, he welcomed them to put their things in the vacant second bedroom.

"Jeez, Colt. When was the last time you went shopping?" Claire called from in the kitchen where she was snooping through the fridge. Her brother sat lounging on the sofa, arms spread across the back of it. "Don't remember," He called back, " I go when I think about it. Otherwise, I just kind of live on take-out." Claire rolled her eyes, rifling through the pantry. "Well, I'm kind of tired of fast food, so looks like we're having pancakes - the only thing I can possibly make with your slim pickings." She groused and started to get the ingredients out.

"How long have you two been working together? I thought you were working with, uh, Curtis?" Colton asked from the couch. "Randy is still my partner, but he's working the case from another branch location. Clark is actually on the forensics team, in the tech division. The boss was saying something about needing more agents with field experience should we need back-up, so I'm kind of training him while working this case." Claire put in before Clark should answer. "So, a few days." She added.

"So, what's up that you need my help?" His tone changed with interest. "Well, the people we're investigating are doing everything in their power to foil the investigation. They tried to shoot us up at a motel. They're hot on our trail and we're trying to lose them. We need a car." Claire confessed. She'd paused her cooking to come and stand in the doorway, expression serious. Colton looked appalled at her explanation and stood from the couch. "Claire! You - You could have been killed!" He stumbled over his words, angrily searching for more to say. "That coming from an ex-Marine who knowingly went to war?!" She countered. Colton opened his mouth to speak, but closed it without a word.

"Have you... seen anything suspicious lately? Do you know if mom and dad have had anyone approach them?" Claire spoke softly as if to console her brother. He shook his head and muttered a "No." She returned to the kitchen to flip the pancakes. The house was silent for a little while following the conversation, until Claire brought out the plates and plopped down in a chair to eat. "I'm sure there's a car I can lend you lying around the lot behind the garage." Colt sighed finally around a bite of dinner. He chewed pensively a moment before saying, "It's been a long time since I've had these pancakes. Just like mom's." Claire flushed and smiled.

"You know how I told you my dad's hobbies were guns and cars?" Claire looked to Clark. "That's where Colt gets his name - the gun. Of course, mom didn't want it to be so blatant and changed it to Colton." She laughed and her brother rolled his eyes. "Claire almost got named after his work cruiser." He jeered, the thought of which Claire cringed at. It wasn't so obvious to her brother, but she purposely changed the subject to avoid further dragging him into the situation.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Knowing that Colton could handle himself brought a slight measure of assurance to Clark. Although him limping around taking on professionally trained Government Assassins made Clark feel a bit uneasy, but if Claire felt like he could take care of himself then Clark was willing to go along with it for now. Claire looked like she was somewhat of a natural in the kitchen and she was right. The prospect of eating another meal that included fries and was to go would've been enough to make Clark stand in the middle of the Capital building and announce who he was, and then beg for someone to put him out of misery. Claire coming up with a clever cover story for Clark made him merely nod and say, "Yeah I'm form the Pittsburgh office. Assistant IT specialist is my official title, but everyone calls me Clark. Titles are at times such a pain in the ass " The back and forth between Claire and Colton was something to behold. It was filled with good natured give and take, and not to mention seeing Claire smile and blush was enough to Clark smile as well for no reason. Clark had to admit that Claire had a smile that was one of a kind.

Once dinner was done Clark looked at Claire and said, "Those were great Claire. Thanks for making them beats the hell out of the food back in Pittsburgh that's for sure. Thanks again." Clark collected the plates, washed and dried them and left them in the dish rack. He figured Colton could put them away because he knew where they went. As Clark worked on the dishes the top story on the National News caught his attention. The entire IT Network in Raleigh was down due to a computer virus. They weren't calling it a terrorist attack, and said they would be back up in running in twenty-four hours. Clark knew better than that, because Clark knew all about the virus because he created it and left it on the Flash Drive as a fail-safe device. Clark had to use every fiber of his being to keep from screaming in delight, because now he had the upper hand.


Colton put Claire and Clark in the same room and told them that they were on their own in the morning for breakfast, because he had to go in early and also to have a car ready for them. Clark liked Colton he wasn't someone who Clark could have a long lasting conversation with, but Colton cared for his sister and doing the right thing. In Clark's eyes that was good enough for him. Clark changed in the bathroom into a pair of PJs and went back into the room knowing Colton was asleep because of the snoring he heard coming from his room. He smiled at Claire and said, "Greg screwed up royally." Closing the door Clark said, "On the Flash Drive I installed a fail-safe device that if anyone tried to access a file called 'Phoenix', it's a cover for an illegal gun running op in Mexico, it would upload a virus that would terminate the network. Also if it isn't removed within 48 hours it embeds itself in the server and uploads all classified data onto the web." Clark nodded and said, "Claire we could have the upper hand if only for a few hours." Clark laid on the bed and said, "I know I know every time I say or think something like that we usually have something just short of the end of the world happen to us, but Claire this is one thing that they can't spin out of, and one thing that could prove to be a major weakness." Just then Clark let out and exhale and said, "Downside to this, they're about to become wounded animals and there is nothing more dangerous alive than a wounded animal."

 

[Ashi]

"Oh, um, sure." Claire smiled wanly, a bit embarrassed at the compliments of her cooking. She turned her face downward, evading eye contact with either of the two men. It was weird to receive compliments for anything other than a job well done at work or her ability to hold liquor. Perhaps that was because she never cooked for anyone other than herself anymore. Most of her time was dedicated to her job. Outside of a few coworkers and her partner, Claire didn't have many people whom she called friends. The friends she used to have she lost contact with long ago, similarly to her family.

Colton thanked Clark for doing the dishes, which he really didn't have to do. He turned on the news, which made Claire's stomach somersault. What if something pertaining to her case was reported? What if her and Clark's faces were broadcast under pretenses that would put them in even more jeopardy? She would never find a plausible story to tell her brother then. To her relief, he didn't watch much and headed to bed soon after. It didn't appear that he put two and two together. They were still safe.

Whilst Clark changed in the bathroom, Claire quickly changed in the bedroom. She hadn't bought pajamas for herself while they were at the store; they just weren't something that she thought about since she didn't really wear any. Hence the reason she slept in her work clothes that first night at the motel. Now with two men to worry about, Claire borrowed one of her brother's old t-shirts and a pair of boxers from his clean laundry. She sat down on the edge of the bed as he came out.

"Clever thinking. You really could be an FBI Tech." Claire praised Clark's foresight in installing the virus. It really was a smart move, especially since someone was bound to try to look at the information on the flash drive at some point. At least, the enemy couldn't use it against them. "You know, I'd actually forgotten about that... Maybe I should hit you?" Claire said with an exaggerated tone of realization. She really had forgotten all about his having told her to hit him the next time he said something positive. Rather than hit him though, she grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. "A wounded animal may be dangerous, but it's still wounded. If it runs, you use its blood trail to track it. Even if it doesn't run, it only takes a finishing blow." Her tone took a drastic turn from playful to foreboding, yet her smirk was teasing.

"Anywho, I'm going to the couch. 'Night." Standing from the bed, Claire grabbed a spare blanket from the closet and headed for the sofa. For a while, she sat awake, blanket draped over her shoulders. For the first time since the safe house, she felt like she could relax. The silence was simple and still, not heavy with or indicating any impending disaster. It wasn't even really silent with Colton's snoring. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

"It's nights like these when I wish the most that you were still here." Claire said softly and sighed. She reached into the t-shirt and pulled out a necklace chain, a ring hanging from it. It was a simple gold band too big for her slim fingers. She musingly put it on her left ring finger and stared at it. "Damn, I want to smoke... and don't you judge me. I tried to quit. It's this job. It doesn't help that he reminds me of you, though I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's the eyes. Or the smile. Or maybe I'm just insane. I don't know, that seems pretty likely. It doesn't help that I'm sitting here talking to a damn ring." She held a one-sided conversation for a while before finally dozing off. When she woke, Colton was leaving for work. He told her to meet him there later, when she and Clark were ready to go, as he should have a car for them then. As quietly as she could, Claire entered the room to get some clothes then started on breakfast.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Seeing Claire in what could best be described as "Redneck Chic" on some levels looked like it worked for her. She was definitely a unique individual and Clark was growing to seeing the walls she had built up slowly come down in some ways. Claire was playful hitting Clark with the pillow, which he totally deserved, serious about his wounded animal analogy, but the teasing smirk was the kind of thing that made him feel special like he was the only one who had really seen this side of her. Clark was sure that there was something in her past that was pretty painful though. He couldn't put his finger on it, and he certainly didn't think it was any of his business to pry either but there was something there. Clark was prepared to share the bed with Claire, but with Colton in the other room he had the sneaking suspicion that he was the protective brother type. Despite the limp Clark was sure that Colton could take care of himself.


As the night grew quiet, with the exception of the snoring from Colton, Clark couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt for getting Claire in this mess. He didn't do it intentionally but with the way things had worked out there was no doubt she too would probably enter into the Witness Relocation program as well. She had, from Clark could tell, a good career ahead of her and her life was in order by all appearances, but then he saw those files that changed everything for everyone and forever. Despite it all though Clark was grateful for meeting Claire. She got him to open up a bit more, and not to mention adopt a persona from one of his literary heroes which helped them escape from a potentially bad situation. The last time Clark started to feel like this was with Carrie and he remembered how that turned out. It was great for a while until Clark found out she was sleeping with his, supposed, "best friend". The guy who was probably going to be his Best Man if it continued on the course Clark thought it was going. Claire though wasn't Carrie that's for sure, but all that being said Clark knew two things. One love on the run not exactly the best thing in the world. Two this was something that needed to develop over time.


Clark stirred as he heard Claire enter the room. He wasn't afraid because if the killers had found them Clark knew he wouldn't have woken up. He looked over and saw Claire leaving as she had a change of clothes with her. Clark yawned and then said, "Well I guess it's time to get moving." With that Clark changed his clothes and made sure that their gear was put away so they could leave once breakfast was over with. After that he walked out to see Claire starting on breakfast. He said, "Home cooked meal for two meals in a row. I think if we eat out again my stomach will rebel against me." Clark smiled and said, "Good morning Claire."


Clark looked at the morning paper and was relieved that there was nothing in there yet about them being wanted dead or alive. Which meant that they had lost the Feds which was a good thing, but that sooner or later they might get desperate and try something drastic to smoke them out. Clark flipped through the paper and then something caught his eye, and made him swallow hard. He said, "Claire I think this is the first sign that we got them scared or at least concerned." Clark showed Claire an ad in the personal column which stated, "Geek-Boy Red-Guy wants to talk to you 555-2184. Let's work this out." He put the paper down and said, "Claire Geek-Boy was my nickname within the family and Red-Guy was Gary's nickname. Sadly, this also means they figured out that we're on our way to Gary. The only reason we're not dead is because they need me to shut down the virus. Once I do that you and I both know we're dead." Clark shook his head and said, "Every part of me though wants to make them twist in the wind for as long as possible, or maybe even just let the virus run it's course and in the ensuing chaos we slip away." Clark rolled his eyes and said, "Yean I know nice wish on that one Clark."