Chapter 493: The Worst Case Scenario

"Can I talk to you for a moment, Chris?"

Christopher turned toward Ryan.

They had stopped briefly on the way to the Golden Nugget Hotel, where they were supposed to prepare for the plan to bring Mei, Keith, and Emily back from Brigantine.

The pause had not been planned.

Daisy had become overwhelmed by the pressure and needed a moment away from the group. Rebecca and Rachel had gone with her, partly to make sure she was okay and partly because Daisy had been too scared to go alone.

The others had remained nearby.

Sydney was talking with Cindy a short distance away.

Christopher nodded at Ryan.

"Yeah, sure."

"And Lucy, you too," Ryan added, glancing toward her.

Lucy raised an eyebrow.

Christopher frowned immediately.

They stepped away from the others, putting enough distance between themselves and Sydney that she could not hear what they were saying.

Ryan looked at both of them seriously.

"Ryan," Christopher said, narrowing his eyes, "you better not bring up some weird subject right now."

He could think of only one reason Ryan would ask to speak with him and Lucy together.

And he really hoped he was wrong.

"You better not," Lucy added, giving Ryan a stern look.

Ryan let out a quiet laugh.

"It’s not what you think," he said, shaking his head. "Don’t worry."

He was many things, but he was not as shameless or eager to meddle in other people’s lives as Sydney.

Ryan’s expression became serious again.

"This is about tonight."

Christopher and Lucy waited.

"I have no intention of coming back from Brigantine empty-handed."

Christopher gave a small, uneasy laugh.

"Wasn’t that the plan from the beginning?"

"Yeah," Ryan replied. "But I mean something else."

He looked toward the distant road leading in the direction of Brigantine.

"If Tommy and the others don’t arrive at the planned location, I’m going in to get them myself."

Christopher’s smile disappeared.

"You mean going into Brigantine?"

Ryan nodded.

"Only if something goes wrong. If they aren’t at the meeting point by the agreed time, then we have to assume they were caught or the escape failed."

His voice remained calm, but Christopher could hear the seriousness beneath it.

"And if that happens," Ryan continued, "their situation will only get worse the longer they remain in there."

Lucy crossed her arms.

"That’s fair."

Christopher looked at her.

Lucy’s expression was hard.

"I was already planning to go into Brigantine myself if Keith didn’t make it out," she said. "I’m not leaving him there anymore."

Christopher winced.

"Of course you were."

He rubbed a hand across his face.

"An ex-Marine with suicidal ideas isn’t exactly surprising. But Ryan..."

He looked at him with a tired, frustrated expression.

"Why am I not surprised you were thinking the same thing?"

Ryan gave a faint, wry smile.

"I’m not leaving Mei and Emily in there for even one more hour than necessary."

"Ryan," Christopher started, "I know you feel guilty about Mei, but—"

"It’s not just guilt, Chris."

Ryan shook his head.

His gray eyes became colder.

"Brigantine is dangerous for Mei. She’s a prisoner there. Emily is locked in a basement."

He glanced toward Lucy.

"There are dangerous people in that place. Otherwise, Lucy wouldn’t be this determined to get Keith out."

Lucy nodded once.

Christopher’s expression grew more complicated however.

"Callighan is protecting Mei and Keith, isn’t she?" He asked. "He’s the one running Brigantine."

"Callighan is in charge," Lucy replied. "But Gaspar has power there too. A lot of it and there are people in Brigantine who are the worst kind of trash."

Christopher looked at her.

Lucy’s hands tightened against her arms.

"I’ve seen women get raped," she said. "I’ve seen men get killed for nothing."

She paused briefly.

"Callighan punishes them," Lucy continued. "Sometimes he even kills them for it."

She paused.

"But it happens afterward."

Her jaw clenched around the last word.

"After the damage is already done."

Ryan nodded.

"I’m not taking that risk with Mei or Emily."

Christopher did not respond immediately.

He looked toward the others.

Sydney was still talking to Cindy, completely unaware of the conversation happening several yards away. Rachel and Rebecca were somewhere with Daisy.

Everyone was preparing for a rescue.

But Ryan, Lucy, and Christopher all understood that the plan could fail.

And that if it did, they would have to decide whether to walk away or enter Brigantine themselves.

Christopher finally sighed.

"Did you tell Rachel?"

Ryan looked back at him.

"You know she’ll follow you immediately if you decide to go in," Christopher said. "She won’t let you face that place alone."

"I’ll talk to her if its comes to that," Ryan replied.

Christopher’s expression tightened.

"Damn it, Ryan."

He glanced toward Sydney and Cindy.

"So that’s why you brought Lucy and me over here?"

Ryan nodded slightly.

"That’s part of it."

"You’re afraid Sydney and Cindy will follow you if they find out you’re planning to go into Brigantine at worst?"

"Not afraid," Ryan said. "Just trying to keep them safe."

Christopher gave him an exhausted look.

"That is not much better."

Ryan looked toward Brigantine again.

"Now that I’ve told you both, you understand how dangerous this could become."

Christopher nodded reluctantly.

"If the escape goes wrong, it could get very bad."

"Especially if Gaspar shows up," Lucy added.

Ryan’s face hardened.

"In the worst-case scenario, yes."

He looked at both of them.

"And if Gaspar appears, I’ll be the only one who can stop him."

He paused.

"Or at least hold him off long enough for everyone else to get out."

Christopher understood immediately where Ryan was going with that;

"Fuck Ryan...I see vert well where you are going there..." Christopher said.

"That’s just the truth," Ryan insisted. "At worst, I will have to hold Gaspar back and I could also do a lot if here were more people chasing after us and in case of real urgency so everyone else could escape."

"So what, you are already preparing for the heroic sacrifice?" Christopher snorted.

"I don’t want it to come that obviously," Ryan smiled bitterly. "But things never end actually well, I think we learnt that well over the past months didn’t we, Chris?"

"Yeah, you bet that..."

"That’s why, I am asking you both," Ryan said taking a deep and serious tone. "In the worst case, in Brigantine if Gaspar shows up and things get really dangerous, Lucy, I want you priitorize to bring everyone else home once we have them."

"If that’s what you wish," Lucy didn’t argue much on that much to Ryan’s contentment. "I will make sure the rest of us make it out."

He appreciated that Lucy was also a practical woman and understood his intentions.

"Are you worried Rachel will say something and stay behind?" Christopher asked.

Ryan hesitated.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know."

He looked toward the distant darkness where Brigantine lay.

"I want to believe she’ll choose to prioritize the others if things get worse. I think she will."

Ryan trusted Rachel.

She was only twenty, but she had spent years acting as a guardian for her younger sister. She understood what it meant to make difficult choices. She understood that sometimes the right decision hurt more than any other option.

Ryan paused.

Then he spoke again, his voice quieter.

"If I get caught... don’t do anything stupid."

Christopher gave him a stern look.

"You don’t actually expect us to just leave you there, do you?"

"No," Ryan replied. "But don’t throw yourselves away out of anger or emotion. That’s what I’m worried about."

His eyes moved toward Sydney and Cindy.

"Especially with them."

Christopher sighed.

"Right. You want me to stop them from going after you if something happens."

He shook his head.

"Talk about giving me the scumbag job."

"I’m sorry," Ryan said. "But you understand why I’m asking. If you get caught, or if one of you dies trying to rescue me, it would mean nothing. It would be stupid. And I would never forgive myself for that."

"Of course you wouldn’t," Christopher muttered.

"Chris."

Ryan’s tone became serious.

His gray eyes locked onto Christopher’s.

"I mean it. Don’t let them do anything reckless."

Christopher waited.

"If I don’t come back, I shouldn’t be your priority."

Christopher’s expression hardened.

"Prepare a plan with Marlon to bring Brigantine down," Ryan said. "But do it carefully. Don’t rush. Plan it calmly. Smartly."

He glanced toward Sydney and Cindy again.

"And keep them in check."

Christopher exhaled slowly.

"Are you this confident because you know Gaspar doesn’t want you dead?"

Ryan gave a small smile.

"What do you think?"

He shrugged.

"It’s not like I’m fearless. I’m scared right now. Hell, I don’t want to die either."

His voice became quieter.

"But the truth is that Gaspar won’t kill me. Not like he would with the rest of you."

Christopher frowned.

"I’m not sure what he wants from you is anything pleasant either."

"Who knows."

Ryan shrugged again.

Christopher crossed his arms and let out a cold breath into the night air.

"You’re talking about worst-case scenarios," he said. "You have that giant high-tech Starakian weapon against Gaspar. The Resonance Disruptor. Everything should be fine."

"Worst-case scenarios, yeah," Ryan replied with a small chuckle. "But I want to cover for them anyway."

From the outside, it probably looked like Ryan was being overly negative.

The plan was dangerous, yes.

But Christopher still felt like Ryan was overthinking things.

He did not know about Ryan’s conversation with Ivy.

He did not know what Ryan had guessed about Gaspar’s possible intentions.

He did not know that Ryan might already be preparing for a future where he did not come back as well.

Ryan trusted Christopher.

He trusted him to handle Sydney and Cindy, hopefully with Rachel’s help.

"Alright," Christopher sighed finally.

He reached out his hand.

"I’ll make sure your two precious girlfriends don’t rush into a dramatic rescue if you get caught."

Lucy, standing beside them, frowned slightly at the comment but did not say anything.

Christopher smiled, gripping his shoulder.

"But that’s the worst-case scenario, buddy. And it ain’t happening tonight."

Ryan smiled and took his hand.

"It ain’t happening yeah."