[ It's been a horrid couple of days for Nicole as well. That Flynn has been captured on her watch is bad enough, but combining that with the stern upbraiding she's received from both Judson and Charlene, everything seems to have gone from bad to worse in not very much time.
But one thing Nicole does not have is the luxury of pity parties, or of time. She's failed to protect Flynn from being kidnapped, and now it's her responsibility to recover him, no matter what the cost. She knows she won't be able to stand it if he dies like she thought Wilde had. Wilde's betrayal was still difficult, of course, but she feels as though she's never really gotten over thinking she witnessed his death.
The same can't happen with Flynn. Nothing is more important now than tracking him down and bringing him back, preferably alive and uninjured. Still, although the man who took Flynn has quite the jump on her, there is one thing working in her favor: a still image taken from the surveillance camera showing Flynn and his captors.
Facial recognition software identified him as Darren Rathmore, someone who might as well be a common thug, except for his interest in legendary antiquities. Naturally, someone like that would require a little assistance, and who better to do that than the Librarian? The thought makes Nicole grind her teeth and clench her fists. It's her fault that Flynn got taken.
She'll go to her grave insisting on that if she has to. And considering the sentiments expressed by Charlene and Judson, she's not very far off the mark. But, regardless of Nicole's personal feelings, tracking Flynn down and recovering him has always been the priority. It's been difficult, of course; she's had to rely on a lot of word-of-mouth and sightings that turn out to be nothing.
Now, however, she has a decent lead on him and where he's going. Of course the end result has always been Genghis Khan's tomb, but the path Rathmore and his men have taken is a winding and convoluted one, designed to throw anyone off who might be following after them.
Thus far, Nicole hasn't dared to get too close. Doing so might accidentally give away her position, thus placing her in peril as well, or it might lead to more harm coming to Flynn. She can't be sure what exactly is happening to him, but reason tells her it can't be good. But the closer Rathmore, his men, and Flynn get to the desired location, the more concerned Nicole gets.
She can't go in guns blazing (theoretically speaking, at least). This operation requires more subtlety and infiltration than a full-on confrontation. Still, as she peers out from her hiding place that's more or less a stand of trees and other foliage native to the area, she finds her resolution to remain in hiding challenged. She can't quite see what's being done to Flynn, but she can hear it well enough, and what's more, she can hear him talking, or rather, pleading with his captors.
It's enough to cause her heart to sink, or to break; she can't quite tell the difference anymore. It's nearly time for her to make her desperate move, but she has to wait just a bit longer until the group has reached the tomb proper. Once they have, she believes they will be sufficiently distracted by their great discovery, at which point she can reach Flynn and rescue him.
But it's nearly impossible for her to wait there in hiding while Flynn gets kicked around by Rathmore and his men. So, throwing caution and her plans somewhat to the winds, she creeps out from the stand of trees, sneaking gradually up on one of the men who appears to have been acting as guard. With her machete unsheathed, she sneaks up behind him and presses the blade against his throat. ]
Quiet, now. It's time for you and I to take a little walk.
[ If her luck holds, he'll act as a shield of sorts, enabling her to get closer and into a position from which she can recover Flynn when the time is right. For now, she has to wait for the exact opportune moment, and hope that her mounting feelings and anger don't get the better of her. ]
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But one thing Nicole does not have is the luxury of pity parties, or of time. She's failed to protect Flynn from being kidnapped, and now it's her responsibility to recover him, no matter what the cost. She knows she won't be able to stand it if he dies like she thought Wilde had. Wilde's betrayal was still difficult, of course, but she feels as though she's never really gotten over thinking she witnessed his death.
The same can't happen with Flynn. Nothing is more important now than tracking him down and bringing him back, preferably alive and uninjured. Still, although the man who took Flynn has quite the jump on her, there is one thing working in her favor: a still image taken from the surveillance camera showing Flynn and his captors.
Facial recognition software identified him as Darren Rathmore, someone who might as well be a common thug, except for his interest in legendary antiquities. Naturally, someone like that would require a little assistance, and who better to do that than the Librarian? The thought makes Nicole grind her teeth and clench her fists. It's her fault that Flynn got taken.
She'll go to her grave insisting on that if she has to. And considering the sentiments expressed by Charlene and Judson, she's not very far off the mark. But, regardless of Nicole's personal feelings, tracking Flynn down and recovering him has always been the priority. It's been difficult, of course; she's had to rely on a lot of word-of-mouth and sightings that turn out to be nothing.
Now, however, she has a decent lead on him and where he's going. Of course the end result has always been Genghis Khan's tomb, but the path Rathmore and his men have taken is a winding and convoluted one, designed to throw anyone off who might be following after them.
Thus far, Nicole hasn't dared to get too close. Doing so might accidentally give away her position, thus placing her in peril as well, or it might lead to more harm coming to Flynn. She can't be sure what exactly is happening to him, but reason tells her it can't be good. But the closer Rathmore, his men, and Flynn get to the desired location, the more concerned Nicole gets.
She can't go in guns blazing (theoretically speaking, at least). This operation requires more subtlety and infiltration than a full-on confrontation. Still, as she peers out from her hiding place that's more or less a stand of trees and other foliage native to the area, she finds her resolution to remain in hiding challenged. She can't quite see what's being done to Flynn, but she can hear it well enough, and what's more, she can hear him talking, or rather, pleading with his captors.
It's enough to cause her heart to sink, or to break; she can't quite tell the difference anymore. It's nearly time for her to make her desperate move, but she has to wait just a bit longer until the group has reached the tomb proper. Once they have, she believes they will be sufficiently distracted by their great discovery, at which point she can reach Flynn and rescue him.
But it's nearly impossible for her to wait there in hiding while Flynn gets kicked around by Rathmore and his men. So, throwing caution and her plans somewhat to the winds, she creeps out from the stand of trees, sneaking gradually up on one of the men who appears to have been acting as guard. With her machete unsheathed, she sneaks up behind him and presses the blade against his throat. ]
Quiet, now. It's time for you and I to take a little walk.
[ If her luck holds, he'll act as a shield of sorts, enabling her to get closer and into a position from which she can recover Flynn when the time is right. For now, she has to wait for the exact opportune moment, and hope that her mounting feelings and anger don't get the better of her. ]