Rescued?

[neverwrongagent]

When the posters went up showing the two members of the Marine sniper team who'd gone missing, Carrie Mathison stood and stared at them. She didn't see two Marines in their uniforms, though, she saw only one of them half dressed on a rooftop looking up at the blanket of stars. She saw a sweet smile from a man who was too far from home and was trying to hold onto his humanity. Every time she passed the posters, even if she didn't turn to look, she was as aware of them as if someone had reached out and grabbed her. Months went by and the sensation never weakened.

Then came word that they'd been found, that two Marines had been found in neighboring camps. Both men were in rough shape: dehydrated, beaten and demoralized. One was worse than the other, but first reports didn't make it clear which it was and Carrie held her breath until she knew that Brody was in better physical shape. Not that she asked or spoke to anyone about knowing him. The moment she said a word, they'd pull her out of it all and that wasn't happening.

The men were kept apart while they were cleaned up. Carrie read both files, but it was Brody's she kept going over and over in her head. She knew every detail of what they'd found out so far. On the outside it probably seemed cruel to interrogate the men so soon, but the sooner they got it done, the better. These men were headed home, at least for a while, and it would be harder to get solid information from them when they were there.

It wasn't until minutes before she walked into the room that Carrie knew for sure which man she was going to debrief. She was ready to bounce out of her skin by the time she walked in, a feeling that vanished immediately when she saw him. "Sergeant Brody? I'm Carrie Mathison. I'm here to ask you some questions."

Comments

[neverwrongagent]

He didn't have to say it, she could feel it in the way he went back on the bed and she felt a twinge of guilt. It wasn't her fault, but she was contributing. She gathered up her files, and her notes, and went to sit next to him. "I have to report in, talk to the rest of my team, but I'll come back." She put her hand on his leg, rubbing gently. "Is there something I could bring back?"

[posterboymarine]

He glanced at her hand, then shrugged. "I could use some clean clothes. And something to read. Since I don't think I'm going anywhere for a while."

[neverwrongagent]

"I can do that." She sat there for a moment, wanting to say a lot more, none of it about Nazir or what still needed to be asked, but she wasn't sure he needed to hear it. "I'll get those to you right away, before I come back." No reason for him to wait for creature comforts.

"When I come back, we'll go over to the fountain again."

[posterboymarine]

He brightened some at that. "I'd like that." He touched her hand. "You should go. Before they come looking for you again."

[neverwrongagent]

She clasped his hand for a moment, squeezing hard, then she got to her feet and headed for the door. Before she got the door open a few inches, someone had already stepped forward to intercept her. She glanced back at him, biting her lip, then let her be dragged off to report on what she'd learned.

She kept her promise, though, and had them send him clean clothes and a couple novels that were lying around the building.

[posterboymarine]

While she was gone, mostly Brody slept. He was making up for lost time. Some of it was even dreamless. Most of it wasn't, though, so he still looked haggard no matter what he did.

Finally, he gave up and turned his attention to the novels. They were all popular rubbish, but he didn't expect much more than that. Everyone needed escape.

[neverwrongagent]

Carrie hadn't written down anything Brody said about killing, or thinking he'd killed, his partner. She was hoping that she'd get to question Walker before she had to reveal anything, but she was stunned when her team presented her with Walker's version of what happened.

According to him, it was Nazir's men alone who beat him. Brody was there, on the other side of the room, but he was nearly delirious from lack of sleep and water. Walker didn't remember anything until well after the beating and when he'd finally come around, he'd been told Brody was dead, shot at Walker's supposed grave site.

Carrie sat there, trying to process it all, fitting the pieces together into the only thing that made any sense at all--Walker knew what Nazir's plan was. He'd been in on it. He was covering for Brody so the plan could possibly still move forward. Just what that plan was, though, she had no clue yet.

By the time she got back to Brody, she was reeling. She brought him some more food and some for her since she hadn't eaten all day. She put the tray on the bed and plopped down on the floor beside the bed with one of the sandwiches.

[posterboymarine]

Brody took the other sandwich and watched her. Her silence made him uncomfortable and he was waiting for the men with guns to come in and haul him away.

Finally, he couldn't take it any longer and he touched her shoulder, his eyebrow lifted in question.

[neverwrongagent]

She kept chewing until half her sandwich was gone before looking up at him. She put her hand over his for a moment before finally speaking, her voice soft as though she thought they'd be overheard, even though she knew they weren't bugged. "He said the guards did it. That he was gaslit, too."

She met his eyes and repeated herself, hoping he'd put the pieces together. "He didn't tell them."

[posterboymarine]

He stared at her for a long time, confusion slowly turning into some level of vague understanding. When he finally spoke, his voice was almost flat.

"Why?"

[neverwrongagent]

She exhaled slowly, not wanting to say it out loud, even to him. "Because he thinks whatever Nazir has planned can still go forward. That both of you are still in play." She wanted to believe it wasn't true of Brody, that he impression of him was right.

[posterboymarine]

He frowned deeply. "Still in play? I'm not in play. I..." His frown deepened further and he looked away. "I'm not a traitor."

[neverwrongagent]

She said the only thing that she could, the only thing that could matter at the moment. "I believe you." And she did. "The bigger issue is, what does he think you're supposed to do? What is he supposed to do?"

[posterboymarine]

Brody shrugged. "I thought he was dead. I don't know what he'd supposed to do." He laid back on the bed. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

He was quiet again.

[neverwrongagent]

She finished her sandwich rather than tossing it back on the tray, then shoved the tray under the bed. She climbed onto the bed beside him, settling cross legged by his hips. "If there is a plan, if there's something coming down the pike, we have to stop it. They wanted to use you to hurt Americans."

[posterboymarine]

He looked over at her. "I'd ask how you can know that, but I know who we are talking about. Still, I don't know what I am supposed to do about it. I've told you everything I can remember." His eyes narrowed. "I told you the truth."

[neverwrongagent]

She repeated herself softly. "I believe you. I believe that you've told me everything you remember." That didn't mean he might not remember some other things down the line. "Maybe if you talked to him? Maybe he thinks you know and would reveal something."

[posterboymarine]

He wanted to help, he truly did. But he wasn't sure if he could do that. "Carrie, do you know what you are asking me?"

[neverwrongagent]

She opened her mouth to give him a real cheerleading answer, full of jingo and rah. No air came out. Instead she put her hand on his belly and nodded. "It's a lot to ask after everything you've been through. It's too much to ask." She exhaled slowly. "I still have to ask it of you."

[posterboymarine]

Still, he continued to frown. "And you'll want me to lie. Tell them I never told you what I did."

[neverwrongagent]

That was the rub. The only way it would work is if they both kept covering that up. She was going to have to find a way to have it come out under their control. "Just for the start. Until we know better what's going on." She shrugged. "I'll tell them it was all part of my plan all along, which is true enough."

[posterboymarine]

"And why are we being put together?" He didn't like this one bit, but it wasn't as if he had any choice in the matter.

[neverwrongagent]

"There's no reason to keep you apart much longer. Only three of us know the truth." She knew she should tell Saul. Or someone. But doing that would put Brody in such an awful place. If someone was going to take that risk, it shouldn't be the man who had been held and tortured. Of course, he would have his own risks.

[posterboymarine]

He sighed again. "So, we should have some kind of tearful reunion? And maybe he'll give it up?"

[neverwrongagent]

"Maybe." She shifted a little closer, her hand moving up to his chest. "He helped do this to you, helped convince you that you were part of something awful. Don't you want to know why?"