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]

Carrie put her hand on his leg, wanting to remind him that he wasn't alone, that at least she was watching his back now. Of course, if he was playing her, and playing Walker, that was pretty meaningless. She didn't think he was, she had no reason beyond trying to never overlook a possibility, to think he was.

Walker didn't answer Brody for a long time, then he sounded a little less tense. "We should get a beer. Talk about how being back sucks. Away from the wives."

[posterboymarine]

Brody was silent for a little less time. "Yeah. We can do that. Doing anything right now? I could use a change of scenery."

[neverwrongagent]

Given where they were, Carrie chose not to take that personally. They'd have to go back to his place, get his car, arrange for more surveillance... She did the calculations while she waited for Walker's answer.

"Yeah. Someplace green. Someplace open." There was another pause, while Walker seemed to get himself back in check. Then he suggested a park not too far from Brody's house.

[posterboymarine]

Brody knew the place. "Sure. Give me half an hour. I'll bring the beer." He glanced at Carrie, hoping that would be enough time.

[neverwrongagent]

It was going to be close, but she still nodded. They'd make it work. She got her phone out and texted Saul to get things rolling. She'd call when Brody hung up.

Walker laughed. "That's a deal." Then he hung up.

Carrie gave Brody a minute, then touched his leg again.

[posterboymarine]

He hung up, then looked at the hand on his leg. "I don't like it. I don't want to do this. But you need me to. So let's go get my car."

[neverwrongagent]

Carrie pulled back slowly, nodding. She didn't like it much either, but they didn't have much choice, either of them. Better to get it all over with and find out what the needed to. She got back into traffic and headed toward her place.

For most of the drive she was busy on the phone, coordinating with Saul.

[posterboymarine]

He settled back in the seat and closed his eyes. She was working and he was just a tool. Again, nothing new.

When they pulled up at her place, he squeezed her hand before climbing out. "Don't follow too close, okay?"

[neverwrongagent]

She bit back the reminder that she knew what she was doing. He of all people should know that. If he asked, she would have told him she was absolutely using him, but she would have at least tried to explain that her goals included him.

"Just be careful. We can always schedule another meeting."

[posterboymarine]

"I will." He wouldn't. He got in his car and started toward home. There was a liquor store on the way and Brody stopped to get a six pack. Then he was off to the park.

The bench Walker had picked was out of the way without being obviously so. Brody sat down to wait, opening one of the beers while he did.

[neverwrongagent]

Carrie ended up in a van with headphones on because the possibility of Walker seeing her wasn't worth the risk. It made her jumpy not being where Brody could see or being able to get to him right away. She pointedly ignored the looks Saul gave her.

[posterboymarine]

Saul gave her the hard eye while she ignored him. He even managed to not ask her anything for 5 whole minutes after she got in the van.

"What are you doing? Really? Do you even know?"

Brody was not wasting any time on his beer. Maybe if he was buzzed, he'd be less jumpy. He was finishing off his first and ready to start the second when Walker finally showed.

[neverwrongagent]

At that moment she was mostly watching to see how much beer Brody was drinking and when Walker was going to show up. She wanted to know which way he came from, how he walked, where he looked. What she didn't want to do was answer Saul's question which was too vague anyway. "Welcoming home the troops."

She sighed deeply, but didn't turn to look at him. "Today was the first time I've seen him since we've been back." That wasn't technically true, but it was close enough. "I don't usually figure out exactly how I'm fucking a thing up for at least a month."

[posterboymarine]

Carrie did have a point. She wasn't usually aware, even when she was told, that she screwing up until she'd been doing it awhile. "You are fucking it up, Carrie. I know you aren't listening to me, but that's what you are doing."

Brody held a beer out for Walker even as he took a drink from his second. "Brother. You look good."

[neverwrongagent]

She finally glanced back at him, but only for an instant. "You mind giving me more than four hours before you decide that? Specially since I've had less then twelve." She kept telling herself that wasn't a lie. Their first night together was a stand alone. Being together during the interrogations was about keeping him even. Only now was it about something else. It made perfect sense.

Walker took the beer, but didn't take a sip right away. "Look the way I'm supposed to, I guess."

[posterboymarine]

Saul just rolled his eyes at her.

Brody nodded at Walker and gestured to the spot next time. "Is Helen enjoying having you back?" He was making small talk, yes. But he didn't know what his shooter wanted.

[neverwrongagent]

Walker shrugged. "She says so, but then I wake her up in the middle of the night. Or I jump when she asks me to pass the sugar." He stared out across the park. "That's what it's about though, isn't it? They say they're glad they got us back, but they'd have been just as happy to leave us in those holes."

[posterboymarine]

Walker had a point and Brody had to nod. "I guess it's nice to know I'm not the only one having that problem. I stopped sleeping in the bed with Jess. Too many bruises, too many bad nights."

[neverwrongagent]

Walker didn't answer for a while, the pause nearly driving Carrie crazy in the van. Finally he lowered his voice a notch. "Don't know how they think we're supposed to cope with what they did to us."

In the van, Carrie frowned deeply. There weren't enough real nouns in that sentence.

[posterboymarine]

"If I had to guess, that didn't really play into anyone's line of thought." Brody took a long draw from his beer, then set it next to him. "Not important to the overall goal."

[neverwrongagent]

"We're just tools, weapons to be thrown away." He sounded spectacularly sanguine about that. "All that matters is the goal. The mission." Walker glanced at Brody. "You miss having a mission?"

[posterboymarine]

All this talk of missions made Brody homesick for the day to day routine of being a Marine. "More than you know."

[neverwrongagent]

After another long pause, Walker finally looked right at Brody for a moment. "You should go to the meetings over at Central Union Mission. They tell a good story."

Carrie glanced back at Saul. She'd heard of the Mission because vets tended to go there, Christian and Muslim ones, but she'd never heard anyone connect it with any security issues.

[posterboymarine]

"Is that how you've been getting by?" He noticed that Walker was not drinking his beer, something uncommon for the younger man. They'd always knocked them back on their off time.

"You find religion?"

[neverwrongagent]

Walker shrugged slightly and repeated himself. "They tell a good story, always something worth listening to."

Carrie leaned forward, trying to puzzle out what Walker's point was. It didn't sound like he found religion.

"But if you go, go on a Thursday." He smiled slightly. "Better stories."