A church basement in Jonestown, Baltimore, Tuesday afternoon

[betterthanaplan]

So the incense good mood from that morning had worn off, and Duke had started to get anxious. The idea of Octavia hanging out in Baltimore attending community outreach meditation courses had stopped making sense again. Unless maybe she hit her head and was looking for something familiar? He headed to the mainland a little bit earlier than was strictly necessary to attend the tai chi class Jim had said Octavia would be coming to this evening, hoping to get some answers.

Jim was seated on the floor when he arrived, surrounded by thin, hungry looking older women, who all turned beatific smiles on Duke when he walked in.

"Duke!" Jim greeted. "Come in, come in! We were just finishing up a group chakra cleansing!"

Warning bells were (a bit belatedly) going off in Duke's head. "Chakra cleansing. Right. Cool."

That was not a thing. What the hell had he gotten himself into, here?

[NFB. For the one expected, and more cult-fighting hijinks. . . .]

Comments

[hatesparadise]

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," Danny muttered to himself as the phone rang and rang and... actually picked up.

"Hi, Danno," came the phone over the other end.

"Hi, monkey," Danny said and it was like a switch at been completely flipped in his behavior because he was hearing his daughter's voice again. Did he sound a little choked up? Maybe. It was a bad couple weeks, okay? Sue him.

Welcome to the feelings zone, Duke.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke's mouth formed a little O as he saw that switch.

He backed off a bit, tugging the two zip-tied cultists with him, to give Danny some space.

[hatesparadise]

Which was the nicest thing he could have done for Danny at that very moment.

He paced back and forth, listening to Grace tell him about what she'd done in Las Vegas with her mother and Step-Stan almost word for word the very same thing she'd said to him before he'd left New Jersey. At least he had some confirmation that time wasn't passing outside like it was on the island.

"I know, it's on my calendar," he promised her, clutching at this like a goddamn lifeline. "Cheer competition. Bold letters. Yeah. Yeah. Danno loves you, okay? I--okay. Okay, be good for your mom until I get there tomorrow."

Once the call disconnected on her end, he wordlessly passed the phone back over to Duke.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke took the phone, studying Danny's expression.

"You can't call from the island, can you," he said. "How long has it been since you last talked to your people?"

[hatesparadise]

"That was the exact conversation I had with my daughter before I even got there," he muttered, rubbing his forehead.

[betterthanaplan]

"Shit."

There wasn't that much more you could say to something like that.

"No wonder you're such an asshole."

And yet, Duke found something anyway.

[hatesparadise]

Danny was so strongly reminded of Steve at that moment, it startled a laugh out of him. "You're a putz, you know that?"

[betterthanaplan]

"That is . . . the absolute least of what I've been called, yes."

[hatesparadise]

Danny took a deep breath, dragging his hand over his mouth before letting out a sigh. "Alright. C'mon. Let's get these people taken care of and you can go back to that hellscape of an island."

[betterthanaplan]

Shit. Duke reached for Danny's arm and gave him a serious look. "The island wants you back on it, man, it'll get you back on it."

Octavia had tried to leave for years. Then, when she finally stopped trying and started having a life. . . .

He was going to get so trashed tonight.

[hatesparadise]

Yeeeeeep. All the drinking was going to happen. Sorry Danny was just being a very obvious example of Octavia's story on the island for you, Duke.

Weird how that happened.

"Not like I can even explain this to anyone if I do get away," Danny muttered. "It's insane."

[betterthanaplan]

"And you haven't even been turned into anything yet."

[hatesparadise]

"I will shoot you, Crocker."

[betterthanaplan]

"Better men than you have tried, Officer."

[hatesparadise]

Danny flipped him off, striding off to go meet the uniformed cops who arrived first. This part he was comfortable handling. This part right here was normal and totally comfortable.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke, on the other hand, was looking like he'd very much prefer to pull the same disappearing act as his mom had.

Oh god, he was totally going to get called as a witness if this went to trial, wasn't he.