Numb3rs drabble: "Two choices, three results"
Title: "Two Choices, three results".
Pairings/Characters: Amita, Colby, Charlie.
Rating: Mature.
Summary: AH: The initial conditions are laid out, followed by three possible outcomes.
Word Count: 214-137-216-159.
Spoilers: Primacy.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters.
Notes: in thinking it over, I think copy error may have set in - I used this info layout once I was mailed it (again, thank you), but then I simply copy&pasted it (thank you, Edit function)
Warnings: What, you thought I was done whumping Colby? *evil grin*
seriously - WARNING: MENTION OF DEATH.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luck
In every timeline, the critical matter tend to resolve themselves on one side of a set of seconds, or on the other side.
In most timelines which contain the online-and-IRL game Primacy, Amita waits for Colby to get off the ladder before she climbs down it to look at the clues left for them. But in one, she didn't, because she saw, seconds before she usually did, something alongside the ladder.
And in a move that startled, amazed, and impressed the hell out of Charlie, Amita swung around on the ladder's pole and, letting go, dropped to the concrete ground, landing on her feet safely.
"You sure you're not Army?" Colby asked her like he'd joke with David. That's a lot of luck you've got, admiring.
Amita nodded and looked at the paper stuck to one wall, then joined him in looking at the pile of stones - in case it was signifigant - while Charlie climbed down more slowly than either of them had.
And then the gates opened, unleashing all the water.
Only one of them was close enough to the ladder to get to dry land in time. Before they could get fully up the ladder, Colby and Amita were washed away, send downstream while Charlie ran and tried dialing Don.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Outcome #1: Bullet
She shook her head, or would have, had this been any other day. You survived bullets and being drugged and God knows what else, Amita thought, her gaze following the flow of the water. The rest of her was too numb to do anything. And This is what does you in.
Charlie had grabbed Colby's hand at some point, and Colby had grabbed hers - nearly missed, grateful that he hadn't - and pushed her to Charlie's hands
...And lost his grip seconds after she'd squeezed Charlie's wrist.
Amita didn't let herself think that Colby had seen two choices - weigh Amita and Charlie down, potentially taking all of them down; or let go, sacrificing himself to save Amita.
That thought would come to her later, after her mind wasn't numb.
That and also "I didn't listen."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Outcome #2: Blood
His mind didn't match his face - a habitual mask cloaked all concern, a fact Colby knew was no doubt giving Charlie a conniption, Or whatever the mathematical equivilent is.
It didn't matter how well his eyes worked back in the raging torrent flushing from the damn. That didn't stop Colby from seeing Amita's face when he slept, when he drifted off, and sometimes even when he was fully awake and alert.
...she went rushing by...
...she held out her hand...
...she missed his by less than an inch, may as well have been a mile...
...she cried out...
All of it had gone by in a few seconds that were anything but paltry, ending when Charlie had grabbed his hand and pulled him out.
She'd had a clean death, certainly quicker than most Colby had seen in his life. And it was bloodless. That was it, that was the best he could think to say - but it would be no salve, no comfort...so he said nothing.
He remained still, wordlessly accepting the stares shot at him. The sort given off by the guilty at their partner in crime. Wanting to blame someone, yet knowing that any apportioning of blame would include one's own self.
And that way lay madness. Or at least heavy therapy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Outcome #3: Survival
Don is going to kill me, Colby thought to himself as he and Amita, soaked and shivering, the pair of them, sat on the...sat against one another. He knew the official case report would compliment him on saving Amita, but he also knew how these sorts of things worked.
Having dealt with the same principle overseas and in Idaho, Colby wondered if the bury-before-sundown rule was something the Eppes would insist on.
Survival training, adrenaline, combat training, fear of drowning...all of those had played a part. But he wasn't the sort to lay blame.
"Thank you," Amita told Colby, her voice faint. Partly from amazement at having survived. Partly because of what she'd endured. Partly because Charlie wasn't here.
"Thank you," Colby told Amita. Thanks for being okay, for not falling apart...and for not diving in after him.
Colby wanted to say they should stand up, call in, do something. But for now, for now they just sat there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End
Pairings/Characters: Amita, Colby, Charlie.
Rating: Mature.
Summary: AH: The initial conditions are laid out, followed by three possible outcomes.
Word Count: 214-137-216-159.
Spoilers: Primacy.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters.
Notes: in thinking it over, I think copy error may have set in - I used this info layout once I was mailed it (again, thank you), but then I simply copy&pasted it (thank you, Edit function)
Warnings: What, you thought I was done whumping Colby? *evil grin*
seriously - WARNING: MENTION OF DEATH.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luck
In every timeline, the critical matter tend to resolve themselves on one side of a set of seconds, or on the other side.
In most timelines which contain the online-and-IRL game Primacy, Amita waits for Colby to get off the ladder before she climbs down it to look at the clues left for them. But in one, she didn't, because she saw, seconds before she usually did, something alongside the ladder.
And in a move that startled, amazed, and impressed the hell out of Charlie, Amita swung around on the ladder's pole and, letting go, dropped to the concrete ground, landing on her feet safely.
"You sure you're not Army?" Colby asked her like he'd joke with David. That's a lot of luck you've got, admiring.
Amita nodded and looked at the paper stuck to one wall, then joined him in looking at the pile of stones - in case it was signifigant - while Charlie climbed down more slowly than either of them had.
And then the gates opened, unleashing all the water.
Only one of them was close enough to the ladder to get to dry land in time. Before they could get fully up the ladder, Colby and Amita were washed away, send downstream while Charlie ran and tried dialing Don.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Outcome #1: Bullet
She shook her head, or would have, had this been any other day. You survived bullets and being drugged and God knows what else, Amita thought, her gaze following the flow of the water. The rest of her was too numb to do anything. And This is what does you in.
Charlie had grabbed Colby's hand at some point, and Colby had grabbed hers - nearly missed, grateful that he hadn't - and pushed her to Charlie's hands
...And lost his grip seconds after she'd squeezed Charlie's wrist.
Amita didn't let herself think that Colby had seen two choices - weigh Amita and Charlie down, potentially taking all of them down; or let go, sacrificing himself to save Amita.
That thought would come to her later, after her mind wasn't numb.
That and also "I didn't listen."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Outcome #2: Blood
His mind didn't match his face - a habitual mask cloaked all concern, a fact Colby knew was no doubt giving Charlie a conniption, Or whatever the mathematical equivilent is.
It didn't matter how well his eyes worked back in the raging torrent flushing from the damn. That didn't stop Colby from seeing Amita's face when he slept, when he drifted off, and sometimes even when he was fully awake and alert.
...she went rushing by...
...she held out her hand...
...she missed his by less than an inch, may as well have been a mile...
...she cried out...
All of it had gone by in a few seconds that were anything but paltry, ending when Charlie had grabbed his hand and pulled him out.
She'd had a clean death, certainly quicker than most Colby had seen in his life. And it was bloodless. That was it, that was the best he could think to say - but it would be no salve, no comfort...so he said nothing.
He remained still, wordlessly accepting the stares shot at him. The sort given off by the guilty at their partner in crime. Wanting to blame someone, yet knowing that any apportioning of blame would include one's own self.
And that way lay madness. Or at least heavy therapy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Outcome #3: Survival
Don is going to kill me, Colby thought to himself as he and Amita, soaked and shivering, the pair of them, sat on the...sat against one another. He knew the official case report would compliment him on saving Amita, but he also knew how these sorts of things worked.
Having dealt with the same principle overseas and in Idaho, Colby wondered if the bury-before-sundown rule was something the Eppes would insist on.
Survival training, adrenaline, combat training, fear of drowning...all of those had played a part. But he wasn't the sort to lay blame.
"Thank you," Amita told Colby, her voice faint. Partly from amazement at having survived. Partly because of what she'd endured. Partly because Charlie wasn't here.
"Thank you," Colby told Amita. Thanks for being okay, for not falling apart...and for not diving in after him.
Colby wanted to say they should stand up, call in, do something. But for now, for now they just sat there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End