That evening, the bunker was quiet as the overall solemn mood seemed to fester within the inhabitants, spilling over like a contagion from one person to another.

Agent Christopher sat at the large harvest table in the main room by herself, nursing a glass of neat bourbon as she listened to the deafening silence surrounding her. It unnerved her slightly at just how quiet the massive compound could get.

The silence gave her mind permission to wander in deep thought - thoughts she questioned whether she should be having at all - and it was that doubt that proved to be dangerous.

She had no idea her life would start to wind up and unravel as quickly as it had since she accepted this position within Homeland Security. She didn't expect things to turn out to this extent. She told Michelle it would last a year, two tops, but here she sat, far away from home, years later.

She questioned whether or not she was doing a good enough job leading these people. When she thought about how Rittenhouse discovered their 'off-the-grid' bunker, she wondered if Wyatt was right: perhaps they should have made a stand there and wiped them out.

Taking a sip, relishing in the burn at the back of her throat, Denise suppressed a cold chuckle as she knew all of them would have been killed had they stayed - that much was obvious. Her eyes darted about the empty main room of this new facility. She didn't know if coming to this place was the right choice but it was in the moment.

Thinking about Luke McCann brought the regret back. She knew his blood was on her hands. She had gone to him for help. If she knew this would have happened to him, she wouldn't have gone to him.

As she took another sip, she heard a familiar voice speak behind her, "Mind if I join ye?" Glancing up to her left, she saw Quinn standing there eyeing her with concern. She nodded, motioning to the chair he stood behind. He pulled the chair out, settling down next to her. "How are ye faring?"

She sighed, shaking her head as she stared into the amber liquid before her. "I'm killing people..."

"Unfortunate side effect of war," Quinn calmly said.

Denise lifted her head. "You say that like his death doesn't matter."

He held her gaze. With a small shrug, he said, "Maybe it doesn't." She scoffed and he leaned forward, bracing himself against the table on his elbows. "How many times has history changed? How many lives have continued when they weren't meant to? Or in this case, taken when they were meant to live?"

Agent Christopher's expression hardened as she stared at the man. "And that makes it all right?"

Quinn smirked. "Ye aren't following along, Agent," he told her. "History continues to change. Perhaps tomorrow, he'll be alive again."

She shook her head again. "Until we can stop Rittenhouse," she swirled her cup in a small circle, allowing the bourbon to slosh against the sides, "the killing won't end."

"Are ye so sure about that?"

Her eyes lifted to hold his curious gaze. "What aren't you telling me?"

He licked his lips. "Have ye noticed a pattern yet?" He saw the wheels turning in her head, struggling to gain traction. He inhaled deeply, saying, "Have ye noticed how many people ye've encountered who are visionaries?"

"Visionaries?"

He nodded. "Harriet Tubman, Jiya," he paused to glance across the room before turning back to her, "Flynn's daughter, Iris... even Edgar Allan Poe was the rarity - "

Agent Christopher's head tilted to the side as she listened. "What do they have to do with -"

"How good are ye with genetics?"

"Genetics?" she repeated. "What does that have to do with anything?" she shook her head, eyes narrowing at him, "Jiya was an accident - "

"Was she now?" Quinn asked, leaning back in his chair. "Or was the timing such that it made ye believe it?" Without going into great detail, Quinn stood from the table and left Agent Christopher alone to ponder what he told her.

Across the bunker, Tenley sat on the bed, knees drawn up to her chest as she leaned against the headrest. Flynn paced the length of the room by the foot of the bed as he vented. "I don't understand," he stated. "What do they want with you? Haven't they done enough already?"

Tenley's eyes remained locked on him, tracking his movements as he wore a hole in the floor. She wasn't sure if there was anything she could say to calm him, so she simply listened. It was clear to her that he needed to get these things off of his chest - things he'd been bottling up for some time.

Flynn glanced over to the doctor on the bed. "How are you so calm through all of this?"

"Well," she started, "you're sort of freaking out enough for the both of us."

He stopped pacing, blinking at her. He sighed, allowing his shoulders to slump forward. Pinching the bridge to his nose, he sighed, "I'm sorry...I..."

Tenley offered him a small smile. "I know..." she extended her hand out towards him. "I know you're worried," she reassured him, "but wearing a hole in my floor isn't going to solve our problems."

He chuckled, approaching the bed. He took her hand, sinking onto the side of the bed next to her. "I'm concerned they won't leave you alone until you're ..."

She squeezed his hand in comfort. "I know."

He swallowed hard, turning his gaze to meet hers. "I've lost you once before, Nine...I can't do it again."

She pulled herself up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, nuzzling against him. "I know..."

Returning the embrace, he held her tight against him. "Maybe we should just steal the Lifeboat and disappear."

She chuckled. "Well," she muttered. "You'd have the experience to do it."

After a moment's silence, Flynn pulled away from her. "Where would we go?"

She blinked at him, stunned. "You're serious?" He didn't speak but stared at her, waiting for an answer. She shook the shock away. "We...we can't just leave - "

"Why not?"

Her mouth hung open as she gaped at him. "Well... we..." she sighed. "We have an obligation to - "

"To who?" he asked. "Homeland Security? Wyatt? Lucy? Quinn and Rowan?" he scoffed, shaking his head. "None of them are interested in anything but what they need... They don't need us."

Tenley opened her mouth to retort when the alarm overhead chimed. "Active time travel initiated."

Flynn's head hung in defeat. He glanced up at her. "Think about it, okay? We can discuss this more later."

She nodded slowly, worry washing over her expression. He extended his hand to her as he stood to his feet. She took it and followed him out of the bedroom.

It wasn't long before the group gathered near the control room. Jiya sat before the screens, eyes scanning the information popping up. "St. Louis," she began. "April 5, 1822?"

Lucy's head cocked to the side in thought. "St. Louis?" she began. "Well...they've just suffered the economic depression of 1819..."

"It's the wild west," Wyatt said. "Cowboys, Indians - "

"Slavers, war, disease - " Rufus countered.

"Better get moving," Agent Christopher stated. "Be careful." She eyed the brothers, debating with herself on whether she should send one of them along. Deciding against it, she looked at her team. "Lucy, Wyatt, Rufus, and Flynn."

"Wyatt's got a pretty bad cut," Tenley reminded them. "He really shouldn't be going back there where it can get easily infected."

Wyatt placed his hands on his hips, sighing. "I'll be careful - "

Tenley opened her mouth to retort but Agent Christopher shook her head, turning toward him. "She's right," she said. "We can't risk it. Maybe next time."

Wyatt scoffed, shaking his head in frustration. Rowan cleared his throat. "I'll go instead," he offered. Glancing over to Wyatt, he added, "That way, ye can rest and heal up," he cocked his head slightly to the side, "then ye can rejoin them."

Lucy placed her hand on Wyatt's arm, gazing at him reassuringly before turning to follow Rowan. Rufus shrugged at him, and Flynn gave him a quick nod.

The machine whirred to life before popping out of sight.

1822

The Lifeboat landed inside an abandoned cave, overlooking a wide valley. The heat from the sweltering sun overhead combined with the arid dusty air caused all four to break out into an immediate sweat. As they climbed out of the cave, making their way up the side of the rock face of the valley, they spotted St. Louis in the distance.

"We couldn't park somewhere closer?" Rufus complained.

Rowan shrugged. "We're well hidden, yeah?"

"Let's get going," Flynn interrupted them before it turned into a massive fight. "We can discuss our options as we walk."

It took the team the better part of an hour to reach the city, and another twenty-five minutes to secure appropriate attire for the times. By the time they entered the town and dressed the part, they had dust clinging to their bodies like those living there - not one person gave them a second thought about their arrival.

Lucy squinted against the harsh light, scanning the town for inspiration. She hated going back in time without a solid understanding of their presence. These days, Rittenhouse seemed to be pulling out all the stops to confuse her - almost as if they were three steps ahead - pushing the limits of her vast knowledge.

"Any ideas as to why we're here?" Flynn asked quietly as he sidled up next to her. He scanned the town, taking in the locals as they passed by.

She shook her head. "Not yet..."

"Should we split up?"

Again, she shook her head. "I'm not sure that's a good idea," she confessed, turning her gaze to meet him.

Flynn glanced over his shoulder to see Rowan and Rufus scanning the other side of the town. He whispered, "Is it because of Rowan?" Lucy lifted her gaze, not speaking a word. Flynn took another step closer, adding, "Despite what we might have thought about him before," he turned his gaze back to Rowan, "I think we were wrong about him."

Lucy sucked her teeth. "Well, I guess only time will tell."