Carson Keller used to think her biggest problem was their rivalry against the Kooks, but that was until buried secrets rose to the surface. Now her biggest problems included a dangerous treasure hunt and a hot-headed teenage boy.
✰ season 1-3 ✰
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THE GROUP TOOK ADVANTAGE of the ferry ride to sit down and discuss the plan, including the things that could go wrong -- which, they had to face it especially with their luck, were a lot.
"Honestly, the hardest part is gonna be security, alright?" JJ said. "So most of the guys are gonna be at the rail yard."
"Right, so we'll need to find some place and guard it, maybe a little further down the line, like a whistle-stop or something," Pope said.
"You guys are getting ahead of yourselves per usual. We don't have a way to transport the cross," Cleo pointed out. "What you think? On JJ's motorcycle?"
"Yeah, we'll just throw it over his shoulder," Carson joked.
"Good one, Car, as if he's strong enough for that," Pope joked back. JJ shot him a dirty look but Pope just ignored it. "Okay, other options." Before any of them could come up with any ideas, Sarah shot forward in her seat.
"Oh my God," she mumbled.
"Oh my God, what?" Cleo asked. They all looked over to see what Sarah had noticed, and Carson let out a short laugh in amusement when she saw Sarah's blond ex.
"Is that Topper?" Pope said.
"Why is he everywhere?" Kiara mumbled.
"Perfect," Pope said. "Hey, I bet you Topper has a way to transport the cross."
"Actually, Pope's right. He does have a rig," JJ realized.
"No," Sarah said.
"Yes."
"No. Absolutely not."
"Sarah, you already got him whipped anyway, alright?" JJ said. "So why don't you just take one for the team?"
"What would John B say?" she exclaimed.
"I really hate to say this because I don't want this to come off like I'm in support of going behind his back, but John B isn't here," Carson said. "Kinda seems like our best option at the moment."
"She's right. I think John B will completely understand," Pope said. "Think about the circumstances. It's about treasure."
"We can handle John B," Kiara added. "Just talk to him." Carson felt a little bad that they were making Sarah do this, but it's not like there was any harm going to come out of it. They were just going to get Topper to help out and that was that. Desperate times called for desperate matters after all.
"Are we sure this is going to work?" Cleo asked as they all stood and watched Sarah talk to Topper from a distance, unable to hear exactly what they were saying or how it was going.
"You don't know Topper. He's a little too obsessed with Sarah," Carson said. "It'll work." It was when Sarah finally leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck that gave them their answer. "Yup, it worked."
✰
Convincing Topper to drive them to Wilmington for the cross was probably one of the easiest things they've had to do in all of this. That included having to locate the correct train that the cross was on.
"Well, there's like 1,000 trains here," Kiara stated the obvious.
"Well, we know it's car 750X on the track to Raleigh," Pope said.
"Yeah, so now we just gotta find it," JJ said.
"Well, news flash, we're not getting out of here unnoticed with a giant cross," she reminded them.
"We won't have to. We can nab it somewhere further in the country. Just gotta figure out how to stop the train, Pope said.
"Sarah might be able to convince Topper to just stand in the middle of the tracks," Carson joked. "I'm sure they would stop for a pretty white boy with that Easter egg of an outfit he has on."
"As good of an idea as that sounds, I have a better idea," JJ said. "Leave it to me."
"How you gonna do that?" Cleo asked.
"I got an uncle up in New Bern, right? When he got tipsy, he'd just throw an old chain across the tracks, just for shits and giggles. And, uh, that old little chain would stop all the train traffic in coastal Carolina."
"A chain?" Kiara said doubtfully.
"He's actually right," Pope said. "There's a low-voltage current that runs across all rail tracks. Throw a chain on it, you close that circuit. It would read as another train. Crossing lights come down. Science is actually pretty sound."
"Science. I knew my science," JJ said.
"If you want to call your uncle getting drunk and messing around with a chain and some train tracks science, sure, you know your science," Carson said.
"Well, we don't have a chain," Pope reminded him.
"No, but I bet Topper's dad has jumper cables in the truck," Sarah realized. "Would that work?"
"Yo! What's going on? Are we doing this or what?" Topper called up to them from where he stood below impatiently next to his dad's truck.
"In case you haven't realized, we're not just stealing a keg for a beach party. Gonna take some time to think," Carson responded to him. She turned to the others. "But he's right, are we doing this?"
"Alright, you all wait here. Me and Pope will go look for it and send a signal once we find it," Cleo said.
"Do we actually have a plan right now?" Sarah said.
"Think we do," JJ said.
"That's impressive."
"Let's not jinx it. Come on," Pope said. Carson sighed as she and the others took a seat on the top of the train they were on while Pope and Cleo headed off to find the one they were looking for.
