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There's a small town called Appleton in the state of Wisconsin, U.S.A.. It's far out in the country, far away from any big cities; away from the noise and the chaos, the hubbub and the busyness of the more populated areas.
There's not that many businesses, all the neighbors know each other. The nights are quiet and dark and calm. There's peace and joy in the atmosphere. And apple trees, so many apple trees.
You would think this is the last place the C.E.O. of Cognito Inc. would wanna visit. Nothing remarkable, nothing important, absolutely nothing of note that the shadow government would even care about.
And yet, Brett Hand has decided to use his vacation to drive himself out here.
It's peaceful, quite a change from driving in the traffic of Washington DC. Brett feels the wind in his hair as he enters the town, seeing the big sign of 'Welcome to Appleton' greet him.
He keeps driving, looking at the small businesses and the quaint little houses. All the neighbors walking around going about their days free of worry. The sun shines bright and warm and everything feels great.
He almost forgets what brought him here in the first place.
The rest of his friends/co-workers at Cognito Inc had offered to come with him but he insisted on going alone. He didn't feel like being accompanied, to be honest. And, while Gigi and Andre could've totally come with him without any issues, bringing Dolphman and Myc would've been a terrible idea.
So he went alone.
Rand Ridley is still in Shadow Prison X and has no idea of the true whereabouts of his child. Brett is determined to let it stay that way. There's no telling what Rand would do if he knew where Reagan was or what she was doing. It's better for everyone if he remains ignorant.
Brett finally arrives at his destination and parks the car. He takes a deep breath to gather himself before getting out. This is it.
“Higgins Family Apple Products”
The store is small but it's well maintained. It's relatively new, as its owners moved into town less than a year ago. And yet, it seems like they are already making a home for themselves.
Brett enters the store and immediately smells the fresh apples in the air. There's apple everything here. Pie, sauce, juice, cider, several different types of normal apples, etc.. They all look delicious, very high quality products. A business to be proud of.
One of the owners speaks up as soon as she sees him.
“Welcome to Appleton, sir!”
God, that's her voice. He would recognize it anywhere.
A woman around the same age as him, early 30s, walks up to him. She looks so different, yet he can still tell it's her.
Her short brown hair is still in a ponytail, though no way as messy as her old one. Her dark eyes are still as sharp as ever, tho no longer surrounded by deep eye bags. She's still fidgeting as she talks to strangers. But she's not wearing her signature lab coat and dirty jeans, she's sporting an apron covered in flour and a pair of overalls.
Brett could swear she… gained weight?? A lot of weight, huh. Maybe she’s just finally remembering to feed herself properly…
“Hello, miss,” Brett says awkwardly, trying hard to remain cheerful. “How did you know I was new in town?”
“Well, sir, everyone here already knows each other,” the woman laughs cheerfully. “So, when I didn't recognize you, I knew you were new in town.”
She doesn't recognize him. But her laugh is the happiest sound he has ever heard coming out of her.
“Well, nice to meet you. I'm uh…. Brad? Foot!” He thinks of a fake name on the spot. “Brad Foot! Yeah, and you must be Mrs. Higgins?”
“You don't need to call me Mrs..The name's Courtney Higgins,” she extends her hand. “It's nice to meet you, Brad Foot.”
“Courtney,” Brett repeats, his voice almost melancholic as he shakes her hand. “It's a nice name.”
“Thank you. Now what can I help you with?”
“I'm just buying some food for the road, it's a long drive back home for me. You guys have apple sweets?”
“We have apple everything! Knock yourself out.”
And he does. He buys one of everything they have and stuffs it all on a big tote bag that says Appleton in it. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see her adjusting her prosthetic finger and can't help but stare.
“Oh, this?” She gestures to her missing finger. “Yeah, kitchen accident. I cut myself while cooking. Dangers of the job, ya know.”
That's the story she tells herself? Well okay then. He just shrugs and keeps going.
As he goes to pay for everything, he gathers courage to ask:
“Courtney, can I ask you something?”
“Just ask it,” she shrugs.
“Are you… uh, happy living here?”
“Yeah, very happy,” ‘Courtney’ nods. “My husband, Martin, and I just moved here 6 months ago and everything seems great so far. The people are friendly and welcoming, there's low crime, there's good schools…”
‘Courtney's’ hand moved to her stomach as she said this. ‘Brad’ had never felt so many mixed emotions all at once.
“You're…. You're not…”
“What? You thought I was just fat?” She smirked at him.
“I don't know?” Brett answered confused.
“It's fine, I don't care. But yeah, this isn't just food, it's my son.”
“Good for you and Martin, huh,” he struggled to keep his voice normal. “Have you thought of any names yet?”
“Well, I really like the name Brett, for some reason.”
He has to pinch himself to keep from crying.
“Brett Higgins. Good name.”
“Thank you,” she finishes processing his purchase. “That's everything?”
“That's everything, I really should be leaving now,” he grabs everything and starts moving towards the door. “Thank you for everything and I hope you have a good life.”
“Um, you're welcome?” She responds confused. “And you too, weirdo?”
He smiles and exits the store. It's not until he's back in the car that he finally breaks down crying.
It's better for her like this. She's happier, she's safer and she's loved. She doesn't need to suffer in a job that hurts her and exhausts her and takes over her life anymore. She and Ron-... Uh, Martin… will live well together doing whatever they wish, with Brett and maybe more kids if they want.
And Cognito Inc. will just have to learn to operate without her. Because she deserves this life, she's earned it. She's wasted years for this company, but not wasting a single minute more.
“Goodbye, Reagan. You're still my best friend. I'll miss you and I know, if it were possible, you'd miss me too. Enjoy your freedom.”