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Being the fall guy came with its perks. It also came with dealing with psychos like Tom Ryder.
Well, while Tom is an asshole, Gail is the mastermind. Like seriously, it was a pretty good coup she staged—making Colt take the fall for Henry's death. It was perfect. She just didn't account for him refusing to give up.
He refused to keel over for a multitude of reasons: he was just getting back on Jody's good side, he was loving his job again, and Ryland had decided to visit the set of Metalstorm because it was spring break for him and he wanted to spend it with his twin.
So while it was cool to have Ryland on set (chit-chatting with Jody a lot), it quickly turned to shit.
He'd told Ryland to stay with Jody, knowing that Tom or Gail wouldn't mess with her. She'd be safest to be with while Colt dealt with this mess. He infiltrated Tom's apartment, got the password to his phone, and watched the real video. Damn bastard. He killed Henry.
He and Dan didn't have much time to digest the video when Tom's “bodyguards” came after them. As he fought, Colt made mental notes to not tell Ryland about any of this. Especially the part where he was beaten up and nearly set on fire, but there was nothing he could do about the whole “faking my death” thing. He had to make sure everyone believed he was dead.
Sneaking into Jody's trailer the next day, he found Jody and Ryland huddled together in front of her laptop. Silent. Rewatching the explosion on the news.
“Look, right there,” Jody pointed at the screen.
“It’s just fire…” Ryland said dejectedly, his voice hoarse, sending immense guilt through Colt’s spine. Ryland had clearly been crying his poor heart out.
“But you remember the Miami Vice, right? The stunt?”
“I do but look at that. I don’t know how he could’ve…”
Colt paused, suddenly feeling his surprise was not the best idea right now. Not when his brother was mourning him, crying in Jody’s trailer as she tried to tell him there was no way he was dead. While he meant for everyone to think he was dead, he kind of forgot to account for the idea that Ryland seriously thought he was dead. People used to say that it would be so sad when one of them died first because the other would be forced to live a life longing for their other half they couldn’t have back.
Which Ryland was living right now, thinking he was dead. Colt saw Jody had the blinds on her windows shut. Good. It would make this next part a bit easier. He took off the alien mask and quietly set it behind him, breathing deeply. Jody was rubbing Ryland’s back, resting her head against his as his shoulders shook.
“It’s okay,” she whispered.
“He’s—” Ryland choked.
“No.”
“Jody—”
“Your brother would’ve called you if he were going to do something like that and mean it. He’s alive, Ry. I can feel it. I know deep down you can feel it, too.”
Okay, enough of this. Breaking Colt’s heart didn’t matter when Ryland’s was shattered. It was killing him watching him trying to pick up the pieces.
“Ry,” Colt said.
The two whirled around. Both of them looked awful, like they hadn’t slept at all. Deep bags under red, puffy eyes. Ryland’s glasses were askew on his face. He and Jody stared at him, wide-eyed, mouths agape in shock. Jody gasped before moving to stand a few inches from him. Ryland didn’t move. He started muttering to himself, watching Jody intently.
Colt managed a smile as Jody’s hands reached for him. “Hey, Jo—OW!”
“Colt Seavers, you asshole!” Jody exclaimed as she hit him.
“Hey, wait a damn minute! Stop hitting me!”
She obliged, but that didn’t quell the frustration in her fiery eyes. “What the hell is wrong with you? I know about Miami Vice, don’t say anything about that. Look at your brother! Look what this has done to him!”
Ryland had gotten on shaky feet, eyes filled with a new wave of tears, his bottom lip wobbling. Colt could see his hands shaking where they gripped the chair for support. Just looking at him made Colt’s heart twist in sorrow. Yeah, he had so much explaining to do. And he’d buy Ryland whatever he wanted after all of this. He deserved that much and more.
“I’m… I’m sorry, Ry, but I had to do it. I had to make them believe I was dead because if I didn’t, I couldn’t get back here to clear my name,” Colt tried, his tongue heavy. “And if I didn’t, they wouldn’t stop trying to kill me. At least now, they think I’m no longer a threat, and we can come up with a plan to bring Ryder down. And Gail, she’s part of this, too.”
“What?” Jody gaped.
Not that he ever wanted to ignore Jody, but winning back his brother’s trust was the only thing on his mind right now, and his apology didn’t seem to be working. If anything, Ryland looked worse. Like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing when the evidence of his “death” was playing on loop right behind him.
“Ryland,” Jody gently coaxed, waving him over. “Do you want me to hit him again?”
“Hey—”
“I…” Ryland finally said, swallowing. His chest rose and fell as his breaths grew more erratic. He was panicking. Colt reached out, but Ryland didn’t seem to notice. “I need to… need to…”
Ryland bolted for the door and was running outside before Colt could blink.
“Ry—!” he called only to be pulled back in the trailer.
“Stop, wait! Let him go. You’ve thrown him for a loop today enough,” Jody sighed. “Just give him some space. He’ll come around, you know him.”
Everything in Colt wanted to say fuck it and run after his brother, but Jody was right. That, and Ryder’s men were on set hunting Dan. If they saw him, it was over. He needed to recruit Jody for his big plan, which meant explaining everything, which meant he couldn’t chase Ryland. But he knew his brother. He would need space to digest everything that’s happened over the last 12 hours.
“Shit,” Colt huffed, his hands resting atop his head.
“Explain.”
So he did. He explained everything that led up to the explosion and started to explain his grand plan when a knock came at the door.
“Jody, darling! It’s me, Gail!”
The two shared a look.
“Shit,” Jody said, pushing him towards the back of the trailer.
“My mask! My mask,” he hissed. She tossed it to him and composed herself, making sure Colt was hidden before opening the door.
“Oh, how are you, my sweet? You feeling okay?” Gail asked as she entered the trailer. Colt shook his head and bit his tongue. Fake ass bitch.
“Alright,” Jody said bluntly.
“I saw Colt’s brother running away. Poor sod… I can only imagine how it must feel for him right now.”
Colt clenched his fists. He’s only running away because of you, bitch!
“But, I have news! I’ve found Ryder. We can finish filming his bigger scenes today, except the car jump. I asked VFX and they said they can do it in post!”
“No car jump?”
Colt could barely listen to the conversation with his mind being torn between his master plan and his brother. But if he managed to pull off his plan, Ryland would be fine. Colt wouldn’t have to hide anymore, his name would be cleared, and he could finally get back to normal after a 24-hour power nap. And lots of Advil.
Gail left the trailer a few minutes later and Colt emerged from the back room.
“Come on, what’s your plan?” Jody asked, lips pressed into a thin line. Oh, she was mad.
Colt grinned. A mad Jody meant things were bound to get done. This was going to be exciting.
The plan started out perfectly. Colt ambushed the car with Ryder in it (his screaming was so funny), Dan and the stunt crew did a fantastic job providing them with a smokescreen, and Jody was in his ear telling him everything was going good.
Colt had tried to find Ryland before the plan was enacted, but he couldn’t find him. Dan hadn’t seen him, nor had some of the more trusted stunt crew. One person said they thought they saw him running towards the car jump set, which Colt stored away for later. He was going over there anyway, so hopefully he’d be able to catch his brother and explain everything to him.
He just hoped Ryland was watching what was about to be a world record jump. It was going to be sick.
The car roll was absolutely phenomenal, and on top of that, he’d managed to get Ryder to confess. Jody said she heard it loud and clear before he launched the car over the ravine. Oh, Colt could just see it now on the big screen. That jump wouldn’t be topped for a while.
But then everything started going to shit. He heard a helicopter approaching, Ryder was running, and he couldn’t get a hold of Jody. Colt started running down the hill, seeing Jody in the audio truck, searching, before coming back outside.
“Colt!” she shouted over the noise of the helicopter. She pointed at the chopper. “They’ve got the confession!”
“What?” Colt yelled back.
“They have the—oh shit! Is that Ryland?!”
He heard his brother’s name, but not much else. He followed Jody’s line of sight to see Gail, gun in hand, pushing his brother into the chopper. Colt’s heart leapt to his throat, adrenaline flooding his body. He nearly started running towards the chopper when Jody pulled up beside him in the SUV with the camera crane.
Colt hopped on the camera crane. “Get me to that chopper!”
“They have your brother!” Jody exclaimed. “Why the hell resort to kidnapping?! They’re crazy!”
“I’m going to get him back!” he said as the SUV neared the rising helicopter.
Jody nodded. “Be careful! Swing the crane!”
Colt held on as the camera crane swung. He jumped at the last second, hands reaching out. For a split second, he thought he wouldn’t make it, but his hands slammed against the metal legs of the chopper. He swung for a moment before making his appearance. Inside, Gail was in the passenger seat with Ryder and Ryland in the back. The woman was pointing her revolver at Ryland’s chest, screaming nonsense.
Ryland noticed him first, his already wide eyes somehow opening wider. He was gripping one of the chopper’s seat belts for dear life. Colt sent him a wink before jumping into the fray. He knocked Gail’s hand to the side as she let a shot ring out. One. He punched Ryder, the man’s hands immediately reaching for his face and letting go of the audio box. Ryder recovered quickly and started tugging the audio box back.
“Why don’t you just keel over and die?!” Gail shouted, raising the revolver again.
To Colt’s surprise, Ryland was fast, pushing Gail’s hand up and flinching as the shot embedded in the roof. Two.
“Give me the box!” Ryder yelled, pushing Colt.
“No!”
Ryder managed to land a kick to his stomach, and he suddenly found himself falling out of the chopper.
“Colt!” he heard Ryland scream.
Colt’s reflexes caught him on the helicopter’s legs again. His heart beat spiked erratically, hearing Gail screaming again about something. Colt swung himself to the other rungs right as Ryder looked over the edge. He heard another gunshot. Three. Colt brought himself back up into the helicopter. He ducked right as Gail pointed the gun at him and shot. Four. Ryder was wrestling Ryland for the black box, managing to bring Ryland into a chokehold and squeezing. Ryland gasped for air, only for it to come out strangled and wispy.
Gail shot again. Five. Colt hit her hand, sending the revolver onto the floor.
Colt aimed a full-force punch at Ryder, pushing him back. Ryder reached for the revolver as Colt reached for Ryland, who seemed stuck between relieved that Colt was alive and horrified at their current situation, breathing heavily now that his airway was free.
“What are you waiting for, shoot him!” Gail commanded.
Ryder hesitated, his eyes conflicted. “But he’s the best stuntman I’ve ever had!”
“I don’t care! Shoot him!”
Colt tightened his grip around Ryland’s waist, looking behind him to see the stunt crew had already set up his getaway. He stared at Gail like she was stupid, because she was.
“It’s empty,” Colt said as Ryder finally pulled the trigger. A click filled the helicopter, no bullets firing from the chamber. He put up his middle finger. “I’ll be taking my brother back. See ya.”
“Colt what’re you—oh my God!”
He tightened his arms around Ryland as he tilted them back into a freefall. The wind billowed all around them, but he could still hear Ryland screaming bloody murder as they fell. Colt smiled all the way down as Ryland screeched. The twins hit the giant inflatable with an oof. Colt laughed while Ryland breathed heavily, eyes wide and skittish.
“Whooo! That was fun, wasn’t it?” Colt exclaimed.
Ryland sat up, the black box falling to the side. He raised his hands to his mouth. “Oh God…”
Colt cackled as Ryland flailed to get off the inflatable. Luckily, he made it just in time to vomit onto the sand. He watched the helicopter above start to move away, though he didn’t care. He had the confession and he had his brother back. He grabbed the black box and moved to stand behind his brother, patting his back as his stomach pushed up his lunch.
“Good job, Ry.”
“I am never… visiting set again…”
“Aw, come on. Don’t let one bad experience define the whole picture! You just did your own stunt, that’s awesome!”
Ryland reached up and grabbed his arm for support. “Never doing that again…”
“Come on, up you go.”
He helped Ryland to his feet, who still looked a little pale, but alive. That’s all that mattered. Ryland wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and looked Colt over worriedly. He probably looked terrible—dressed in space cowboy garb and covered in dust and dirt and possibly some soot. Some cuts and bruises from the night before still littered his face.
Ryland wrapped his arms around Colt’s shoulders, squeezing tight. It hurt just a little bit, especially with the limited fumes Colt was running on after the night he’s had, but he didn’t care. He’d somehow gained Ryland’s trust back after jumping from a helicopter. Colt returned the embrace, patting his brother’s back.
“Please don’t throw up on me,” Colt said.
“I might just because of that,” Ryland joked. “We have a lot to talk about but… I’m glad you’re not dead, and I’m sorry for running earlier.”
Colt pulled back. “Don’t be sorry. I kinda came out of the blue, so… that’s kinda my fault. I’m sorry for all of this.”
“Not your fault someone framed you.”
“Colt! Ryland!” Jody called as she ran to them. Her arms were outstretched, her eyes scanning them both. “Oh my God, are you okay?”
Jody wrapped her arms around both of them. They shared a small smile over her shoulders.
“How’d the car flip look?” Colt asked as Jody pulled back.
She smiled brightly. “Terrific, absolutely amazing!”
He had a few seconds before Jody grabbed his face and brought him in for a kiss. He heard Ryland mutter “oh” in surprise and rush to stumble backwards for the couple to have their moment. Colt smiled into the kiss. Everything was right again.
News of Colt Seavers murdering stuntman Henry reached Sierra Six faster than any other piece of news. He had been drinking at a local bar in the town he was working in when he saw his brother’s face plastered on the screen. Six’s whole body tensed as he read the headline.
American Stuntman Colt Seavers Wanted For Murder
“Murder?” Six muttered. He waved the bartender down. “Could you turn up the TV?”
The man raised the TV’s volume.
“Breaking news out of Sydney, Australia tonight as authorities search for one Colt Seavers. A primary suspect in the murder of Tom Ryder’s stuntman. Seavers was once Ryder’s stuntman but suffered a severe accident on set that prevented him from the job. Authorities believe Seavers may have built resentment and finally lashed out.”
“Bullshit.”
“If you have any knowledge of Seavers’ whereabouts, please call the number listed on the screen.”
“Huh,” the bartender hummed. “Some world we live in.”
Six downed the rest of his drink and put some bills on the counter. He walked out of the bar, already planning his arrival to Sydney, Australia.
Within 12 hours, he was stepping out onto the streets of the city. It took him a while to make his way to the set of Metalstorm, as some of the roads were closed off for some reason and also because there were apparently multiple sets. However, the main set was near the coast. That, he could get to.
By the time Six arrived on set, hat and sunglasses on as a shitty disguise, the set was in shambles. He could hear explosions going off, shouting in the distance, a goddamn helicopter rising out of one of the dunes. Six readied his rifle, watching from afar as a black SUV with a camera crane on it started up the dune. Of course, on the camera crane was his brother, Colt.
“What the fuck,” Six said, watching his brother jump onto the helicopter. Sure, he knew Colt’s work as a stuntman was dangerous, especially after his accident a year ago, but jumping onto a helicopter with zero safety net under him was ballsy.
Six focused the scope on the interior of the chopper. A woman in the front seat with a revolver, Tom Ryder in the back along with—
Ryland.
Now he understood Colt’s reckless stunt of jumping to the helicopter. Their brother was actively in the line of fire. He watched his brother fight inside the chopper, heart in his throat as Colt was kicked out the side. Thankfully, he managed to catch himself. Six watched the mad woman shoot at his brothers, wishing he could pull the trigger on his rifle without risk of hurting his siblings.
Good thing he didn’t have to, because Colt had counted the woman's bullets and flipped them the bird when she realized her gun was empty, and jumped out of the chopper with Ryland screaming all the way down, where they fell into this giant inflatable square. Six watched his brothers hit the safety net and focused his sights back on the chopper. He aimed for the fuel tank and shot. He watched with glee as the occupants of the chopper held on for dear life, the vehicle spinning out of control and landing a bit further away from Colt and Ryland.
Six packed up his rifle as he saw red and blue flashing lights pulling up to the fallen helicopter. His work here was done. Still, he pulled out his binoculars to see Ryland and Colt being hugged by a woman. Jody, if he remembered right. Colt’s girlfriend. She seemed nice.
Later, when all the fun had died down and Colt’s name was actively being cleared on the air, he watched his brothers tailgating on the beach and drinking liquor as a celebration. He chuckled, watching Colt trying to push Ryland’s head in the sand. Yup, they’d be alright.