A\N: And the second-to-last chapter...Here I start to introduce the theme. This story is about Tommy-but Tommy's life isn't the one changing. All the changes ultimately add up to nothing...or maybe everything. Life is a tapestry.
Tommy
When we land, the first thing I do is take a shower.
Karone chucks my clothes at me when I walk out. She looks like a thunderstorm. I go get dressed, following her down to the workout room.
We pummel punching bags and lift weights mechanically, sharply, both of us expressing the same rage and frustration and helplessness. Command One told me when I asked for flight coordinates; I don't know when Karone found out.
Earth will surrender to Eltar at the end of the week.
Finally Karone and I go crash on the couch.
When Karone wakes up, I come out of her kitchen, wiping my hands on a towel. "I'm baking pizza, but I'm still cleaning up."
Karone grins dryly and heads for her entertainment system. "Guess I'll put on the zombie movies, then."
I consider her kitchen. Flour exploded everywhere when I opened the bag, but it can wait. I chuck the towel over my shoulder and join my lover on the sofa.
"Kim said she'll keep the throne." Karone says. "For a while."
I nod. That was part of the plan-when Maligore made Kim and Jason his Heirs, they became the heirs to the Dark Court's highest throne. So the Ranger Corps knows at least one side of the conflict will agree to their demand for an end. I think Kim was supposed to transfer power to Karone, though. Karone's had more training. But if Karone were to take power now...
Well, it wouldn't look good.
"Watch out." I joke. "She'll drag you on endless shopping sprees."
Karone chuckles, curling up against me, half-laying on me like I'm half-laying on the sofa. She's really warm. Like a space heater or something. "Andros apologized."
"For the whole..." I make a gesture on my neck, the common euphemism Darklings have for enslavement. "...Thing?"
Karone's eyes cloud over with rage. "I swear I am going to shove that boy's head so far up his (censored) it comes out of his (censored) neck."
"Before or after you strangle him with his own intestines?" I ask dryly.
Karone shoots me a Look.
"We've had this conversation before." I remind her. "It's like being gay on Earth. And look how that turned out."
Karone sighs. "I punched him out."
"Good." Karone looks startled, and I snicker. "Maybe it'll fix his case of terminal stupidity."
Karone cracks up. Andros is...just not her favorite person anymore. I don't think it was actually his fault, even now that the half-dropped hints and everything make sense, but when she switched sides, it suddenly made her realize that, hey, she's a Shade. She associates him with trying to 'fix' that. It's painful for them both.
I have this image suddenly, of seeing a thousand trails around me, but never touching any of them, or going down my own. How many stories have I witnessed today? How many crisscrossing trails in the past week, month, year?
Where's mine?
It's a stupid thought. My path is as the leader of the Earth Ranger Corps, whatever that means, and everyone else's stories, well, that's what happens when you make friends, you find out about them. But it's still an interesting little thought pattern, and I file it away with all my other filed-away interesting thought patterns in case I ever get enough time to jot down poems again.
tug
I blink. So does Karone.
"...They used it?" I ask. I'm not quite sure what 'it' is, but it's the weapon that Zedd and the other first Rangers were creating.
"...No." Karone's more skilled at identifying what the Power tells her. "Not exactly. Just...threatened." She sighs. "That was anticlimactic."
"It probably was a big deal to someone else."
"Mmm." Karone flicks the entertainment system on. "You think Andros is okay?"
"Do I care?"
Karone chuckles. "You're so mean."
"So are you."
"Hey, I'm his sister, I'm allowed to be." She glances at her watch. "We've still got a few hours. Comedy, or horror?"
"Sci-fi." I answer, sticking my tongue out.
Karone giggles and flicks on a sci-fi, settling back.
The world keeps turning.
