Chapter 10

Tim felt like the day lasted a long time, but he wasn't doing anything, so time felt like it was moving slowly anyway. Tony had given up on remaining upright for the time being and had gone back into the spare room to rest, since Tim was already on the couch. Tim was still sitting up, mostly because he'd have to expend a little bit of energy to start falling back down onto the couch and lay down. It wasn't worth the effort, so he just sat there, sinking lower and lower.

As he sat slumped on the couch, he suddenly noticed it getting significantly lighter in the room. Since sudden changes in light had been generally a bad thing recently, Tim felt more than a little worried. ...but at the same time, he couldn't make himself do anything about it. Then, there was a man sitting across from him, almost blinding him with the light emanating from him. His skin was golden, his hair was blue, like lapis lazuli, but Tim couldn't look for long. He winced and closed his eyes.

"My apologies. I did not think about my light."

The light dimmed to manageable levels and Tim dared to open his eyes. The man sitting there was familiar to him. Very familiar.

"I know you," Tim said.

"Yes," the man said.

"Ra."

"Yes."

Tim thought that maybe he should be feeling awed, but that would take too much energy.

"Shouldn't you be carrying the sun or something?" he asked, dully. "I thought that was your job."

"Yes, but I have delayed the sun's passage for a time."

"What?" Tim asked. He tried to look out the window at the sun but then decided it didn't make any difference. Who really noticed the second-by-second movement of the sun? "How is that possible?"

Ra smiled. "I am a god."

"Yes, but..."

"That is the only answer I can give," Ra said. His voice was deep and calm. "Why can you hold your breath when you choose? Or close your eyes or plug your ears? You are made to breathe and see and hear, but when you choose, you can stop yourself from doing so. You have that control. I am the god of the sun. I am made to carry it, but when I choose, I can stop."

"I guess," Tim said.

There was a moment of silence as Ra seemed to stare at him, evaluating.

"You do not look comfortable as you are," Ra said.

"I'm not," Tim admitted.

"Why remain in that position?"

"It takes too much effort to move. I haven't recovered from Set's power. Just sitting up was hard."

"I will help you," Ra said.

He leaned over, but instead of helping Tim lay down, he put one hand on Tim's shoulder and one on his temple. Then, Tim felt energy moving into his body. It wasn't like the painful feeling from Set, the surge of uncontrolled electricity that threatened to destroy him from the inside out. It was like lying out in the sun on a spring day, feeling the gradual warmth from his head to his toes, warming him all the way through, gently and thoroughly.

The other difference was that, when Ra let him go and sat back, the energy didn't vanish.

"What did you just do?"

"The sun gives life and energy to the world. You were in need of that, so I gave it to you, just as the sun does."

Tim was amazed at how he felt. There was still an edge of weakness, of tiredness, but the idea of moving didn't seem impossible. He straightened on the couch.

"Why are you here?" he asked. "To do that?"

"Since it was needed, yes, but there is more. I am grateful for what you did, even though you were not aware of what you were doing when Set forced you to carry his ka. His assistance was needed but it was not necessary that he travel that way. He could have attempted to reconcile with Heru. His choice was much quicker than any other way would have been."

"I don't know if I think it was worth it."

"I do not blame you. I doubt it was better. Only faster. There is one thing more that I must do, that Set should have done but did not."

"What?"

Ra reached out his hand and Tim was shocked to see his badge sitting there.

"I... I gave it as an offering. I was told it was necessary to be able to speak to him at all."

Ra nodded. "Yes, but in taking control of your body, Set rejected this offering and took another, one that was not given willingly, although it was still given. Once that happened, Set should have returned this offering to you. It is no wonder you struggled to regain your strength when this symbol was taken."

"It's just a thing I carry," Tim said. "It's not..."

"Perhaps in this place, but in the place where you gave it, it was a representation of your strength and power. It is what you said it was. You gave it, and it was taken. Once he had used it, he should have given it back. It is no surprise that Set kept it, but it is disappointing. Please, take what is yours."

Tim hesitated but then, he reached out and grabbed his badge from Ra's outstretched hand.

...and it felt like something he had lost had been returned to him, something more than his badge.

Could it be real?

Was he really still questioning the reality of what had happened after seeing it for himself?

"I feel something."

"Yes."

"It's just an object. It's not me... It's..."

He curled his fingers around his badge and drew it to his chest. Then, he swallowed.

"Will I always feel like this? It really isn't a benefit to having my energy tied to something I could lose."

Ra smiled. "No. Now that you have what you lost, it will return to what it is. That is, as you say, just a thing, but you bound your strength into it when you offered it. Now, it is what it what it should be in this place."

"How does that work?"

"I am not aware."

"But you knew about this place. All of you seemed to know of it. Why?"

"It is a place where we exist, even just in myths as you call them. We know of those places where we exist. There are other places, but we would only know them if we sought them out."

Tim looked at his badge again. He'd never thought of it as anything but just something he carried as part of his job. To be sure, he'd been very proud the first time he'd got to have one, but at this point, it wasn't anything really special. To have it suddenly become important like this was strange.

"But now, I must return to my boat. Apep will regenerate and I must be there to guide the sun on its passage through the underworld."

"Why?"

"Because that is my task as it has been for many ages. Apep would return the world to chaos. I cannot allow chaos to reign."

"What about Set?"

"Set is also a god of chaos, but his is chaos that lives within the order. Even his chaos is an order of a sort. Unpredictable but expected."

"Chaos theory. That's... math here."

Ra smiled once more. "It is Set. But Set can be spoken to, reasoned with, even forced into order for a time. Apep cannot. All he wishes is to return the world to chaos. Nothing less will satisfy him."

"Why?"

"Because that is what he is. You may as well as ask why you are human. He is chaos. It is what he is. He cannot be anything other than what he is."

Ra stood.

"We have not thought well of you in this part of the world," he said. "This must change. We would not have thought that you would be willing to accept what we are. You have done so and for that you have my gratitude and my well wishes. Many pray to me, asking that men live while I shine. I will leave you with my blessing that you may live well while I shine. Farewell."

Then, before Tim could say anything else, the room brightened, almost beyond his ability to bear it. He closed his eyes and brought his arms up in front of his face. When the light faded, he opened his eyes and looked around.

Ra was gone.

Tim took a breath and looked at his badge once more. Then, hardly knowing why, he turned it over and looked at the back.

And in spite of himself, he smiled.

The door opened and he looked up.

"Timothy, you look much better than this morning."

"I'm feeling better," he said.

Ducky walked over and sat beside him.

"I felt as though the day lasted forever," Ducky said. "But perhaps those seeming extra hours were helpful."

Tim laughed a little. "Yeah. Maybe."

He looked down at his badge again and rubbed his fingers over it.

Emblazoned on the back of his badge, lined up perfectly with the Navy seal on the front, was the eye of Ra, encased in a circle.

"Maybe, I just needed a little more daylight," he said softly.

"Whatever it was that helped you, I'm thrilled to see you so improved. Would that Anthony could heal as quickly."

"Yeah. I guess it'll take ribs longer."

"I'm sure it will. Are you hungry?"

"I could eat."

"Good. I will go and check on Anthony and then, we'll see what we can have for dinner."

"That's sounds good," Tim said.

Ducky got up and walked back to the spare room. Tim sat where he was, looking at the eye of Ra. He didn't know what the symbol for Set was besides that weird dog thing, but he was glad that wasn't now on his badge. Maybe things could get back to normal.

Then, for a just a moment, the eye glowed a bright green. Then, it was back to a simple engraving.

"Normal. Not anymore," he whispered to himself.

Then, he put his badge into his pocket and waited for Ducky to come back.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

...in the night...

"Apep comes."

Heru took up a protective position near Ra. As Apep came nearer, there was a flash of lightning and Set appeared on the barque.

"Apep comes," Heru said.

"I am here," Set said.

They looked at each other for a moment, the god of order and the god of chaos. Then, they turned their attention to the waters.

"Are you prepared?" Heru asked.

"I am always prepared."

Apep suddenly launched himself out of the water. The gods defended.

And Set attacked.

...and the barque sailed on.

FINIS!