A/N: I'm done ripping off myself, so there shouldn't be anything from Redundant anymore. Lots of questions/guesses about what Chris' illness is…all will be revealed. Just not in this chapter!
Thanks go to: chattypandagurl, Starry Sky 44, mjp3, girl-with-the-green-eyes, Charmed Ravenclaw, Icantthinkofafnick (Chris lost a bit of hair…premature balding sucks, eh?), Sparkling Cherries, and Zeria.
The End of All Things
Chapter 3
The Resistance's headquarters…in the future
Flipping through his journals, Chris was doing some research, hoping to come across a certain entry that he knew he'd written down the information he currently needed.
There had been something Riley had said…
Instead, a date caught his eye – diverting his attention temporarily.
You don't honestly think you can save the world, do you?
He smiled to himself, remembering the first acrimonious meeting he'd had with Kate.
Chris snorted. No, that would have been presumptuous…some would say arrogant, even. No, he hadn't thought he could save the world.
But he had thought he could save his brother.
Kate had accused him of being as asshole. Later, she would tell him, You son of a bitch…what gives you the right to think that you can change the course of history?
The valkyrie had never been one to mince words. When Wyatt had first begun his domination of the world, the valkyries had been one of the few magical beings Wyatt had left alone. Warriors by nature, and disdainful of what they deemed 'mortal' conflicts, Wyatt had been secure in the knowledge that if he left the formidable clan alone, they would maintain what they called their 'neutral' position.
As the Resistance had gathered their allies deep beneath the city, Chris had known that they needed to get the valkyries on their side. It could mean the difference between winning the conflict or perishing. As one of his first tasks as leader of the Resistance, he had made contact with the valkyries in hopes of persuading them to join the cause.
Kate had been unimpressed to say the least. Oh, it wasn't that the valkyries were unsympathetic, she had explained to Chris. But he had to understand, this was a mortal conflict – it had nothing to do with her or her sisters.
He'd tried another tactic, reminding her that it would only be a matter of time before Wyatt would come after her and her own. If she joined the Resistance now, they would at least all have a fighting chance.
She had remained unconvinced after that first meeting. And the next. And the next. Precious weeks passed as Chris met with the warrior woman again and again, pleading his case. Time wasted as he wooed and courted the valkyries for their alliance, knowing full well the Resistance needed them more than the valkyries needed them. It hadn't mattered; Chris had used every bit of cunning that he had to persuade the valkyries to their side – he'd been ruthless, twisting facts and manipulating intelligence to bring them on side.
It hadn't been one of his finer moments; that was for certain.
Still, guilt was an emotion he was accustomed to; he welcomed it with open arms if it meant furthering his agenda for the Resistance. He was careful not to examine his motives too closely; the war had changed him…made him realize that the idealism his mother had been so fond of waxing was for academics and morality was inconvenient. That didn't mean he didn't care, that he didn't want to do the right thing…
But if he had to tell a couple of lies than so be it.
After experiencing an attack by demons, the valkyries soon realized that even they could not remain neutral forever. Reluctantly, they had formed an uneasy alliance with the Resistance, helping to bulk up their numbers in the scouts. It had been a small victory for Chris.
Over the months, he and Kate had formed a friendship. She had trusted him – extraordinary in of itself as valkyries had a natural mistrust of humans and even more so of the males species. Chris had valued her perspective and her advice – as a valkyrie she had been alive longer than he could have ever imagined and her experience in war and war tactics had proved invaluable.
It was because of this that when Chris had first come up with the idea of going back to the past that he'd approached Kate for her opinion.
She had been stupefied at first. In fact, it had been sort of funny looking at her facial expression, frozen in a mixture of horror, outrage and amazement. At his small snort, Kate had recovered, quickly letting loose a torrent of foul language and expressions, making even him blush from the rather descriptive, anatomical actions she sputtered at him.
"I didn't even know leprechauns could do that…," he tried to interrupt gently.
"Shut up," Kate glared angrily at him. "I'm not finished."
"You don't have to," Chris replied rather wearily. "I get it. You think it's a bad idea."
"No," Kate corrected him, "I think it's a stupid idea. There's a difference."
"I need to do this."
" You humans. Always so impetuous. You've obviously already made up your mind," she accused. "So what do you want from me?"
"I'm going to need your help," Chris explained. "If my plan is going to work. I'm going to need the valkyries in the past to trust me. And I can't tell you why."
Kate sighed. "You're asking for a lot, Chris."
"I know."
"Do you?" she asked rhetorically. Digging into her back pocket, she pulled forth a leather armband and handed it to him. Taking the article from the valkyrie, he studied it, noting the mystical markings on it. He quirked his eyebrow at her in question.
"The markings are special to valkyries. With that, they'll recognize you as a friend. We never give those away. Ever. Seeing you with one, they'll know to trust you," Kate explained.
"They won't think I killed one to get it?" Chris asked, wanting to make sure he had all his bases covered.
Kate shook her head. "The markings, they disappear if the armband isn't 'given.' That's how they'll know. Normally, we only give these to our new sisters. Now I'm giving you one. If you show it to my past self, I should be able to recognize my own handiwork too."
He looked up, meeting her eyes gravely, "I don't know how to thank you."
"I guess I can accept you saving the world as thanks enough," she cracked, her sarcasm coating her voice.
"I don't want us parting like this…you're my friend, Kate. Just because we can't agree…""Go." Kate waved her hand at him tiredly, " Go, before I change my mind. And Chris?"
He paused from turning to take his leave, "Yes?"
"If you really want to thank me, than behave with honour."
He looked down at his journal, coming back to reality.
And how had he repaid her? He'd betrayed the trust of the valkyries in the past, stealing a few of her sisters' amulets so the Charmed Ones could enter Valhalla unnoticed.
Suffice to say, that hadn't gone into his journals. Every time he met with Kate, he could feel his guilt suffocating him. Apparently she hadn't made the connection between her missing sisters in the past and himself. Or she chose not to. And he certainly hadn't worked up the courage to confess. After all, what could he say? Sorry I had to betray your trust and kill a couple of your sisters because ultimately I thought I would save Wyatt and hence save the world? Oh and by the way, in case you didn't realize it, it didn't work.
Chris frowned unhappily. What had he been looking for again?
Cursing his lack of memory, he slammed the journal shut. Standing up abruptly, a wave of dizziness overcame him. Reaching out blindly for the side of the table, Chris leaned heavily against the piece of furniture. He swallowed, tasting the salty bile of his nausea before forcing it back down. He remained motionless for several minutes, waiting for the room to stop spinning. Wiping the back of his hand along his nose, he winced as he saw it come away with a bit of blood. Knowing a full-blown nosebleed was coming on, he quickly shoved himself away from the wooden table, stumbling into the washroom.
He turned the taps on, letting the water run. Splashing his face with cold water, he watched as the water swirled around and disappeared into the sinkhole. As he stood there, his head bent over the sink, weakly grasping the sides of the sink to support himself, he could only grimace at the sight that greeted his eyes. The whirling water was no longer clear…it was a muddy red.
Red from blood.
His.
Walking briskly through the cold, steel corridors, Les quickly made his way to command central where he knew he would find Darryl waiting for him. Entering the command centre, Les surveyed the room. As before, a group of telepaths manned the communications network, maintaining constant contact with every scout group of the Resistance. It was as if the war had never 'truly' ended. He shook his head; that was unfair – things had changed…subtly. Guards were no longer posted around the operations area for one thing. Yes, there were things that still needed to be accomplished but at least now they could all see the light at the end of the tunnel.
"Darryl," Les cleared his throat hesitantly.
Darryl looked up from the papers he was studying, adjusting the wire rimmed glasses absently as he caught sight of his friend. "Les! Good to see you. We've missed you."
Nodding his head, Les smiled slightly, "Yeah, right. So you going to bring me up to speed?"
Darryl nodded, gesturing at one of the chairs nearby, "First I want to hear about New York."
Les shrugged, "I really don't know what else I can tell you that my weekly report didn't. Work is progressing. We got three of the five power stations up and running again, and the last two should be working by the end of the month. We've got the water plant running at 50 per cent and it should be at a hundred in the next two weeks."
"Good, good," Darryl marked something on one of the pages, making notes as Les brought him up to speed. "What about DJ's team? I heard you met up with them for the last two sites?"
"Didn't DJ bring you up to speed on that? I thought he told me he was going to debrief you as soon as we checked in last night," Les asked, a little worriedly.
Darryl shook his head, "I haven't had a chance to speak with him yet. Things have been pretty hectic around here as we try to get as many generators built and then transported out to everyone who needs them. Electricity is key. We've got to get all the power stations up and running before we can really start rebuilding in earnest."
"Believe me, I know," Les replied, a little sardonically, remembering the week's earlier events.
Darryl arched an eyebrow in Les' direction, "Anything I need to know about?"
Les shook his head, "Nah, just a couple of trouble makers. Where would the world be without them, right?"
Letting the comment slide, Darryl refocused his attention back to the pile of requisition forms, inventory files, and other administrative papers, "Is there anything else?"
Les rubbed the back of his neck wearily; it was funny. During the war with Wyatt, Les had never thought about what needed to be done after they had won. He had figured things would go back to the way they were before. That he and everyone else would be able to step right back into their lives where they had left off. He'd completely ignored the need for infrastructure – hell, he'd assumed that the power would be there, the sanitation department would pick up garbage, the water plants would pump again, and stuff would just, well, sort of, be there.
More fool he.
When once he had been the 'go-to-guy' next to Chris and Darryl on strategizing attacks against demons and organizing scouting forays, Les now found himself, more often than not, coordinating with urban planners, engineers and other individuals all in the effort of actually reconstructing. If anything, he found there were even more variables in these post-war planning than any combat plans he had done previously –What were the priorities? Food? Water? Power? Medical supplies? Fuel? What about safety on construction sites? What about tools, machinery and other equipment? Where would they get the natural resources? How would they transport them? Where would they store them until they were needed? How many people were going to be needed to complete the project? Did these people have the skills they needed?
It was a logistical nightmare.
Feeling more than a little out of his depth, Les cleared his throat again nervously, "So did you find a replacement for me?"
Darryl narrowed his eyes, "Look Les, I know you feel like your swimming out of your depth, but we're spread thin as it is. I'm looking, believe me, but it's not enough for your replacement to have technical knowledge. There's more to being a leader than knowing which socket wrench to use."
Les nodded, "I know. I just…I just don't want to make the wrong decision because of my lack of knowledge."
"That's why you have an expert each leading their own team," Darryl explained patiently. "An engineer leads the engineers, the urban planner coordinates the infrastructure, et cetera, et cetera. Yes?"
Sighing, Les drummed his fingers on the table, "Yeah. Yeah, sure." Coughing slightly, Les changed the topic, "Anyways, why don't you tell me why you needed me back here? What couldn't you tell me through our telepaths?"
A shadow passed over Darryl's face; his eyes sliding in the direction of the telepaths seated in the room, Darryl gestured at Les to follow him to the small meeting room, "Follow me."
Getting up from his seat, Les trailed after Darryl inside, taking a seat at the chair behind the desk. Propping his feet up on the desk, Les leaned backed in his chair casually, "So?"
Shutting the door firmly behind them, Darryl turned to face his friend, "We have a problem."
"I kind of figured when you said, 'Get your ass back here now.' What couldn't wait until I was done with NYC?" Les quirked his eyebrow.
Sighing, Darryl didn't meet Les' gaze, "It's Chris."
Les' feet came crashing down from the desk at the tone in Darryl's voice, "What about Chris? I thought…I thought Lilah and Ben were…working…with him." Les' voice took on an accusatory tone, "You told me everything was being looked after."
"Ben stopped by to see me this morning," Darryl shook his head. "They…they don't think they can…do…anything for him."
"Jesus," Les closed his eyes as he blasphemed. Opening his eyes, he looked at Darryl for confirmation, "Are we…certain?"
Swallowing, Darryl nodded. "Yeah."
"I should…need to go see him," Les said tiredly.
"Yeah. I figured you would. That's why I called you back," Darryl gestured at the door. "Go. Tell him I'll stop by later, okay?"
Nodding, his heart heavy, Les left.
Ah, Chris…why?Elsewhere, in the Bay area…
"I thought Chris said Ben was going to stop by…," Jenny Sheridan voiced, her tone doubtful.
"Darryl said he got tied up with an emergency…and Darryl knew you wanted this done ASAP. Not to worry, I've done this spell before. We would have told you but…" Duncan shrugged as his voice trailed off.
Communications from Sheridan and her group had been spotty – the telecommunications network destroyed during the war still offline. The inhabitants had declined Chris' offer to have a telepath on site; instead, runners were sent back and forth for information updates, meaning it was sometimes days before messages were received.
Sheridan was unable to meet Duncan's eyes, "Yeah. Sorry about that. It's just…people feel more comfortable without…"
"Our presence," Duncan finished, his tone dry. "So I've heard…"
The two former allies were currently standing in a partially restored office building. The Bay area had been one of the most heavily hit during the war with Wyatt due to its proximity to Wyatt's then stronghold. The trickling arrival of supplies coupled with the total decimation of the area was slowing the heavy refortification and rebuilding efforts significantly. He kept his thoughts to himself, but Duncan knew it was foolish of Sheridan and the others to rebuild on such a hot spot – some of the ruins were still smouldering and probably would for years to come. If it had been me, I would have picked a nice piece of beachfront property…
"That should do it," Duncan said briskly, gathering up his things. He eyed the former inspector with a raised eyebrow. "Looks like you can breathe easily once again without fear that one of us will pop by unexpectedly."
Sheridan nodded, ignoring the sarcasm in the witch's voice, "Mind telling me what the radius is on this thing?"
"The dead zone? The spell extends just past the city walls," Duncan indicated the heavy fortifications currently under construction around the Bay area city. "This isn't like the one that was around the Resistance's HQ. Chris specifically told me to keep it to the city limits."
Sheridan's eyebrows shot up in irritated astonishment, "He did, did he?"
Duncan shrugged. "Chris wanted to make sure the Resistance could still get here as quickly as possible, just in case…while still granting you your request."
"How magnanimous of him," Sheridan snipped.
"Actually, I rather think it is," Duncan leapt to the defence of his friend quickly, annoyed with the former inspector's attitude. "He could of easily denied your request."
Sheridan snorted, "Not if he didn't know what was good for him." She sighed, noticing Duncan's facial expression, "Don't give me that look. I didn't mean it that way."
"Really?" Duncan's voice was full of scepticism. He crossed his arms in front of him, "So what way did you mean it?"
Another sigh emanated from the older woman. "Chris needs to wake up. Things can't go back to the way they were before. People know about magic…about demons. And they're scared. People are scared of things they don't understand and they certainly don't understand magic. Can you blame them?"
"I can if they group us with the demons," Duncan snapped back, completely unsympathetic. "We risked our lives for you!"
"And that's exactly my point!" Sheridan pointed out. "You said 'we.' You obviously don't consider yourselves one of us. And maybe…maybe we don't either."
"Are you kidding me?" Duncan stared at the woman in astonishment. "Last time I checked, I was still part of the human race!"
"And I'm not saying you aren't," Sheridan's voice soothed. "But look at it from my standpoint…people are scared, Duncan. Of magic. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad. To them…it's all the same thing."
"This is ridiculous…people weren't scared of us when they looked to us for protection from Wyatt!"
"Because they didn't have a choice!" Sheridan quickly returned.
"So you're telling me if they had a choice, they wouldn't have trusted us to help against Wyatt?" Duncan looked completely confused.
"Look Duncan, what's done is done. The important thing is to concentrate on the future," Sheridan said, wearily. "Right now, all I care about is making sure people feel safe so they can just get on with their lives."
"Fine," Duncan nodded, curtly. He didn't want to pursue the argument any further either. "Anything else you need?"
A new voice interrupted, "How about those supplies you keep promising us?"
Duncan turned his head towards the newcomer. The man, who appeared to be in his late forties, was average looking with a slight paunch. Wearing a trucker hat and a five o'clock shadow, there was nothing notable about him except the belligerent look in his dull brown eyes.
"The supplies are on their way," Duncan replied, evenly, aware of the tension in the air.
The man's chin jutted out, "Yeah? Funny. That's what you assholes said last week."
"Jeremiah…enough," Sheridan warned. "I've got this under control. Just go let the others know that the no-orbing spell is in place."
Jeremiah shot Duncan a look full of disgust before saying, "You freaks make me sick. I know all about you idiots giving those damn dirty leprechauns a pub. A pub for god's sakes! While people here are still looking for shelter!"
"Look, I don't know what you've heard –," Duncan tried to explain.
"Save it!" Jeremiah cut off Duncan's reply. "I've had just about all I can take from you turkeys." Giving Sheridan a curt nod, "You'd best escort him off the premises if you don't want anything to happen to him."
As the man walked away, Duncan turned his gaze towards Sheridan, asking quietly, "Is that a threat?"
"Let's just say it's an…observation, Duncan," Sheridan said tiredly. Motioning Duncan to follow her, "Regardless, Jeremiah's right. He's not the only one who's feeling a little shafted around here. It's best I escort you to the border. Let's go."
Frustrated, Duncan ran his fingers through his hair agitatedly, "Just what is the problem here? Aren't we all in this together? Hell, Sheridan – I can't remember the number of missions I worked on with you. I would think after all we've been through, you'd trust me enough know I'm on your side. Are you telling me it was all an act?"
Sheridan continued to walk, leading Duncan through the winding streets of the devastated city. Everywhere they looked, it was crowded with people, all involved with some kind of repair work. The sound of jackhammers, drills and other construction noises polluted the air, adding to the sense of confined chaos. "Duncan, you know I respect you and Chris. But I have to represent those I'm responsible for. And right now, like it or not, people are angry."
Duncan sighed, trying not to cringe at the glares he was receiving from some of the workers who paused in their repairs as he passed. "I'm definitely not liking it. Why do I get the nasty feeling that these people are looking for someone to blame and that someone is going to be me?"
An uncomfortable look briefly crossed Sheridan's face, "People are frustrated. But I've got it under control. Duncan…you have to trust me."
Stifling another sigh, Duncan muttered, "It's not you I don't trust…"
"What's that?" Sheridan raised her voice over the noisy street.
Arriving at the edge of city, the two stopped in front of the tall city wall. Already the city fortifications were quickly surrounding the city. With the no-orbing spell now in place, soon the only way in and out of the city would be through gates placed in strategic locations along the city walls. It uncomfortably reminded Duncan of medieval times. Shaking his head slightly, he didn't bother repeating himself, "I've got to go…"
Sheridan nodded. Holding her hand out, she said seriously, "Thanks, Duncan."
Without hesitation, Duncan clasped the older woman's hand, "Your welcome. Just…remember. I'm on your side." Looking over his shoulder, he saw blue orbs forming just outside the gates. "Looks like my ride is here."
A small crowd behind Sheridan had gathered, watching the witch and their leader. Suspicious glances were shooting amongst the group, seemingly directed at the newcomer. Ignoring the niggling in his brain, Duncan stepped towards the whitelighter, nodding one last time at Sheridan. "See you."
Oblivious to the crowd behind her, Jenny Sheridan's mouth quirked into a small smile, "See you."
Glancing at his ride, Duncan gestured, "Back to base." The whitelighter nodded, placing her arm on his, dissolving the both into a cloud of blue orbs.
And as the two orbed out, Duncan thought he heard…
Good riddance…"How are you feeling?" Lilah asked, pressing her hand to Chris' forehead.
"Fine," Chris said, a touch short, jerking his head away from the whitelighter. Sarcasm dripped from his tongue, "Why? How do you think I'm feeling?"
Standing back for a moment, the whitelighter cast her eye over Chris, noting his appearance. The circles under his eyes clearly indicated that he hadn't been sleeping, but otherwise he seemed perfectly healthy. "You look tired."
"I feel tired," Chris grumbled. Balling up the blood soaked handkerchief, he lobbed it into the air, watching it land perfectly in the nearby trash bin.
Ben hovered on the edge, agitated. "We've told you, Chris. You need to take it easy."
Chris sighed. "I know. And I will. Right after I know things are in place and the rebuilding efforts are well underway."
Opening her mouth to argue, Lilah began, "Chris –,"
A knock on the door interrupted the whitelighter before she could complete her thought. The slightly ajar door was pushed open further as a familiar head poked itself around, "Chris? You in here?"
Smiling tiredly at his friend, Chris waved Les in, "Les. Thank God you found me. Maybe you could convince these two quacks to let me out of here without another lecture."
Studying his friend surreptitiously, Les could see Chris was pale but not alarmingly so, "So what are you doing here in the infirmary?"
Hopping down from his perch on the counter, Chris shrugged, "I'll tell you on the way back to my quarters." Looking at Ben and Lilah who were both eyeing him in displeasure, "I'll catch up with you both later? I really need Les to fill me in on the situation."
Sighing Lilah waved her hand in reluctant acceptance, saying only, "Come see me right away if you have any more nose bleeds...or any…other problems."
Ben grimaced, "You know what I think." Glancing at his watch, "Shit! I've got a meeting I've got to get to. Les – I want to catch up with you too. Dinner later?"
Les grinned as Ben swiftly moved towards the door. "Yeah. I'll see you in the mess hall around seven," he called out as Ben's form disappeared around the corner.
Nodding their goodbyes, Chris and Les took their leave from Lilah, with Chris promising to search out Lilah at the first sign of any more nosebleeds. The two friends set a leisurely pace, exiting the infirmary and strolling along the halls towards Chris' quarters.
"You want to fill me in on NYC?" Chris asked, as they walked along.
"Nothing to write home about. I filled in Darryl and filed a report. Long story short – things seemed to be going well," Les shrugged absently. "What about you? How was your meeting with Inspector Sheridan?"
Shooting Les a dirty look, Chris replied, "Don't call her that, okay? It's creepy enough as it is for me to deal with people I've dealt with in the past. Let's not drag up old history, okay? And the meeting was…interesting."
"Yeah? How so?" Les asked, nodding at familiar faces they passed in the hall. Half paying attention to Chris, Les gestured at his friends that he'd catch up with them later.
Crossing the huge rotunda, the pair took the corridor to the right, where the new living quarters were. Though many of the humans had left, some still remained behind, seeing the common sense to remain where food, shelter and relative comfort was readily available. However, because so many families had left up world, Chris had consolidated the living quarters of both the Resistance fighters and the families they protected into one wing. This had allowed him to shut down the area where most of the Resistance fighters had been housed previously and freed up one of the major power generators. It was that generator that had gone to NYC.
"I'm not sure," Chris hesitated. Though he and Sheridan had never been…friends…per se, they did have a mutual understanding. Something in his conversation with her had flicked a switch on in Chris' brain…
Losing interest in the topic, Les shrugged, "I'm sure she was her usual charming self."
Unconvinced, Chris replied thoughtfully, "I guess…"
Arriving at Chris' new quarters, Les waited patiently as Chris unlocked the wooden door. Following his friend inside, Les looked around in curiosity. He hadn't been to Chris' new quarters as he had left for NYC just before the move. Two very tall bookshelves crammed with books occupied the entire side of one wall. A neatly made bed complete with hospital corners was situated against the far wall. A square table sat in the middle of the room and to Les' right, a small work area with a rather untidy paper-littered desk and chair sat flush against the side.
Pulling the chair over, Les sat down in reverse fashion, letting his arms rest on the back of the chair as he looked over at Chris. "Nice place."
Not amused, Chris stood in front of his bookshelves, his back to Les, as he began to rummage through the many books. "Seriously…how was New York? How many months before they're completely up and running?"
Frustrated, Les ran his hand through his hair, "Two, maybe? Three? I'm not sure. At least the water filtration plants are up and almost running at full tilt. I'm just worried about food and housing."
"Yeah, well, we do what we can," Chris sighed. "We're still on strict rations here too. By the way, I met with Kate as well while you were away."
"And just how is my favourite valkyrie?"
Chris tilted his head to read the titles on the spines of the books as he searched for the one he was looking for. "She's good. Her sisters are good. Valhalla seems to have gotten through the war relatively unscathed."
"Too bad we can't say that for most of the human cities," Les sighed. Watching Chris carefully, he prompted, "So you never answered me."
"Sorry?" Chris mumbled, as finding the book he wanted, he placed his index finger on the top of its spine, edging it out towards him.
"Why you were in the infirmary," Les reminded his friend patiently.
Still with his back to his friend, Chris shrugged, flipping open the book in hand, "Nosebleed. All that hot air up world. Guess I'm a little too used to our climate controlled base."
"Haha," Les replied, rather sourly. "Chris – I talked to Darryl. He told me about –,"
Slamming the book shut, he whirled on Les, cutting off what his friend was about to say, hissing, "Don't. Don't say it."
Les tried one last time, "We should really talk about it…"
"There's nothing to talk about," Chris replied bitterly. "Let's just stay focused, okay?"
Seeing the steely determination in Chris' eyes, Les relented rather reluctantly, "Okay." Given Chris' hostility, Les decided a change in subject was necessary. However, in the back of his mind, Les resolved to return to that topic soon. "Oh – I mentioned to Darryl…there seemed to be a little…trouble at one of the towns."
Narrowing his eyes at Les, Chris crossed his arms, "Define trouble."
Les shrugged. "I'm sure I'm just overreacting…"
"Les," Chris said warningly.
"Some trouble makers. They accused the Resistance of keeping all the supplies for themselves, that sort of stuff. Ingratitude, if you ask me," Les sniffed.
Chris pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly, "Sheridan thinks we should carry identification cards."
"What?" Les blinked at Chris blankly, bewildered at the seemingly unrelated topics.
"Identification cards. That would 'identify' us as magical beings on the side of good," Chris shook his head in amazement. "She thinks it will help the general populace feel safer."
"How does that make them feel safer?" Les asked sceptically. "Hell, it's not like a demon is going to pull out a card and say, 'hey, I'm one of the bad guys. Please vanquish me.' That's got to be the stupidest idea I've heard yet."
"Believe you me, I think it's a stupid idea as well," Chris rolled his eyes. "But that, along with the incident you experienced and the valkyries being worried, and some other incidents popping up…is making me…jumpy."
"Huh? The valkyries are worried too?" Les looked puzzled. "How are these things connected?"
"They aren't. And that's what worries me."
To be continued…
(I'll be without access to a computer for three weeks, so the next update won't be for awhile…sorry!)
