AN:Thanks for the reviews, you guys are awesome! And thank you to Greg for beta-ing.
XLVIII.
Jimmy hadn't been thrilled to reach the daycare center and find out that, not only was it under heavy attack, but Ben had volunteered to run inside and play human shield, while Weaver and the other fighters dreamed up methods to get passed the mess of Skitters and Mechs out front. There were some cars along the street that looked to have been abandoned during the invasion, meaning they most likely had gas still in the fuel tanks, so of course, Dai suggested setting them in neutral, shoving them towards the fray, and essentially using them as bombs.
Once Weaver was updated on the situation at the community center, he determined that getting the hell out of Dodge seemed to be in order. Southwest had been the direction he'd sent the civilians earlier, and there were several camp spots he'd highlighted that direction prior to the attacks, it seemed the best way to run. As soon as he heard about the napalm, he decided lighting things on fire seemed the easiest and most effective distraction for the enemy, it could also serve as a signal for everyone to sprint for freedom, and thus, Jimmy was sent to resume his role as sewer boy, with the added titles of 'messenger boy' and 'delivery boy'. Weaver wanted Jimmy to head back to the community center and pass the instructions on and fetch the napalm, then Jimmy would continue to play tour guide when the children were rescued from the center, leading them out of town towards a determined rendezvous point along the highway. Meanwhile, another pair of fighters went to flag down Hal's team and give them the new orders.
Getting back to the community center went smooth. Jimmy bolted through the underground corridors, traversing the pathway back on memory alone, unaware of his own inability to breathe, as he raced up the stairs to the community center and bolted onto the roof.
"Jimmy? What the hell…?" Anthony started in surprise, the others spinning round in stun at the sudden arrival as well.
"Weaver…daycare center…need napalm," Jimmy coughed out, clutching his sides as he gasped for air. He really needed to stop smoking, but dear God, how he would kill for a cigarette right then.
"You found Weaver?" Anthony demanded.
"And he wants to light a daycare center on fire, don't forget that part. Can't say I blame you, though, kid, never much liked those places myself," Pope added disinterestedly.
"Is there a plan in there somewhere? Or are we just handing over our best weapon right now?" Lyle wondered.
"Yeah…head southwest," Jimmy nodded, coughing and finally managing to keep some air in his lungs long enough to string a few coherent words together, "Weavers wants to start up a fire, on the east side…when you guys see flames, you have to move…"
"That's the plan? Feels a little lacking in finesse," Tector complained.
"And sanity," Boon put in.
Then they both smirked at one another and decided in unity, "We're in."
"So…can I get the napalm?" Jimmy said, looking expectant at the others.
"Well, wait," Anthony replied, "We got to send a runner out to the cars, get the message to our drivers."
"And you're volunteering the kid, I like you're thinking," Pope grinned, slapping Anthony's shoulder approvingly, "He's squirrely, I bet he runs fast."
"No," Anthony groaned, and Jimmy made a face, glancing down at himself self-consciously and mouthing the word 'squirrely', "I'm thinking we should get Weaver a few presents from the munitions truck. Give him the best chance we can."
"Oh, good, well, that's nice thinking, officer friendly. But if not the kid, then who's running out to the munitions truck?" Pope demanded, and Anthony gave Pope a pointed look, causing Pope to scoff in mildly comical anger, "Have you completely forgotten, mister uptight and orderly, that I am a criminal and not to be trusted?"
"I'll do it," Jimmy sighed.
"No, we need you," Anthony said.
"And what the hell am I?" Pope cried, making a show of indignation, "You know, here I thought we were becoming fast friends, bonding over bullets. A cop and a criminal, best buds, we could've been a variety show or a sitcom. I was thinking of getting you a decoder ring and everything."
"Oh shut up, Pope. I'll do it," Anthony growled, passing his rifle off to Jimmy, "Watch my back, huh?"
"Yeah, sure. Be careful," Jimmy replied, tentatively taking the offered gun and watching Anthony's hasty retreat down the stairs a few seconds before taking up position on the roof's edge. He could feel the heated glares of the others on him and glanced questioningly at them.
"Maybe you can answer a question for us, kid," Lyle jeered.
Jimmy shifted uncomfortably, suddenly remembering he was trapped on the roof with the 2nd Mass's anti-alien patrol and 'Kill All Razorback' spokespersons.
He grumbled, "What?"
"You know what bestiality is, right?"
Jimmy frowned, shrugged, and slowly, reluctantly shook his head, peeking through the scope of his rifle to get a lay of the land below. He didn't know where the conversation was going, but he felt certain he wouldn't like where it ended up.
"It's when a person, human, right? Screws around with something not human, like an animal," Crazy Lee explained.
"Okay," Jimmy mumbled, taking a quick enemy count and noting the wind-speed, direction. He knew Anthony would be moving into position soon. Many of the Skitter numbers had died down around the center, Jimmy assumed because they headed off for the daycare center, which didn't exactly sit well with him.
"Those kids, that had the harness removed, they ain't quite human anymore," Lyle persisted, and Jimmy's stomach bottomed out, "So if you screw around with one of them, would that be bestiality, you think?"
"Are you guys going to give Anthony cover fire, or not?" Jimmy returned his words rigid and sharply edged. The others laughed, shuffling towards the roof edge to line up their own rifles.
"What's your rush? You act like this is an emergency or something," Crazy Lee joked, causing the others to laugh again.
They saw Anthony leave the center below and opened fire, drawing the enemy towards themselves, taking out as many as they could, and giving Anthony a clear path for the cars. He made a beeline for the munitions truck, pausing briefly at each car in passing to get the orders relayed, then he climbed into the back of the truck, reappearing minutes later with a sack, and sprinting back to the center entrance. Anthony returned to the roof and exchanged the sack for his rifle, and Jimmy took a peek inside.
"Presents," Jimmy smirked, shouldering the sack, "I think Weaver'll like it."
"Better get a move on," Anthony instructed Jimmy.
Jimmy didn't hesitate. He barely heard their called good-byes and good-lucks, before he found himself blazing another path through the sewers again. Although his body was in burning pain from the earlier run, the day's events overall, and he felt ready to pass out for a hundred years, he felt almost numb to it, because he knew Ben was on the other side. Jimmy needed to see for himself that Ben was alright, maybe then he could relax a little.
…
As predicted, Jimmy was waiting at the sewer entrance, and climbed out to greet the group when they arrived. Ben watched almost enviously as Captain Weaver, Dai, and a few other fighters moved forward to exchange words with Jimmy, while himself remaining at the back of the crowd and just examining the other boy, reveling in his appearance and that they were finally in close proximity to one another after so many hours of uncertainty and anxiousness, only slightly overshadowed with the frustration that they'd be parting ways again soon without so much as a word or touch.
Jimmy looked in good shape, or as good a shape as any of them looked at that moment. A bit bruised and battered, caked in blood and mud and who knew – or wanted to know – what else. Jimmy passed over a sack he had across his shoulders to Captain Weaver, shook hands with the men, and for a brief second, sought out Ben's eyes through the crowd. They held each other's gaze long enough to send a flurry of emotions, passing to one another their fear, their worry, their relief, but it wasn't nearly long enough for Ben when Jimmy turned away and descended back into the dank tunnels below. He felt instantly crushed knowing it would be another several hours, at least, before they'd have the chance to so much as glimpse one another again. In too many ways, it wasn't fair.
Ben sighed, kneeling down to eye level with Matt and gripping his younger brother's shoulders.
"You have to go with Jimmy," he started.
"Yeah, I know," Matt grumbled, scowling into the distance.
"Hey, you," Ben murmured, cupping Matt's cheek and forcing the petulant boy's eyes onto him, "I heard you in there, the daycare. You were brave. I'm proud of you."
"I can fight, you know," Matt insisted, "I'm not just some stupid little kid. I'm strong. You and Hal aren't the only ones that can fight and save the day and everything, I can too. This isn't just your guys' war, it's mine too."
"I know that," Ben returned softly, "That's why I'm going to ask you to do me a favor?"
"What?" Matt mumbled, dropping his chin and frowning at the ground.
"Me and Jimmy, when we're together, we watch out for each other, right? But we aren't going to be together for this last battle, and you know how we haven't been together all day and I've been really worried about him," Ben said.
"Yeah," Matt agreed, loosening his stance and peeking curiously at Ben.
"Yeah, well, now I know you're going to be with him, so I feel a little better about it," Ben admitted, it wasn't entirely true, if anything it made him feel worse – two of the people he cared most about in the world together in one place heightened the risk of losing them both in one fell swoop, but Matt's expression perked slightly, and that made the lie worth it, "Jimmy is going to take care of you, it's his job and he's good at it, but I need you to take care of him too. Do you think you can do that?"
"Yes, I can," Matt grinned, "I definitely can. I'll do a really good job at it, Ben, you can count on me!"
"I know you will," Ben smiled, ruffling Matt's hair and lifting himself up, "Get going, okay."
"Okay. I'll take care of him," Matt promised, starting hastily towards the sewer entrance, then stumbled to a halt and turned back slightly, calling back over his shoulder, "Ben? Who'll take care of you?"
Ben offered up a wry smirk then Weaver called for Ben to join ranks, receiving a rifle forfeited by a civilian on arrival, and Matt was tugged towards the sewer entrance by Dr. Glass, somewhat overcoming the daze from her recent losses. Not far in their trek down the road, Weaver fell in-step with Ben.
"Assuming those scouts got word to your brother, our bike unit will be heading back up towards the north side of town from the west end with the bulk of our enemy," Weaver started explanations, "Our friends at the community center sent us a jug of gas, not that we can afford to lose any fuel but we're about to drop a few vehicles so it shouldn't hurt us too hard, we got a few empty bottles and they threw in a couple plastic explosives just for the hell of it. I'm sending Maggie, with Derrick and Val to lay down a line of fire with that napalm along that street with the windmill house, you know the one?"
"Yeah," Ben mumbled, frowning and distantly noting, "It's across from one with a waterfall in the backyard."
"Right, well, that's going to be our holding ground. Me and the rest will rig a few of the old junkers along the road to blow when those Skitters come this way. I need you to take the explosives; you'll be our front line, prep for Mechs. We got ten minutes to set up and one hour to distract the enemy, give those vehicles time to run, then Jimmy should've doubled back round by then, he'll lead us underground to the rendezvous point. You need to be there and ready to go when he arrives, understand?"
"Yes, sir," Ben answered, shouldering his rifle, then cleared his throat and wondered, "What if they didn't get word to Hal?"
Weaver didn't reply, and broke off towards the front of the group.
Set up went fast; there wasn't much time to waste. Several of the fighters worked at pushing cars into position and turning them into eventual bombs, while Maggie and her team spread the napalm. They would light it when the bikers crossed the line. Ben chose a perch in one of the neighborhood trees, obscured by the foliage but given a clear view of the street. He'd attempt to take out what Skitters he could when the bikes came into sight, but he wouldn't be staying in the tree long. Weaver intended for Ben to take out whatever Mechs might be coming.
Ben heard the bikes before he saw them. They were coming at a slow pace, sure to keep the aliens on their trail, though they picked up the speed every so often to keep ahead of the enemy. From the sounds of things, they had quite the pack of Skitters on them, and a few Mechs thundering after them as well.
The first biker to come into view wasn't Hal, but she had a Skitter nipping on her heels, and Ben fired off a few rounds to take it down.
The second biker, however, was unmistakably Ben's brother. Hal zoomed ahead several yards, whipping the bike round to a halt, and swinging his rifle round to let of a few shots, shouting cocky proclamations at the enemy to keep its attention, and Ben couldn't help but smirk somewhat fondly, relief spilling undeniably through him at the familiar sight: his brother; ever the obnoxious showoff.
Then the three bikers whipped across the napalm line and it immediately lit. Ben continued to fire on the Skitters from the safety of his tree a moment, and then dropped to the ground as soon as a Mech walked into sight. He managed to set off the plastic explosive under its foot, and then in his effort to dodge the explosion, nearly threw himself in front of a Molotov cocktail whizzing by into the chaos of Skitters, setting them ablaze.
Ben climbed to his feet, spat out a clot of blood from his mouth, and opened fire on an oncoming rush of Skitters.
…
Leading a flock of children through the sewers, at the time, seemed like an impressively bad idea and it increasingly proved itself true with each passing minute. Jimmy tried his best to keep the group moving at an optimal speed, but the fastest they could move was ridiculously slow compared to his fastest.
"Come on, come on, pick up the pace," he growled, muttering under his breath, "Fuck, fuck, fuck…"
"Is something wrong?" Matt anxiously piped question beside Jimmy. The youngest Mason had been the exception to the group, attaching himself to Jimmy's side and refusing to fall behind even a fraction of a step. Jimmy had almost tripped over him several times and it was becoming a nuisance.
"Oh no, everything is great. 'Cause, you know, it's not like we're on a deadline or anything, and Captain Weaver and everyone else are relying on me to get back to them and lead them to safety. No, not at all, everyone can just keep dragging their feet and acting like we're on a fucking holiday in the sewers," Jimmy ranted under his breath.
Matt stared blankly in return.
"It's fine," Jimmy muttered, sighing and rubbing his face haggardly, "How are you, kid, you doing alright?"
"I guess," Matt replied softly. Scurrying to keep up and ramming right into Jimmy when he paused to consider which direction to take next and let the group catch up. Jimmy growled low in his throat, and then shook his head; glancing Matt darting apologetic looks up at him.
"Could you maybe give me a few inches of space?" Jimmy demanded gently.
"Yeah, sorry," Matt agreed, taking a step back, though the moment Jimmy moved, he reattached himself to Jimmy's hip, bumping into Jimmy when they rounded a corner.
"Okay, what is the deal? Are you afraid of the dark or something?" Jimmy snapped, instantly regretting it at the hurt look that crossed Matt's features, "Well…I mean…because that's cool and all, if you are…but I think Dr. Glass would be better at…"
"No, I'm not scared," Matt interjected heatedly, his voice hitching slightly, as he carefully explained, "I'm supposed to watch you."
Jimmy perked a brow at that, "Watch me…for what? Am I going to do something?"
"No," Matt mumbled, exasperated, and sighing, "I'm looking out for you. Ben told me to."
Jimmy blinked once, made a face, and then rubbed his expression away with a weary palm. Part of him wasn't sure how to respond. It was bad enough Ben didn't trust Jimmy alone on the battlefield, but wasn't assigning his nine year old brother as Jimmy's baby-sitter crossing a line somewhere? Of course, Jimmy reminded himself, that scenario was ridiculous which meant something else had to be going on.
"Okay," Jimmy relented, "That's fine. But you don't have to be so close to do it. Do you?"
"Well…" Matt fidgeted slightly, and meekly confessed, "I can't see very well down here. But I don't want to let Ben down…"
"Right," Jimmy sighed. He gestured Matt forward, and they continued at the same stop and go pace.
"I said a bad thing," Matt whispered.
"So? I say bad things all the time," Jimmy muttered.
"About you," Matt admitted.
"Oh." Jimmy scowled, picking absently at the thick coating of dried blood and dirt on his fingers. There weren't many things that he could say in return to such an admission. It was starting to become a habit of the Mason brothers, saying bad things about him.
"Maybe I thought some bad things too," Matt went on, dropping his eyes and murmuring, "When I was younger, before the aliens came, Hal never spent time with me. Not really anyway. Not unless mom and dad made him. It was always Ben."
"I guess that makes sense. Hal's older, he was probably more interested in girls and crap," Jimmy said.
"But now, it's different. Hal spends time with me, but he acts like it's because he has to…like he has to be dad," Matt continued and Jimmy flinched slightly at the mention of the missing professor, but made no comment, "And Ben doesn't spend time with me at all. Not unless someone makes him, like Hal. Or you."
"Matt," Jimmy began but Matt interrupted before he could find the right way to express his sympathy.
"I said…and I thought bad things about you, a lot of bad things," Matt admitted, then dropped his voice so low Jimmy could barely hear him, "I'm starting to really hate you."
"Oh. I didn't know," Jimmy mumbled.
"But then, Ben was going to leave me alone, during the attack, right? And I said something really bad about you," Matt persisted, then frowned and sighed and said, "It was wrong. I didn't really feel that way, I didn't really agree with the bad things I said, I was just mad at Ben, so I said them."
"I understand. I do that too," Jimmy replied earnestly, "Everyone says things they don't mean when they're mad."
"I just don't know if it's okay."
"What? Saying bad things about people? Not really…but you can't help it…"
"No," Matt groaned, "That's not what I mean. I don't know if…I'm not sure if it's okay that…if I'm okay that…that you're more important."
Jimmy fell silent. He felt suddenly cold, his heart hammering away in his chest, angry and erratic.
"He cares about you more than me," Matt determined, "More than me…probably dad…and Hal, too."
"That's not true," Jimmy insisted, "When we were out at that alien thing, all he could think about was getting back here to make sure you and Hal were safe. He was really worried about you both."
"I don't want to think bad things about you. I don't want to hurt your feelings or make you mad at me," Matt whispered, "But I just get so mad at Ben…"
"Then it's okay," Jimmy decided, gingerly touching a comforting hand to Matt's shoulder, "If you have to think bad things about me, then it's okay."
"You won't hate me?" Matt wondered.
"No," Jimmy said, smiling reassuringly, "You can say all the bad things about me that you need to when you're mad at Ben. I won't hate you, ever, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks, Jimmy," Matt murmured, wiping at his cheeks, though if he shed tears, Jimmy couldn't see them in the dark corridors.
When they reached their destination, they found the salvaged vehicles waiting for them, and a whole mess of 2nd Mass survivors that had apparently fled on instinct at the sight of flames – which were obvious against the horizon even at their distance. Jimmy left Matt in Lourdes's care. Dr. Glass, despite obvious grief, was working on treating the injured. Anthony was barking out orders, trying to keep the peace, and arguing with Pope every so often.
Jimmy let Anthony know he was heading back to retrieve their fighters. He glanced Roman, Douglas, and Gia on the way back into the sewers. They seemed to be putting forth the best effort to help out. He nodded acknowledgement their direction, then slipped back underground and took off running.
Getting to the meet-up point with Weaver and the others couldn't come fast enough. He waited with breath bated, noting every fighter that descended the ladder, growing nervous, anxious, scared-shitless every time it wasn't Ben. Then it seemed no one else would be coming through, the manhole cover clanking into place and Jimmy worried his inner cheek, taking a deep breath and, body quaking with emotion, he led the way back towards the rendezvous outside of town.
It wasn't until they were back with the others, Weaver casting out orders, head counts getting taken, the 2nd Mass preparing to haul-ass towards some hope at sanctuary in a distant location, and the sight of Ben speaking with his brothers and being treated by Dr. Glass, along with the realization that he'd ridden in on the bike with Hal, that Jimmy finally released the air from his lungs. Then he stumbled through the camp until he found a quiet place to collapse, his whole body prickling with icicles, his head awash with fog. He examined his hand, tingling from the fingertips into his palm and down his forearm, the hand that reached back at the outstretched alien mass and touched it for a brief second of an emotional riptide. The skin of that hand was like the other strange patches of discoloration that came and went all over his body, seemingly translucent and brilliantly iridescent.
He knew he should wonder about it, be taken aback even, but he didn't have the wherewithal at the moment to care. So he closed his eyes and drifted into a cold sea of black.
.
.
.
AN: Right, let me know what you think!
Reviewers: NoxOne: Cool. Glad you thought so. I hate writing fight scenes. Dee, completely agree with the Dai/Jimmy relationship on the show, but that's a rant I shouldn't get into...again. And you know, I didn't plan for that Maggie/Jimmy moment to land on Mother's Day, but it did seem well-timed, thanks for pointing it out, I hadn't even noticed. It definitely befits the scene. And everyone knows I love writing Maggie/Jimmy stuff. Lol, he did have Ben on the mind a bit, right? Well, we'll see how their reunion goes in another chapter or two, I guess. :D SassySavanna190, I like writing the back and forth, so I'm glad you loved it, and if the boys learning of the other's well-being made you feel so good, I wonder how them finally being within visual distance of one another, even close enough to touch if they wanted, will make you feel. Yeah, I kind of wanted to reveal the backstories of a lot of the characters I felt were a bit underdeveloped in the show and, at the same time, reveal their relationship with Jimmy. So glad you liked it. Near-death experiences make a person horny, huh? Man, no wonder there's so much sex going on in the 2nd Mass on the show...RemedyRay, awww, that's sweet of you to say. I'm glad to know you like the cliffhanger endings, sometimes it just happens that way. And yeah, I debated on killing off Uncle Scott to be honest, but when he found out about Ben's glowing spikes and was pushing for Ben to fess up to the group, I knew he needed to go.
Thanks again for the reviews you guys, you make writing this worth it. Which, I need to get a lot of writing done on this story today...root for me, or drop a few words of encouragement, please? Maybe?
I'll see you guys next Sunday!