When he and Tobias found themselves called back to the barn later, Tommy found both Jake and Marco far more subdued than he'd ever seen them before. And, while he might not have known the kids for as long as the rest of them – all except for Tobias; another thread that seemed to bind the pair of them together, closer than he'd ever been to anyone else – Tommy still found himself all but compelled to offer his own assurances once Jake revealed that his own older brother, the kid who was almost Tommy's namesake, had been taken as a slave by the Yeerks.
The rest of them all find the resolve to fight then, if only until they manage to free Jake's older brother from the Yeerks, and even though Tommy understands all of their reasons for being so reluctant – even if they seem to be mostly Marco's – he still finds himself uncertain at the prospect of going into battle with only Tobias as backup. This wasn't anything like the tournaments he'd found himself competing in when he'd wanted extra spending money, or else when he'd just needed to get out of the house and away from his parents' determined indifference.
The both of them were good enough people, at least as far as keeping him fed and clothed and everything went, but neither of them had really seemed to take much of an interest in him beyond that.
Still, even if it was just until they managed to free Jake's older brother from the Yeerks, it would be good to have them beside him.
