Anduin could tell that Jacen didn't like the idea of leaving him and Toby behind, but at least he accepted it. That was another good quality the Goblin Prince had… he was pragmatic enough to accept situations he didn't like, if they were demonstrably the better choice. He wasn't so sure that Jareth, or even his own father would have been so level-headed.

Once the plan was established, the men turned their attention to deciding what Toby should conjure. Jacen posited that they should get more medical supplies, as what they had was rather inadequate for three injured people. Anduin wanted to conjure weapons, feeling that their immediate danger was the creature from last night. Toby thought that perhaps he should conjure something right off of Jareth's desk. He would easily be able to read Toby's signature when the item vanished, and perhaps would investigate.

"I'm not sure that would work," said Jacen. "We have no idea what Dad is doing right now. He might not even be sitting at his desk. He might not see the item vanish. We'd never know if he got the message, and quite frankly, I don't think we can afford to wait to find out."

"Yeah, I think I'm with Jace on this one," said Anduin. "Even if we picked Sarah rather than Jareth, we don't know that they'd see it as anything other than a boyish prank and ignore it. Besides… I have to go with Jace on something else here… we can't risk the King and the Prince both. Getting Jareth up here with no warning and no idea of what he's walking into… that goes against every instinct I have. And… if we get Sarah instead, that could be even more dangerous to the Kingdom."

"Yeah, you're right," said Toby. "It was worth a thought, but yeah… it would cause more problems than it would solve. What we really need is a way to alert Caladh when there's an emergency like this. Maybe something in every town… like an alarm system… I don't know."

Anduin laughed, "You just can't resist, can you? Even injured, stuck here at the cabin and with a monster stalking us, your human side is still trying to come up with something ingenious."

He was unprepared for the shadow that crossed Toby's face. Before he could ask, Toby met his gaze, the look in his eyes both savage and almost fearful. "Yeah… my human side. The side of me that wishes I had an AR-19 or a couple of rocket launchers. I'd take a T6 Abrams right about now. I want to blow shit up, and I want to do it this very minute."

Jacen looked over at Toby, puzzled. "What the hell is a T6 Abrams?"

"It's a tank," said Anduin. "One of the new American battle tanks. It's pretty wicked. But it wouldn't work, even if we could conjure one. Gunpowder and combustion don't work here, Toby. You know that. Hell, you're the one who tried to make it work, remember?"

"I know," Toby said, his voice reflecting self-disgust. "But I could have made it work… one way or another." He looked over at Jacen, then back at Anduin. "I… I chose not to try."

The look of surprise on Jacen's face was almost priceless. "You mean… you could have made guns here? Why-?"

"Because guns lead to explosives. Which leads to bombs. Which leads to mass death!" Toby's voice had gotten louder and more brittle at the same time. Anduin could see Jacen's incredulous expression mirroring his own. Toby sighed, shaking his head. "Don't you see? That human ingenuity you're so enthusiastic about has cost millions… hundreds of millions of lives. Don't admire it… don't you dare." He pitched his soup bowl across the cabin. "Why the hell would Jareth bring us here…"

"Toby…" Anduin started. He was taken aback at the level of anguish in Toby's gaze as he snarled, "Think about it, Anduin. You study our wars. Hiroshima ring a bell? Nagasaki? That lovely little 'limited exchange' in the Middle East? That's what human ingenuity gets you!" His chin sunk down into his chest. "And Jareth brought it here."

"Okay… I see your point. But such things don't work here," said Jacen quietly.

Toby snorted, "They would if I made them. That's what I'm trying to tell you. I can make them."

The men sat in silence for a moment before Anduin spoke up, "Jareth doesn't know you have that ability, does he?"

"No."

Jacen's voice was low when he asked, "Why? Why wouldn't you tell him?"

Toby met Jacen's gaze with an intense stare. "Do you know what I'm working on right now? Either of you?" Jacen shook his head, as did Anduin. "I'm trying to come up with a way that Jareth doesn't have to go with the death squads, if we ever have to execute the Contingency Plan. I can see the need for it… we don't want to sacrifice our King if we have to evacuate. But… what if instead of a death squad, I could send a bomb? One that will flatten the city of any palace I send it to? What if I know how to do that?"

"It would save thousands of our soldiers—" Anduin started.

"That's exactly what Truman said before he bombed Hiroshima. And he was right… the estimate at the time was that the Americans would lose a million men invading Japan. Sounds like easy math. Eighty thousand versus a million. Until you look at the Cold War, and the proliferation of those bombs… then missiles… then space platforms…"

"But… there wouldn't be proliferation," said Jacen. "We sure as hell wouldn't share the knowledge…"

"Knowledge has a way of spreading, whether we want it to or not. You think the Americans wanted to give that technology away? Do you want to take the chance of the Fae figuring out something similar? The first time we used a weapon that had some type of combustion to it… be it a gun or a bomb… the genie is out of the bottle and the next thing you know, the entire planet is in danger." Toby rubbed his temple with his good hand. "I can't imagine God being too pleased with me if I were to do something like that. Or Danu. Or whatever higher power it is that we all will eventually answer to. And I'll have to answer for it, just like Oppenheimer did."

"So… it would seem that the solution is to… not build it," said Jacen.

"But that's just it, Jace… you know about it now. Can you tell me with certainty that if the Kingdom were in danger, you wouldn't order me as my King to—"

"Yes," said Jacen, his voice low and steely. "Absolutely. Because I answer to the same higher power that you will. You're right… it starts with something noble and then it morphs into something horrific. Something that can be turned against you and shoved right back in your teeth. And that's a stain I will not take upon my soul."

"I agree," said Anduin. "I of all people understand what horrors human warfare can produce. I study it so I can prevent it from coming here, and failing that, at least be able to try and counter it. I can accept the Contingency Plan… it is targeted strictly to specific enemies and for a specific purpose and does not spill over to the civilians. The wholesale slaughter of an innocent population… that I will not countenance. Ever."

Toby's expression became a little less anguished. Jacen reached forward with his good hand and clasped Toby's wrist. Anduin followed suit.

"Toby, I will give you a blood oath on it," said Jacen, his face as grim as ever Anduin had seen it. "I will never, ever ask you to go against your conscience and produce such a thing. And I will never reveal your ability to do so… to anyone."

"As will I," said Anduin. "You are the best judge of what advances we can release to our Army that will not lead to an escalation of the kind that's on Earth Prime now. If at any time, I make a request that goes against your conscience, your 'no' will suffice me. I will never ask again, nor will I in any way attempt to change your mind or coerce you. And never, ever will I reveal to anyone your ability to do so."

Toby nodded, a suspicious sheen of moisture in his eyes.

In the end, they went with Jacen's suggestion of more medical supplies as well as Anduin's request for weapons.

Toby conjured a field medical kit from Melina's office, his thinking being that she might see the items vanish and thus alert Jareth, but even if she didn't… they'd have more supplies. They now had the means to cast Toby's forearm and put a proper wrapping on Jacen's ankle. There was no real way of casting Anduin's shoulder, so they made sure to immobilize it even more than they already had.

As he rummaged through the kit, he felt a smile spread across his face. "Now, this is good… Melina has some non-narcotic painkillers in here. They should at least take the edge off without making our minds fuzzy."

Anduin was swinging one of the short swords Toby had conjured with his left hand. "Not too bad… my shoulder hurts when I swing this, but it's bearable. Good thing Randel insisted I learn how to fight with both hands."

Jacen laughed, "He made all of us learn that. And he makes sure I keep up with it in our practice sessions." He glanced at the boarded windows. "I hate to say it, but we should probably get moving."

One of the items in the kit was a collapsible cane, which Jacen took with pleasure. After strapping his short sword on, he took a few tentative steps with the cane, then grinned at Toby. "Well, so long as I don't have to run, I can at least get around okay. I can't carry anything, but I can at least put the cane down and use my left hand."

Anduin raised a brow, "How's the pain level?"

"Oh, it hurts like hell," said Jacen with a smile. "But I'm mobile. I'll put up with the pain to be mobile."

After they'd each taken some of the milder painkillers, the three men made quick work of the nails holding the door in place.

"Be careful taking these out," said Toby. "We're going to need them tonight."

Blinking at the bright sunlight, they moved slowly out onto the porch, their eyes constantly scanning the forest around them.

"I don't sense anything… I don't think it's here, at least not right now," said Jacen. "And the forest is noisy for the time of day, as expected."

Anduin nodded, "Okay, we move out. Slowly. Keep your eyes on the forest. Toby, you take left and front. Jace, you take the middle and behind us. I'll take right and behind. I want a 360 degree sweep at all times."

Keeping Jacen between them, Toby and Anduin held their swords in their hands, heads on a swivel as they made their way to the lakeside. Toby had used the blanket trick again, tying it around his neck, only this time, all four corners were tied together, creating a makeshift backpack of sorts. Jacen had a similar blanket tied around him. Inside the blanket were as many undamaged containers as they could find, in order to bring water into the cabin. This was paramount, as they could go without food for a day or so but not water. And while there were still some barrels of ale in the cabin, there wasn't enough to last very long.

Toby and Jacen made quick work of filling the containers while Anduin kept watch. They made their way back to the cabin slowly, the forest still singing around them. Once they'd stashed the containers in the cabin, Toby grabbed the wood axe and they set out again.

After a couple of hours of labor, they had a good collection of poles that they would sharpen into spears. Even though Toby had conjured the swords, Anduin insisted that they needed ranged weapons.

"We can swing these swords, yes… but we are at a severe disadvantage if we have to go to close combat," Anduin said quietly. "I'd rather do some damage from afar first. Who knows, maybe it would drive it off, if it got injured."

"Yeah, I agree," said Toby. "That's why I grabbed these pieces of wood from the woodpile in the back. We can carve them into those throwing sticks I mentioned. Then, I can get to work on the slings."

Anduin chuckled at that, "Gah, it's been ages since I've used a sling… not sure how good I'll be with my left hand, but maybe we can practice a little if we have time before sunset."

They had gone down to the lakeside and gathered a supply of rocks for the sling, as well as some larger stones at Jacen's insistence. When he'd explained how he was going to heat them on the stove and use them to apply warmth to his worst bruises, the other men agreed enthusiastically.

"I'd like a bath," said Toby. "I have a feeling that I stink worse than the wildlife at this point."

"I wish we could, Tobes," said Jacen. "These casts will disintegrate if we get them wet. Besides… it's just us, and we smell just as bad as you do."

They spent the rest of the morning on the porch, sharpening the spears one-handed and stacking them inside the cabin. Around noon, Jacen went to see if there was anything left in the cabin to eat. "I have a can of peaches, a can of chicken gravy, and a can of corn. That's pretty much it. We're going to have to get some game. Or fish."

Toby shook his hand free of the sawdust on them, "Peaches. Save the corn for tonight. I'll make a couple of snares. We might catch us a rabbit or something." He picked up the spool of fishing line and unwound some of it. "In the morning, if I have the power, I can maybe conjure up some food, if Jace's power isn't enough to transport."

"How's your level, Jace?" asked Anduin.

"About halfway between a quarter and fifty percent. I think maybe… if we're lucky… I might have enough tomorrow morning to at least get to that pub in Silverton."

Anduin nodded, "As soon as you transport, see the master of the garrison. They can organize a rescue party to come for Toby and me. Then you get yourself back to Caladh. The garrison master has a transport pad in the barracks."

"I didn't know we had a garrison there," said Toby as he clumsily whittled the snare triggers from a small tree branch.

"We have one in every town," said Anduin. "Ever since the Strigoi war, when you and Sarah got caught up at Snowdenshire. After that, every town in the Kingdom has a garrison of at least a dozen warriors and a transport pad. Jareth swore he'd never leave a Goblin town undefended again, no matter how innocuous or out of the way it might be. He said…" Anduin's voice hitched for a moment. "Said that it was how he'd lost his parents. When the Fae attacked what was supposed to be a 'safe' place. I'd never seen him so… devastated… when he'd realized what could have happened."

"I think he forgot that Mom could transport herself," said Jacen. "That, and your dad happened go to Snowdenshire to bring her some intelligence reports at the exact right time. No way would Uncle Garthan allow anything to happen to her. Took an arrow for her, didn't he? He would have dragged her by the hair and transported her himself rather than let her stay in danger."

"He took an arrow, yeah. But not exactly for your mom. Although we all know he would have." Anduin got to his feet and stretched. "Anyway, Jareth wanted to make sure that such a thing could never happen again and decreed that every town would have a contingent of warriors, Ughlánas, and a way to transport to Caladh. The main issue the warriors have to contend with is utter boredom, but they can see the need."

Toby watched as Anduin made his way to the lakeshore. As the day went on, and the forest remained active, he'd shed his earlier hesitation to move about by himself. He'd already chopped some wood for the stove, enough to keep it going until tomorrow morning. Now, with his left arm, he pulled on the rope that was tied to the small jetty that extended into the lake.

Although Toby couldn't hear it, he imagined a few curse words being muttered as Anduin wrestled the keg of ale out of the water. As he walked back over to them with the keg, he had a slight smile.

"Some ale… then we set the snares, eh?"

Author's Notes:

I wanted to delve a little more into Toby's fears about his humanity. I think we all can agree that humans have a savagery to them that is unparallelled and rather frightening. It bothers him that he could bring the same kind of destruction Below.

He's also aware that Jareth would see it very differently than he does. It's not that Jareth would want to kill innocent civilians, not at all, but if it came down to it, he would certainly send some sort of bomb to take out the threat. I can't speak for whether or not Truman suffered any agony of conscience for ordering the bombing of Hiroshima, and I even understand why he made the decision to do so... to save a million of my countrymen, I can't say I wouldn't have gone forward with it myself. And the Germans were certainly researching the same weaponry, so it was only a matter of time before one of them got the bomb. But the situation here is very different. The Fae (at least to the best of everyone's knowledge) are not working on any kind of doomsday weapon. There isn't even a war on. There would be no real justification to have such a weapon, at least right now.

I love Jareth, I really do. But he does have some blind spots when it comes to protecting the Kingdom (and his animosity toward the Fae). He tends to think more towards the expedient remedy rather than the long-term consequences. I wanted to highlight a bit about the difference between Jareth and Jacen. Jacen doesn't have the same animosity toward the Fae (he is rightfully wary of them, but has no hatred like Jareth does). He's also more of a long-term planner, one that can look forward and see the consequences of an action and make his decision based on the effects of those consequences, rather than the short-term solution. That's not to say that Jareth can't plan for the long run, he does. He saw the consequences of the gender imbalance and the need for a homeland back in the day. He also saw the need for a contingency plan in case the worst happened. But... he would be far quicker in accepting a short-term solution without giving as much thought to what that solution would lead to. In giving his oath to Toby, Jacen shows that his thinking is much broader than Jareth's.

Anduin might have been okay with guns being brought Below, but after following Toby's train of thought (and the fact that he's very aware of the escalations in human warfare) he too saw the implications. Notice how he also swore not to reveal to anyone (a.k.a. Jareth) that Toby can make weapons of mass destruction.

The main purpose here was to show the difference in thinking between the older generation and the younger one. As to which one is right... I leave that to the reader to decide.