Sidestory:
Que Sera Sera
He didn't know how long he had been waiting there, hiding between two trash bags, watching the grimy building door. He had heard two separate instances of police sirens, killed three roaches, played four games of tic-tac-toe in the dirt in front of him with imaginary opponents, and completely exhausted his repertoire of memorable Greek plays.
Talos was growing tired of waiting.
He had started his search several hours ago, canvassing the downtown streets as he narrowed in on the location of her energy. Was she closer if he went left or right? Took a step forward or took a step back? Finally he had zeroed in on the correct building.
There was only one problem. He could sense him there as well.
Grumbling, Talos had formed a plan. Since he certainly didn't want to confront Tyche, he would simply wait for Jack to go to work. He had to work at some point. How else would he be able to afford an apartment in that festering building?
Ever since yesterday, when Jace had deserted him on the opposite side of town, he had been in a foul mood. First he had been forced to walk back along the highway. For someone who already had a fear of cars and trucks, it was not an enjoyable experience. It was loud and noisy and the trucks seemed likely to careen off the road and fall on top of him at any moment.
It was the most direct route back, though, and at least on the side of the highway he did not have to worry about crossing many streets. He just had to go through the nerve-wracking experience of navigating the exits.
Several mad dashes later, he finally made it to Orange Avenue, the farthest he could travel on the highway since there was no more grass median after that point. From there he was able to reach the railroad tracks and hop onto a slow-moving train for the last few hundred feet.
And then he had to explain everything to Henry.
Henry was a nice enough fellow, really, once you got past the giant ball of snot fact. He seemed genuinely interested in the pursuit of knowledge and an understanding of the human species. Never mind that he could probably kill you with very little effort. He always listened receptively, answered calmly, and did his best to offer useful information and advice. His level-headedness made him the natural choice for de facto leader, something for which Talos was very grateful, else he would probably have been killed several weeks ago.
"Excuse me, Henry?"
"Talos, you're back late," greeted Henry. He was in his slug form, several medical textbooks arrayed around him, scanning the pages with his tentacles. Talos had yet to figure out how Henry was capable of something like reading. He would have to ask about it later.
"I have something you ought to know."
"Of course, go ahead."
"Jace is gone."
A ripple passed through Henry's membrane. "Could you elaborate, please?"
"She ran off with Tyche, one of those Graikos I told you about. Well, actually, she told you about Tyche; I don't really know him very well..."
"I don't need quite so much detail, simply tell me what happened."
Henry had a very strict method of going about these things. Cause and effect. "We were going back to visit the school, Jace and I, but while we were out there, I sensed something, so we went into Home Depot. Honestly, we shouldn't have gone, I wasn't paying attention, it was my fault in a way." Never mind that he was seething mad over the long walk home.
"Again, slow down."
"Tyche - Jack works in Home Depot. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, right? I can sense the Graikos. But I was also sensing this other thing, so I made her go inside. And then we found it! It was a senshi item, the first I've found! The first to appear!"
"I take it this item is special?"
Talos nodded enthusiastically. "Very special. Every senshi, in theory, has one. They allow the senshi to power up to the next energy level. So Jace took it and suddenly became far more powerful. But then... then he showed up. Jack Reilly, the great and mighty. I should have sensed him nearing, but I was too focused on the item, damnit! Once he was there, Jace naturally left with him, and I've spent the past few hours trekking back here by myself."
"Naturally, you feel anger and resentment at being deserted in such a way," said Henry smoothly. Talos snorted. He had not come to Henry for therapy. "What is it you want me to do about this?"
At that, the partridge froze. What, exactly, did he expect to get from Henry? "I just thought you should know."
"What would you suggest that I do? If you wanted me to have this information, you surely intended me to do something."
Shamefully, it was true. He had intended for Henry to march out after Jace and bring her back, before she could do something arguably stupid. It was perhaps too late for that.
Noting Talos's introspection, Henry bubbled, literally. "Naturally, you wanted to enact some form of vengeance against Jace. You are fully aware how betrayal is dealt with, and out of anger, you wanted me to hurt your friend. I think now you've calmed down and seen this is not what you truly want, is it? Unfortunately, having this information, I am forced to do just that, and I must request your assistance. Unless you have more information?"
Talos went wide-eyed. His beak quivered. "I should have sensed Tyche and gotten us out of there," he whispered.
"Talos, I need to know if you think Jace has betrayed us."
Looking up at Henry's amorphous form, Talos trembled and said, "No. I don't think so. Like you said, we need more information. And, actually, she's not very far away. I can go see what's happened, and report back to you!"
"Well done," said Henry, as if that was what he had been aiming for. It might have been.
So Talos had gone out the next day and ended up outside the apartment building. Waiting.
Suddenly, one of the energy patterns seemed to be on the move. Tyche. He was getting closer. Heading down the stairs, in fact. Talos paused. Had he always been able to sense things this well before?
Sure enough, Jack appeared and walked away from the building, dressed for work. Finally! A chance! Climbing from trash bag to trash can to dumpster, Talos made his way inside through a broken window pane and scurried up the stairs as fast as he was able. Form this proximity, he was easily able to locate the correct apartment, and started tapping his beak against the door.
There were a few thumps after a moment of hesitation; the girl inside obviously knew what the sound was, and when she finally managed to open the door (a feat of acrobatics for her, being legless, short and heavily pregnant), the expression on her face was that of dread. Her dark hair fell damply on her cheeks; it looked like she'd just gotten out of a shower or, dressed in a green t-shirt and shorts too big for her. Her limbs stuck out like pipecleaners.
"How the fuck did you find me?"
Gulping, Talos summoned up all his courage and replied, "How the f-f fuck do you think I found you?"
"I don't know!" There came the knife-sharp edge of anger. Jace Kellen let go of the doorknob and sat back with a thump, looking around suspiciously for any sign of the other DU. Only Talos was here; that was something less to fear, anyway. "Jack said you'd never been here with Sophie. I made sure."
"Don't be an idiot! You're a senshi, I'm a guardian! I used my powers! Then again, you do a lot of idiotic things!" he choked out, kicking himself for being so pathetic. He couldn't get angry with her without bringing himself to tears, just like yesterday, when he'd spent most of the walk back sobbing. "Fuck you, Jace, what the hell are you trying to do? Kill us both?"
"Who brought me there?" Her voice was harsh, now, rough and cold like stone. "I told you. I told you, I wouldn't make it, not with Jack. All I did was spend the goddamn night, Talos! If Henry's going to kill me, I'm going to march right back there and he can kill me now!"
He panicked. He always panicked. He broke down, sitting there, frozen in place, having no good reply to that.
She moved away from the door, wriggling, her round belly making her look even smaller in comparison. Her arms were thin, the wrists slightly swollen; her eyes were dark and gaunt. "Knew I shouldn't have done this shit," she muttered. "I'm not betraying anyone. I hate the Graikos, and I sure as hell can't fight for the Dark Universe..."
"So... What do you want me to do?"
"Well, I'm not leaving." Her face was grim. "I'm not living in that warehouse anyway. Not most of the time. I'm pregnant and this place has less cockroaches. I'll tell them what they want to know - but I'm going to protect Jack."
"I don't understand." Talos looked away. "What am I supposed to do?"
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't know any more. I'm not sure I ever did. I thought I knew what I wanted, but that was just a lie, wasn't it? I wanted to destroy the Romanus, then I wanted to destroy the Graikos, and then -- then I wanted to make you feel the way I felt. And now I want to keep you safe, only I don't know how because you're making it really, really hard for me."
"Talos." Her eyes, which had been like flint chips, were starting to soften. "I have a bunch of people who I'd like to rip their organs out, and I'd like to drop-kick them. I never gave a damn about the Romanus. Now? Heh. I hate the Graikos more, some of 'em. But that hate's not so big and stupid that I'm going to risk Jack for it. I don't want to risk you to it, either, but you're in it so deep right now it's coming out your ears."
He was embarrassed, to say the least, which made him acutely aware of his surroundings. "Uh, can I come in? The hallway might not be the best place."
"... Are you being followed?"
"No. At least, I don't think I am. Not that it would matter at this point, since I would have already led anyone following me to your doorstep, and the only thing they'd have to do is open the door." If Bjerlo was any evidence, opening doors was not something the Dark Universe found particularly difficult to do.
"They don't want to open this door," the black-haired girl said darkly. "All right. Come in."
With a nod, Talos waddled inside, and the door clicked shut behind him. He was more worried about being spotted by the neighbors than anything else, really.
Looking around, Talos jokingly guessed there might have been a reason he had never been invited to Jack's. It wasn't a terrible apartment, but it was underwhelming. "I like the, uh, window," he commented.
Jace moved herself back, crawling crabwise up to the bed again, resting herself back against the wall. "It'll do. Look, you didn't come to talk about windows."
"No, but it is a very nice window. Oh, and is that a sink? Does this place have running water?" A chuckle seemed to be creeping into his voice.
"Better than the shit at Chemical." She folded her arms over her belly. "Hot and cold."
"Nyeeh," he replied, a noise he made in place of sticking out his tongue.
She finally laughed, but it was uneasy; her hands fluttered and cupped together like hesitant butterflies. "... I think we know that I'm out of this war, Talos."
"Out? You can't just get out. You just Elevated. You're now more powerful than any of the others. And besides, don't you remember? I explained it back at McDonald's... It's only a matter of time." He suddenly grew nervous. "Jace, I think that time is coming. I could sense you from the American Chemical Plant, and that's almost ten blocks away. I could sense him, too, about three blocks from here. I'm not sure if it's the power level-- no, it's definitely the power level. Not just yours, though. Mine too. I'm getting better at this, and I can sense things further away now. Graikos things, I mean. Maybe it's better to have you here, then, since if any of the other guardians have improved as much as I have, they'd trace you straight back to the Plant, and we can't have that." He was starting to ramble.
The girl on the bed laughed scornfully. "Oh, come on. Like I'm afraid of them? Talos, you and I both know that I can take out any of the other Graikos senshi who come calling. Boom." She smacked one palm into the other for emphasis. "I'm not afraid to, and fuck, if they're stupid enough to mess with me, I'm going to."
Jace half-closed her eyes. Her eyelashes were still clashing with her brows and hair; they were dark crimson. "No, I'm piss-scared of Henry and the others. I can't fight against those."
"Damnit, I should have paid better attention. If I hadn't gotten so distracted by that damn hammer of yours, none of this would have happened. You'd be back at the Plant with me, we'd be working on getting Tibby back with Timocharis (who's disappeared, you should know), and everything would be just FINE."
"Let's not play the 'what if' game." She glared at him, eyes narrowed. "What if you hadn't gotten obsessed with getting down Sophie's fuckin' pants? What if I hadn't been dumb enough to fall for Parfett? Things wouldn't be fine even if I hadn't come back, Tals. I have to protect Jack. I can't do that from the Plant."
Talos pouted like a small child. "Maybe he doesn't need your protection."
She'd long thought about that. "Maybe I'm going to protect him anyway, damn it."
When he spoke, his voice was stern. Here was the partridge who had seen himself as leader of Graikos. "You can't have it both ways, Jace. You can't hate the Graikos and join the DU and keep hanging around with Tyche. Maybe the best way you can protect him is from the Plant, because as you said, the DU people are the scariest ones around, and if you're not with them, then you're against them. You certainly can't do anything simply by staying at his apartment, because one of the two sides is going to get you eventually. You can't do this on your own. Now come back with me."
"Tyche can go fuck himself." Her voice was maddeningly neutral. "I'm looking after Jack. I'm not leaving him. I can't leave him. I'll tell them the addresses of every Graikos I damn well know if they want, but I'm not going to go and hostage myself and my kid out for them at the plant, Talos."
The anger was returning, and Talos could feel himself wanted to get back at Jace again. Fine. If Henry wanted information, he would get information. "What have you told him?" Simple, clear, and direct.
She sat up straight and proud, despite not being used to the soft veil of dark hair in her face. "Location. Numbers. Strengths." There had certainly been no weaknesses to tell, but she'd told what she'd seen. God knew that she could spend hours agonizing over what could kill Hematite, fruitlessly coming up with nothing. "I told him most of it."
"You leaked vital information to the Graikos!?"
"I leaked vital information to Jack. You're not getting this, are you? Jack. Not Sophie. I'd only tell Sophie if I wanted her to kill herself. Urdkilthai against that bunch? Fuckin' kamikaze!"
"Jack IS a Graikos!"
She shook her head as if to clear the cobwebs. "We're not like how we used to be, Talos. Jack won't tell them anything if it'll put me in danger."
"Yeah, well, he probably doesn't give a damn about me. Maybe you've saved yourself, but you've sold me out."
"Why's Henry going to fuck you over for me doing this?" An edge of uncertainty was starting to creep in.
"Wake up, Jace! Jack will!"
This was all going around in circles. She rubbed her temples again; they were throbbing. Her baby was kicking her kidneys and all she wanted to do was scream into the pillow. "You're with me. No, he won't. He's not a vindictive shit like some of 'em, Tals."
"He will, because I'm the enemy, and if he's smart, that's what he'd do."
"If he were me, it's what he'd do. If he were Sophie, it's what he'd do. You said yourself, you never knew the guy!"
"Well, then, if he doesn't have any use for the information, why did you give it to him? You must have wanted him to do something with it."
"I told him because I wanted him to know why. So he'd understand. So he'd get why I was afraid." She closed her eyes more tightly, suddenly wanting to laugh at the stupidity of it all. "Christ, you make me sound so Machiavellian."
Talos continued, relentlessly driving towards his point. "And what if he doesn't want you to be afraid? What if he gives that information to someone else so that they'll do something about it?"
"He won't!" She finally exploded, arms curled around herself, voice a holler. "He won't and I know where this is leading and there's nothing I can do about it! I know what I have to do, Talos!"
She exploded, and he went cold. "And you know what I have to do. You'll have to kill me to stop me. Since you've shown such a strong desire for self-preservation, I don't imagine that will be a problem for you."
"Fuck you," the ex-Graikos exclaimed, slithering off the bed, looking around wildly for something less skimpy than one of Jack's t-shirts and shorts. "I have to kill Henry to get this shit to stop."
"That's completely illogical," an exasperated Talos replied. "I fail to see how killing him does anything but worsen your position, since it was Henry who spared your life today."
"Well, at least he'll kill me. It'll end things." She found a rubber band, pulling back her tiny handful of hair into a baby ponytail. "I want things to end. I'm sick of this. I've been sick of this for months. Oh, God, Tibby, why'd you do this to me?"
She had used the Name on him, and it was just as effective as ever. "I... I'm sorry." If he could have left then, he probably would have, but the door behind him was closed, and unless he fancied a rather large drop (he did not), he was trapped. "Yesterday was a mistake."
"The last nine months or so of my life were a mistake. It was going to happen eventually, Talos. Even if I hadn't bumped into Jack, he would've found me."
"Then our deaths were inevitable," sighed Talos. "Yours or mine, the Fates probably don't care which, so long as one of us pays for the betrayal."
"Oh, stop whining!" Jace grabbed a piece of paper, wild-eyed, and searched for a pencil. "You don't have to do anything, all right? You were an innocent bystander, or some shit."
"'Innocent bystander?' I was the one who started the whole thing!"
"Great martyr complex, Talos, yeah." She pressed it down on the carpet; the rounded letters were shaky. "'Dear Jack, gone to face Dark Universe general.' That good enough? Right, it'll have to do."
He stared at her, not quite understanding. "What?"
"Love the vapid look, Tals. Really suits. Do you not get this? I'm ending this charade, here and now." Was it a bluff? She didn't know. She didn't know what he'd do if she called it. She didn't know what she'd do if he didn't.
"You can't be serious!" he protested. "That's suicide!"
"And what you're talking about is murder, and I'm saving Jack if it's the last thing I do."
Talos made a dash for the window. "Forget it! I'm not letting you do that!"
"I fail to see how you can stop me, baby. Hephaestos Graikos Elevation - "
"I'll jump out this window!" He crashed into the pane and bounced back.
She stopped, mid-sentence, henshin words dying on her lips, staring at him in utter disbelief for a few beats. "..... You are such a retard."
"Open the window!" he demanded, embarrassed.
Jace started laughing and was unable to stop, flopping back on the floor.
"Hey! I'm not joking! Stop laughing! Jaaaace!"
She closed her eyes, head dropping back on the carpet, laughing until she dropped the piece of paper and held her hands over her stomach. The laughter slowed to a stop as she spread the fingers out flat, palms on the skin, quieting to chuckles and then nothing.
"Look," she murmured, though neither could. "She's kicking."
"Really?" He hopped down to the floor and approached her, stopping a few inches away. "I guess I'm not too surprised, what with all the ruckus we're making. It's a girl?"
"I - Don't know. Assumed it was a she." Patting her stomach, she let her muscles relax, flopping on the floor bonelessly. The day was nice and warm; there was sunshine beating down on her skin, which had felt too tight for her lately. "Please, Tals."
"You can't go running off to attack Henry. Not with... not with her on the way. She's got a lot to look forward to, you know?"
"Oh, yeah." She barked out a laugh. "Mother's a soldier and she might not even get to enjoy this world properly. She'll never be able to grow up and go and get a taco from Taco Bell without knowing that there's somebody down the street who wants to kill her for her magic powers, or some shit." Jace clenched her eyes shut. "... Sometimes I wish she wasn't coming."
Talos leaned against Jace's arm. "Maybe this isn't the best world to bring a child into, but I thought maybe... I had hoped..." He sighed. "I don't know. I can't think of anything encouraging to say."
"I know." Her voice was soft. "Just go, Tals. It'll be all right."
"I can't, because it won't be, will it?" He looked up at her with beady black eyes.
"I can have a few moments' happiness. Then what happens, happens. Que sera sera, wasn't it?"
"That's not good enough for me," he protested. "Please, Jace, come back! I know you hate Henry, but he's not a bad guy."
"I don't hate him." She scrubbed a hand over her face. "I don't hate any of them, actually. They're creepy, but... I don't hate them. Yet." With difficulty, propping herself back on her arms, she looked Talos in the eye. "I love him, Talos. I can protect us. Just let me have today."
He suddenly seemed to understand what she was asking. "I can do that. But you have to promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Tomorrow, you go to the Plant. I don't care what your purpose ends up being, but I want you to come to me this once."
"... All right." She let out a breath. "I can do that."
"Good. I have to get back... Would you mind letting me out? Through the door," he hastily added.
"I didn't think you wanted the window this time." She dragged a stool over to the door, clambering up on it precariously to grasp the doorknob with her fist. "Go on, bird. Try not to get run over."
"Funny you should say that," he started as he walked out the door.
There was a click as she shut the door after him. Conscientiously, a few seconds later, there was also a slightly-afraid clang of the lock as Jace drove the bolt home; then she leant against the door and she cried a little, because it was generally what her body wanted to do all the time now.
"Right," she muttered, after a few moments, hiccuppy and sticky and wiping her reddened eyes. "That's enough of that."
She had to be strong, now. Strong for Jack and strong for herself and strong for the baby, who had apparently gone back to sleep; strong even for Talos, because she really did care about him, the poor little feathery idiot. They'd both gotten themselves in too deep and made the wrong choices along the way. The wrong people to love, the wrong side to go with. If she could go back in time, she would have slapped her younger self stupid.
Maybe her lifespan was critically shortened now because of all this; if she kept Jack alive and afloat, it wouldn't matter.
Jacinth Timothea Kellen was just tired of waiting. First tired of waiting for Tibby to love her, then tired of waiting for Tibby to wake up, then tired of waiting to die. Whatever happened now, happened, and one thing she staunchly knew was that it would not happen without a fight.
"I'm a fuckin' retard myself," she finally said; then she curled up on Jack's bed again and cuddled a crosseyed, stupid-looking stuffed cow and slept.