There was a shocked silence. "Wh-" Tommy broke the silence, cringing as he spoke. "What?"
"She killed herself with a piece of glass," Flash was crying again. "We had been fighting all day, and all night. Eventually... she just took up this piece of br-broken glass and...finished it."
No one spoke, the only sound was Flash's fearful sobbing. It's not like any of them had particularly liked Vickie, the only remorse they actually felt was for Flash. Even he was only crying for the fact that he had no idea of what lie ahead for him. What was to become of him.
"I didn't know what to do," Flash went on, through the tears. "I- I guess I should have called the cops or something. But I-I just couldn't." He looked up at Jules, Tommy and Emma. "I had to find you guys. So I..." Flash sort of shrugged. "Walked to the club."
Nobody knew what to do. Eventually Emma just broke down and hugged Flash close to her, while he sobbed freely, as his friends looked on. It was in times like this that the Prowers missed their father the most. Tommy couldn't help but to wonder about Dryden. If the Prowers could barely handle when one of their friends was beaten like this, what would happen in war?
Tommy had yet to find out.
| \ | \ | \ | \| \ | \ |
Jules arrived home in the wee hours of the morning. He was fatigued, and worried for Flash. Liz had let him stay there until the whole mess had blown over, and Tommy had been very vocal on letting Flash live in the Prower household. The whole thing was too confusing for Jules.
He was hungry, too. He had that four in the morning peckish feeling. In the kitchen he found his older brother, Charles, hard at work with something.
"What are you doing up?" He asked. Charles spun, startled.
"Oh! Jules! Home so soon?"
"It's four in the morning, man." Jules said. He came over and peered at Charles' work. The calculations in front of him would have made no sense to any of his friends, but Jules had made it his business to know such things. "Roboticization?" He asked. "I thought this was only a theory."
"It was," Charles crouched over his work again. "I'm making it a reality."
Jules stared at him, thoughts of Flash forgotten for the time being. "Really? R-roboticization? But...why?"
Charles shrugged. "Lots of people are getting injured. I want to help them."
Jules furrowed a brow. "But...what if it backfires? What if you can't change them back? People get injured all the time, Chuck," Jules banged his elbow against the table, sending pain all up his arm. "Ow! See? I was just injured. No big deal."
Charles smiled faintly. "It's not like that. It's not JUST that."
"But, Chuck," Jules stared at the calculations again. "They've tried this before. Somebody could easily steal your work and use it for evil, man. Why would you want to risk this?"
Charles sighed. "Because I want this to end." He looked up at his brother. "Because I want to just run away but, oops, I have a meeting at four thirty. Because you have an entire future in front of you and I want to see that happen." He sighed again. "Because the only thing in the fridge is tuna casserole surprise and surprise, it's two weeks old." Jules sighed, defeated. He had never agreed with the theory of roboticization, that by turning organic material into machinery we could help one's physical problems. The whole thing sounded too easy. But if Chuck was that set on it...
"Go to bed," Charles said gently. Jules remained silent for a moment before he started on his way.
| \ | \ | \ | \| \ | \ |
FIVE WEEKS LATER.
Tommy would have leaned forward on his cycle to pick up speed, but Emma was using up the room. His fourteen-year old sister sat on the handlebars of his beat-up old bicycle, her feet crossed daintily at the ankles, gracefully moved to the side of the front wheel.
"Well if you really didn't want to give me a ride you shouldn't have offered."
Tommy panted. "I OFFERED before I found out that Caren had the car today."
Emma giggled. "Like Caren or Liz would ever let YOU out with the car."
Tommy felt like he was going to cry. "You KNOW I'm not nearly fit enough to bike you the entire way there. Do you like to see me suffer?"
"Well...not if you put it like that. Can't you just use those tails of yours and, like," Emma gestured meaninglessly, trying to find the word. "Propel us there or whatever?"
"I don't even know if that would work. Besides, I haven't done anything near that in a few years and when I haven't done it in a while it hurts." Tommy continued to peddle his bicycle, his sister on the handlebars, out towards the small cottage they were headed to.
"Oh. Y'know, if you didn't go so fast all the time, Liz wouldn't have taken the car away."
"She didn't take it away," Tommy breathed. "Caren needed it."
"Oh, for what? There is a little something called public transportation in the city, y'know. Obviously, making you bike all the way out here was some sort of punishment for all those tickets. You DO only have a learner's, you know."
Tommy sighed. "I can't help it if I have a need to go faster than the recommended miles per hour." He cocked an eyebrow. "Hey, wait. Miles per hour. Miles...y'know, that woulda been a boss name to have?"
"What?" Emma was gnawing at a nail, while keeping one hand firm on the handlebar.
"Miles Prower." Emma laughed.
"I hope you aren't seriously planning on naming a son that. That's totally lame."
"No it isn't."
"Oh please," Emma gave a comical smirk. "If I knew a kid named Miles Prower my day wouldn't be complete until I made him cry!"
"Even if he was your nephew?"
Emma paused. She turned her head to face her brother. "Are you telling me...you and Ginny?" Emma looked horrified.
"God! No!" Tommy cried. "How could you think of me like that? I'm saying for future reference!"
Emma sighed. "Thank you. Scare ten years off my life, why don'cha?"
Tommy looked thoughtful. "Besides. Even it there was...it's only been a month-"
"Ugh!" Emma cried, loudly. "I know we tell each other everything, man, but we don't need to tell each other EVERYthing!"
"Children, children, why the bickering?" A voice from ahead of them asked. The two looked up.
There was their eldest brother Merlin, in his usual cloaks and hoods. His cottage sat behind him, about fifteen meters away.
"Merlin!" Emma jumped off the bicycle's handlebars. She ran up and hugged her eldest brother, who had been a father to her and Tommy since Winston's death. Tommy sighed with relief when she got off, and walked his bike up to his brother.
"And how have my two favourite siblings been doing?" The enchanter asked with an arm around each of them.
Emma shrugged. "Eh,"
"We've been better," Tommy muttered.
"Oh. That's a shame. Don't tell me the triplets were in a protest again." Merlin said, almost reading their thoughts. Emma grinned.
"Uh huh. Mike got sprayed." She smirked. "Nothing serious though. Just enough to make him swear off Binaca for a while."
Merlin smiled as he opened his cottage door. Tommy left his bicycle standing outside as he and Emma entered. "And the others?"
"They're all right." Tommy shrugged. "James still hasn't found Dryden though." He and Emma glanced at each other, sadly. "This...guy came by a few days ago and told Mom that...Dryden was missing in action. James promised me he'd bring Dryden back but..." Tommy shrugged.
Merlin looked startled for a moment, but he put a sturdy hand on Tommy's shoulder, the way James had. "Your friend will keep his promise. Don't worry." Tommy smiled slightly.
Merlin turned his attention to his youngest sister. "And Emma." He smiled. "I believe if you look in the kitchen you will find...a surprise."
Emma's face lit up. She glanced at Tommy with a comical grin before disappearing into the kitchen. Tommy looked up at Merlin.
"Wha'ja get her?"
Emma's voice drifted in from the kitchen, answering Tommy's query. "Murderistic! Frogger!" She poked her head in. "It's the arcade version, too! Thank you SO much, Merlin, it's killer! You are the most boss thirty year old I know!"
"He's the ONLY boss thirty year old you know." Tommy grinned.
Merlin put a hand on Tommy's back and led him to the couch, while sounds of happy game-play flowed in from the kitchen. "And what of our mother?"
Tommy sighed. "She's not doing too good. Ever since she found out about Dryden, she hasn't gotten out of bed."
The enchanter nodded thoughtfully, resolving to visit his mother. "Have you any word from your friend James?"
Tommy shrugged. "Jules got a letter about a week ago. Just said stuff like what was happening and everything."
"Where is he?"
"In the south somewhere. He said that that's where they saw Dryden last, so he's hoping to find him, but..." Tommy trailed off again. "Well, he is with Sandy. But war's not anything like he thought it would be. Before he couldn't wait to go and now he hates it." Merlin nodded sympathetically.
"And Flash?"
"Well..." Tommy paused. "He's doing better. He's back at school, Mom said she couldn't bear to see him not go. It's really nice of her to take him in, I think they need each other." Tommy glanced at his watch. "Aw, dammit. I thought I'd have longer here. I should go."
"Where you going?"
Tommy smiled. "Well, Ginny and Angie sorta became friends after they met each other. They and Majik decided to go to this corn thing, or whatever. It's like a sale, or a festival, or something?" Tommy shrugged. "Anyway, they made me go, and I decided if I'm going down, I'm taking Flash with me. It's in some small town out...somewhere."
Merlin smiled, but something about his eyes was distant. He looked almost worried. "Take care there, Tommy."
Tommy smirked. "Don't worry about me. You'll be lucky if you can tear Emma away from that game."
"I heard that!" Emma called.
"Well I said it loud!"
Merlin smiled again, looking a little less distant. He bid Tommy farewell and kissed him on the forehead. He watched as his youngest brother made his way to the door, wondering where the time went and how Tommy and Emma had managed to grow up so fast.
"Hey Emma, I'm leaving." Tommy called.
"That's nice."
"I'm taking the bike with me."
"I'll walk."
Tommy rolled his eyes as he left.
The ride back to the city was considerably easier, without another person dragging him down. Tommy went as fast as he could, he lived for speed.
The train ride out of town was less interesting.
Tommy wondered how he had picked a girlfriend so compatible with his sisters. Ginny was showing them parlor tricks, dancing flames on the tips of her fingers. It was a thing she had always been able to do, a little bit of magic.
Tommy glanced sidelong at Flash, who had his head back on the top of the seat. "Remind me again why I agreed to do this?" Flash just smirked.
Tommy sat silently for a moment, gazing idly around the train's cabin. "Hey." He said suddenly. Flash lifted his head.
"What?"
"There's Mrs. Walrus. Y'know, the language teacher? She went away on maternity leave after you left school." Tommy got up and went towards his teacher, Flash behind him.
She was talking to her husband, who looked oddly like a tourist, and holding a small baby in her arms.
"Hey," Tommy said softly.
Amanda Walrus looked up. She smiled. "Tommy!" She said. "How have you been?"
Tommy shrugged. "I've been okay. Flash is living with us now." He nodded towards his friend.
Amanda smiled at Flash. "It's good to see you again, Flash. Have you been okay?" Flash nodded silently, still not much of a talker.
"Oh, this is my husband Bruce." She identified the tourist-like walrus next to her. "Bruce, these are Tommy and Flash, two of my students."
"Hi," Bruce politely shook hands with the boys.
"And who's this?" Tommy knelt down to face the baby.
Amanda grinned. "This is Rotor," The baby looked up at Tommy, wide-eyed.
"Hey Rotor," He said softly, holding out a finger. Rotor took it in a gray fist and held tightly, laughing. "Aw," Tommy smiled. "I want kids."
Flash smirked. "Did you figure that out just right now?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
Flash smiled. "It's been nice seeing you again, Mrs. Walrus." He nodded politely. "Mr. Walrus. I'm going back to my seat, kay, Tommy?"
Tommy nodded, still making faces at Rotor just to see him laugh. "So, are you gonna stay in Mobotropolis with him or what?"
Amanda glanced at Bruce, smiling. "Well, after the war we were thinking of moving back up north. We're definitely going to have more kids, though."
Tommy grinned. "Yeah, I can see that. You have that glow, y'know, that motherly glow."
"You think so?"
"Oh, yeah." Tommy smiled. "Well. I guess I should--"
The train stopped. The lights went out.
"Or, uh..." Tommy paused. "Or I could stay here for a while, that could work too."
The people on the train car glanced around, shrugging, unknowing of what was going on. Suddenly shouts and screams were heard from the other train cars as the unwitting furs here could only speculate.
Bruce looked up, hearkening. "Soldiers," He whispered.
Amanda looked fearful. "Wh-what?"
"It sounds like Overlanders," Bruce whispered back.
As if on cue, shots rang through the air and shattered the glass above them. There were screams and shouts, the smell of blood, and people dove to the floor.
Instinctively, Tommy reached for Bruce and Amanda, and lead them back to where his family and friends were located.
"Amanda, under here," He heard Bruce whispering, and Amanda slipped under a dark seat, Rotor screaming in her arms. She tried fervently to make him quiet, as Tommy's breathing quickened in pace.
One of the doors slid open and the soldiers boarded the car.
Nobody moved, there was the occasional whimper or sob cutting through the silence as tall, young soldiers with wildly coloured hair eyed the passengers, looking each one over. One looked at Angie and Majik and grinned maliciously. He grabbed them each by the scruff of the neck and began to simply carry them off.
"No!" Tommy instinctively stood, to protect his sisters.
"Tommy!" Flash hissed, as Ginny reached for her boyfriend.
"What do you think you're doing?" The Overlander asked.
"I...don't...take me instead." Tommy's voice was flat.
"Tommy!" Ginny's small voice whispered to him.
"Tommy, no!" Majik almost spat.
The soldier sneered at the girls and looked back at Tommy. "All right then. An eye for an eye, eh, Tommy, is it? Which one would you have go free?" He shook Tommy's sisters, causing Angie to whimper.
"I..." Tommy trailed off. He was panting, and sweating profusely.
"Tommy!" Someone called out softly, Ginny, or Flash, or someone. He was confused. He couldn't take it.
The soldier sneered again. "I thought so. I guess I'll have to make the decision for you then, Tommy." He looked at the girls and matter-of-factly shot Majik in the stomach.
"No!" Tommy shrieked as his older sister crashed, bleeding, to the floor. Finally understanding what his social sciences teacher had been trying to get across to him, Tommy outright attacked the soldier. The Overlander simply delivered a blow from the butt of his gun in between Tommy's eyes.
The next thing he remembered was the floor of the train car hitting the back of his head hard.
And darkness.
To be continued in 'The Wonder Years Part Three: Nothing To Do But Wait'.
Feedback? Comments? Utter confusion? Write tarynw42@hotmail.com!
The Legal Jive- Mobotropolis, King Acorn, Merlin Prower etc by Sega/Archie/Dic? All other characters by me. 'The Wonder Years' Copyright 1998 Taryn Wander'r. Feel free to distribute this blah blah blah. You know the rules. Thanks to Kylie and all those who spammed me for the idea. Thanks to The Brian Setzer Orchestra for 'You're The Boss'. Thanks to the Johnny Favourite Swing Orchestra for 'Root Beer and Licorice' and thanks to that McDonald's commercial for the 'because' bit. Also, thanks to Netwerks Music for the use of Plastic- Volume 1. =)
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