Thirteen
The hot morning sun peeked over the trees, turning the brick of the Library a brilliant red. Everything was still and silent—the parties in Trotondown had finally quieted, and even the rowdiest clones had succumbed to sleep as the day began.
Four figures were huddled on the front steps of the massive building. Hatch was leaned up against the wall, his arms crossed, his head tilted back against the brick facade. Nabu was sitting next to him, his head resting on his brother’s shoulder. Both were asleep.
Anissa was sitting on the front step, her chin resting on her palms. Cin was standing behind her, pacing restlessly, her eyes focused on the line of trees. “Come on . . . come on . . . dammit, Mich, come on . . . ” she muttered over and over.
“They’ll be okay, Cin,” Anissa said.
Cin lowered her gaze and rubbed her burning eyes. “How do you know, Anissa?”
“Because here they come.”
~*~
When Nev finally emerged onto the Library’s vast lawn he would have shouted for joy if he’d had the energy. As it was he simply closed his eyes and whispered a brief prayer of thanks as he willed his shuddering limbs to keep going.
His legs, however, had other ideas. He had barely made it out of the trees’ shadows when they collapsed, refusing to carry either him or Mich any further. He tumbled onto the grass with a weary sigh, his ragged breathing loud and grating in his ears. Mich flopped onto the ground next to him with a soft grunt.
“M . . . Mich?” Nev panted weakly.
Her eyes slowly opened. “Nev? What happened?”
“It’s a long story,” he murmured. “We won. They’re gone.”
Mich reached out and gently grasped Nev’s battered hand as Cin and Anissa reached them; Hatch and Nabu followed a few steps behind.
“Come on, let’s get them inside,” Cin said.
“I’ll take Nev,” Anissa said. Nev suddenly found himself floating in midair as if held by a huge, gentle hand. He saw Mich hovering next to him moments before unconsciousness finally claimed him.
~*~
“These two are a mess,” Camille declared.
“Camille, we already know you’re a Nezhead—you don’t have to prove it by making an understatement like that,” Anissa said.
“Well, they look like they just leaped back from one of those action movies that Mich likes so much.”
“You know, I can hear you three,” Mich groaned from her recumbant position on one of the tables. She idly scratched some of the dirt from her forearm.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t still talk about you,” Camille said as she scanned Nev, her gaze moving from his torn, mud-caked clothes to the slashes around his neck and wrists to the scratches and bruises that marred his otherwise healthy form.
“How many levels of Hell did you crawl through, Nev?” she asked, her tone light.
Nev couldn’t find the energy to scowl. “All of them, I think.”
Camille gave his forearm a gentle squeeze. “Well, we’ll get you healed and then you can go up and take a shower and sleep for a few . . . ” She looked at his battered form. “Weeks.”
“You can . . . leave the bruises and scratches, Camille,” Nev mumbled. “Don’t . . . stress yourself too much.”
“You just hush,” Camille said. “I’m the healer here, remember?”
As Camille took care of Nev, Cin confronted Mich. “You know, that was a dumb thing you did, Mich . . . but it looks like those gray people did far worse than I ever could. But if anything like this ever happens again, you let us help, you got it?”
“Yes ma’am,” Mich said. “I should have let you guys come. I should have asked.”
Cin shared a brief look with Anissa. Mich? Admitting she was wrong?
“Should I go down to the bomb shelter and wait for the end?” Anissa asked.
“Ha ha, Nissie,” Mich said wearily as Camille moved in front of her. “Soon as I can move my arms I’ll get you for that.”
“You’re on, shotgun,” Anissa taunted. She turned to Nev. “Good to have you back, Nev. We missed you.”
In a show of gratitude Anissa hadn’t thought him capable of, Nev reached up and took her hand, squeezing it with both strength and gentleness. “Thanks. I missed bein’ here. Thought I was gonna miss it forever.”
“What happens if they come back?” Camille said, asking the question that no one wanted to ask.
“They won’t,” Nev said. “When Na blew up their headquarters it killed all of ‘em ‘cept one. I took care of him.”
“Are you sure, Nev?” Cin asked.
“Yeah. They’re not comin’ back. Ever.”
~*~
“You doin’ okay, Nev?” Mich asked as the exhausted clone lurched against her.
Nev nodded, reaching out to steady himself against the wall, leaving a dirty handprint on the paint. “Yeah. Sooner we get home better off I’ll be.”
“Well, it’s a couple more steps. Come on, you can make it.”
As the grimy pair approached Mich’s room the door to her clones’ apartment opened and Rin leaped out, sending Mich crashing to the floor as he landed on top of her, nuzzling her with his shaggy head.
“Michmichmichmichmich!” he barked happily. He looked up at Nev. “Nevnevnevnevnev!”
As Rin prepared to leap Mich reached out and seized him by the shirt collar. “Don’t jump on him, Rin—he might collapse.”
“Rin, what’s the m—” Hatch appeared at the doorway, Nabu peeking out from behind him. “Hey, how you guys feelin’?”
“Tired,” Nev said. He reached out and clapped Hatch on the shoulder. “Thanks for helpin’ us out last night. Don’t know if we woulda made it without you guys.”
Hatch returned the gesture. “No problem. We wouldn’t be very good Mike clones if we let people kidnap and hurt our friends, now would we?”
Hatch and Nev, whose similar Papa Nez tendencies had once led to blows, exchanged looks of mutual admiration before Nev finally made his way into Mich’s room.
Nameh was sitting on the couch, gazing out the window. As the door opened he turned; his eyes, red and swollen from crying, widened sharply.
“Nev!” he cried, leaping to his feet.
Nev braced himself as Nameh rushed forward, throwing his arms around his brother. Nev looked over his shoulder doubtfully. Mich stood by her closet door; she winked at Nev before slipping inside and shutting the door behind her.
With no more eyes watching him, Nev put his arms around his twin and hugged Nameh tightly. “You okay, Nam?”
“I thought I’d never see you again,” Nameh said, fresh tears thickening his voice.
“Now don’t you know that it ain’t that easy to get rid of me?” Nev said. “Don’t worry, Nam. It’s over. Those things won’t ever bother us again.”
“You promise?” Nameh asked, his eyes wide and trusting.
Nev patted Nameh’s shoulder affectionately. “Yeah, Nam. I do.”
~*~
Mich hummed to herself as she worked her fingers into Nev’s hair, scrubbing the raven locks as Nev leaned against her. They sat up to their shoulders in hot, soapy water in Mich’s extra large bathtub, washing the dirt and grime and fear from their bodies.
“Oh, Mich, I should let you do this more often,” Nev said sleepily. “You have the magic touch.”
Mich grinned. “Only if you do the same for me.”
“Deal.”
Mich’s hands moved down to Nev’s shoulders, kneading and massaging his damp, tanned skin. “Thanks, Nev, for saving me. I don’t know what would have happened if you and the twins hadn’t come along.”
Nev twisted around. “Hey—I should be thanking you. You came after me, remember?”
Mich smiled. “As if I had a choice. It seems that I can’t live without you, you scruff.”
Nev stuck out his tongue and Mich dunked him under the water. He surfaced a few moments later, spluttering, soap running down his face and into his long sideburns.
“So you’re stuck with me, huh?” he said, shaking his head and showering Mich with soap and water.
Mich splashed him. “Yep—but I think I have the better part of that bargain.”
Nev smiled reservedly. “Don’t bet on it, Mich.”
He turned and leaned back against the edge of the tub. Mich stretched out, resting her head on his chest. “So . . . you think you’ll have any more nightmares?”
Nev shrugged. “Maybe. Camille and Anissa said they’d help if I did, though. I think . . . I was more afraid of bein’ alone again than anything else.”
Mich reached up and slipped her hand around his neck, pulling him into a tender kiss. “Nev—you’ll never be alone again. From now on whatever you go through we’ll deal with together, okay?”
Nev touched Mich’s chin and returned the kiss. “Now that I’ll bet on.”
THE END
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