Sparrow & Tulip

"What was he yelling?" her spotter finally whispered.

"I said 'The Lord giveth,'" a voice said from behind them.

Both tried to spin around as crunching footsteps began running at them, but they were too slow. A boot connected to the side of the sniper's helmet, knocking it off her head as a roaring boom punched her eardrums. Her spotter felt a bright spike of pain in the back of his neck and then nothing.

Semi-stunned and half deaf from the pistol shot right beside her ear, the sniper clumsily rolled away, fumbling for her pistol. She could make out the outline of a gaunt figure, standing and watching her.

"And I also said; 'the Lord, He do taketh away,'" Pebbleman mused, as though he was discovering a new concept.

Her hand finally found her holster and she scrabbled at it. The figure was faster, striding forward to kick her hand. The pistol spun out into the darkness.

"Go on and say hallelujah, won't you now!" Pebbleman shrieked.

~~~~

An hour before, the officer in charge of the private security unit had heard shooting from over the hill. That meant the job was done but for some reason, his people hadn't made it back to the rendezvous yet. It was against protocol, but he got on a dirt bike to go and find them. The road below wouldn't stay deserted forever.

As he crested the top of the hill, something heavy slammed into his chest, knocking him, and the bike, onto their sides. The man bit his tongue against a scream of agony as the gas tank landed on his knee, crushing it against the stony ground. He looked around for what had hit him but the helmet with his night-vision had been knocked off.

Then something hit him in the chest again.

"As you can see, the Lord giveth," a voice said. "It's obvious, even to a shit-stained primate like yourself."

The commander recognized the accent and knew exactly who he was dealing with. He also realized that the rogue Curiosity had hit him with a severed head. He began pushing himself back on his elbows, trying to get away. A shape came out of the darkness and loomed over him.

"Obviously, the Lord already his "taking away" moment. A small humorous thought to entertain you."

The Pebbleman giggled, high and manic. Then he bent down and picked the head up. The agent pushed himself backwards faster, trying to get into the darkness, trying to get away from the sudden terror in front of him.

Watching him, head cocked slightly, as though he were studying an insect, Pebbleman followed him and stopped him with a gentle foot on one of the man's hands.

"The Lord wants you to take a deep breath, sinner. Do you know this person?"

He dropped a severed head on the other man's chest. The agent felt a scream rising in his throat as he recognized the long blonde hair.

"That's an interesting reaction," Pebbleman mused as he watched. "Wife? Sister? A lover? Your sister's lover's wif...no, that would be ridiculous. Tell me, sinner; what was she? I'm ravenously curious."

"You can fuck off," the captain ground from behind his clenched teeth.

"Oh, you want to play. But I don't think that's an appropriate thing to say to the Lord thy God. So, as we proceed, I want you to remember that I asked politely the first time. It's possible that running dogs need not be unpleasant."

Pebbleman stepped closer and looked at the broken knee. It was beginning to swell. "I was hoping for something larger, a soccer-ball perhaps. It could have been the moment for another amusing jest."

Pebbleman looked down at the man and met his eyes. Then he kicked the man, hard, in the knee. The officer screamed, feeling something break inside of the joint.

"What was she?" Pebbleman asked, pulling back his foot.

The agent shook his head. Pebbleman laughed and stomped his heel into the insect's knee.

"Girlfriend!" the captain finally screamed.

The Pebbleman froze, his leg raised for another kick. "That was disappointingly easy. It is not difficult to see why everyone hates the miserable abomination your species became."

The agent sobbed against the pain and tried to pull himself away again. The foot rested on his hand again and the man quickly picked his hands up, clutching them against his chest.

"I didn't say goodbye, our little bush is still burning, the hand still writes upon the wall. Your girlfriend murdered my associate, chief among my angels. Why?"

"You know why," the man grated.

"I suppose we do. The Chairman. Yes?"

"There's already more on the way. You'll be with your angel soon, asshole."

"Excellent, he will probably need help killing your god. I'll just send you along to prepare the way, in a manner of speaking."

The agent was kicked onto his stomach and the Curiosity's machete flashed down into a wet sounding impact and the captain's scream became a panicked gargling.

"Ohh, my primates and lambs!" Pebbleman shrieked, raising the machete again. "Can you give me an almond!"

May 23 2041

REDACTED

The next afternoon, a motorcycle pulled into an isolated rest area in Northern New Mexico. It was a Russian copy of an old German design, complete with a powered sidecar. The engine died and the rider, wearing a leather coat and helmet, got off and walked, a little bow-legged, to the bathrooms. When he came out, he was surprised to see that someone was closely inspecting his ride. He smiled to himself. He was proud of that machine, he'd restored it until it ran like new.

He'd even painted it with the Wehrmacht desert camouflage, down to adding the leaning palm emblem on the sidecar. He'd substituted a beer mug for the swastika though. There was such a thing as too accurate.

He started to get a bad feeling as he walked back toward his treasure. There weren't any other cars in the parking lot and the closer he got, the scarier the stranger got. The tall, gaunt man straightened up as he approached.

"This," he said, gesturing at the beer mug emblem. "It is inaccuracy."

"Yeah, it's supposed to be funny," the rider said slowly.

The man nodded after a second. "Because of the aridity of the desert, yes. It is an excellent joke. I will take this vehicle."

With numb fingers, the rider pulled off his helmet and carefully put it on the ground. The coat followed, laid beside it with the same deliberate movements.

"The key is in the pocket there," he said, unable to look away from Pebbleman's belt. "Spare tank of gas and supplies in the sidecar. There are maps in that pocket there."

Pebbleman looked at the man curiously. "You are being oddly accommodating."

"No sir, not with those...things on your belt. You have yourself a good trip, somewhere far away from here, please."

"Ah, goggles!" Pebbleman exclaimed, picking up the helmet. "I am going west. I will give you a ride?"

"No, no thank you," the man said quickly. "I'll be fine right here."

"There has been violence. Now it is likely that law enforcement will be in the area soon. Perhaps they will stop for you."

"Oh, I'm sure they will," he agreed, starting to back away.

Pebbleman felt the familiar pull of emotion, of fellowship. "Your panic is...ah. These three shit stains were not good people."

He stopped talking for a moment, awkwardly trying to hold the heads so that he could swing his leg over the bike. The man stared, forgetting to keep backing away.

"Is there a chance that you are familiar with the practice of scalping?" the Pebbleman called. "This method is exceedingly clumsy."

The ex-rider came to his senses and bolted for the safety of the bathrooms. Pebbleman watched him go and sighed.

"You will be a hard man to replace, Brother Jacob."

He found the gearshift and clutch and the bike sputtered into life. He howled toward the bathrooms. Hopefully his benefactor would discern the message, but not everyone knew the secret of the dogs and their needs. The Curiosity eased out the clutch and turned the bike toward the dusty void, to the southwest.

He was the Pebbleman and it was time to run.

May 24, 2041

East Ground Approach, Echo Training Facility

Emma and Theo Cosineau knelt on the booth seat, looking out the large window. As the RV crested a ridge, a dusty looking town was revealed on the valley floor. Emma put her arm around Theo's waist and his arm went around her shoulders.

"Almost home, Little Sparrow."

He looked at her. "Seriously?"

She smiled, obviously not telling him something. "Yep. What's wrong?"

Theo looked down at an immense open pit mine as Jonesy carefully followed a dirt track down into the valley. He didn't see any signs of life, not even any cars. He looked back at Emma.

"I guess nothing. If this is home, I'm glad to finally come back."

"You've never been here before," Emma said. "After Jenkins' attack, the place we lived was abandoned. Aunt Amanda brought everyone here. That's Echo down there."

Theo looked down at the pit again. Not only was nothing moving down there, there wasn't anything moving. He glanced at Kawehi and saw she was holding back a smile. Rachel was doing the same thing. As the RV negotiated a sharp bend, a small collection of buildings came into view, with people moving around them.

"That's where you live." he said, seeing the joke.

Emma shook her head. "We live underneath."

Theo didn't say anything else, he was trying to figure out what the joke was. They continued down and ended up on a ledge. It wasn't much wider than the RV, it was only a couple feet between the wheels and a long fall to the valley floor. Theo turned away from the window, realizing why Emma had stopped looking out there.

"Finally," Jonesy said after several more hair-raising maneuvers. "This boat was never made to deal with this."

The RV turned directly toward the cliff face. A ribbon of black appeared in front of them, widening quickly to become a wide opening in the side of the cliff face. They drove through and Theo saw the door rolling back down behind him. After the actinic sunlight, the dim interior of the cave was a welcome escape. Squinting, Jonesy slowly crept forward and someone waved the RV toward the end of a row of other beat up cars and trucks.

"And welcome home, officially," Rachel said and kissed him.

It was a very sisterly kiss on the cheek, but Theo's face looked sunburned. Kawehi looked away, putting a hand over her mouth. Emma laughed and hugged him tighter.

"What's wrong? Smooches? You'd better get used to it, you're the long-lost boy in a house with three women. There's going to be smooching. And hugging, lots of it."

"Theo, you're always welcome to trade places with me," Jonesy said. "A few days of getting hugs and kisses would do me a world of good."

"Eww," Emma laughed.

"Really, man of mine?" Marisol looked fascinated. "And did you consider who will be giving said hugs and smooches?"

Jonesy's grin faded. "No ma'am, I did not. You're on your own, kid."

"Didn't think so," Marisol said. She winked at Theo and he grinned back.

Someone opened the door from outside and people began climbing out. When it was Theo's turn, Emma was right behind him, holding his hand. They stepped out into a surprisingly cool cavern with a concrete floor. Several electric carts were arriving, carrying people in what looked like military uniforms. When they got out, Theo's stomach clenched at the guns they were carrying.

"Ok, folks, who's checking in?" one of them with short blonde hair asked. He didn't look much older than Theo or Emma.

"Chief Sergeant Gutierrez, Response Troop 12-8," Marisol said.

"Welcome back, Chief," the blonde said, checking his tablet. Then he looked at Kawehi and Nate.

"You're not part of this team, where do you belong?"

"Section Tango. You don't have clearance to know where we belong, infant," Nate said.

Theo saw Kawehi roll her eyes as she pulled out a small folder and showed it to the guard. "Contact your watch officer, Cadet. They'll give you instructions."

All the guards were standing straighter now and Theo wondered what Section Tango was. Another guard, this one with black hair, had been staring at Emma, obviously waiting. Now, with a nasty smile, he pointed at Emma.

"Cosineau, you're under arrest. You want to put the restraints on? Or we can do it for you."

Theo was already stepping in front of Emma and the guard's eyebrows went up. "We got more than one set, chummy," he said, stepping forward.

"Cadet," Marisol snapped in a voice like a whip crack. "Before you touch either of them, you need to confirm it with your watch commander."

"Ma'am, she went Unauthorized Absence two days ago. Under standing orders, she's under arrest. I don't need to check in with..."

"You really do," Kawehi interrupted. "Just humor us."

He shrugged and stepped away, pushing some buttons on his wrist tablet. He explained what he was doing but the voice on the other end interrupted him every time he tried to speak after that. The guard turned back around.

"My mistake," he muttered. "You're to report to the Director's Suite when you're ready."

"Hey," Marisol said, coming over. "Welcome home, Theo. It was good to meet you."

"I think I should say the same to you," he said, shaking her hand. "Thank you for everything, I owe you my life. If you ever need anything..."

"C'mon, don't get all weepy. Lots of people owe me their lives."

"She's impossible," Deidre said, laughing. She hugged Theo, and then Emma. "We'll be around for a while waiting for Shepherd to mend. Come see me."

Theo found himself promising everyone that he'd visit before they deployed again. After much hugging and handshaking, Kawehi and Nate walked them to one of the carts.

"We'll come along to make sure you find the right door," Kawehi said with a wink.

Theo's head was already spinning but as Nate drove the buggy deeper into the garage, things got stranger. The collection of beat-up cars was left behind them and the passage narrowed. He caught sight of strange looking tracked vehicles with weapons. Another bay was lined with racks of weapons. Another was full of people and gym equipment.

"We're going through the spaces that the teams like Marisol use," Kawehi said over her shoulder.

The strangeness didn't stop there. The tunnel got narrower and began to slope downward. The arched ceilings were at least twenty feet overhead, but the tunnel was wide enough to make them seem low by comparison. Several other electric carts passed them going the other way and at a junction Nate had to stop at a flashing red light. Some kind of train-looking thing crossed in front of them, the driver leaning back in his seat. He waved and disappeared down the cross tunnel.

"How big is this place?" Theo asked Emma.

"I don't know exactly but it's huge."

Her voice was strange, and Theo could see a lot of nervous tension in her shoulders. He took her hand.

What's wrong? he tapped.

I was already in trouble when I snuck out to come meet you. Probably in a lot more trouble now.

Together.

Emma nodded and squeezed his hand. Doors began to appear, carved into the limestone walls. There were more electric cars down here and Nate had to slow down. Pedestrians also appeared, walking behind rails that separated them from the traffic. Skylights and mirrors on the ceilings reflected light everywhere, giving the tunnel the appearance of a street on a sunny day.

Finally, Nate pulled in and parked the cart. In front of them were doors that looked like they'd been taken out of a bank vault. They were fully open and the four of them walked through and into a small gallery. Emma pointed at one of the large wooden doors that opened out of the wall.

As they went in, Theo had another surreal moment. Suddenly they were in a fancy office with a thick carpet and a large wooden desk. A woman stood up from behind the desk, smiling widely.

~~~~

Amanda and Mirjam had been notified of the twin's arrival and it had been difficult not to rush down and meet them. Amanda knew she wouldn't get anything done and they were waiting in the official office, too large and too ornate to be much use. There was a quiet chime from Amanda's tablet, making both of them jump.

"Lady Tulani, your niece and nephew are here to see you," Lily said from the reception desk, obviously delighted.

"Send them through please," Amanda said.

Mirjam hurriedly entered the confirmation code to open the heavy door, made a mistake and had to start over. Amanda smiled, she'd never seen Mirjam this antsy before.

"Are you excited?" she asked.

The muscular blonde woman looked embarrassed. " I've missed Theo a great deal."

"And he was your favorite," Amanda teased her.

"I do not have a favorite," Mirjam protested.

They walked across the large office and Mirjam entered another code on her tablet. The outer door swung open ponderously.

Emma came in holding hands with a slightly gangly, male version of herself. His eyes were wide, and he was looking around, but Emma was all but dragging him along.

Theo saw two women waiting, one very tall with black hair and bright blue eyes. Next to her was a woman with very short blonde hair and a deep tan. Theo dropped Emma's hand and stared at them. There was a fragment of a memory, almost like recalling a dream. He'd seen this before, the two of them standing together. They were always together. The taller woman had tears on her face but was smiling and names that he'd known as well as he own ghosted across his mind.

"Mandy and Murra?" he asked quietly.

"Welcome home, light of my heart," Amanda said, her usually composed voice breaking.

Theo's eyes flooded and he went to hug her. Amanda took him in her arms and pressed her cheek to his. They were still for long moments. Mirjam smiled slightly, watching them. Then she looked at Emma, knowing that Emma would have recognized her hand twitching toward her pistol when Theo had rushed toward Amanda.

Mirjam nodded slightly, half greeting and half acknowledgement. She was ready for Emma's scorn and hoped the kid had enough self-control to not make a huge scene about it right this moment. Instead, Mirjam saw the sad acceptance that was in Emma's eyes and the half shrug. Mirjam nodded again, impressed. Maybe the kid would finally start growing up.

When Amanda finally let go of Theo, Mirjam didn't hesitate to hug him just as tightly.

"My soul sings now that you've come home," she said in her low voice. When she let him go, Mirjam held him at arm's length, looking him up and down. "You've gotten taller, little goblin. And managed to keep yourself booger-free. I'm impressed."

Amanda laughed as Mirjam hugged him again and kissed his forehead. Behind them, Kawehi cleared her throat. She was standing just inside the heavy vault door and Nate was visible behind her in the lobby. Abruptly, Mirjam had let go of Theo and was standing with Amanda. Surprised, he looked at Emma. She gave him a funny smile and a shrug.

"Lieutenant Moana, how can I ever thank you for bringing Theo back?" Amanda asked, walking over to take her hand.

"Lady Tulani. I'm happy I was here to help," Kawehi said. "Getting to know Theo was an unexpected but complete pleasure. I apologize, I wouldn't intrude on your reunion unless it was something that couldn't wait."

"Please call me Amanda, Lady Tulani is far too stuffy and mostly meaningless. Is it too urgent to come in and sit?"

"As long as you don't call me lieutenant. It isn't urgent at the moment since I'm near Theo. But we should sit down and talk this over."

Theo's heart began to thud at her words and the smile Kawehi gave him. Emma frowned and took his hand.

What's going on? she tapped on his palm.

I'm in love with her

Emma gave him a sharp look but didn't say anything else.