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After Earth Went Dark: Part III Chapter 6
Markus, Elliot's baby cousin, was barely two months old, and yet he had an impressive amount of wispy brown hair atop his tiny head. When the new group was settled in the camp, Elliot and his family had a proper reunion. In one of the larger tents, Alice introduced Elliot to the radiant little bundle. In such a dark world it was rare to see such a symbol of purity and innocence. Elliot could hardly stop marveling at the miracle of life.
Uncle Mark beamed with pride as Elliot expressed his adoration with a series of aw's and oh my god's. Unexpectedly then, Alice asked Elliot if he wanted to hold the baby.
Elliot very much wanted to. At the same time however he was incredibly nervous. As Alice handed her son over gently, Elliot realized that without a doubt he had never before held something as delicate and precious. It was a humbling feeling looking down at the little face and bouncing him gently. Elliot couldn't stop smiling.
One thing Elliot found strange was that his mother and Kara seemed to have shrunk. His mother was now a little bit shorter than him, and Kara only a slight bit taller. It took him several seconds to figure out that, of course, they had not gotten shorter, but he had gotten taller. This was commented on multiple times, embarrassing Elliot thoroughly.
He was glad to see that his mother seemed to have gotten over her distaste for Mark and Alice's relationship, and additionally she appeared to be more emotive and less distant than Elliot had seen her in a long time. She pulled him aside later that afternoon when the tears had been shed and the hugs exchanged and wrapped him in her arms once more.
"I owe you an apology." She said, sniffling again. "After you left I... realized that I had been cold towards... well everyone since your father died."
"It's not your fault, mom." Elliot insisted, laying his head on her shoulder. "We were all sad."
She sniffed a laugh. "You've grown so much. Even though you're taller than me now, you're always going to be my baby."
Elliot felt the tears threatening to run again and he squeezed his mother tight.
"Where is Tyr?" His mother asked. "He should be here too."
Elliot shrugged but smiled to himself. Tyr wouldn't want anything to do with their sappy emotional reunion. "He's really busy these days." He put it simply.
"I can understand that. Well, you're lucky to have someone like him to look out for you, even if you don't need it anymore." She patted his back before releasing him from the hug.
They ate their dinner together in the tent and laughed and joked like a proper family. Uncle Mark teasingly chided Elliot for stealing one of his best knives. Kara recounted life on the farm which was about as mundane as Elliot remembered. Elliot's heart felt ready to explode. First his intimate connection with Tyr, then finding his family again, as bleak as the world was, his world for the time being looked very bright indeed.
"So why did you come looking for us. The group I mean?" Elliot asked towards the end of the meal.
"Those New State bastards started getting belligerent." Uncle Mark responded. "I'd heard about them before, but they started expanding west and thought the farm would be easy pickings. They regretted that."
"After that though we knew we couldn't stay." Elliot's mother continued. "One of the towns close by had rumors of the camp up here and your uncle managed to convince quite a few of them to follow us here. Others joined up along the way too."
Elliot was impressed and proud of his family. They made a difficult choice and had gotten this far even with a baby in tow.
"Your turn now." Kara insisted. "How did you end up here? How did you find Tyr again?"
With that, Elliot launched into the tale of his adventures since leaving the farm. He talked about his time with the traveling theater and about being reunited with Tyr. Then finally he told them about the decision to flee to the mountains. All of it leading up to the battle they had just won. He of course left out the intimate moments he had shared with Tyr along the way.
"I guess that makes you a combat veteran now." Uncle Mark commended proudly when Elliot had finished his story. "You're made of tough stuff, Elliot. Don't ever think different."
Elliot beamed at his uncle's praise.
"So that means you're like... one of the founding members of this group then." Kara pointed out, obviously impressed.
Throughout the recounting, Elliot had downplayed his own role in the events, but even so that fact was indisputable. "Umm... Yeah, I guess so." He answered with some shyness.
"I bet the people here look up to you." Alice said with a smile.
Elliot thought about the way people in the camp treated him. Giving him a wide but respectful distance the same way they did for Tyr. Eventually he just shrugged, not really sure how to answer her.
Their humble celebration lasted until dusk when Elliot announced that he was going to go to bed. His mother wanted him to sleep in their tent with them, but Elliot insisted that he wouldn't be far away. He wanted to spend as much time with them as possible, but he also wanted to try to find Tyr before he turned in for the night. If he was unsuccessful, he could always pack up his bedroll and bring it back to the family tent.
He needn't have worried, however. Not far off from the tent he had left, he found Tyr sitting against a tree. It was very uncommon these days to see Tyr not wrapped up in some task or other around the camp.
"Were you... waiting for me?" Elliot asked, surprised but more than happy to see him.
Tyr shrugged. "I guess I was."
"You should have come in." Elliot told him. "You're basically like family."
Shaking his head, Tyr pushed himself to his feet. "Not my place. You all needed some time to yourselves."
Elliot smirked. "You just didn't want to deal with all the hugging and crying." He accused.
Tyr half smiled but said nothing. Instead he pulled Elliot in with one arm into a half-headlock half-hug. Elliot fought back but only playfully until Tyr released him.
"You should talk to them." Elliot said seriously after he was freed. "My mom and Kara. They missed you too. But they might not say it."
Tyr appraised Elliot with one raised eyebrow. "You have grown quite a bit." He commented.
Elliot blushed in the growing gloom. "Everyone keeps saying that."
"It's true." Tyr shrugged. "You're not the helpless boy lost in the woods anymore."
Leaning heavily on Tyr, Elliot looked up at his handsome face and answered. "And you're not the cold, silent robot man that saved me anymore either."
"Robot man?" Tyr frowned in disapproval, bringing a cheeky smile to Elliot's face.
"You know what I mean." He softly butted his head into Tyr's chest, and Tyr captured it with one arm and gently stroked his hand through Elliot's hair.
"Should I tell them?" Elliot asked after a long moment of just being content to let Tyr hold him. "About us?"
Tyr sucked in a long breath and then let it out in a sigh before responding. "That is... up to you."
Allowing himself a moment, Elliot laid his head on Tyr's chest, listening to his heart beating through his shirt. "Well..." He eventually spoke again. "Did you mean what you said last night?"
Placing one hand under Elliot's chin, Tyr lifted his gaze to meet his own, while still stroking his other hand through Elliot's untamed hair. "Which part?"
"When you said you..." Elliot was somehow embarrassed to say it even though he knew no one was nearby. "You... loved me?"
Tyr's stoic face was, as always, nearly impossible to read; but he quickly leaned down to kiss Elliot before pulling away. "I've never..." He stopped then started again. "I don't know these feelings." He confessed haltingly. Elliot felt pity for him seeing how much of a struggle it was to voice his emotions, but he needed to hear it. "Aesir never allowed for feelings or attachment." He stated what Elliot already knew. "I feel... a lot of things for you, Elliot. And I think... that all of them together is what is called love."
Elliot could almost watch Tyr's brain shorting out as he struggled to describe his feelings after years of internal blockage. While it was partially funny, a part of it broke his heart. It led to him laughing with eyes blurred with tears.
"Robot man." Elliot repeated teasingly, wrapping his arms around Tyr. "I love you too. And I think maybe my family would too. Even if it took a little while for them to understand."
"Maybe you're right." Tyr answered quietly. "The choice is yours."
"Yours too." Elliot insisted. "I don't want to do it if you don't think I should."
"I... don't know what to think." Tyr eventually replied. "Maybe spend some time thinking about it. I know you'll make the right choice."
Elliot smiled as he pressed his face to Tyr's chest. "Are you going to bed tonight?"
"Eventually." Elliot could feel the vibrations of Tyr's voice. "I need to meet with Marcel and Ullr first. You are welcome to join if you want."
Nodding, Elliot finally broke away from the hug. "My mom wants me to sleep in their tent tonight."
"I think that's a good idea." Tyr told him. "You've only just found each other again. You should spend time with them."
Again, Elliot was touched by this sensitive side of Tyr. He knew very little about Tyr's experience with family other than he had grown up mostly without one. Somehow though, Tyr still seemed to grasp their importance. Elliot hoped that Tyr would someday be able to see himself as a part of the family.
They found Marcel and Ida in the main command tent, arriving about the same time as Ullr, who sauntered in and pulled up a chair, making himself quite at home.
"Tyr says that you will be staying with us for a time." Marcel noted Ullr's casual posture skeptically.
"That's right." Ullr affirmed. "Your little rebellion has impressed me. You might be small, but you don't give ground easily. And it looks like you could use all the help you can get."
"Hmm..." Marcel gave Tyr a sidelong glance. "And how do we know we can trust you? After all, you said yourself you were sent here to help the New State."
"If I wanted to end your movement all it would have taken was a knife in Tyr's back and a few words to the New State boys. There's also the amount of people that I saved by bringing Tyr his new presents."
Marcel sighed. "Yes, that's true. I suppose we do owe you at least some of our trust."
"I will vouch for him." Tyr spoke up, surprising Elliot with his words. "For now."
"Well," Ida interjected. "I think that settles it then. Desperate times sometimes make for unexpected alliances. The question though is what do we do now?"
"That is the question, isn't it?" Ullr agreed, "However, Tyr and I have been discussing exactly that, and I think we're in agreement." Ullr paused to make sure he had the eyes of the room on him. "It is time to go on the offensive."
Marcel immediately scowled. "You're not serious. Look at the people here. Do they look ready for another fight? When we thought that the new refugees were another wave from the New State, I am surprised half of them didn't break and run."
"But they didn't." Tyr spoke up. "They were tested, and they stayed strong." Marcel gave him a pained look but said nothing as Tyr continued. "Morale is in a tricky place at the moment. On the one hand, food is hardly abundant, and we just lost quite a few good men and women. However, we scored a major victory against the New State and thanks to this new caravan our numbers are stronger than ever. We also have Ullr now."
"Your people idolize Tyr." Ullr picked up where Tyr left off. "You've allowed them to believe that he is unkillable. Which to them, he may as well be. Now there are two Tyrs, figuratively speaking. Two former Aesir, and a new influx of able bodies, combined with a major victory under their belt? I'd say you have everything you need to fan this flame into a blaze."
Marcel was quiet for a time, but eventually he nodded. "You're right." One of the things that made Marcel a good leader was his ability to see when he was in the wrong. "My judgement has been lacking lately. I can see that we have a potential advantage here that we can't afford to waste."
"Your judgement is fine." Ida assured. "But you're run ragged. You need more help. You can't do it all alone."
Marcel shrugged heavily. "Help from whom though? Everyone is already doing all they can."
An idea sprang to Elliot's mind. "My uncle." His sudden interjection drew everyone's attention. "He used to be a soldier. Kind of an important one I think too. Maybe he can help. He led all those new people here."
Marcel and Ida both looked at him in surprise. They had not been there to witness the reunion before. "I did not realize you had family here now." Marcel commented, a smile touching his lips. "If he is as brave and as helpful as you then I am sure he would do very well around here. Ask him to come see me tomorrow."
"I will." Elliot replied, beaming at the compliment.
"Well then, now what?" Marcel returned his attention to Tyr and Ullr. "I see your point about pressing our advantage, but how? We certainly cannot march on the capital."
Ullr shook his head with a chuckle. "No, nothing like that. First and foremost, your movement needs an overhaul."
Marcel raised an eyebrow but said nothing, waiting for Ullr to elaborate.
"Now that you've shown you can beat the New State, you need to give yourselves a name. Something for people to know you by, instead of just a ragtag group of runaways in the mountains."
Marcel nodded. "I had thought about that, but there was no time to really consider it."
"Tyr," Ullr turned his attention. "Do you remember who the oldest enemies of the Aesir were?"
"Of course." Tyr replied. "In the myths, the Aesir fought with the Vanir for thousands of years before uniting under one banner."
"And, where the Aesir were great warriors and fighters, the Vanir fought differently with cunning strategy and subterfuge." Ullr continued. "We need that cunning strategy and subterfuge. And we may well find ourselves pitted against agents of Aesir in the near future."
Tyr nodded, seeing where Ullr was going. "The Vanir. It would be a good name for this resistance. Fitting."
Running a hand through his hair, Marcel pondered this. "It is a little... old fashioned for my taste." He lamented, a hint of his flamboyant charm returning. "Not quite as spectacular as I imagined. But I suppose it will do. It will be good to have a name for people to rally behind."
Ida agreed. "That's a good start. But it doesn't actually get us anywhere. What's the plan to take advantage of our victory?"
"Obviously we can't assault the New State head on." Tyr answered. "But Ullr and I discussed this afternoon the possibility of sending a small strike force to cut off the head of the snake so to speak."
"Assassins?" Marcel spoke the word with obvious contempt.
"Revolutionaries." Ullr corrected smoothly. "Insurgents maybe?"
"If we can take the capital from the inside," Tyr pressed. "Then the rest of the New State will hopefully crumble."
"Or..." Ida interjected. "They'll collapse in on you, kill you all, and then set up a new even angrier leader."
Tyr nodded wearily. "Yes. Or that."
Marcel eventually spoke up again, this time talking to Ida. "Do you think that the New State has enough public support to reunite after such a coup? Wouldn't it be more likely they would all turn on each other, fighting for the scraps?"
Elliot was surprised to hear Marcel voicing his support of Tyr's idea. Usually it took some convincing.
"Likely? Maybe." Ida replied slowly, thinking out her words. "But not certain by any means."
"Nothing is certain in war." Ullr countered. "You were part of Aesir long enough to know that at least."
"I do not like the idea of political assassination." Marcel cut the argument off before it could begin. "But this leader Killian has proven that he is willing to condone murder and torture. If we are going to bring them down, this might be the best way to do it, and this might be our best chance."
Ida nodded, accepting Marcel's decision, even though Elliot could tell that she did not entirely agree. "So, who is going to go?" She asked the question on everybody's mind.
"We will take two teams." Tyr informed them. "Led by Ullr and myself. One team to provide a distraction and the other to infiltrate. The teams will each consist of six people. We will need to take the most experienced and skilled people we have."
"I'm going." Elliot announced immediately.
Tyr instantly shook his head. "No. No way."
"I have to." Elliot argued. The thought of going back undercover deep inside enemy territory scared him, terrified him even. But staying behind while not knowing if Tyr was ok or not was unthinkable. "I'll just follow you anyway so you may as well let me go."
Ullr laughed heartily. "I like this kid. I guess that's one then."
Tyr glared at Ullr and opened his mouth to protest.
"I can handle it." Elliot promised. "You know I can."
"You did say you needed the best." Marcel pointed out. His tone was understanding. "And Elliot definitely fits."
Tyr frowned but could come up with no logical objection. "Alright fine. Under one condition. Elliot, your uncle will come as well."
Elliot's brow furrowed in confusion. "What? Why?"
"He's a fighter." Tyr responded. "And he cares for you. He won't let you get hurt."
It dawned on Elliot what Tyr was trying to say. He wanted people there that he thought would look after Elliot when he was not able to. Although it did bother Elliot to some extent that Tyr still thought he needed watching out for, even after what he had said before, it also made him smile to be reminded how much Tyr cared about him.
"I'll ask him tonight." Elliot replied.
"Perfect. There's two." Ullr said with a grin.
"I should go as well." Marcel affirmed. "It would not do for the people to see me sending others on a dangerous mission that I would not go on myself. Not to mention, if I have to spend much longer standing behind a desk listening to complaints, I'll go mad, I'm sure."
His statement was met with general agreement, but Ida spoke up. "If you go, who is going to lead the camp while you're gone? Sorry, the Vanir."
All eyes immediately came to rest on Ida when she voiced the question. It took her a moment to grasp the expectant nature of these stares. "Me? I can't lead them. I assumed I was leaving too."
"The people love you, Ida. Probably more than they like me." Marcel admitted with rare humility. "They'll listen to you. Carlos will stay back as well. He's highly respected now and will help you keep things running smoothly."
Ida rolled her eyes and sighed. "And here I thought I was going to get to have some fun for once. Promise me you'll at least save me a page or two in the history books?"
Marcel cracked a grin that was reminiscent of his old carefree self. "You will get a whole chapter."
The following day, it the announcement was made. The people of the camp, now dubbed the Vanir, were thrilled with their branding and morale soared as Marcel confidently proclaimed that they would take the fight to the New State. He did not go into great detail about their plan in case unfriendly ears were listening, but the people either didn't notice or didn't care.
Uncle Mark whole-heartedly agreed to accompany the mission, despite the protests of his young wife. Jay insisted on coming as well, which Elliot was glad of. The slightly older boy had become a valuable fighter in addition to being someone Elliot counted as a close friend. Erik, one of the boys from the first town they had liberated, volunteered as well. The rest of the two teams were made up of people from the ranks of the Vanir that had proven to be adept or experienced in one useful area or another.
As the selections were finalized, Elliot felt tingly all over. The time was coming fast where he hoped he would get to meet Killian Barnes face to face. Then he would kill him.