"And to you, your highness. He's secured?"
"He's secured. And he won't be free for a VERY long time. Interfering with the Veil is serious offence in my country. So he will be punished accordingly".
"I'm glad to hear it!"
They smile. After a few moments, Kasim's face turns serious.
"I truly am sorry for your loss. I lost my mother a few years ago. Gone before her time. Murdered by traitors so, I can kind of understand how you feel".
"How come no one visited you? Dad came to me, Mel's mum came to her and Roberta and Warren's partner came to him...why did no one visit you?"
"I think Mum visited Dad. They loved each other very much so it makes more sense for that to have happened. I'm sure I will hear about it upon my return..."
They nod. Kasim puts his hand on Jody's shoulder once more.
"If you ever need anything, help. someone to talk to, you can come to Babylonia anytime. My door is always open..."
"Thank you, Kasim. Same for you. Thank you for helping me stop Lifeforce".
"Thank you for bringing a killer to justice. And thank you for stopping me when I went too far. I have a tendency to do that..."
"We all do. It's ok".
Kasim nods. He walks away towards the carpet and the Genie who are waiting for him.
"See ya, Genie!"
"Soon, I hope, Mr Kent".
Kasim steps onto the carpet and prepares for take off.
"Oh, Jody, I meant to tell you. I had a dream a few weeks ago. And I realised while being here that it involved you..."
"Oh?"
"Yes. The dream was you against an enemy that was older than the universe itself. And you fought them alone. If this happens in real life, don't fight alone. In the dream, it didn't end well for you..."
Jody nods.
"Noted. Thank you, Kasim. Safe journey and send my love to Babylonia. Went there on holiday once. Beautiful country".
"Meh. It's ok I suppose".
They chuckle. Soon after, Kasim flies away. Jody looks after him and thinks for a moment. He smiles to himself. He liked Kasim. He was fun.
******
Jody sat alone in the Archive. He sat on the edge of the Fountain and just listened to the water running. He was contemplating what to do now. He'd lost two people in two weeks and, for him, it was too much.
"How did your Mum take it?"
Jody turns around and sees Mel leaning against the doorframe.
"She lost her daughter. But she's taking it as well as can be expected. She was comforted knowing that Dad saw her across. Even if she is pissed at him for not visiting her. She wanted to have a go at him for not finishing the shed".
They chuckle for a moment. Mel goes over and sits next to Jody.
"I don't think I've ever felt this empty..."
"I know that feeling. That's how I felt when Mum died".
"What do we do now?"
"We carry on. We look for Tragedy and we make him pay for what he did to Roberta. Kasim will see that Lifeforce gets the punishment he deserves, it's up to us to avenge Roberta".
"What if we can't?"
"What do you mean?"
Jody sighs.
"Before Kasim left, he told me he had a dream about me. Fighting an enemy 'older' than anything. I think that might be Tragedy. He then said it didn't end well for me. Tragedy is always one step ahead of us...it wouldn't surprise me if I did die at his hand".
"You can't think like that"
"I have to, Mel. It's only a matter of time. We all die sometime!"
"I know but Laura would want you to continue"
"She'd want me to hide my powers"
"She'd want you to be happy. Especially now she knows the truth about what happened with your dad..."
Jody shrugs.
"I just don't think I can lose anyone else..."
Mel hugs him.
"Well, you're not getting rid of me anytime soon!"
Jody smiles.
"Thank you..."
"It's what friends are for..."
As they hug, Jody's phone rings. Jody looks at the screen.
"Huh...that's odd..."
"Who is it?"
"It's my oldest friend. I haven't seen him for ages. Can I take this?"
"Sure!"
Jody answers.
"Joe. Long time no speak. What can I do for you?"
"Hey, Jody. How's things?"
"Well, I'm as good as I'll ever be...you ok?"
"Yeah. Yeah I'm alright..."
Pause.
"So...any particular reason you called?"
"Yeah...ummm...I need advice..."
"Ok?"
"...how quickly can you get to my school?"
"About 30 seconds...why?"
"Can you come here? There's something you need to see. And I hear you're an expert on the weird nowadays..."
******
"You weren't wrong were you..."
"No..."
Jody and Joe look at a wall at Joe's school. Where a massive hole now resides.
"And you just found this?"
"I always come to school early to use the labs. But, yeah, I found this".
Jody looks stunned.
"And where is it now?"
"Where's what?"
"What made this...shape?"
"Well....ummmm...we don't know..."
"You don't know!?"
"No".
"JOE, THIS WAS MADE BY A FREAKING RHINOCEROS! HOW DO YOU LOSE A RHINO!?"
"I'M PRETTY SURE THE BETTER QUESTION IS HOW THE HELL DID A RHINOCEROS END UP IN A SCHOOL IN THE FIRST PLACE!?"
"...Fair".
They stare once more before Jody comments once more.
"Well, you can't say my new job isn't interesting..."
Joe looks confused.
"New job?"
Jody looks at Joe and smiles.
"Yes...new job...and, funnily enough, a new vacancy has appeared...interested?"
Joe looks confused.
"What kind of vacancy?"
"Something someone with you abilities might find challenging..."
Joe lifts his hand and produces a chemical reaction with magnesium and water. From himself.
"I'm listening..."
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