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 Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 3:59 pm
Oh no. What'd happened? It sounded like Toby'd been crying. He didn't want to imagine what could cause that. ...And there it was. Cody swallowed. He looked down at his phone. He was tempted to throw it against the wall. No. No, no, no. Dari couldn't die. He'd said he was practically impossible to kill! And he'd-- hell, he'd gone immortal for him not long ago! They were supposed to be together for all of forever!
A tear fell down Cody's cheek. Then another. When he finally regained the ability to speak, he managed, "What happened?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:28 pm
"I can tell you when we get back. It isn't something you should hear over the phone," Toby said. Had Dari told Cody how he could die? How his biological family had died?
"We'll be back in a couple of hours. I'll come right over. Want me to send Maia or Lori to you in the meantime?" God, how was he going to tell all of these people? He'd have to relive it over and over...
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Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:32 pm
Cody nodded. He felt dead inside. He took a sharp breath and swallowed painfully. "Alright. I'll see you in a few hours..." He shook his head and realized Toby couldn't see him. "No," he said. "Thank you, but right now I'd rather be alone."
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Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:38 pm
"We don't know for sure he's gone," Toby said quickly, "We can't-- I mean, we can't know for sure yet. We just didn't see him, but neither did Michael, so..." But Dari had wondered aloud more than once if his people died the same way that humans did, so it was only half-comforting. Toby could hold out hope. He had to.
"I won't send them. If they come, I'm sorry. I have to let everyone know."
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Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 11:48 pm
Cody swallowed. He tried blinking back tears, but they wouldn't stop. He wanted to believe there was a possibility Dari would come back. He knew Toby, though. Toby wouldn't have left Dari if there'd been much of a chance for survival. He sniffed. He wanted to believe so badly that his love would come home.
"Right," he said. "...come see me in a few hours?" He asked. "I'll keep hoping..." He paused, rubbing an eye with his free hand. "Dari taught me that the impossible's possible. Maybe."
...but if a group of supernatural FBI agents couldn't revive him...
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 10:50 am
"Yeah, I will," Toby agreed with a nod that Cody couldn't see. "It'll only be two or so, maybe even one and three quarters. We'll make it quick." He'd already filled out all of the paperwork and made the report. All they could do now was sit and watch and wait. The fort was not aware of the continued surveillance.
Soon Lori would know what had happened purely because of the hubbub that was sure to be happening at HQ. He didn't want to have to come home and have Maia ask where Dari was, though. He couldn't, so when his call with Cody was finished, he dialed Maia.
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 11:06 am
"Okay," Cody sniffed. "I'll see you then." He said, and hung up. He pushed his phone aside after setting it down. There wouldn't be any real need for it today. He'd been planning to call Dari...
Dari was gone. He sat down and put his head in his hanfs. Was it possible this was a nightmare?
Maia answered the phone immediately. "Toby?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 11:12 am
"Hey," Toby said, the first small smile creasing his lips, "I have some bad news, love. I want you to sit down."
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 11:16 am
Maia hesitated. Bad news? She sat on the couch, then. "Are you alright?" She asked.
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 11:18 am
"I'm okay," he said. His chemical burns were long since healed, "but there was an accident, and Dari's not coming home."
It was still like a punch in the gut to say. Not coming home. In so many years, Dari had always come home. He could remember the first time. The alien had been so excited to be a part of a family, even if you couldn't really tell it on his face.
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 11:27 am
Maia went silent. Her hand tightened on her phone. "Dari's not coming back?" She asked, shakily. She'd never worried too much about the alien. He was a constant. He... couldn't be gone! "Toby... when will you be home?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 11:30 am
"I'm going to Cody's once we get back into town. It won't be for another two hours or so." He snuffled again and wiped the wetnes from the corner of an eye. "He wanted to be alone just now. I called him just before I called you."
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 11:38 am
Maia nodded. Going to see Cody first made sense. The poor guy... She still couldn't believe Dari was gone. She couldn't. She sniffed. "There's no chance--?" Was it like that time in Breyer?
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 11:40 am
"We, uh..." He paused and cleared his throat to try and maintain composure. "There was no sign of consciousness in any of the recovered fluid samples." His guts, basically. His guts were all that was left.
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 11:46 am
Maia swallowed, hard. No hope, then. She sniffed again. "...I.." Don't know what to say. She'd lost people before. But Dari was uniquely special. She'd never become so close to someone so fast.
"I was hoping he'd come back."
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