Call and Silence

[churbooseanon]

A continuation on No Promises Broken and Dead Air as I promised I would do long ago. Finally I bring the penultimate piece. Churboose, of course, is the hint. And it takes place after the end of the finale of Season 13 so you can imagine how things are going to hurt.

 

Call and Silence

    In the first moments after, everything is exciting laughter. Tucker, all dressed up like the mean Mister Meta stands there, panting by the door, except his panting is laughter too. There’s blood on his arm, and Caboose thinks it belongs to Tucker, but from the sounds on the radio, Wash and Carolina and the nice doctor lady are all coming very soon, so he isn’t too worried. Doc is there too, pulling something from behind his pack and going to Tucker’s side. Grif and Simmons have collapsed on each other in a cuddly pile of happy that Donut is pouting over, and Caboose thinks Grif seems happy with his helmet leaning against Simmon’s. Then there is Sarge, who is sitting on the righted and damaged table, helmet off, smoking a cigar that Caboose doesn’t know how he got.

    Everyone is so happy, so excited, so alive. Caboose likes that last part the most. Everyone is happy and laughing and so alive, and Caboose sits down on the floor, smiling to himself.

    “Church, we did it Church,” he laughs to himself, and it’s when he says that, when those words are out, that people look look at him. Caboose notices them all, every last one except for Doc, looking at him. All the laughter putters off, fades away, stops being so joyful.

    “Epsilon?” Tucker asks of the room.

    Nothing comes of it.

    Caboose pushes to his feet. “This isn’t funny, Tucker. You need to call him right. Church? Church, are you here? Church come out, it isn’t funny anymore. You’re really bad at jokes.”

    No one is talking, and when Caboose looks at them, they look away. “Epsilon, where is…”

    “Gone.”

    Caboose freezes, because there is a hand on his wrist. It’s Tucker’s. When he looks down he can see it’s Tuckers, but it doesn’t look like Tucker’s always looked before this. It’s the new armor. The Agent Meta skin he wears. When Caboose looks up he just sees that helmet. The same helmet that made Church leave him before. Church keeps leaving him because of this face. His hands come up and he pushes Meta-Tucker away from him. He pushes hard and he can hear Freckles talking, can heard Sheila protesting, but they aren’t Church. No one is Church because Church is gone again and still there isn’t a goodbye. They keep taking him away and it’s not nice and it’s wrong and his best friend is gone and what is he supposed to do?

    Agent Meta Tucker reaches out again, and he hears Doctor say quietly that he shouldn’t. Which is right. He shouldn’t keep taking Church away. Caboose grabs the arms reaching for them and pulls hard, until the AquaMeta falls against him. He does what he’s seen Washington teach the soldiers, putting his hip out and pulling the bad man across it, throwing him across the room. Immediately the room is motion, Sarge and Donut moving and their hands are on him too. They didn’t help. They let him die. How could they let him die?

    “Church!” he shouts, shaking himself violently until they were flying away too.

    “Captain Caboose, please stand down,” Freckles speaks at his shoulder, and “No!” Sheila says.

    Arms, strong arms, clamp around him from behind. When Caboose looks down he finds they are brown. Lopez. The robot is a very nice person, but he is here and Church is not, and so Caboose struggles. And struggles. Pulls and shakes and squirms. The hold doesn’t break. So Caboose does the only thing left to him.

    The floor is a lot closer when he’s on his knees, but that doesn’t seem as important as the pain in his chest. It hurts so much, and he cries in his helmet. There are tears and they are on the screen, and everything is blurring. He doubles over and still those strong arms are around him, holding him like Church never can, like Church never did, like Church never would be able to do.

    “Church,” he whines weakly. “Church, please stop playing. Church, come back. Church…”

    The arms let him rock back and forth, so Caboose does. Because there is no point of light, no flash of Church, no voice he knows so much, so well, enough that he feels better. The arms hold him tightly and he can hear all the voices but they are whispers so he ignores them. Whispers won’t make him better. Nothing will make him better. What is left now that…

    “Is everyone okay?”

    Caboose looks up at the voice. Carolina. Maybe Church went to her. But the way no one is moving…

    “Caboose?” Wash asks at her side, and he’s moving forward without being asked. The arms are gone and when Caboose falls forward a bit, Wash is there to catch him. To hold him. “Caboose, what’s going on? Is everyone okay?”

    “Church,” he whispers weakly.

    “Epsilon?” Washington asks, his voice just as soft. “What’s wrong with Epsilon, Caboose?”

    “He’s gone. And he didn’t say goodbye again.”

    Washington’s arms tighten around him and there is uncomfortable shuffling in the room. Not that Caboose much cares. The arms around him are lifting him, and Caboose rises with them. When he’s standing Washington’s arm wraps around his waist, and Caboose doesn’t pay attention to what is behind him because Washington is moving him forward.

    “Please wait.”

    Washington must stop, because Caboose stops too. Green flashes in front of him, and when Caboose raises his hand he sees a little, glowing green form. One he knows well.

    “Delta… Church left,” Caboose says quietly, not questioning the presence of his friend. “What do I do?”

    “Delta?” Washington is asking at his side. “How are you…?”

    “I know,” Delta says softly. “But it will be okay. He left me here, Caboose. Since he can no longer be here, he asked me to take care of you. I hope this is acceptable.”

    He isn’t Church, but Caboose just nods. The green light fades away, but Caboose can hear a voice echoing in his helmet anyway.

    “I know I’m not Epsilon, but I hope I can be your friend as well, Caboose. That would please me greatly.”

    It’s not Church at all. But maybe… it won’t be too bad.