{Enki | Cinder’s Shrine}

Andrew was so grateful Kyle wasn’t listening to his earpiece. He glimpsed Korac wincing from it and caught the Icarus’ eye. With a raised brow, the Icarean General asked a wordless question.

Andrew answered the only way he could, with a nod. The Probability Matrix showed no one the full extent of happenings in a given instance. Spies of futures unknown only hoped to glean the most pertinent events and their outcomes. Although fucking traumatic to listen to, so far, the pertinent events in Tameka’s current instance lined up with the successful Probabilities.

Korac understood and went back to his duties as a glamorous sentinel.

Kyle would not understand. Thus Andrew’s relief.

Still, with both of them suffering like owners of lonely hearts, Andrew made his way across the gigantic and yet not gigantic enough station to find Kyle. Along the way, he scanned intentions. So many voices and all of them shouted battle cries. The entire Vast Collective was eager to rid themselves of Imminent—not the Tritan race. That was such an important distinction to make as they’d learned earlier today of several innocent Tritans swept up in the fray.

Among the throng of earnest fighters, some of the Generals’ intentions intrigued Andrew the most. How long would Xelan get by with not talking to Tameka about this very important future the galaxy had planned for her? How would she react when Xelan finally confessed to knowing all along—

No. Never mind. They’d work through it. They were great together.

Their synchronism reminded Andrew of another couple, now toast—Or were they? How many times did Lucas and Andrew perfectly harmonize on so many major issues, but couldn’t agree on what to eat for dinner—

Smiling.

Andrew was smiling without realizing it.

“Keep your faith in me a little while longer.”

Kyle was right. How many times did someone say that to them? And how many times did ‘keeping that faith’ pay off? By their accounts, Xelan said it first when he shut the Valkyrie away for a million years or so. Andrew knew this from Korac’s Verse. Iuo said it to Ross when he handed her over to Imminent to find Bethany. Tumu said it to Tameka when he found her snooping around the Pantheon. And then Lucas…

Such a strange assurance, but looking at its history… Well, it always paid off.

Renewed by this positive examination, Andrew slapped Kyle on the back. Hard.

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“Ow. Dude.”

Xelan was frowning too hard to chuckle, but Tumu laughed in Kyle’s face, saying, “His eyes almost popped out of his head and everything. Humans make such funny faces with your eyelids and your lips.”

Andrew and Tumu fistbumped.

When Xelan met Andrew’s eyes, it was so similar to the gesture from Korac earlier that Andrew could see them being raised together. Andrew gave a nod of… reassurance? Guidance? He wasn’t sure of this feeling he got from viewing the Matrix. It wasn’t certainty, but something close. Tameka and the others were on their way into the sure-to-succeed category.

That’s all that mattered.

Well, that and keeping Kyle from listening to Celindria torturing his sister with Chris’ body.

What a mess.

“Are you free from screening duties and ready to check out the view?” Andrew was asking Kyle, but obviously everyone else in this circle was invited.

Kyle looked around and shivered as if brushed by something. “So many people. They’re pressing in. Isn’t it like that with you and their intentions?”

Andrew shrugged. “You’ve helped me gain better control of most of my abilities while you’ve exercised your lungs instead of practicing.”

“And here I was thinking guarding Cinder’s conduit for the last couple of years while you farmed under a balloon was exercise.”

Xelan stepped between them, physically cutting off their bickering. “Anyone for a view?”

Tumu about-faced Kyle toward the other Generals. “Come along, Progeny.”

Kyle lit a new joint, hit it, and took it from his lips to ask, “Hey, Tumu?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did the girls get cool and affectionate nicknames like Peaches, Star, Sparkles, and Little Tree, but me, Andrew, and Rayne were left out?”

That was a great question. Andrew stared expectantly up at Tumu.

Xelan spared him a pitying look before his eyes went vacant as he clearly listened for an update in the earpiece.

Tumu, abashed, straightened his robes and stuttered when he answered, “Well—”

Kyle pressed, “I’d say you were sexist, but you left Rayne out, too.”

“Ahem. Peaches and Star were code names for the girls when referring to their influence in the Probability Matrix.”

Andrew caught Kyle’s eye across the other two men and raised a suspicious brow.

With another hit on his joint, Kyle nodded to Andrew and asked Tumu, “What about Ross and Karter’s names? And that still doesn’t explain why Andrew and I didn’t get code names.”

Tumu straightened his robes again. “How can you refer to Karter as anything but Sparkles? She’s an Icarean Valkyrie with a rainbow mohawk.”

Xelan gave an assenting nod. “That’s fair.”

“Your sister was easy because she was this little tree when I first met her. Humans grow so fast.” Tumu’s voice softened. “And we knew Rayne would destroy Enki. She is the storm and requires no other code name. She simply is ‘Rayne.’”

Oh.

Well, that got dark.

But Kyle wasn’t satisfied. “So, why nothing for me and Andrew?”

Tumu looked to Xelan as if for help, to which the Icarus simply shook his head. “You brought this on yourself by calling everyone pet names. Now tell them what you told me.”

That rose both of Andrew’s brows.

“Fine. Lamassau nicknamed you Thelma & Louise.”

Although he’d clearly heard it before, Xelan let out a hearty laugh—

Oh.

He was laughing at Kyle’s reaction. The young man’s face shriveled into a confused pucker. “Thelma & Louise? Why in the fuck? Are we gonna runaway together at some point? And which one is Thelma—Fuck it. I’m Louise. You can be Thelma.”

Andrew grinned and shrugged. “That’s fine. I wouldn’t mind hooking up with a young Brad Pitt. Might do me as much good as it did her right now.”