I'm Not Tired (Please Let Me Sleep)

Chapter twenty-one

"I don't like leaving him there," Wilbur said once they had all watched Tommy enter the shop, his stance practically screaming pain despite the three painkillers that the brunette had given him.

"Me neither, Wil," Phil sighed and then signalled for Techno to start the car again, "but there weren't any visible lumps on his back yet and I couldn't feel the tips of the bones either. He should be fine for a few hours."

"Are you sure?"

No. No, he was not. The silence told the twins as much.

"We'll just pick him up again once Dream is dead," the avian eventually said, "if Fundy's right he should be at the tower today so that's our best bet."

"What if he isn't?" Techno asked, hands gripped around the steering wheel a little too tightly and with more force than necessary, "What if Fundy's information is wrong and he's not there?"

"Then we'll simply take one of the heroes closer to him and interrogate them back at the base," Phil shrugged, trying to brush off the feeling of impending doom that had his wings act up, "You said Halo and Blaze were with him last time?"

"They had a single patrol that we witnessed, not quite sure if they're close friends outside of their job, though."

"That will have to do then. We can always get someone else if they don't know anything."

"Let's just hope that Insomnia's there."

The rest of the drive was spent in silence, only broken once by Phil's phone ringing. It was Niki who was checking in on them to figure out whether they were in position yet or not. She and Jack had anticipated the hit for a while now, having heard of just how rough Tommy had looked and no matter how much they denied it, the Crafts knew they had started caring too. Just the tiniest bit.

They were already in position with Fundy scouting out the area in civilian, their earpieces linked up to their personal phone. It was a pretty big risk, they knew as much since the speakers would blast whatever the villains were saying when it was linked up. That had been the whole reason as to why Wilbur refused to hand Tommy the phone. Fundy had been busy with a heist at that moment and the brunette had to keep a close eye on him to make sure everything went smoothly and he didn't need any help. He couldn't risk handing the phone away just to have Fundy blow their cover by requesting Siren's help specifically.

While they'd gotten lucky, that would've probably been enough for Tommy to figure it out. Techno was already convinced that the now slowly returning blonde suspected something. His own phantom wings had apparently given away quite a bit but it seemed that the fledgling was in denial still.

"Did he spot Dream yet?"

"No, but he's definitely in," Nemesis said in a hushed voice, a bit of wind picking up through the com's mic, "he heard some of the new recruits whispering about him showing up after weeks of absence."

Phil hummed, tipping with taloned fingers on the board of the car, "We'll keep him down on the street for now, try and get him to find out more things. If he leaves, whether that be in civilian or hero, call us."

"Got it. Where are you guys now?"

"Almost back at the base. Quick change and then we'll be on our way. Fifteen minutes, give or take."

"We're on the roof opposite the tower," she said and then hesitated for just a moment, "when did you request the bracelet for the kid?"

His kid.

The avian took a moment to think and pursed his lips, "Could've been around a month ago. Maybe less than four weeks. Why?"

The villainess hummed, "Was hoping you wouldn't say that. Remember that Sam dude Insomnia was talking about?"