Memories Part 2: Spreading The Hope

Cory sat back with a look of shock on his face. He had just completed an incoming call from the President of the U.S. asking how the United States could be of assistance. That was not what put him into shock though; it was the conversation that followed.

Cory had been concerned about South Carolina's declaration; he was afraid that it might lead to the same thing that happened the last time the State had a difference with the way the Government was handling things.

Cory thought back to his history classes. Some of the original settlers of the United States had brought slavery over with them; twelve other states led by South Carolina finally got fed up with the US government turning a blind eye to the practice; while not outright making it legal, the federal government did nothing to stop it. In the late 1800's things came to a head and the Confederacy was born. Two years later, after much bloodshed, a truce was reached and slavery of all kinds was abolished throughout the states and the Confederacy was reincorporated into the United States.

The conversation with the President calmed Cory's fears. A vote in both the House and Senate had been accomplished through a teleconference, and a majority vote had quickly placed a bill on the President's desk giving support for States declaring themselves Safe Havens for youth and granting them the right to adopt Vulcan law to accomplish this action. An additional provision was added by the Senate and approved by the House; if at any time in the future, two-thirds of the States have decided to go that route, it would be adopted as an amendment to the Constitution and become Federal law with no additional vote required. The President signed the bill into law as he was speaking to Cory.

"Cory?" Kyle asked in a quiet voice, interrupting Cory's thoughts. "Are you okay to take another call? Ted Jacobs, the Governor of Iowa, wants to speak with you."

"I guess so," Cory replied. He turned back to the screen and keyed in his acceptance of the call.

As soon as the screen came to life, the Governor spoke. "Cory? Are you and Sean okay?" he asked, concern evident in his voice and expression.

Cory gave a small smile as Kyle climbed onto his lap. "We are both alive; I don't know if we'll ever be okay after today. Thank you for asking."

Ted nodded at Kyle as he replied. "I see Kyle is still standing guard over Iowa's favorite teenager. Do me a favor after the call is over Kyle; catch the Medical Director there and tell them that all four hospitals in Des Moines, plus the University of Iowa Medical Center, are at full alert and are standing by for anyone that is in need of additional medical care. Cory, the entire Capitol has declared unanimously that what happened to you today will not ever be allowed to happen again. While South Carolina has the events happening there to give reason for their decision to declare themselves a safe haven for youth, Iowa as a State is not waiting for things to get worse before following in their footsteps. As the State which publicizes our motto of 'Kids First', besides being the originating location of Clan Short, we would be hypocrites to stand by and watch. I have not made the official announcement yet for one reason; you have been broadsided enough for a lifetime, and I refuse to add to your stress. If you feel up to it, I would like to have you digitally 'by my side' as I make the announcement; if you wish you could add your own views into it."

Before Cory could open his mouth to respond, Kyle spoke up. "Cor, you need ta do this. Since I was born, I've always been inside everyone's head; even though it messed up me being a kid, I learned some stuff, things like there are times to be quiet an' times to raise a stink. Bein' quiet is just makin' things badder with this group. People listen to you because you are always honest about what you believe, bro; it's time to let the world know what filth is sitting right under their noses."

Cory looked into Kyle's eyes and felt a chill run down his spine. The insecure, innocent boy who had shyly asked Sean to be his friend had been pushed into the background. What had taken its place was a serious, no-nonsense persona which had decided that enough was enough. Without asking, Cory knew that if he said no, Kyle would step into the spot and speak for him, probably naming names. "Kyle's right; how many stations are going to pick this up?"

Ted turned his head for a second, nodded and made a motion to someone in the back that clearly meant 'Just do it!', then he turned back to the screen. "We were set up to broadcast on every media outlet in Iowa; my media director overheard the conversation and is in the process of notifying the broadcasting services worldwide to stand by with translators for a priority one newscast. Kyle is right; it's time to break the silence."

Cory glanced around the room at the injured kids and adults trying to make themselves and each other a little more comfortable. His gaze fell on Sammy and he froze. 'Sammy had been the initial primary target,' Cory thought to himself, 'yet that same boy put his own concerns aside to stay by my side when I was ready to give up, even though he never met me before today. Being silent almost killed his family; it needs to stop now.' Cory then turned his face back to the screen. "Have your media director inform the broadcasters to send their censors home for the day; play time is over," Cory replied with an ominous tone.

"I agree," Kyle stated as he climbed from Cory's lap.

An unfamiliar face popped onto the screen next to Ted. "I already took the liberty ... of ... that ... sir .... OH MY GOD! GEORGE!!!! Drop whatever you're setting up and piggyback this connection! We ain't got the time to make it pretty! CARLIN! You know that button I told you to never touch? HIT IT NOW!"

 

Christian Smythe residence; Corwith, IA:

Christian couldn't help but smile as his new sons dragged him into the living room to watch cartoons with them. Jeremiah and Job were precocious little five-year-old auburn-haired twins that had stolen Christian's heart the day he met them. Six months ago, Christian had been on duty for the County EMS when there was a call for assistance from Mason City. There had been a twenty-car pileup on I-35 due to a semi going out of control and crossing into oncoming traffic. Christian had been shocked as he waded into the center of the pileup and heard the crying of the two boys. The adults in the vehicle had been decapitated by a car that had slid over the hood of the SUV and into the passenger compartment. Christian pried the rear door of the vehicle open with the jaws of life and stuck his head in, to find two apparently uninjured boys still strapped into their seats. Christian silently thanked God at that point that the parents had neglected to use booster seats; if they had been any taller, they would have had serious head injuries. As he helped both boys out of the vehicle, he glanced in the back and found that the SUV was filled with guns and literature boldly proclaiming it was from some organization called the FCC.

When it was discovered that the boys had no living relatives, Christian petitioned to adopt them. Child services was more than willing to allow it, but some unknown forces from out-of-state did everything they could do to block it. Last week, Christian received a phone call that changed his life. Judge Joe Lewis, the newly-appointed Iowa Family Court Appeals Judge, called him and informed him that Christian needed to be in his chambers with the boys at 9 am the next morning. To Christian's surprise, the appointment consisted mainly of the Judge getting to know them and inquiries as to how each of them was doing. During the conversation, Christian found out that the North-Central CPS had tired of the attempts to stall or prevent the adoption and had privately got the permission of the local judge to go over his head. Just before noon, the Judge handed Christian a small pile of forms, instructing him to sign at the "X" on each page. As Christian passed the final form back to the Judge, Joe gave them a big smile.

"By the powers vested in me by Federation Youth Services, I hereby declare this adoption final and permanent," Judge Lewis proclaimed.

Judge Lewis then took the new family out for lunch, explaining while they ate how he was in on the initial forming of Clan Short and Federation Youth Services. He also explained how the State had placed him in a position where he could use the powers that his association gave him to override the judicial system if necessary. Before they left, Joe gave them his contact info just in case they ever needed it.

"Daddy?...Daddy!" two young voices chorused, interrupting Christian's thoughts.

"Sorry, guys!" Christian chuckled. "I got distracted."

"You was thinkin' 'bout Granpa Joe again, Daddy!" Job exclaimed with a grin.

"Yeah, you caught me," Christian chuckled. "I think you two enjoy poking around in my head!"

Jeremiah giggled. "Yeah, we do, Daddy; you ain't fulla mean stuff in there like our old parents were."

Christian pulled both boys into a hug and kissed the tops of their heads. "Thank you, guys; I'm actually glad that you told me you can do that. Just remember what I told you: don't go telling everyone about it. Some people get scared if they find out their thoughts are not private."

"We know, Daddy. C'mon, it's time for Bugs Bunny!"

Christian settled into his favorite recliner with a boy on each leg. Forty-five minutes into the cartoon, the screen suddenly went black. At the same instant, the Civil Defense siren across the street along with Christian's EMS radio began blaring warning tones.

"All personnel access the nearest radio or television. A Statewide State of Emergency has been declared. I repeat, All personnel access the nearest radio or television. A Statewide State of Emergency has been declared. Stand by for further instructions."

At that moment, Emergency Alert System tones came from the television, followed by an announcer echoing the text scrolling along the bottom of the screen.

"A State of Emergency has been declared by Governor Jacobs covering all cities and counties in the State of Iowa. Stand by for an official announcement from the Capitol."

Halfway through the third repetition of the message, the black screen dissolved into a split video screen. On the left was Governor Jacobs. It was immediately obvious that he had not taken the time to prepare for a public announcement, nor was he in his usual location for making such announcements. He was in his private office, in shirtsleeves with his hair seriously out-of-place. The picture on the right side of the screen explained the reason the Governor was in such disarray. Sitting in a chair was a pale blond boy of about 14, obviously recovering from some serious injury. To his right was a boy about 8 with shoulder length dark brown hair and a scowl which clearly showed his displeasure at the current situation. A third boy walked into the picture as Christian watched, a brown-haired 11-year-old with a shellshocked expression, one arm in a sling, and blood all over his shirt. That boy took position next to the other one behind the blond. In the background could be seen innumerable youth in various states of injury trying to help each other get comfortable.

Governor Jacobs cleared his throat. "Citizens of Iowa who are watching on their televisions, the image you are seeing on the other side of the screen is not staged. Sitting in the chair is Patriarch Cory Short of Clan Short of Vulcan. The younger of the two young men behind him is Kyle Richardson, Head of Clan Short Intelligence. I am sure a lot of you will recognize the gentleman who just joined them, Samuel Reynolds; I am unsure as to whether he has a position in Clan Short just yet, but I am sure he will be offered one if he has not already. Now that introductions are completed, on to official business. By unanimous vote of both the House and Senate in emergency session, the State of Iowa is now declared a Safe Haven State as allowed under Presidential Proclamation. As the home of the founding of Clan Short we can no longer stand by and watch as other areas of the country and certain organizations put the youth of this country in peril. We as a State have always put children first; it is time for the words to stop and action to begin. Earlier today a religious organization known as the FCC - the Fundamentalist Church of Christ - commenced a war-like attack on the residence of Samuel as he and his family returned home to Montana. Some members of Samuel's family were brought into the medical center you see on the screen in critical condition; Kyle has reported to me that they are now all classified as 'stable'. Clan Short responded to an emergency call to assist and is still having to fight even more incoming FCC militants. With that evidence in mind, I have been authorized and hereby invoke Vulcan Law throughout the State of Iowa. Law Enforcement officials are instructed to consider the FCC a terrorist organization and proceed under standard emergency response directives for such an organization. I now turn you over to Patriarch Short."

Sammy and Kyle visibly squeezed Cory's shoulders in support as he began to speak. "Thank you, Governor Jacobs. No matter where I reside, in my heart Iowa is my home. The last hour has proved to me why. South Carolina received reports first-hand of what we have come up against and responded immediately. Iowa is the first state to respond to the current situation since the information became available outside of the involved agencies which have assisted us. I have been informed that all major medical facilities in Iowa are standing by to assist, as well as the Iowa National Guard mobilizing to help protect our installations and assist us in any way possible. This is going out over the international news feeds; I urge the rest of the world to follow in the steps of Iowa and shut down the slime that thinks hurting kids in any way is justified. I have previously made it a policy to keep a low profile as far as organizations which I suspect to foster child abuse; after today, that will not be the case. Sammy here is possibly the only reason I am still alive; I was injured that badly. Thanks to the FCC and their vendetta against Sammy, well over two hundred youth will not be going home tonight. Of that number, seventy one will never go home. My six-year-old son has killed two grown men today to protect his family; three of my brothers are undergoing advanced emergency treatment to save their lives, but they will never be the same physically ever again. One of our medical staff is frantically trying to save the life of a young boy whose father thought it was appropriate to shoot his son because the boy refused to move out of the line of fire of one of Sammy's brothers."

Cory stopped to take a breath, then continued. "Every single youth and child you see injured behind me has been injured by the militant arm of the FCC. I've lost count of how many grown men I had to kill or seriously injure today just because they believed the teachings of their church gave them the right to kill anyone who believed anything other than what they were taught. I'll have nightmares for the rest of my life of the man who would have cut my arm off with an axe if I had not seen him out of the corner of my eye, the guy who tried to run me over with an ATV, the man who jumped on my brother's back with a live grenade strapped to his chest, of my son screaming 'Watch out, Daddy!' as he killed the man who was about to attack me from behind...."

Sammy very gently reached up and wiped a tear from Cory's cheek as he said, just loud enough to be heard, "It'll be okay Cory, somehow it will." He turned toward the viewers and took over the announcement. "I have been up in the ER since I got here and have seen things I wished to God I would never have had to see. Things that no one should ever have to, much less a little kid. My family was attacked for no other reason than we stood up to people who were trying to hurt us and we won. Now people I don't even know have died to protect us and many more have been hurt real bad. These kids didn't know me, they didn't know my family, yet they were willing to risk their lives, and give them too, just because we were kids and in trouble. This is the type of group y'all want in this world, not those like the FCC. The FCC is nothing but a bunch of hating sick bastards who don't care about nothing but making everyone believe like they do and hurting anyone who doesn't. They went after us cause we didn't fit their idea of what a family should be and didn't give up when they tried to take away our dad from us. They were going to kill us just because we were different. Right now, some more of my family are still up there fighting them with Cory's, and I don't know if they are okay or not. I don't know about keeping him alive and all; I just told him to let em fix him up, but I do know that if he wasn't here, him and his family, I wouldn't be alive today and my family wouldn't be either. There was a man with a shotgun who was about to pull the trigger when two boys from the Clan showed up and stopped him. Anything y'all can do to help Cory, you should, 'cause there are a lot of kids out there that need help and he helps them, no one else does. I'm glad you done what you did, Governor, 'cause now I think they all might just have pissed in the wrong bowl of Wheaties. Ya'll got to stop this stuff."

Someone behind the Governor said, "He can't say that on TV!"

"Why not, he's right," the Governor responded. "This has to stop, and it has to stop NOW."

Before anyone could respond, the boy who had been identified as Kyle spoke up in a tone that seemed to command the listeners' attention. "Two states have taken the second step to prevent crap like this happening ever again. Both of them had already taken the first step by overhauling their child welfare departments and turning biased or bigoted placements into the exception rather than the rule. South Carolina stepped up and provided assistance the second they heard what the FCC was doing; Iowa has done the same. Even the Federal Government has made concessions to assist the States which choose to join with us. It works both ways; those who assist us will be assisted by us. Those who choose to go against us and continue doing things which endanger youth in any way are no longer just ignoring the laws made by the Federation to protect youth; they are slowly going to become the only place that you will find the bigots and jerks who fall for the mind games which the FCC likes to play."

Christian felt every hair on his body stand on end at the chill he heard in the young boy's voice as Kyle added his last comment.

"Those members of the FCC who ordered today's attack have been identified, judged, and found guilty of manslaughter. Their punishment is death; upon location of those persons the punishment shall be served immediately." Kyle paused, then his voice went a little closer to normal. "The doctrine of the FCC has been analyzed and found to be in violation of over fifty percent of the Safe Haven Act; as such, all violent FCC members found from this point forward are to be turned over to the Federation to reverse the brainwashing that is done by the so-called clergy. Today, some of the FCC crossed the line in the sand that the world placed there long ago; Iowa and South Carolina have responded to that line being crossed, and for that we are truly grateful. It is now the choice of the rest of the world as to if they would rather live in the extremist members of the FCC's promised land, where kids are killed because they stood up for their rights, or if they want to live in our world that we are trying to build, where you are judged by your actions and not your genetic makeup or scar tissue. That is all I have to say."

"Daddy?" Jeremiah asked in a soft voice. "Are those the guys Judge Joe said made it so you was able to 'dopt us?"

Christian nodded as he whispered, "Yes, little one."

All three fell silent as they watched three new additions join Cory on the screen. The one in the center of the group was a boy who looked to be about 14 years old. His long black hair hung in a pony tail over the tattered remains of his body armor. From the amount of blood covering him and the way he was limping, Christian was unsure how he was even walking. To his left towered a heavily muscled being which Christian guessed to be just over seven feet tall. The armor on this boy was in just as bad a shape as the first; the parts of his face not covered in blood showed cat-like features covered in orange and black fur. To the right of the first boy was another cat in much the same condition. This one was slightly shorter than the boy in the center, and had reddish-brown fur.

"Sir, I have a report," The boy in the center said as he moved up to Cory and saluted.

Kyle interrupted Cory's response. "Cory, with your permission, why not have Commander Casey introduce himself, and the others with him, and give his report directly to everyone."

Cory nodded weakly. "Proceed with Kyle's suggestion, Commander. Governor Jacobs of Iowa will be accepting your report for the world to hear."

Adam nodded, squared himself up, and looked directly at the monitor. "Sir, my name is Commander Adam Casey. I am the commanding officer of the Clan Short Special Forces Division, or, more commonly called, The Unit. Beside me is Amur Kahn, the Head of the Feline Assault Team," he said, indicating the bigger of the two. "Also with me is Vishnu, a member of the Feline Assault Team, and current commander of the Reynolds Security detail. At approximately twelve hundred hours this afternoon, we received a distress call from one of my team members. We were all on our way to Montana to enjoy some R&R and do a bit of training. Upon receiving the call, I ordered my teams to gear up for a possible hostile encounter." The boy took a deep shuddering breath before continuing.

"When we arrived, we found a terrorist style attack underway. The apparent target of this attack was the Reynolds family. The enemy combatants were engaged with members of Clan Short as well as Cadets who came in to help defend the Reynolds residence. We acted quickly to push back the assault, and had hoped that, with the arrival of air support, they would break off their attack."

Although the boy remained stone faced, tears were starting to stream down his face. "That did not happen, and soon we were engaged in an all-out battle. After approximately forty-five minutes of intense fighting, the terrorist element attacking us called a retreat. When it was all said and done, their dead number more than nine hundred and fifty. Casualties on our side number sixty-one Unit members dead, and more than one hundred wounded. Of the dead, the oldest, at seventeen, was Private First Class Andrew Shoemaker. The youngest..." The boy paused, fighting to keep his emotions in check. "The youngest was Recruit Mark Little... he was only nine years old."

He then leaned in real close to the monitor. "I heard what Kyle has said, and I agree. The FCC will soon find out that war is what my brothers and I were made for. There is no place you can run and hide. But please... try... all that will mean is you'll die tired." With that he stood back up, did an about face, and marched off.

"Amur Kahn." Governor Jacobs stated, his voice cracking under the stress of trying to keep his emotions in check, "As of this moment, I am placing the Iowa National Guard at DEFCON 1 and under the command of the Clan Short Special Forces. Inform Commander Casey the full resources of Iowa are at the disposal of all divisions of Clan Short."

Khan stood even straighter if that was possible, saluted, and said in a voice like rolling thunder "As you wish, Sir." He and Vishnu then performed an about face and followed Adam out of the room.

Governor Jacobs paused as a slip of paper was placed in front of him, then added, "The State of Iowa mourns with you for these unnecessary losses of life, Cory. For as long as I live, I will do whatever is necessary to ensure these events will never repeat themselves. I shall be contacting the Vulcan Embassy for assistance in setting up a proper system to enforce the new laws which we now operate under. I just received notice from Florida and Montana that they are declaring themselves Safe Haven states also. Under the authority granted me by the President of the United States, I will deploy all available active duty Iowa-based U.S. Military to Montana to assist with neutralizing the remaining hostile FCC forces. I have more to say to you, Cory, but I will say that in person shortly." He then paused as a robed Vulcan dignitary walked up behind Cory.

"Your request for assistance is approved," the Vulcan announced flatly. "Retribution for the needless acts of violence perpetrated by the FCC shall be performed in the most expedient manner. It is time for Patriarch Cory to attend to his own needs and those of his family. All further communications shall be through the Vulcan Embassy."

"Understood and agreed, Ambassador Sarek," Governor Jacobs replied. Sarek nodded, then the right side of the screen went blank.

Governor Jacobs stared into the screen. "Citizens of Iowa, this is no longer something we can stand by and watch. Do not let our borders limit you; as a Safe Haven state, we have a responsibility to the world to protect youth wherever they may be. I am leaving immediately for South Carolina to assist however I can; those of you who are qualified in any way and not already on standby for assistance are asked to join me if at all possible. This day has started as the worst day in the annals of humanity; it is our duty to prove that humanity will not stand for such actions." With that, the screen went black.

Christian sat there stunned for almost a minute before his brain realized where he was. One look at the tear-stained faces of the little imps in his lap solidified the plan forming in his mind. "I know you guys have been listening in my head. Get ready to go; it's time to pay Clan Short back for making it so that you could become my sons."

 

Cafeteria, Old Charleston Naval Hospital:

Sarek beamed into the cafeteria with the three androids from the D'Kyr, and froze at the scene that unfolded before his eyes. After one look at the children attempting to make themselves comfortable in the makeshift nest that they had constructed from what little bedding was available in the building, Sarek pulled his communicator. "D'Kyr, this is Ambassador Sarek. Transport all bedding materials not in use and all personnel not necessary to maintain battle stations to this location immediately."

"Acknowledged, Ambassador."

"Sarek out."

Sarek then turned to the three boys who had appeared with him. "It is apparent Patriarch Short is in a conference." He then pointed out Sean. "He is Cory's adun; go to him and provide assistance. The'at skan itisha kali-fee. Ashv'cezh itisho seheik."

The three boys turned pale as Sarek's words sunk into their brains. "As you wish, Grandfather," Syzik replied as the three boys turned and hurried over towards Sean.

 

As the interview had progressed, Kyle had allowed part of his mind to scan everyone in the room so that he was up-to-date on their condition and what had happened exactly. Now that the interview was over, Kyle concluded that it was time to settle a very old score using information he had picked up in his scans. "I'll be right back," Kyle announced. "I need to deliver the Governor's message."

Kyle turned and walked over to Tyler; after a few seconds of discussion, they headed out the door of the cafeteria.

 

Emergency Room:

Kyle walked into the room with a worried-looking Tyler on his heels. A quick scan of the people in the room confirmed his earlier suspicions; he decided to deliver his message before acting on what he found. He walked over to where Danny was just finishing with a patient. "Danny, pass the word - every hospital in Iowa is standing by to receive patients as fast as you can send them to them. Iowa has just joined forces with the Clan."

Danny turned to give Kyle a hug of gratitude but stopped when he saw the cold expression on Kyle's face. "What's wrong, Kyle?"

Kyle looked up into Danny's eyes. "One of the two men that killed Timmy's blood father is in this room; Timmy delivered the sentence on the other one earlier when the man tried to attack Cory. I'm going to dispense justice to the other one. Is there a spare room available?"

"Don't you think there is enough death here already?" Danny asked.

"He's just gonna wish he was dead," Kyle replied flatly. "A wish that will not be granted for a long time."

Danny looked into Kyle's eyes, noticing suddenly that the brown was showing a violet hue. "Okay, if you say so," Danny replied, deciding it was best to wait to bring up the change. "There's a room down the hall that isn't really usable right now."

Kyle nodded, then pointed to the same man that had shot his own son earlier that day. "He's coming with us. That room will be just fine."

Kyle and Tyler walked over to the gurney the man was laying on and proceeded to tightly strap him down.

"Hey! What are you doing, kid; that hurts!" the man exclaimed between barely suppressed screams.

"Enjoy it while you can; I've not even started yet," Kyle growled. Once he was sure the man was secure, he and Tyler wordlessly pushed him out of the ER. On their way to the room Danny indicated, Kyle caught something out of the corner of his eye. He stopped to look, and saw Caleb and KC obviously trying to save a child's life. It only took a second for him to scan the three of them; once he did, he realized that even his newfound healing skills were no match for the injuries of the child. As tears rolled down his face, he quietly turned back to the gurney and continued pushing it to their destination.

As soon as they entered the room and closed the door behind them, Kyle turned to Ty. "Babe, I love you. I need your help with the punishment, but only as long as you won't hate me."

Tyler gave Kyle a hug. "I'll never hate you. Do what you gotta do."

While they were in the hug, Kyle whispered, "I don't know what I'm turning into; please don't leave me. I need you in my heart to deal with this."

"You're still my Kyle-bear no matter what happens to your body. I promise we're forever," Tyler replied as he gave Kyle a kiss.

"Awww...ain't the fairy boys sweet. I think I'm gonna puke. I hope you enjoy forever in Hell," the man suddenly stated.

"I love you," Kyle whispered to Tyler as he broke the kiss. He then turned to the man on the gurney. "You know something? I've visited Heaven; it's a really kewl place. Too bad you'll never see it. Let me take care of your injuries real quick, then we'll get started."

Kyle walked over and began healing every internal and external injury he could detect. Once he was done, he turned to Tyler. "Clan mode, babe; it's time this bastard learns just who he screwed with."

Tyler nodded, then joined Kyle at the side of the bed, taking Kyle's hand without a word being spoken. "Arlo Russell. As established under the Clan Short Charter, I have tried and found you guilty of multiple counts of attempted murder and murder. In addition, I am holding you personally responsible for the pending death of your son Hunter. Your sentence is that you shall feel the pain, suffering, and mental anguish of any who have been injured by the actions of yourself or those under your command until such time as medical technology can no longer maintain your life. Your sentence starts...NOW."

As Kyle and Tyler both closed their eyes in concentration, Arlo gave a continuous blood-curdling scream which echoed down the halls of the hospital. Kyle started with the pain of the man's own son, using Tyler's empathic skills to assist in performing the task. As Kyle kept Arlo conscious and locked the reception in place, Tyler used the added power he had from his contact with Kyle to add in the pain and suffering from anyone else he could receive from in the area.

After two minutes, Kyle decided that much more would kill Arlo. He and Tyler began slowly reducing the pain they were taking from others, so they did not shock them accidentally, as Kyle let Arlo slip into a coma. Once everything was back to normal, Kyle ensured that the mental anguish that was caused either directly by Arlo, or indirectly through his actions and orders, was permanently linked into Arlo's mind. Once it was done, Kyle pulled his communicator.

"Kyle Richardson, Clan Short Intelligence to Terra Main Security."

"Terra Main; go ahead."

"I have a prisoner who is in a sentence-induced coma that needs to be placed in secure facilities and kept alive as long as medically possible, as ordered by Clan Short. I am speaking for Patriarch Short."

"Acknowledged. We are prepared to assist and will follow the instructions you have given. Is the prone figure at your location the subject?"

"That is correct. Energize at will."

"Acknowledged. Terra Main out."

Kyle put the communicator away as Arlo disappeared from the room. Before he could say a word, Tyler spoke up.

"Kyle? I could hear from your head what he'd done," Ty said softly as he pulled Kyle into another hug. "I don't know how; it's never happened before, but I heard you thinking about what he'd done. You could have killed him for it but you didn't; no matter what anyone says, I think you did the right thing, babe."

"Are you sure?" Kyle asked as he started to second-guess his actions.

"I'm sure; forget about it," Tyler replied. "Like it says in the Bible, you gave an eye for an eye."

 

Kyle and Tyler were walking through the waiting room on their way back to the cafeteria when four figures began to materialize off to the side. "JUDGE JOE!" both boys exclaimed as the forms took shape. They rushed over and wrapped their arms around Judge Lewis' waist almost immediately after he became solid.

"Tyler, Kyle! Are you two okay?" Joe asked as he put a hand on each of their backs.

"We're not hurt," Kyle replied before looking at the other three newcomers. He smiled at the five-year-olds who were looking at him with their heads tilted. "Jeremiah and Job, huh? You guys can stop tryin' to get in my head; I've got it blocked so nobody gets hurt. My head can hurt you bad if I let you read it." He then turned his eyes to the man holding their hands as their jaws dropped. "Hi, Christian, I'm Kyle and this is Tyler; it's nice to meet you. I know you want to help; talk to Danny or Marc in the ER and they'll tell you where you are needed. If it would be all right with you, I'd like to take the munchkins down to the cafeteria. Uncle Joe is needed down there more than he is here, and that way they don't see the nasty stuff coming in."

Christian shook his head with a grin. "I'm glad Joe warned me about you! It's nice to meet you too. What do you think, boys? Would you like to go with Judge Joe, Kyle, and Tyler while Daddy works?"

Both boys nodded. "Yeah; Tyler's thinkin' of havin' us help 'im," Job replied.

"B'sides, Granpa Joe is gonna be there too," Jeremiah added.

Christian smiled as Kyle and Tyler each picked up one of the boys. "Okay, be good, guys; I'll see you when I'm done. Love you."

"Love you too, Daddy!"

Christian smiled as he turned and went to work.

"Follow me," Kyle said as he started to lead the group to the cafeteria.

 

Sean looked up from comforting Timmy to see three boys in Vulcan robes that he had never seen before walking up to him. "Can I help you?" Sean asked.

Skirk nodded. "Fa-sa-mekh Sarek instructed us to approach you to see if we may be of assistance due to Pid-sam Cory performing official pi'maat functions. I am Skirk, my companions are Sipek and Syzik."

Sean glanced over to see Sarek walking up behind Cory. Even from this distance he could tell Sarek was not his usual controlled self. "Grandfather appears to be disturbed," Sean stated carefully.

Syzik nodded. "He just informed us that those who have attacked our family will suffer a fate-worse-than-death."

Sean looked down at Timmy huddled against him. "It's only fair; the suffering they have caused will last forever. My son will live with having to kill someone for the rest of his life."

Sipek looked at the tear-stained, war-painted face of the little redhead. "I would assume this is Timothy; Grandfather has said much about him." He knelt next to the pair and carefully stroked Timmy's shoulder. "I have no understanding of the contents of your mind, little one, but I know from what Grandfather has said and shown us that any action you may have taken was logical and justified. In the thirty-two years I have been activated, I had never directly seen justification for the termination of another life until today; the intelligence reports that we received on the D'Kyr upon our arrival in the Sol system have proven just reason for termination of those who have attacked our family."

Just then Austin walked up behind the trio, Joey under one arm and Brandon under the other. "He's right, Timmy," Austin said, obviously tired. "Maybe I can get Grandpa Sarek to help you with understanding what you did was right; Jamie and Jacob need to relax right now or I'd ask them. Pop, is there anything you can think of that will help everyone get their minds off of what happened? Us telepaths are gonna need a group session with Doc Richardson if this keeps up."

"I wish I knew a way, Austin." Sean replied.

As Sean tried to think of a solution, Sipek looked over his shoulder and exchanged a look with his brothers. "I might have a solution," he announced as he got nods from both brothers. "In the process the Clan will get to know the three of us better. We have spent a lot of time traveling on the D'Kyr and would be willing to discuss our experiences in space to alleviate the impact today's events have caused the occupants of this room."

"Ausdin! Space sdowies!" Joey announced, perking up under Austin's arm.

"Kewl!" Brandon echoed from the other side. "Please????"

As soon as Sean nodded, Skirk took charge. "Austin? I will ask Grandfather for you; it is obvious you need to distract yourself also. Syzik, the bedding that Grandfather requested is arriving; could you ensure it is placed in a manner suitable for those who wish to listen? Sipek, please assist Timothy, Austin, and Austin's companions in locating those that wish to join us in the center of the area. By the appearance of Patriarch Short, I believe the presence of Sean by his side will be more comforting than anything any of us could do."

"But ..." Sean started before being interrupted by Austin.

"He's right, Pop. Dad needs you right now; he needs your strength," Austin stated as he watched Skirk and Syzik turn to do their tasks. "Joey, Brandon and me can help get everyone around. Timmy, would you be okay to find Ricky and the rest of our brothers? I bet by the time you find them and get back to Grandfather Sarek, he'll be ready to help you."

Timmy gave Sean a squeeze, then slowly climbed off Sean's lap. Sipek took his right hand as soon as he was standing, and Joey broke away from Austin to take Timmy's left hand.

"I'm hewping Dimmy doo!" Joey stated with a determined look on his face.

"Okay, Joey, you can help Timmy too," Austin replied with a hint of a smile. "Let's go spread the word about what's gonna happen, Brandon."

The group split in different directions, each intent on doing their part to break the tension in the room.

 

Austin glanced around the room as he finished helping the last of the cadets get comfortable to listen to the visitors from the D'Kyr. Brandon pulled on Austin's arm to get his attention. "Who is that, bro?" Brandon asked as he pointed to two boys sitting in the corner.

"I don't know; I've never seen them before," Austin replied. "Let's invite them to join the rest of us."

Austin placed a hand on Brandon's shoulder and they headed over to the corner where the boys were sitting. As they got close, Austin got a better look at them. The oldest appeared to be about eleven, with long snow-white hair cascading out from under his cowboy hat down past his shoulders. What little skin Austin could see was lacking any pigmentation at all; it almost seemed translucent. The boy was dressed in long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and was sitting with his back to the wall with his legs pulled up to his chest and his head on his knees. Next to him, cuddled up to his side, was a nine-year-old with golden brown hair down to his shoulders in shorts and a loose tee-shirt.

"Hey, guys, you wanna come over and join us? Three of the guys are gonna tell us about what it's like on a Vulcan space ship," Austin announced as he and Brandon came to a stop.

"Sure, maybe then when everyone gets bored they can talk about me," the eleven year old said sarcastically as he glanced up at the pair.

Austin squeezed Brandon's shoulder to cut off the response he knew was coming as he slowly replayed the quick glance he had of the boy's eyes in his head. Once his suspicions were confirmed he spoke. "You ain't as unusual as you think you are. Nobody here is going to say anything about you being an albino; not with four of us walking around in various forms of warpaint which is part of our skin. I'm Austin and this is my little brother Brandon. You can chill while you're here; nobody makes fun of anyone without getting in big trouble from the rest of us."

The nine-year-old looked them over for a second before seeming to decide they were serious. "I'm Leo and this is my big brother Conner. Conner left his glasses in the car, so he's havin' trouble seein'. The guy at the door said we can't go get them though."

Brandon slipped out from under Austin's hand. "That ain't right! C'mon, Leo, let's go get them."

"They won't let us out."

"Yeah, they will; my Daddy is their boss!" Brandon replied with a grin. "Betcha a milkshake we do it!"

Leo grinned. "You're on," he replied as he stood up. "I'll be right back, bro."

As the two boys ran off, Austin took a seat by Conner. He had been reviewing his medical records on albinism and decided to see if his suspicions were correct. "You're a Type 1 albino, ain't you?" Austin asked.

"Yeah, whaddabout it?" Conner replied.

Austin chose his words carefully, fully aware that Conner was extremely sensitive on the subject judging by his responses. "I thought so when I saw your eyes; the red mixed into the gray gave it away. I'm just asking questions because I'd like to help you. I'll be honest; I'm an android. Being an android means I've got more medical stuff in my head than some medical libraries though."

"If you got so much medical stuff in your head, why ain't you in the ER fixing people?" Conner inquired with a hard edge still in his voice.

"Uncle Danny sent me down here." Austin replied quietly. "Seeing all of the bodies and injuries coming in brought up some bad memories of things that happened to me a while back. They were so bad I'd tried to block them when it happened. Uncle Danny was afraid I would overload and shut down so he told me to come down here and take charge of making sure everyone was okay."

"Jake said it had to be bad for him to get called like that," Conner replied, now with a subdued attitude. "We had just got to Charleston from him pickin' us up at the orphanage. We were gonna hang out on the Battery for a while, then run down to Market Square. He got a call; he apologized to us but said that a bunch of kids that were doin' lots of good stuff here needed help bad."

"That sounds like a fun day; I'm sorry we messed it up." Austin replied. "Is Jake one of your relatives?"

"Naw, he's in the Big Brother program. We ain't got no family. They were takin' me to the hospital cuz' a stupid substitute teacher made me go outside in just shorts and wouldn't let me put on sunscreen. I got sunburned so bad I needed to go to the Emergency room. We were goin' through an intersection and got hit by a truck whose brakes failed. The truck ran right over the front seats and killed both of our parents."

"I'm sorry. That really sucks," Austin replied as he unconsciously reached over and pulled Conner to his side. "Does Jake want to adopt you guys?"

Conner shook his head as he allowed himself to snuggle against Austin. "Naw; he's a great 'Big' though. We talked about it a couple of weeks ago. He's really Leo's 'Big', but when Leo told him about me, he started havin' me join them. He really likes being our 'Big', but he says he thinks we'd hate him if he was to try to raise us. I kinda understand why after today; he's always tryin' to do so much that sometimes he ain't got time to raise kids."

"It sounds like he's a great guy; at least he was honest with you," Austin replied, just as Brandon and Leo returned carrying four shakes.

Brandon handed one of the shakes to Austin, then reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a pair of glasses. "We got your glasses, Conner."

Conner held out his hand, and Brandon put the glasses in it. Austin barely withheld a groan when he saw the lenses; they were almost as thick as Conner's little finger and darkly tinted.

"You shoulda seen it!" Leo exclaimed as Conner was putting the glasses on. "Brandon walked up an' showed the guard his ID an' the guard volunteered to ESCORT us to the car to get your glasses! It was AWESOME!"

"Thanks, guys." Conner said as he looked up and actually kept his head raised. "You thirsty or something, Rat?" he asked as he noticed the two shakes in Leo's hands.

"No, goofball!" Leo giggled as he held one out. "This ones yours; it's banana ... ewwww."

Conner smiled at his little brother's antics. "You just don't know what's good. Thanks, bro. I guess you lost the bet; how'd you pay for these? I've got the money Jack gave us."

Leo giggled. "The stuff here is free; Brandon told me on the way in."

Conner looked over at Austin; at Austin's nod of agreement he smiled. "Okay then!"

As Brandon and Leo chattered between themselves getting to know each other, Austin and Conner sat back and enjoyed their shakes. After a couple of minutes, Austin broke the silence. "Conner, could I ask you something without you getting mad at me?"

"Sure," Conner replied. "I've kinda figured out you ain't gonna make fun of me."

"I'm not going to now either; this question I'm kinda asking like a doctor." Austin said. "I know there's things that can be done so you don't have to wear thick glasses like those; in fact I could do the operation myself if I spend a couple of days learning the new technology the Clan has just got. Has anyone looked into you getting that done?"

Conner thought out his reply before speaking; it was obvious to him Austin cared, for some reason, so he gave an honest reply instead of his normal sarcastic response. "The orphanage ain't got the money to cover it; even if it was done for free, they ain't got the staff to rehab me. I'd have to be sent to a special rehab, but Leo wouldn't be able to go with me. I'm not gonna leave my brother, so I'll just live with these stupid glasses. Nobody will adopt us since I'm an albino; they don't want to deal with me. That would be the only way I could get it done."

Austin glanced at Leo and Brandon chatting away as he replied. "They're really missing out; you guys are really great. You were kinda short at first, but considering how much crap some people must give you, I guess that's to be expected."

Conner thought over everything he'd just heard. No matter how he looked at it, he came to the same conclusion: Austin was actually looking at him as a person instead of an invalid. "I wish we could find a family like you," Conner replied softly. "Jack's the only other person other than our parents who has ever came close to lookin' at me like a person instead of 'that albino kid'."

Austin felt his heart skip as he suddenly realized why Cory and Sean had opened their hearts to so many kids. With a new purpose driving his spirit, Austin spoke his heart. "Don't laugh; I'm being totally serious. Would you consider me adopting both of you if I can arrange it?"

Conner held his tongue as he angled his head to focus on Austin. Even though it looked like he was looking over Austin's shoulder, Conner had learned he could see better if he did not look directly at someone. What he saw made him rethink his reply; Austin's expression made it plain that he was not joking around. After some thought, as Leo and Brandon sat quietly waiting to hear his reply, Conner spoke. "I don't know how you'd do it; I don't think a judge is gonna let an android adopt. If you could do it I'd say yes though."

"Me too." Leo added.

Austin glanced over to see Sarek, Cory, and Sean in conversation. "There's only one way to find out. You guys want to come with me?"

With a confused look on his face, Conner stood and followed Austin, Leo and Brandon. Once they came to where Cory, Sean and Sarek were, Austin stopped and respectfully waited to be acknowledged.

"... the Federation has assumed emergency command override on all armed forces on Terra and is placing them at your disposal," Sarek finished. "How may we assist you, Austin?"

"I am sorry to interrupt, Grandfather," Austin began. "I need to perform introductions, then I will require advice on the situation I am concerned with."

"You may proceed, Austin."

"This is Leo and Conner," Austin stated, as he pointed to each of the boys. "Guys, this is Ambassador Sarek of the House of Surak of the planet Vulcan. Over here is my Dad, Cory Short, Patriarch of Clan Short of Vulcan. Next to him is my Pop, Sean Short. I need advice as to how to proceed with adopting Conner and Leo, without invoking the Safe Haven Act."

"What is your reasoning for this action?" Sarek asked.

"The brothers are orphans with no living relatives to care for them. While the Clan can provide needed medical treatments for Conner, it is not the reasoning for my request. I believe I can provide a much needed family environment for them that is not likely to be provided by using the current methods of matching youth with new parents currently in use."

"I find your logic to be sound," Sarek replied. "What are your opinions, Conner and Leo?"

Conner felt his heart swell at being asked his opinion. "Austin's right, Sir; that's what the social worker says too. She keeps tryin' though. He's the first person who has tried to understand me in a long time."

Sarek nodded then looked at Leo for a response.

Leo smiled as he added, "Austin's nice and he really seems to want us to be happy. I like him."

"Patriarch?" Sarek said.

Cory looked over the four boys standing there expectantly. "Austin's more qualified than I am to be a parent; the way Brandon is coming along is proof of that. The only issue I see is that it would have to be done under Vulcan law, since I am not aware of any areas of Earth that will allow Austin's species to adopt."

"Your point is valid," Sarek replied. "Once the resolution of this transgression against our family is achieved, we shall need to rectify the way the Android species is recognized. Until such time as that is completed, you shall speak as if I have spoken on matters such as this and approve them if it is the logical choice. Austin, you are to contact Justin at your earliest opportunity to have him contact the family archivist on Vulcan to enter your sons into the family registry. My final word is given."

"Thank you, Grandfather," Austin replied, as he reached over and pulled his new, totally speechless, sons into a hug.

Sarek nodded his acknowledgment, then turned back to Sean and Cory. "Sean, until Cory has physically recovered, you shall be required to handle any further public announcements. I shall ensure the Vulcan Embassy assists the states which have vowed to assist you. At this time it is my understanding the list includes South Carolina, Florida, Montana, and Iowa."

"That is correct, Ambassador," Sean replied as he watched Austin and Brandon lead Austin's new family away to introduce them to everyone.

"Cory, incoming message on Starfleet secure channel. It's from the Captain of the USS Hood-A. Can you take it?" Security announced over the terminal.

Cory swiveled quickly to the monitor, Sean at his side and Sarek standing behind them both. "Sure, patch it through." He looked into Sean's eyes and whispered in fear, "God, I hope this is good news..."

The monitor changed to show the bridge of a Constitution Class Starship with the Red Alert sirens ringing in the background and lit in the pulsating red glow from the Alert. The Captain in the Command chair turned and faced the monitor, shock at the scene before him playing over his face for a brief moment before he composed himself.

"Greetings, Patriarch Short," he started in a cultured Welsh accent, "I am Captain Dafydd Evans of the USS Hood. We have been keeping abreast of the situation on Earth and are just coming into standard orbit. We have only just returned from our shakedown cruise and have received orders from Command telling us to link up with the Lafayette. I thought it best to let you know you have another Starship on hand. Is there anything we can do directly for you, or remain here until called?"

Cory bowed his head briefly and sighed his relief. He looked back at Captain Evans and the bridge crew, all of whom looked with compassion at the now frail looking young man with so heavy a burden. "Thank you, Captain. If possible, can you aid the Lafayette with the FCC injured? We wish them to be kept separate from our own due to some recent... unpleasantness earlier."

"As you wish, Patriarch. I am also sending a Medical group and provisions to your current location. We have monitored a high level of transporter activity from the D'Kyr as we came close. Upon contacting them, we now have a list of additional items that would add to their own."

Captain Evans turned and depressed the comm button on the arm of his chair, "Bridge to Transporter rooms: Prepare for incoming hostile injured. Liaise with the Hospital Transporter Operatives at the Patriarch's location. Security to the Transporter Rooms; heavy stun setting, and don't be afraid to use it, even on the most severely injured. If they cause trouble, they get stunned, clear?"

The Captain turned back to the view screen, "We are prepared and now in geosynchronous orbit above your location. Please contact us should you need anything."

"Again, thank you, Captain. You don't know what this means to us." Cory's hand held Sean's in a death grip. Sarek moved in closer and simply laid his own hand on the blond's shoulder.

Captain Evans' eyes widened as he finally noticed the Ambassador, "Ambassador Sarek, I would say I am glad to see you again, but this is not how I envisioned our reunion. I will make time to talk to you at a later date. Something came up I feel you should be made aware of."

"As you wish, Captain. I shall make myself available to you once I have seen to the needs of my family here."

The Captain nodded and made the Vulcan salute to the three on the viewscreen. "Until we meet, live long and prosper. Hood out."

 

Javyk burst into the AI Division hospital's cafeteria, with Kendall and Colin right behind him. He quickly scanned the room for Kyle. Just as Javyk found Kyle standing off to the side with Tyler, Colin took off running towards Kyle.

"Kyle!" shouted Colin as he ran up to Kyle, picked him up, and hugged him tightly. "I found you! God, I never thought I'd ever actually find you, but here you are!"

Kyle closed his eyes for a second, scanning Colin's head to try to figure out why there was such a change in him and why Colin seemed to not remember their meeting on the Moon. His eyes flew open and stared at Javyk and Kendall. 'Someone better do some explaining, NOW!' Kyle pushed into their thoughts.

Javyk sighed, "Well, we were taking Colin with us to the assembly that Nyo and Tyne are holding for the new Founders. We kinda met someone when we got there. He was sitting all by himself on the second level and so we thought we'd join him. It turns out that he knew your brother before he had his memory wiped and so he...well, he 'fixed' him."

Kyle gave Colin a squeeze. "We have some catching up to do, bro. C'mon, stick with me while I handle some Council business. Javyk, take me to the person who did it."

"Right, before I do that just be warned that he's kind of irritating," replied Javyk. "His head is stuck in the future, so he sees everything you would be talking to him about a bunch of times."

"Z isn't really that bad," Colin added. "You just have to get used to him."

"Right, well I left him with some kid named Xedyan," continued Javyk. "They're in the waiting room."

"At least Xedyan will keep him from causing any damage," Kyle groaned. "We need to get down there before they figure out a way to destroy the entire human race. I might be talked into killing a certain segment right now if they are willing, though." Kyle took Tyler's hand on one side and Colin's on the other. "Follow me."

Javyk and Kendall followed after Kyle. "Hey Kyle, umm, you're not mad at us are you?" asked Javyk.

"No; I doubt you could have stopped it without having time to know what was happening," Kyle replied. "At least good will come from this."

"Okay, I was just worried that..." Javyk started to reply; but suddenly both Javyk and Kendall vanished.

"Where did they go?" Colin asked, sounding a bit confused.

"Ark musta needed them." Kyle replied. He took a few steps then froze. "Something's wrong...Ark??...ARK???...Oh SH...."

To Tyler and Colin's complete surprise, the next thing they knew they were standing with Kyle in front of Tyne in the Ark compound.

Kyle glanced at them before announcing, "I guess I can teleport more than myself. What's going on, Tyne? It just felt like a part of me was hurt really bad."

Before Tyne could reply, Ark announced <I can not find Levis' pattern within the Compound, I believe he gave me too much of his energy. I am almost sure that he died, fading away completely.>

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kyle screamed as his eyes filled with tears. A split second later he was gone, leaving Tyler and Colin in shock.

"Where did Kyle just teleport to?" Tyne asked in a confused tone.

<I am not really sure. I am not the one that teleported him; I think he teleported himself.>

Tyne sighed, "This is just not my day; let's go to the Medical Bay and see what happened to the others. While I'm there I need something for my head, it's starting to throb."

"Is this a normal day?" the young boy standing with Tyne asked in a small voice.

"Yes," replied Tyne as he started down the hall, holding the boy's hand, with Tyler and Colin following behind.

 

Ferox Council Chambers:

Kyle suddenly found himself standing in the middle of a small round room. It looked to be constructed of pure white marble and there were three matching marble chairs encircling the room. Each of the 'throne-like' chairs was covered with simple solid colored covers: one blue, one red, and one green. As the room came into focus, he quickly realized that someone was sitting in each of the chairs. All three, one woman and two men, looked to be in their early thirties and were dressed in bright white robes that contained only one stripe of color in them as to match the chair they sat on. But other than that, each one of them looked like normal humans with the exception of their eyes, which were all solid purple.

"What is the meaning of this? Who dares to enter our chambers while council is in session?" demanded the man with the red stripe.

"I am Kyle Richardson. I'm here to report that Levis has been killed. I'm sorry I couldn't protect him; I wasn't there when it happened."

"Thank you, Kyle," replied the woman in blue. "As his mother I felt him go, child."

"I did as well," added the man in green. "It is a pleasure to finally get to meet you, though, Kyle. I wish it was to give us better news. I am Velnis; Levis was one of my sons. You already know Xanus of course. But the gentleman that demanded to know who you were is Semion. Welcome to the Ferox Council Chambers, my dear boy. Would you like a chair to sit in while you are with us?"

Kyle nodded. "Thank you, if it is not a problem. I felt him go."

Velnis waved his hand and a matching marble chair suddenly formed from the ground and came up under Kyle so that he was already sitting in it.

"I figured that you would feel him go when he did," smiled Xanus. "I knew, just as he knew, that his time with you would be short. Hopefully you both learned from each other while you were together."

"Just a moment here; where was Levis that anyone other than another Ferox would have been interacting with him?" interrupted Semion. "I don't remember authorizing any of our agents to be dispatched to inhabited planes."

"I approved it," replied Xanus. "Kyle here is unlike any species that you are familiar with, Semion, and I realized very quickly that he would need help."

"Why wasn't I notified of this?" Semion said in a demanding voice.

"Thank you. I'm sorry about my manners; it is great to see you in person, Xanus, and I am glad to meet you, Velnis. Levis is ... was ... a great person and now I see where he gets it from." Kyle paused to regain control of his emotions. "Forgive me if I'm outta line, but as the representative of my species, I will tell you how I see it. Semion, no one person can know everything that is going on all the time, no matter how powerful they are. There was not time to play political games getting everyone's approval."

"Then you don't know how our system works, young man," replied Semion. "Xanus doesn't just act on things; she plans them and then acts on them. I'm guessing that you're from the Archivist plane, the planet Earth even; she knows how dangerous humans are and WHY we have rules in place to keep us away from them." Semion looked over at Xanus and glared at her, "But Xanus doesn't like to follow the rules, she NEVER HAS and probably NEVER WILL! She would see the very structure of our world undone if it meant that another realm lived on and achieved peace. No concept of personal well being, no sense of concern for even her own children! There are only three of us, there are no political games; what do you think this is, your world? You don't elect people to office here, there is just us as it has been since the beginning. And together we make decisions. Xanus herself helped me write the laws that I uphold, including the one that she just broke by sending Levis to your world."

"Yes, but you expect all of us to be in agreement," said Xanus. "You don't understand that just because something is made law doesn't mean that you can't go back and undo it. Some things need to be rethought."

"My laws are absolute, end of discussion," growled Semion.

Xanus jumped to her feet, "Now look here, you narrow minded..."

"Xanus, Semion, that is enough," interjected Velnis. "Whether you agree with each other or not, you're both right. But in this case, Semion, I sided with Xanus since at the time we were unable to call a council. Two out of three wins and that is your law. At the same time Xanus has gotten us into something that does affect us, more than you understand, Semion. Kyle, being the new species that he is, could easily undo the entire universe if he didn't have the right kind of guidance. Xanus had Levis provide that and you are still alive because of it. So Xanus was thinking about us too, not just that realm." Velnis looked over at Kyle and smiled, "Please forgive us, Kyle, we tend to get too upset about certain things. Some of us hold grudges about mistakes where mistakes don't exist."

Kyle nodded at Xanus and Velnis with a small smile before turning his head to Semion and scowling at him. "First off, it has been a long time since I really could be considered 'human' by any definition of the word. Second, it might not mean crap to you, since there is no equivalent in your society, but Levis was my brother in spirit. That means a lot to me and was starting to mean a lot to him. I know of the mistakes the Human race made in other cycles; this cycle actually has a chance, if someone takes the time to care about it. Rules are necessary, but also need to be reviewed to make sure they still apply occasionally. From my interactions with Xanus, Levis, and Xedyan, I've learned that the Ferox species, in general, is admirable; for the Humans and Ferox to survive, some flexibility is going to be needed if what I project as the future actually happens."

"What you project as the future? Boy, I've been predicting the future of not just this realm and your realm but every realm that has existed, still exists, and will exist. This isn't a game, this isn't a dance, it's life and how we interpret it. There are reasons I don't like to go back and redo laws that have worked for thousands of years," Semion paused for a moment. "I'm glad that you respect those Ferox that you have met, but it's dangerous for us to get involved with you. I don't like to take risks, thus I don't like to redo anything. NOW, that being said, what is your reason for being here again?"

"Levis has lost his physical body," answered Velnis. "Don't let it trouble you too much, Kyle; if Levis cared for you, then I'm sure he will live on in your heart as well as other places."

Semion sighed, "So we lost Levis; why can't you send the less competent ones to do this kind of work?"

"Because I want the project to succeed," replied Xanus.

"Is there any way that we can ease the pain that you feel from all of this, Kyle?" asked Velnis.

Kyle shook his head. "I will live with the pain; if I let it go, then I tarnish what Levis means to me. My mental scans of those who were present have confirmed that Axon killed Levis and almost destroyed Ark; if that is not enough reason for me to appear here, I am sorry. Semion, the Founders failed due to unwillingness to adapt their rules to the current timeline. I really do not want to be explaining to my offspring's offspring why one Ferox managed to destroy not only humanity but also his own species. Levis hinted to me that there are things about my species that he could not understand; assuming he was given all the information that he should have needed, that means nobody, not even me, really knows what my species can and can't do. I do know that I don't need an anchor, yet with years more practice than me, Levis still did. Instead of arguing, why don't we work together to make sure your species, my species, and humanity all survive."

Semion grumbled to himself and crossed his arms, "I'm more flexible than they were."

"Only because you have me and Velnis here to balance you out," added Xanus.

"I suppose," mumbled Semion.

"Well, now that that is settled, Kyle, thank you very much for bringing us this news," said Velnis. "However grim it may be. I have a favor to ask of you though. I would do it myself, but we need to stay here and finish our council meeting and I feel that this is too important to be left till later. I want you to travel to the Ferox Science Academy, ask for Miah; he is Levis' bonded partner and he will want to hear this news."

"It is the least I can do for my brother," Kyle replied. "I am glad to have met all of you; I hope next time it is under better conditions. Thank you for hearing me out, Semion." With that, Kyle disappeared from the Council chamber.

"Do you think he would have understood about what happens when we die?" asked Velnis.

"I think he would have, but then there is something wrong," said Xanus. "I don't feel Levis there; I don't think he's been released. I will have my contacts look into it."

"I don't think I like the kid," grumbled Semion. "I should be treated with more respect than that."

"Being that he doesn't know your entire background, based on the way you acted, I would have to say he treated you better than you deserved," replied Velnis. "He could bring balance to the universe, you know."

"I know; that's why I didn't lose my temper with him," said Semion. "Can I ask you a favor, Xanus?"

"You want to ask me a favor? Sure."

"Make sure he succeeds," said Semion. "I may be inflexible, but even I know a good thing when I see it. Keep us posted on his progress as well."

"Does that mean I have your approval on this project?" Xanus asked with a grin.

"It does."

 

Ferox Science Academy:

Kyle suddenly appeared in the lobby of the Science Academy, standing in front of the front desk. The room was painted several different bright colors and the colors seemed to be changing to different shades within that color. Behind the counter was a young woman dressed in bright colorful robes. She looked up at Kyle and smiled.

"Welcome to the FSA, my name is Vesya. How can I help you, young man?" said the woman.

"Hello, Vesya," Kyle responded. "Could I please see Miah? I have an important personal message for him."

"His office is right down the hall, fifth door on the left," Vesya said with a smile. "He's not in the labs today, said he wasn't feeling well, so he's doing research on some new species that his partner was working with. Just knock before you enter."

"If he's researching what I think he is, he's got a surprise coming," Kyle said with a wry smile. "Thank you, Vesya."

Kyle then turned and walked down the indicated hall. Once he got to the door, he paused to collect his thoughts, then knocked.

"Come in," came the reply as the door suddenly dissolved. Inside, Kyle could see a simple desk in the middle of a purple colored room. Behind the desk sat a boy no older than twelve looking over piles of notes that were scattered around the surface. "Come in and make yourself comfortable, I'll be with you in a second. I've lost something, I think, I'm looking for the age of the subject I'm researching. I know I have it written down somewhere."

Kyle walked through the doorway. "I bet you it's eight," he said as he walked up to the desk.

"Hmmm, that sounds right, actually," replied Miah as he continued to look. "Oh well, I'll have to ask Levis when he checks in with me tonight." Miah looked up at Kyle, "He would know for..." Miah froze as he looked Kyle over for a few seconds, "E-eight it is then...holy crap, you're him! You're the Mikyvis, Kyle!" Miah quickly picked up his jaw from out of his lap, stood up, and extended his hand, "It's an honor to actually get to meet you! Levis has told me so much about you; I'm Miah, Levis is my Socius."

Kyle took Miah's hand. "Thanks Miah, it's a pleasure to meet you too. I wish it was something else that brought me here though; you might want to take a seat."

Miah tilted his head a little but sat back down, "Okay...wait a second, if you're here where's Levis?"

Kyle placed his hands on Miah's shoulders as the tears he had been holding back finally broke free. "A....Ax...Axon k...k...killed h...h...im. *sob* H...he k...k...killed m...my b...b...b...brother. A...x...o...n w...w...w...was tr...try...tryin t...to d...des...destroy Ar...Ark an...and h...he k...ki...killed Le...Levis!" Kyle collapsed into Miah's lap, tears and sobs both flowing freely.

Miah unconsciously wrapped his arms around Kyle while looking very confused, "You've got to be mistaken. Levis can't be...but I would have felt...oh God, that's why I've felt sick for the last hour. B-but why don't I feel him in Caelum, I..." Miah sat there as if he was numb, staring at the wall as if the answer he was looking for was written there. Slowly, as he searched his mind and his bonds, tears began to form in his eyes and roll down his cheeks. "Why can't I find him, Kyle...you can't kill a Ferox. I mean it's never been done, he can't be..." Miah frowned for a moment and then gasped, "He knew it was going to happen, he knew it was today! Why didn't I see it? Why did I let him go?! I could've told him not to go! I..." Miah tightened his grip on Kyle and began crying into Kyle's hair, "What'll I do without him? I...this is the first assignment that he ever took that he was away from me for more than a day. I've never been away from him for so long, and now..." Miah cried for a few minutes before he tried to pull his thoughts together again, "I have to finish what he didn't, then; I have to go back with you. What he was doing with you was important enough to him that he was willing to leave home and die for it, I have to honor that I..."

Miah fell silent for a few minutes, crying softly while he indexed the events that had happened that he could get from his contact with Kyle. Finally he sat up a little and wiped his face on his sleeve, "I want the rest of the facts when we get there, though, first hand facts." Miah pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and offered it to Kyle, "You have family that will be worried about you if you're away for too long, I think. We...we can talk more about Levis later; I...I need some time to digest all of this, but not right now. Now, I think we need to help what's left of our family."

Kyle wiped the tears from his face. "I can't let you put yourself in danger," he whispered. "You gotta swear that you'll get out of wherever we are if there is any danger if you come back with me."

"I can't promise that, though, Kyle," replied Miah. "That's the same as you promising Levis' mother that you wouldn't let him get hurt, but he knew just as much as she knew that you wouldn't be able to hold up your end of that deal. It's a matter of perception really; how do you perceive what goes on around you? Is everything dangerous avoidable or is it inevitable? I can promise that I won't go out of my way to put myself in danger, but that's all I can promise you."

Kyle looked up and looked Miah in the eyes. "If I tell you to get outta a place, you gotta do it; okay?"

"Do you abandon family if they need help? Who are you to ask me to turn around and run in a situation that I can help in, just because it puts me in danger? Besides, are you in any position to deny me entrance into your world if I decide that I want to help? What would you do if I said yes now and no then? If you and your family were special enough that my family died to help save them, then if I wasn't willing to do the same while down there, wouldn't that be dishonoring who I've lost? You may have seen Levis as a friend, but he was my Socius and I will honor him how I see fit. I won't promise you that I'll do what you ask if that kind of situation comes about; I'll never promise you that. Ninety percent of all behavior is unpredictable in a situation like that anyway, so even if I agree with you now, my emotions probably won't later."

Kyle gave Miah a hint of a smile. "Are you related to Tyler? The next Council meeting, him and me are asking for approval to become Socius. You sound just like him. Levis was more than a friend; he was a brother to me. Just be careful; I can't handle being responsible for the one person Levis loved more than anything being killed too."

"I will do my best to be careful," said Miah. "I think we should work on unique names for all of you while I'm visiting, though, I think I've learned about a few thousand Tyler's in my life. I am more than sure he is unique as a person, though; I would guess that he would have to be if he has you as his Tobimurys."

Kyle blushed as he got up. "Thanks. We better stop by the Council on the way out; I don't need to get Semion mad at me twice in one day."

Miah grinned, "You must have been to see the council already. But is there a time when Semion isn't mad? You're right though, we should stop to see them before we leave; even if it's only briefly."

"Let's go; I kinda forgot to tell the Seer where I was going before I left. I think we'll enter through the lobby this time though!" Kyle said as he placed a hand on Miah's shoulder.

"Have you ever been through that 'lobby'?" said Miah as he got up. "Semion chose the guards for the Council wing himself. This should be fun."

Kyle giggled softly. "They ain't met me yet."

 

Ark Compound:

Tyne ran his hand over one of the burns on the wall at the bottom of the Ark Core before unhooking his harness and stepping down. Looking around he could see ugly brown and black burns all over Ark's light gray metal interior, with the two largest being near the energy cables.

"This room was never meant to see this kind of damage," mumbled Tyne. "This'll take us a week to undo."

Rusty slid down next to him and started unhooking his harness, "It doesn't look that bad."

"This room is supposed to be spotless," Tyne said as he knelt down to feel the large burn located a few feet from the cables. "This must have been where Levis was standing."

Rusty bowed his head in respect for a minute before laying a hand on Tyne's shoulder and replying softly. "I know he saved Ark; I wish he didn't have to die doing it, though. Too many people have died today."

"I need to call a council meeting," said Tyne as he stood back up. "There is so much we need to cover but not enough time to do it in. I don't like any of this, Rusty; it's all happening so fast and I feel like I'm having a hard time keeping up. Like climbing a steep hill made of soap. I never use to have to worry about things like this before, and suddenly I not only have to worry about them, but I have to decide what to do with them. One thing I have decided though is that time is too short for me to be prejudiced if we're on the same side, and in that case if I can ever have a council meeting I also need to talk with Brant after it."

Just then Kyle and Miah appeared off to the side. "Call the meeting at CIC, Seer; everyone is going to either be there or will be able to be patched in," Kyle suggested.

Tyne and Rusty jumped. "You really need to cut that out," grumbled Tyne. "In and out, in and out; make up your mind! But seeing the way that you left last time, are you okay?"

"Yeah; thanks for asking, bro. I needed to let Xanus know what happened, which ended up with me appearing in the middle of a Ferox Council meeting, then me and Miah here had a little discussion which helped both of us start to deal with what happened. Miah, this is the Council Seer, Tyne Oraculum, and his Tobimurys, Rusty Timberlake. Guys, this is Miah; he's Levis' Socius. In and out ... that reminds me..." Kyle giggled. A few seconds later Tyler and Colin appeared next to him, looks of shock on both of their faces. "There you are!" Kyle said while trying to hide a grin. "Miah, this is the inter-dimensionally famous Tyler and my big brother Colin."

Tyler had moved over to Kyle's side as soon as he saw him. While Kyle was speaking, Ty seemed to be concentrating on him. As soon as Kyle finished, Ty spoke up. "You're hurting, babe. You're controlling it good, but I still see it." He then broke away long enough to greet Miah. "It's great to meet you, Miah," Tyler said as he shook Miah's hand. He tilted his head, then added, "I think you, me, Kyle, and Colin need to sit down somewhere quiet pretty soon. You're hiding more than my cuddle buddy is."

"I hide everything that isn't needed to do my job," replied Miah. "My feelings only belong to one other person other than myself."

"You must not be a Council child," added Tyne.

Miah frowned, "How can you tell?"

"The Ferox Council, though they are odd in their own right, don't hide anything," said Tyne.

"True enough, but my feelings don't need to get in my way," Miah said, again trying to brush it off.

"Good luck with him; I think he'll be a challenge," Tyne said to Tyler before turning to Miah. "No active duty until Tyler clears you, unless you want me to put a security detail on you for the whole time you're here."

"That's fine, I'll take option A," grumbled Miah.

"That's where Levis was standing, isn't it, Tyne?" Kyle asked, trying to change the subject before things got nasty.

"I think so," replied Tyne. "I wasn't down here but that's around the area that Kendall indicated before I came down here. Javyk won't speak to anyone right now so I didn't ask him."

Upon hearing this Miah walked over, knelt down to touch the spot, and closed his eyes. After a few seconds he shifted over to the power cables.

Tyne shook his head and continued, "Have you been to the AI hospital, Kyle?"

Kyle grimaced. "Yeah; if I ever find the person who ordered this attack, what I'm gonna do to him or her ain't gonna be pretty. That so-called doctor that hurt the double-D's would want to take notes."

'That bad!' Tyne said to himself in thought. Tyne was quiet for a few seconds before he turned back to Kyle, "I assume you'll be returning to the hospital shortly?"

Kyle nodded. "Once Miah is done and I check up on the guys in the Med bay. With your approval, I would like to give Miah access to Ark to continue his studies on my species and anything else that might come up."

"That's fine; access is granted for Miah," replied Tyne before his expression hardened. "After you leave here though, Kyle, when you return to the hospital, if you should need it you are granted carte blanche. This means that you don't need to act as Council Intelligence but rather you can introduce yourself as the Voice of the Seer, should you need the extra authority. Any decision you make while using that title would be the same as if I made that decision. And you shall hold such title until we are finally able to have a Council meeting." Tyne looked over to see Miah stand back up, "We don't need to lose anyone else and the last thing I want to get in the way is lack of authority."

Kyle glanced at Tyler, whose jaw was hanging open, then swallowed before replying. "I accept the position and the responsibility it entails, Seer. We won't lose anyone else if I have any possible way to stop it using any means at my disposal."

"Good," said Tyne as he made his way over to the wall and reattached his harness. "I need to get training the Crafters that'll be down here cleaning this up. Rusty will be organizing and training those that are interested in joining the Founder Task Force, so we'll have forces to use when he's done with them. Dmitry and Dominic are training those joining the Archive Task Force, since that's where they started because Nyo was the only one when they got here. And I've sent Syris to see if he could put together a team to make up the Council Task Force which falls under you, Kyle. Check with him later if you need security and he should have people to give you. Good luck with where you're heading Kyle; if you need any of us, just ask Ark and it can find us for you."

"I think after what we just saw Kyle do, he can find us himself if he needs to," grinned Rusty as he too reattached his harness.

"I can," Kyle replied with a small grin. "Thanks, Tyne; if you need anything give me a yell. Miah, how is your gathering of information going?"

Miah continued to stare at the burn where Levis had stood for a second before looking up at Kyle, "Not well. I know all of what happened now, but...it doesn't make any sense. But then I'm not aware of how much energy Ark actually uses either. I'm still working on putting it all together, but I feel like I'm missing something; I'll figure it out, though, I always do. I see that you figured out how to pull other people from other locations without needing to be there with them. That's good, but you'll probably find a few limits to that; I don't think it works one hundred percent of the time. I think a Ferox can block it; I also have a guess that to pull them from wherever they're at, they need to be in the same plane of existence that you're in, but don't quote me on that one." Miah glanced at the burn again before grinning at Kyle, "So where to?"

"Looks like the Med bay," Kyle replied. "There are a few of our family that need checked on."

"I'm a little confused but I'll wait till later to ask questions," Colin said as he scratched his head.

"We'll find time to explain everything later, I'm sure," said Miah. "Lead the way then, I'm using you as an anchor."

"We'll have to work on that anchor issue," Kyle said with a smile. "Maybe I can help you, once things calm down." With that, Kyle, Colin, and Tyler disappeared, followed almost instantly by Miah.

 

Kyle appeared in the cafeteria with Colin, Tyler and Miah by his side. "Hang here just a minute, guys; I need to check on Xedyan and Z, and let them know my feelings about what happened."

A few minutes later, Kyle returned. "You know, talking to Z can really wear a guy out! I filled in everyone who needed to know about the status Tyne gave me, except Cory. Let's go do that now, then find a quiet corner."

A few minutes later, Kyle pulled a spare mattress off to an unused area of the cafeteria near some chairs. "Miah, could you do me a big favor?" Kyle asked as he finished a big yawn.

"What's that, Kyle?"

"Would you mind filling Colin in on what you know about me and what's going on?" Kyle replied before turning to Colin. "He can tell you a lot more than I can right now, bro; and it ain't right that you're runnin' around havin' to learn bits and pieces when you can."

Miah nodded, "I can do that. Though there isn't that much, I suppose I'm the expert on you right now. Anything else he wants to know I'll get from Ark."

"I'd like that, but I still wanna sit down with you later, Kyle, and get to know you," said Colin.

"Trust me, I plan on doing that really soon, bro," Kyle replied, as he pulled Tyler down next to him. "Thanks, Miah; at least this way some of the questions I don't even know the answers to yet can get answered. Wake me up when you guys are done please; I just need a nap for some reason."

As Miah and Colin got comfortable, Kyle snuggled into Tyler's back and they both quickly fell asleep. As their sleep deepened, a soft orange glow surrounded both sleeping boys.

About an hour later, Miah went over to ask Cory a few questions he had about Kyle. Just then, Xedyan walked up with Z hanging onto him to keep his mind quiet.

"Did I miss anything?" asked Xedyan.

"I don't think so," replied Colin. "It's Xedyan, right?"

"Yes," Xedyan said as he looked around.

"Xed, something doesn't feel like it did before," whispered Z as he looked over at Kyle and Tyler.

Xedyan looked at Kyle and Tyler and frowned, "Colin, what is your brother doing?"

"He's taking a nap, why?" said Colin, as he turned around and looked over at his brother. "He was tired so...well that's different, why is he glowing like that?"

"Great, someone else doing something they're not supposed to be doing," grumbled Xedyan. "Where is Levis? He's going to need to be the one to deal with this."

"Oh, well ummm...Levis was killed a few hours ago," replied Colin. "Should we be waking them up or something?"

"Levis was...damn, that sucks," said Xedyan. "Well, then, who's our resident expert on Kyle, then? And are they close by? We need to know what to do with him; I don't think he's supposed to glow like that."

"Miah is over there talking to Cory," Colin said as he got up from his chair.

"Dr. Miah of the FSA? Where?" Xedyan said as he quickly looked around, instantly picking out the only other kid dressed in white. Xedyan threw his attention towards Miah, causing Miah to shift around quickly to look at Xedyan.

"What do you mean, something's wrong?" Miah called out as he ran back over.

"Well, look!" cried Xedyan.

Miah looked over Kyle and Tyler and gasped, "Wake them up! Quickly! I don't know what Kyle does in his sleep yet; I haven't studied that far!"

"Well, how do we do it? Do we touch them?" suggested Xedyan.

"It's worth a try," replied Miah.

"You touch 'em, I don't wanna get hurt," Xedyan said as he backed away.

"Well, I ain't gonna touch 'em," Miah said as he looked back and forth between where Kyle was and Xedyan. "If you get hurt, I can fix that."

"If he's dangerous, how do you know I won't end up dead?" whined Xedyan.

"Will you two cut it out!" Colin said, as he ran over to Kyle, reached down, and shook him. "Kyle bro, you gotta wake up! Something's wrong!"

The glow instantly disappeared as Kyle and Tyler both sat up wide-eyed and fully awake. "What's wrong?" Kyle asked.

"Uhh ... babe ... I think we need to have a talk," Tyler said with a confused look on his face.

Kyle looked over at Tyler, and after a couple of seconds his eyes went wide. "Oh my God .... how? ... I didn't .... SHIT!"

Tyler smiled as he pulled Kyle close to him. "Does this mean I don't have to listen to you worrying if I'll still love you when you're done becoming whatever you ... well 'we' ... are?"

"What do you mean 'we'! What in hell is going on! You can't just 'convert' him! And if you can...oh God!!!" shouted Miah, as he held his head and started to pace. "HOW!"

"This is bad," Z said, looking frightened.

Xedyan sighed, "Just calm down. It's not like they spontaneously reproduced or something."

"No, Kyle just subconsciously decided that Tyler should be what he is!" snapped Miah.

"It's not that bad, don't some species that only have one surviving member do things like this?" replied Xedyan.

"Well..." Miah stopped pacing for a moment, "Yes."

"So subconsciously his mind changed his bond, his boyfriend, to what he is," said Xedyan. "You science guys need to chill sometimes."

Tyler giggled. "Yeah, really! Seriously, you can relax. Somehow I got instructions on how to use my new abilities while I was getting them. What's really kewl is I don't have to concentrate now on people I'm tryin to help keep from emotional overload."

"This is insane, do you have any idea how dangerous this is?" said Miah. "What if this happens every time Kyle falls asleep next to someone because his subconscious feels 'alone'?"

"Well, if it happens twice then we'll have to figure something out," replied Xedyan. "I mean what else can you do?"

"I...I don't have an answer for that; I suppose it was bound to happen," mumbled Miah as he looked over at Kyle. "But this isn't something to be taken lightly though. I'm surprised you didn't kill him, Kyle, and it would make me feel better if you let one of the Medbots here check him out before you leave. You converted him; all of us can feel it now that you're awake."

"That's not a problem, Miah; I suppose with something like this, it would be a good thing to have him checked out," Kyle replied.

"Just so it doesn't really happen again, do you have any idea what you did to him?" asked Miah.

"A lot of stuff has been happening lately through my subconscious, and then only after it happens do I really know what it was or that I even had that ability to begin with," Kyle said in thought. "I'm going over what just happened while I was asleep right now."

"And?"

"I don't think it'll happen again now, and I'm pretty sure the process completed before you woke me up. But if I understand what happened right, I think my subconscious thoughts triggered it, mainly by my worry about losing Tyler later in life. So my mind wanted to do something to make sure he was just like me so we could be together. I might be wrong, but something in there seemed to think I'm gonna live a lot longer like this than I would have as a Founder."

"I could have told you that last part," replied Miah. "Even before I met you, I knew that your body was re-sequencing itself to resist certain things, and my main theory includes time in that list of things. I'm surprised that your body is doing things subconsciously, but I suppose it makes sense that it would know everything you could do, only bringing it to your attention after you use it. I really want to get Tyler checked out, though; your body restructured his to a very different system. I'm glad it didn't kill him, but I'm also surprised that since it didn't kill him, that he has any memories left; your mind is so very different than any other mental setup I've ever seen."

"You're tellin me!" Tyler giggled. "I've been goin through my head to check it out; if his is anything like mine, I've seen hotels with less rooms!"

"There's still rooms I ain't got to in my head, Babe." Kyle said as he pulled Tyler into a hug. "How do you know how to get around?"

Tyler smiled. "I think your head taught mine while it was doin' it."

"Ferox do something similar when we have kids," Miah said in thought. "I'm really not sure if this whole thing is good or not, though. There's a lot about what Kyle is that we don't know about."

"There isn't anything to do other than have Tyler checked out," added Xedyan. "Other than that you can't really do anything about it."

Miah looked at Xedyan in shock, "But...you...we..." Miah frowned, "Okay, so we can't really do anything about it."

"Besides, if he's a new species, don't you have to let things work their way out, so you can study the new habits and unique features of that species," said Xedyan.

"Well, Yes," grumbled Miah.

Xedyan shook his head, "Isn't this your field of expertise?"

"I don't do that much field work," replied Miah. "Besides, I'm not in the best of shape to be dealing with this. I..." Miah paused for a second, looking like he wanted to cry. "Excuse me, please, I...I need some time," Miah said as he took off down the hall.

Xedyan frowned as he watched Miah almost run away, "I know I'm not the nicest guy, but I didn't think I was being mean."

Kyle nodded as he watched Tyler take off after Miah. "It's not what you said, Xedyan. I think Miah got to thinking about losing Levis; since Levis was his eyes trying to learn about me, this is even harder on him than it normally would be. I guess we all need to try not to push him right now unless we really need to."

"I didn't think I was pushing him," said Xedyan.

"What you said wasn't mean; it was just kind of showing him he wasn't thinking right," Z added as he tightened his grip on Xedyan. "That's my guess anyway."

"Oh, I suppose that would be pushing him in a different way then," replied Xedyan.

"That's one of the things I can't fix," said Z. "Confusion, depression, feelings of loss, and death is the most of what I can't undo."

"I don't think he'd want you to undo his pain though," Colin said, causing Z and Xedyan to look at him funny. "Well, I mean I wouldn't if it was me. I've never had a proper boyfriend or girlfriend, so I don't know how he feels, but I'd imagine taking away the pain would be kinda insulting."

Z tilted his head in thought, "I never thought of it that way. I'm use to taking away pain; I never really stop to ask if they want me to take it away. I've always assumed they did."

"Yeah, you might want to be careful about that; no one really likes not being asked first," said Xedyan.

"True; and sometimes it takes a lot of work to get back what was lost with it." Kyle added. "Xedyan, this is your choice, but if you and Z agree to it, would you like to spend some time working with him to help him with his control? It looks like you've already done him a lot of good."

"You want me to look after a human?" Xedyan said sounding unsure about the idea.

"Hey! I'm anything but human," complained Z. "Besides, is there a problem with being human?"

"I didn't mean it that way," mumbled Xedyan. "Okay maybe I did, but humans are just so...imperfect."

"That's what makes them fun," replied Z. "I'm only half human."

"I didn't mean that I didn't want to look after you," said Xedyan.

Z looked at Kyle and frowned, "Do you think I need more control?"

Kyle gave Z a smile in return. "Not that way, Z. You are a lot like me; your abilities like to run off on their own path sometimes. I know what it was like when my brain was reading people without me telling it to. Tyne taught me a way while he was straightening out my head to have it dump into another part so it didn't distract me all the time. Since Xedyan has more experience with time than any of the rest of us, he wouldn't make the mistakes the rest of us would in trying to help you find a way to redirect it when you don't need it. Your brain is a lot more advanced than any Human or Founder brain, Z.; the only way you're gonna be able to figure out your full potential is to exercise it with someone of a higher species. I know that when Xedyan does something, he insists on doing it right; since you are family, he's the one I trust the most to help find out what you are really capable of doing."

"I never thought I'd hear someone say I'd be helpful to someone else," Xedyan mumbled to himself.

"Hey, I heard that," Z said as he jabbed Xedyan in the side. "Kyle has a point. Besides, if ya don't help me, I'll just live the rest of my life clinging to you so my head is quiet."

Xedyan smiled, "I'll let you know if that's a bad thing or a good thing later."

Kyle gave them both a smile. "I really think you can make a difference on all of the planes with the combination of both of your skills. You can make a big impact on the universe, Xedyan; and no matter what differences we may have, I'll listen to your opinion, and even if I don't follow it, I'll take it into account so that I avoid whatever problem you have seen."

Not knowing what to say, Xedyan just stared at the ground. He looked like it bothered him that Kyle was speaking about him in this way but at the same time it was clear he cared about what Kyle had to say by the small grin on his face.

"I'm sure he'll make a great teacher," Z said when he realized Xedyan wasn't going to say anything. "Thanks, Kyle."

"You're welcome," Kyle replied. "I know all these people must be messing with both of you; I'm not sure about there being any quiet areas around here. Xedyan? What do you think about taking Z to the Ark so that the two of you can relax?"

Xedyan silently nodded and then paused for a second before finally speaking, "Okay Kyle. That sounds fine."

"As long as you don't let go of me that sounds fine to me," added Z.

"I won't," Xedyan said softly.

"If you need anything, just have Ark get ahold of me." Kyle replied. "Just tell me when you're ready and I'll have Ark teleport you."