Memories Part 2: Spreading The Hope

 

Rec Room:

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Travis:

I looked around the room then gave my two sons under my arms a squeeze. "I love you, guys."

That helped a lot; they both smiled at me and cuddled in closer. I guess what happened in the kitchen might turn out being something good; both of these guys believe me now that I know how they feel. The thing that really bites is I thought I was over the things Alec and I's old father did to me; I guess I'm like Cory and just have it all buried where I don't see it. It looks like the rest of the guys are waiting for me; I really don't feel like doing this to Gabe, but I guess since I started it I better finish. Here goes nothing.

"Okay, I'm ready. I'm going to keep this short; I feel lousy right now. Gabe, what you did to Double D's hurt a lot. What hurt me at first was that you were holding a discussion in public which would normally be held in private. On top of that you were trying to stop Dmitry from doing something which looked to me like nothing more than a running joke between the two of them. I sure could see that Dominic was having fun when he responded to Dmitry's comments. Then you really ripped my heart out; you tried to force them to see parts of my past that nobody knows but you, me, and Alec. Sean has the courtesy to only cover what we have told him it is okay to talk about; Ark is not under the same restriction. You didn't ask me, and you didn't ask Alec. I don't know what or even IF you were thinking; I do know that I never expected you to do something like that to me or any of our family."

Okay, I think that got my point across. I can see it in Gabe's eyes; I made my point. I hope he thinks about it some before he takes his turn; if I know my big bro and Justy it's gonna take a lot before they forgive him.

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Gabe:

Okay guys, I'm an idiot; you happy now? I better not say that out loud; I really don't feel like getting a butt chewing from everyone in the room. If I hadn't done that Trav wouldn't have had to relive the crap his old father put him through. You know something? I was about two seconds from running out of that kitchen in tears when I saw Travis on the floor. If Matty had not told me not to hurt him I probably would have. By not thinking, I hurt the person I love more than anything. I spent most of the time in there just holding him and our sons, repeating 'I'm Sorry' over and over. Even after he somewhat recovered, I still couldn't let him go. I just broke the biggest promise I ever made to him, the promise to never do anything to hurt him. He's going to probably forgive me today; but I'm never going to forgive myself. Here goes nothing.

"Okay guys. First off, I'm sorry Dmitry and Dominic. I guess I'm showing my blond. I really should have paid attention to the way you guys were acting; if I had I would have seen that it was a part of your relationship that makes you closer. Instead I was trying to make you into what I was always told a relationship should be like. I guess I was just not paying attention; I've been spending so much time worrying about all this other stuff going on that I didn't take the time to think about how anybody else felt. Then I did something really stupid; I assumed that it would be okay to show you guys' things that only Trav, Alec, and I know about. I almost betrayed the trust that Alec and Trav put into me to keep their past private. Alec, Trav; there's no excuse for me doing that. I'm never going to forgive myself; it's up to you if you forgive me. I had no business trying to mess with someone else's relationship; for that I'm truly sorry."

"Dmitry; I deserve anything you want to do to me. I know now that I made you feel like dirt; I never meant to do that and I hope one day you can forgive me. Now that I've had time to think about it I see that you and Dominic have a really special relationship that all of us can learn from. I honestly hope I didn't do anything to hurt that relationship. I'm honestly sorry for doing that to you; maybe one day you can forgive me."

"Alec, find someone else to handle security; I'm not worthy of it. I resign as of right now."

There, I said it and I mean it. If dealing with this junk is going to cause me to hurt family and friends I don't want to do it anymore. I hope I didn't screw up so bad that Dmitry and Dominic hate me now.

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Alec's jaw dropped at Gabe's final words. "Whoa Gabe; chill a minute dude! You goofed and you admitted it; I'll admit it was something I'd never expect from you but it wasn't enough to resign!"

Gabe interrupted Alec. "Yes it was, bro. I hurt my new friends, my partner, and my family. I made my choice; if that's what security is going to cause me to do I'm not doing it."

Alec was speechless, but DJ wasn't. "Gabe you made the same screw-up that Cory keeps making; you tried to do it all. You kept pushing yourself until you did something really stupid. Usually you and JJ share the responsibility; but since JJ isn't here you tried to do it all yourself. Get your head outta your ass so I can give it a swift kick without breaking your scrawny neck. You need to delegate some bro; you know what you are doing better than any of us when it comes to security, why not let the rest of us help some."

Just then Tyne and Rusty popped into the center of the room; Rusty comfortably in Tyne's arms. "We miss anything?" Rusty asked with a giggle as everyone stared at them.

DJ broke the trance as he replied. "Yeah, Gabe's being a dipshit. Have a seat, I'm just getting started." He then turned back to Gabe. "Yeah, you screwed up and insulted Dmitry while pissing off Travis. You explained what was going on in that cave you call a head, and you made it quite clear that you really feel sorry for what you did. Y'all beat it into my head that quitting ain't an option; I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you try to quit after all the shit I went through. I know of a few guys who wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you; if you quit how many others are gonna suffer and die because you gave up instead of asking for help. I'll put it in small words even a blond can understand; if you quit it means you did not learn anything, which means I will not forgive you. You got that blondie?"

DJ turned to Travis. "Trav, you need to take a couple of days off dude. Chill out with your sons; I'll cover for ya. You guys can sit and watch, but no working until you're sure that your head is back to normal. Jimmy and Davey need to relearn how to act when some asshole is not messing with their heads; you are the best person to do that Trav. Teach your sons the stuff Gabe taught you; I think it'll help all three of you."

Tyne got DJ's attention. "Am I missing something here? I thought this was supposed to be about apologies."

DJ shifted his gaze to where Tyne and Rusty were sitting, Matty now laying happily across their laps. "Sorry Tyne, you missed round one. I'll give you the short version. Gabe let himself get overworked and stopped what little thinking a blond is capable of; so instead of doing what he should he tried to help Dmitry and Dominic become what he was always told a couple should be like. He knows what he did wrong, and has apologized to everyone involved. Then that ingrown hair he calls a brain misfired again; he told us he was not worthy of being security and tried to resign."

Tyne tilted his head in thought for a second then commented, "Gabe, obviously your request to resign is being denied, especially considering the reaction you're getting from DJ. Back in my time a leader who didn't admit to making a mistake then try to correct it was not a leader for very long. We learned the hard way what happens when you don't admit it when you are truly wrong; that's part of the reason why I'm the only one of my race left. My opinion, as much as it is worth, is that you actually make a better leader now that you have learned to accept it when you make a mistake. But if you quit, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

"That makes sense Tyne, but I'm not going to let my friends and family suffer because I'm overloaded." Gabe replied seriously.

"Then find people you trust to help you keep from being overloaded." Tyne replied simply. "With the family you have here that should be easy; but if you quit you are hurting the whole family. You guys work because everyone does what they are best at; it only took me a few minutes to realize that."

Gabe thought about Tyne's statements. "When you put it that way I see what you mean. I guess I should keep going after all; I'll do it if you promise to work with me whenever you're around. That is if Dmitry thinks I'm still fit for the job; I'll do whatever he says."

"Ya know Gabe I try and I try to make us blonds look good but then you go and make comments like that," grinned Dmitry. "Gabe, even if I personally didn't think you were fit for the job that wouldn't mean that you're not the best person for that job. Someone's personal option very rarely has anything to do with skill. I mean if that was the case then Dominic wouldn't be any good in bed because he thinks that he's not, but the fact of the matter is he has skill so no matter what he thinks negatively it's not true."

Dominic jabbed Dmitry in the side making him yelp, "What Dmitry is trying to say Gabe is that you're still the best man for the job."

Dmitry giggled, "That and of course I still think you're fit for the job, you got the talent the skill and the know how for it. On top of which I can't really hold a grudge anyway so I forgive you."

Gabe got up and walked over to Dmitry. "Thanks Dmitry; I am really sorry I screwed up like that. If I start to do something stupid like that again just slap me upside the head. Friends?" he asked as he held out his hand.

"Just friends? You sure you don't want to go for brothers?" Dmitry said with an evil grinned and he shook Gabe's hand. "Hey if we just go with friends does that mean..."

"No!" Dominic said quickly knowing where Dmitry was going. "I'm sure he meant friends to add to already being brothers."

"Don't worry Dmitry, I've got pictures!" Travis chimed in. "I even have his baby bath pics!"

"TRAVIS!!" Gabe exclaimed as he turned beet red.

"Awesome!" Dmitry said excitedly.

"Hey! Travis you're giving him more material!" said Dominic.

Dmitry giggled, "Baby bath pictures are always sooo cute though Dom, I wish I had picture of you like that. Travis you might want to keep those pictures safe even if you wanna show them off, they're not replaceable if something happens to them. And as his boyfriend I'm sure they're somewhat priceless to you."

"You don't need pictures of me when I was young," mumbled Dominic. "You were in the tub with me if I recall."

"Oh yeah..." replied Dmitry with a grin."You were cute back then too."

"When do I get to see your baby pictures cutie?" Rusty asked Tyne as he leaned over and kissed Tyne's cheek.

"You'll have to ask Cyna," said Tyne. "He's hoarding them last I checked."

"Ark, I know that you're listening; remind me when I get there!" Rusty giggled.

<I can do that.> Ark said though the sub-vocal.

After a few seconds when Dmitry realized that Tyne wasn't going to relay the message because he was too busy blushing, he spoke up, "Ark said that it'll do that Rusty."

"Thanks bro!" Rusty replied. "Thanks to you too Ark; I'm sure he's always been the cutest boy on Earth, but I still wanna see."

"At least no one else gets to see them," Tyne said softly. "I don't mind if you see them though."

"Tyne while I don't think Rusty is as bad as DT I think he could at least hold his own if compared to DT," said Dominic.

"Ooo that's a scary thought," giggled Dmitry. "Someone that acts like me!"

Travis came over to where Dmitry was standing and gave him a hug. "I guess Rusty and you must be twins then, huh bro? Thanks for being fair with Gabe; after me freaking out I don't think he could of taken rejection from you." he commented with a smile.

As soon as the hug broke, Jimmy and Davey gave Dmitry a quick hug. "You helped Poppa smile." Jimmy stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Thanks Uncle Dmitry."

"You are great Uncle Dmitry." Davey added with a small smile.

"Uncle? You guys are my age though," Dmitry said. Then a slow smile began to creep across his face and he added, "Hey as an uncle that means I can corrupt you guys and get away with it."

Jimmy tilted his head. "I want to be like you when I grow up Uncle Dmitry. Is that corrupting?"

"Oh no," said Stepan. "That's worse then corrupting. Gabe, Travis, I'm so sorry; you're going to have a Dmitry for a kid."

Gabe giggled as he placed a hand on Jimmy's shoulder. "There's nothing to be sorry for. Dmitry is honest, caring, smart, reliable, and trustworthy. Oh, he's also really, really, really cute! I think he's the perfect role model for my son."

Dmitry blushed, a deep red and tried to hide behind Dominic. "Thank you Gabe," whispered Dmitry.

"Now that's a first," smiled Dominic. "I've never seen DT turn such a dark shade of red before. That was very nice of you to say; I definitely won't disagree with any of the traits you said DT has."

"It's the truth." Gabe replied as he pulled Jimmy against him. "You are a very lucky guy to have him Dominic."

"Now that I know," grinned, Dominic. "He keeps trying to..."

Dominic stopped suddenly and then sighed contently which was followed by a giggle from Dmitry.

"I just remembered that Dom wasn't wearing underwear under this jumpsuit," Dmitry said softly from behind Dominic. "I've got a good grip of..."

"Are we done in here for now," Dominic interrupted. "I think we should take a break."

"Someone grab a fire extinguisher; I think Dmitry's about to burn up!" Rusty giggled. "Hey Alec; can I sneak out for a bit with Tyne? I gotta show him off to Dad!"

Alec managed to stop laughing long enough to reply. "Sure Rusty; try not to give him a heart attack! I think a break sounds good Dominic; the nearest shower is that way."

"Oh right, I kinda forgot about something like that but I'm glad you mentioned it Rusty. I want to ask your father for his permission to be your boyfriend if that's okay," said Tyne. "Nyo do you mind if I go with Rusty for a little while?"

"No go ahead Tyne," replied Nyo. "Just remember that we'll be playing host to some of these guys later and I might need your help. Until then though you're free to do what ya want. Same goes for Dmitry and Dominic."

"Awesome!" said Dmitry as he started to drag Dominic out of the room. "Thanks Nyo, we'll talk to you later. And good luck Tyne!"

Travis giggled as he watched the group start to break up. An evil grin came across his face as he looked towards an empty spot in the room and said loudly, "Hey Ark! Nyo said you have all of Gabe's history. How many times HAS the dufus farted? I'll bet it's over a million!"

<About 64,680...no my mistake 64,681, he just passed one.> was heard from Nyo's handheld.

"Well I know the modifications I've been sitting here working on for the handheld seem to be working," giggled Nyo. "I can integrate this with whichever one of the consoles you'd like me to guys."

"DUDE!" about half the room yelled as they scrambled away from Gabe. Alec pinched his nose as he told Nyo "Come on, the air in CIC is clear; we'll pick one of the spare comm. consoles for Ark to use."

Nyo grinned at everyone's response before replying, "Okay Alec, let's get going then before this flammable gas starts to affect us physically and mentally."

Tyne once again picked Rusty up, "Ark could you please teleport us to ... Rusty where do you think would be safe to teleport to, I don't want to scare the hell out of your father."

Rusty giggled. "My bedroom would work. We'll still surprise him though; the doors and windows are alarmed 24/7 whenever we are at alert."

"Okay, Ark could you please take us there?" said Tyne.

<Are you ever going to tell him that you don't have to pick him up to do this?> Ark said over the sub-vocal.

Tyne grinned, "I'll let you tell him that later."

<Very well.> Ark replied as Tyne and Rusty vanished.

Gabe watched them leave then walked over to Travis, Jimmy, and Davey. "Hey guys, why don't we head over to our house to unwind some?"

Travis nodded his head. "Sounds like a good idea. Let's go."

Gabe led his family over to where Alec and Nyo were discussing what would be needed to set up the interface for Ark. "Alec; I'm going to take my family back to our house to unwind for a while. Give me a yell if you need us, okay?"

Alec nodded. "I've got you covered bro; take care of your three and we'll handle anything that happens here."

 

Fifteen minutes later:

Justy looked up from his console and grinned as he watched Robbie teaching Matty the fine art of pouncing with Andy as the target. He looked back at his screen, then suddenly yelled "Alec! Get your butt over here! We got the slimy bastard!"

Alec ran over to where Justy was sitting. He looked over the info on Justy's screen then grinned. "So the slimeball thought that by assuming a different name nobody would find him. Good job bro; I'll let Danny know. It's time we pay Kyle back for helping all of us by letting him close out his own past. Get hard copies of everything you can; I'll make sure what Danny wants us to do next."

Justy nodded and started issuing commands to the console. "On it bro; I've got it set to track his every move now."

Alec opened his communicator. "Headquarters to Director Page."

"This is Director Page; go ahead." a sleepy voice replied.

"Danny, this is Alec. Your subject has been acquired in Chicago; standing by for instructions."

There was a sudden change in Danny's voice as he replied. "Acknowledged. Upload all information to my console on the shuttle; continue tracking him until we can get back there. This one I want to personally make sure is taken care of."

"Understood; Justy will keep your console updated." Alec replied. "See you when you get here. Alec out."

"Page out." Danny replied as he cut the connection.

Alec glanced at Justy. "Dude; Danny sounded like he was personally going to rip this guys head off."

Justy nodded. "If the vibes I'm getting from my lil bros are right I think Danny is the least of his worries."

 

Fifteen minutes later:

Alec's head spun as he suddenly heard voices behind him. "Tyne, you just made transporters look like a horse and buggy!"

He smiled when he saw Rusty and Tyne standing there with Rusty's parents Curly and Brian. Just then, Matty also noticed the arrivals.

"WUSTY!!!" Matty screamed joyfully as he launched himself from the chair he had been sitting in with Robbie and flew into the pair of boys, knocking both of them to the ground. "Wusty, Wobbie says thatsa pounce! Did I pounce good?"

Rusty giggled as he pulled Matty into a hug. "You did it like a pro Matty!"

"Normally I wouldn't complain about being on the bottom but I can't breathe with both of you on top of me," Tyne cried out from under Rusty and Matty. "Oh and I brought him back to you in one piece Matty."

Matty's puppy Wusty ran over to join the fun, and joined Matty in giving Tyne sloppy kisses on his cheeks. "Thanks Tyne! You'we AWESOME!" Matty exclaimed. "Who awe these old guys? They look like pictuwes my bwothews had in theiw woom."

Rusty giggled as he rolled off of Tyne with Matty in his arms. "These old guys are Robbie and I's, Dad and Pop, munchkin. They're kewl, just kinda weird sometimes."

Matty looked at Brian and Justin; both of which still were barely holding back laughter at the pouncing. After a few seconds he commented "You awe good old guys; I like you."

Tyne gasped as they got off of him and took a few deep breaths before reaching behind himself and rubbing his backside, "I think I'll feel that 'pounce' for a little bit. Thanks for the kisses Matty."

Rusty giggled as he asked "Do you want me to kiss your ouchies cutie?"

"I might," mumbled Tyne.

"Now?" Rusty asked hopefully.

Tyne blushed, "I'd like that but not in front of your fathers; I still want Cyna's okay first too before we do anything else."

"What are we waiting for?" Rusty asked with a smile.

"Can I come too?" Matty injected while suddenly giving Tyne puppy dog eyes.

"Can I get back to you on that Matty, I have to check in with Nyo and get his permission first," Tyne said carefully. "He's my commanding officer so I have to go though him for stuff like this."

"Okay." Matty replied. He then turned his head and screamed "Unca Nyo!!! Tyne needs ta ask ya somethin'!"

Nyo looked up from the console he was worked at and smiled, "Thanks Matty; come on over here Tyne, I can't really step away from this at the moment. I'm working on integrating my handheld into their systems for them to talk to Ark."

Tyne got up off the floor and ran over to where Nyo was at, "I wanted to take Rusty and his parents back to Ark to show them what a Phasenmorph can do so they'll feel more comfortable about Rusty getting one. But I also have a few other things I want to do while I'm there too that I also need your approval for as well. First and most important I wanted to correct Rusty's diabetes problem."

"But there's only one operation that could fix diab...you want to make him a Vifer?" said Nyo. "How does Rusty feel about that, you know what that will do to his lifespan?"

"He is aware and I...I have agreed to have the procedure as well," replied Tyne. "He wouldn't do it otherwise. Ark will be doing a partial re-sequence on me."

"Okay you have my permission, just be careful," said Nyo. "What else did you need permission for?"

"Well I need permission to take everyone down there," Tyne said carefully. "The other thing is permission to temporarily reprogram the IIM to accommodate two people."

Nyo looked up at Tyne in shock, "I thought you said that only a Founder could use that thing!"

"I know how to get it to accommodate someone without a Founder background as long as we're both in the chamber together," said Tyne. "I would be taking the past and future for both of us and let the present go to both of us."

"Okay," Nyo said slowly. "Is there a reason you want to take, I assume it's Rusty, into the IIM?"

"I want to introduce him to Cyna," replied Tyne. "I want his permission to date Rusty."

"Okay you have my permission for all of that," said Nyo. "Just be careful. And if you take Matty with you, take Stepan with you."

"We'll need Stepan then," said Tyne.

"He'll meet you at the Training room," Nyo said as he went back to his work. "When you're finished, which will take a few hours, I expect you to report back here or notify me if you can't."

"Yes sir, thank you," Tyne said as he ran back over to where he left Rusty and the others. "We have permission and yes Matty you can come with us."

"KEWL!" Matty exclaimed as he strangled Tyne's leg. "When we gonna go?"

Tyne smiled, "As soon as you and everyone that's going are ready. Rusty, Abbas, Paternus, are you all ready?"

"Ready when you are" Brian replied. "Hey there Matty; you wanna ride on my shoulders? Rusty seems to think Tyne needs to carry him."

Matty looked at Rusty; once Rusty nodded his okay, Matty scrambled up Brian's side and perched on his shoulders. "Giddeeup howsee!"

Rusty turned to Tyne. "Carry me?" he giggled.

Tyne smiled and then swept Rusty up in his arms once again, "Any chance I get. Ark, go ahead and take us to the Phasenmorph room."

As the group disappeared, Alec looked over to Nyo. "I hope that Ark is prepared for Matty."

"You and me both," replied Nyo. "If it's not I'm sure I'll never hear the end of it."

Alec giggled. "I'm sure of that! How's the integration going?"

"It's going really well actually," said Nyo. "I've almost got it working; my understanding of Vulcan interfaces was just a little rusty, I should have it finish in a little bit."

"Sweet; you need a hand?" Alec replied as he knelt down to where Nyo was working.

"I don't really need a hand but I could use the company if you don't have anything else that really needs to be done," said Nyo while he entered a few more commands and checked his input wires.

Alec sat and watched Nyo sort out the interface. "You know; I think you and Cory are going to get along great. He likes messing around with stuff to make it work different too; I'll bet the two of you get talking and everything here will end up being upgraded somehow."

Nyo grinned, "If he's an engineer I could show him stuff that would either make his head spin or explode. We've got some really cool stuff back at the Ark Compound."

Alec grinned. "Considering he's the youngest and probably the most talked about Engineer in Starfleet I guess he qualifies. He's came up with some modifications that still have the guys who designed the stuff baffled."

"Good, I like an engineer that can think on his feet and solve problems," Nyo said as he set the handheld down and pulled a tool kit from one of his pockets. "I'm familiar with warp engines but I've never really worked on any. In that sense he has more experience then I do I would hope. And for everything else that has ever existed in other cycles I'm an expert in. We can probably teach each other some really cool things."

"Now I'm scared!" Alec giggled. Just then the console came to life. "Nyo, it looks like something is working right."

Nyo smiled, "Cool, working is good. Ark can you hear me?"

<Nyo do you have any idea what these kids are going on about. They are trying to rename the Phasenmorph and call it a Fuzzymore. I do not know where they got the idea that it was Fuzzymore but you need to correct them.>

"Well hello to you too," giggled Nyo.

Alec giggled. "Blame Johnny, Ark; the young kids have trouble saying 'Phasenmorph' so they came up with the nearest thing that made sense. You should hear Dmitry's name; he now answers to Deemeetee!"

<That poor boy, I think I could get a tea pot to sing his name and it would sound better then that.>

"I've heard worse!" Alec chuckled. "Besides the fact the guys are mangling names, how are things going?"

<Tyne and Rusty have gone off to speak with Cyna. But Stepan has allowed Matty to climb into Phasenmorph pool number six. He is trying to pet as many of them as he can and they are climbing all over him because of it.>

"So he's getting along with them really well then," smiled Nyo. "Good, tell me when the water starts to look like rapids from their purring."

"They won't try to attach to him will they?" Alec asked.

Nyo giggled, "No, they'll just cuddle him really close. He's too young for any of them to even try attaching."

"Whew! That's good to know; he's dangerous enough without one of them attached to him!" Alec replied in relief.

<I agree. I reviewed your records of when you brought him to your compound there and I think it would be a bad idea to give him any more power then he already has. If he can take down half of your clan without a Phasenmorph then with one he would be equal to a natural disaster.>

"Ark just make sure you keep him out of Phasenmorph pools one through five, him getting in those pools could kill the 'morphs in those pools," Nyo added.

<I will make sure Stepan knows that.>

"So Alec, how's Andrew doing?" asked Nyo. "Andrew is your boyfriend, right? I normally remember these things really well but I've been wrong before."

Alec glanced over to where Andy was sitting with Robby cuddled on his lap. "Despite Matty's best attempts, I think he'll recover. We're going to pick up his Mom and Dad the day after tomorrow; he's kinda nervous about what they'll think about the whole Clan thing since last time they saw him it hadn't formed yet. I think he's worried about what they'll think about me too; I've talked to them on the phone but never really met them."

"They're not disappointed that Andrew's dating a boy rather then a girl are they?" said Nyo.

"Actually, they asked him what took him so long to figure it out!" Alec giggled.

Nyo nodded, "And I assume that they love him very much, am I right?"

"Yeah; he's actually got great parents. He's really lucky on that point."

"Then the both of you don't really have anything to worry about really," said Nyo. "If they love Andrew then they'll also trust him to make the right choice about who he wants to spend the rest of his life with. And you really shouldn't worry too much about them liking you or not. You're a good, caring, honest person, and I know you love Andrew very much. Do you really need any more then that? I know they'll love you Alec and not just because their son does but because of those other qualities. And plus you're both happy, safe, and you love each other. I can't see a parent wanting any more for their child then that if they're good parents."

"Thanks Nyo. What about the Clan though?"

"Well what about them?"

"Don't you think it will freak them out that we're involved in something like this? Most adults think guys our age are too young to make the decisions we are making. As a group we are respected; but we are still kids in his parent's eyes." Alec explained.

"Ah so you think that what the Clan has become will freak them out on top of the responsibility that you've taken on," Nyo said carefully. "I suppose that would freak some people out but if it does then I want you to show them this world. Tell them to look around at all the death, destruction, and pain that lives and breeds in this world. Make them see how awful this planet is; make them see those children that die every day because someone didn't care enough to look out for them. And once they have a clear picture of that then show them what you're accomplished. Show them all the children whose lives you've helped save because of the effort and strength that all of you have together. You and Andrew are part of more then just a random group of ragtag kids. You're both a part of something that's helping to change the world for the better. Why do you think I'm here if I didn't think you guys were the hope that this world so desperately needs? If you can make them see all of that Alec, then you'll have no problem with them accepting the Clan. If you can't get them to see that then I want you to come get me, I will show them all of that physically."

Alec reached over and squeezed Nyo's shoulder. "Thanks bro; I guess I'm just worrying too much. I spent so much time avoiding relationships so that I could protect Travis from our father before we came here that I've still got a lot to learn about real love."

"Anytime; and worrying is normal, just too much isn't healthy," said Nyo. "As far as avoiding relationships though I'm new to them as well, Ark kept me busy enough that I never realized I was missing something important. I'm 50,320 years old and I'm in my first relationship ever."

"Ark, I think you just set a new standard for the world's most possessive parent!" Alec quipped with a smile. "Seriously Nyo; when Cory and Sean get back, you might want to take Stepan and the four of you sit down for a talk. They help a lot of us out with learning stuff not to do in a relationship. Some of it is stuff they screwed up, the rest is advice that the grown-ups have passed on to them; but they are good at telling you what is a good idea to avoid without telling you what to do. I sure know its kept Andy and me out of trouble a few times."

"Thanks Alec, I think I might do that," smiled Nyo. "I really don't have much of a clue on some of the basics; we've just been figuring some of it out as we've gotten to it. And Stepan will be the first to tell you that I'm slow on some of that too. Oh and just wait till Tyne finds more out about Sean and Cory, he'll probably ask why they haven't become Socius yet. I'm surprised he hasn't said anything to Gabe and Travis because of the situation that they're in right now."

Alec tilted his head. "I think I know what 'Socius' means; but could you translate it for me so I'm sure?"

"The word Socius is literally translated to mean 'bonded companion' but it meant so much more then that to the Founders," explained Nyo. "It's the word used for marriage, husband, and wife. But marriage worked differently for the Founders then it does for all of you these days. The Founders believed that getting married shouldn't be dependent on your age but rather on your maturity level. If it was seen that both people in the relationship were ready then the leader of the Founder Council, or the next closest thing, would perform the ceremony and not only would the two be getting married but they would also be considered adults. It also never mattered to the Founders whether the couple was of opposite sex or same sex, they understood that love has many forms and is never bound to what's between their legs. Tyne was married, as he mentioned to Rusty when they were on the couch earlier; his husband was killed by the Moroi when they were thirteen. But the reason why Tyne might say something to Gabe and Travis or even Sean and Cory is because although the Founders were very open about a great many things they believed that you should be married before making the decision to have kids. To have kids before getting married would just show that you were not mature enough to get married."

Alec smiled. "I think Tyne's gonna be busy then, since he is the representation of the Founder Council. I can answer the question simply; our ages prohibit marriage under current laws not to mention the fact we are all boys. Cory and Sean are recognized as a couple under Vulcan law so Terra is kinda forced to accept it. If you think Tyne would be willing to reinstitute the old ways Justy can request it to be recognized by Grandfather Sarek; if he approves of the logic of it, it has the same force as law. You might need to explain the particulars to him though."

"Uh...umm...okay I suppose if you guys wanted to do that," Nyo said in shock. "I know Tyne wouldn't have a problem with it, he's always willing to uphold what his people believe; especially concerning anything to do with marriage. I don't know if Sarek would approve or not though, old human traditions don't normally appeal to Vulcan even if its a tradition that could predate most of what's know as Vulcan society from what I've read. Regardless, I'm sure if Tyne and Rusty get that far he'll have the ceremony performed whether Sarek agrees or not. If Sarek does agree though I'm sure none of you would mind."

"Only one way to find out." Alec replied. He turned his head, and announced loudly in a flat tone "Justin; your services are required at this location at your earliest opportunity."

"Ah so you're not going to waste any time?" grinned Nyo. "Sounds almost like YOU want to take that jump."

"No comment!" Alec replied as he did his best angel imitation.

"If you don't mind me asking have you talked to Andrew about that 'no comment' oh angel impersonator?" asked Nyo.

"Hey now!" Alec giggled. "Actually we have, but pretty much gave up on it as long as we are here on Earth." Just then Justy came over. "You needed me Alec?"

"I guess if this were to work out you wouldn't have to leave the planet then," said Nyo.

"At least not to do that." Alec responded. "Justy; Nyo was telling me about the Founder equivalent to marriage. The way they dealt with it is a lot more logical than the current Terran rules. Would you mind contacting Grandfather Sarek and ask his consideration of the Clan adopting the Founder rituals?"

Justy looked between Nyo and Alec a few times before replying. "You're serious. I'll contact Grandfather, but you need to explain it Nyo."

"That's fine," said Nyo. "Hey Ark, is Tyne busy?"

<Extremely.>

"Umm okay is Cyna willing to correct me if I mess up explaining?" Nyo said carefully. "I've never talked to him before but he would know more about that subject than I would."

<He says that he would be willing to help you if you are asked a question you can not answer or are not clear on.>

"Thanks Ark, tell him thank you for me," replied Nyo. "Okay Justy, I'm ready when you are then."

Justy glanced at Nyo for a second. "No disrespect meant Nyo; but do you have access to some formal clothes? If not you could use Sean's robe; but if you have something more formal from Tyne's time it might look better."

<The Founder Council wore robes that would be considered more formal then the uniform that Nyo is wearing. I will get you a set of Archivist Robes in a moment Nyo. You're taller then Sean so you would not fit in his robes anyway.>

"That is a logical solution Ark. Your assistance is appreciated." Justy commented.

<You are welcome Justin.>

"I suppose that will work Ark," said Nyo. "Just make sure that you let Tyne know later that you've made me Council Archivist, that was his job."

<Due to the way everything is going I have registered him as the head of the Founder Council making him Council Seer. I will notify him though just to make sure he knows.>

"Dude; I thought we were bad about assigning jobs without warning!" Alec said with a chuckle. "I'm glad to see we are not the only ones who use logic to figure out who should do what."

<I call it sensible logic. Straight logic is not always the right thing to do.>

"I didn't think we were going to bring back the Council," said Nyo.

<Cyna suggested it to provide more structure and I agree with him. You are still in charge of the Compound, as that is the Archivists domain and you can overrule the Seer because of it.>

"That'll work," replied Nyo as suddenly a set of robes appeared on top of the console he was working on. Nyo held them up and looked them over, "So all black with, what is this, hunter green and maroon?"

<Close enough. The green is the Archivist color and the red and black are the Council colors. Tyne's color, as Seer, would be a dark purple if you wanted to know.>

"Okay," said Nyo as he started to strip out of his uniform.

"I think it will be considered quite suitable by Grandfather." Justy commented as he turned to go get his robe. "Nyo, if Ark can come up with more of those you can keep that one here in our Robe Room for when you need it. It might be a good idea for all of you guys to have your formal gear here."

<I will take care of that Justin. I have to restock the Council chambers with new Robes anyway.>

"I would think so." Alec commented with a grin. "After fifty thousand years or so I bet the old ones are getting a little musty."

Just then Dmitry and Dominic walked in as Nyo was pulling his jumpsuit off of his left leg.

"NYO BUTT!" shouted Dmitry as he stopped walking and pointed. "Damn, it's a cute butt too!"

"I'll second that!" Andy yelled from on the couch.

"Make it unanimous!" DJ yelled from across the room.

<I always thought Nyo was a good looking Vifer. I suppose that makes it official.>

"See Ark, you're already learning what's cute," added Dmitry.

"Yeah you all know you want some," Nyo said sarcastically. "I didn't think I'd get this much of a response from just changing clothes though."

"Well, you know it's not every day we have a cute new guy doing a strip-tease in the middle of CIC!" Tanner giggled.

Nyo blushed, "You guys are too much."

Justy came back into the room just then. "Okay guys; enough complimenting the cutie. He needs to look professional for talking to Grandfather. Besides, the view from this side is even better!"

"Oooh I wanna see!" squealed Dmitry as he started to run around to where Justy was standing.

Dominic quickly grabbed Dmitry and pulled him back, "Nope, he is cute but he's got work to do DT. Let Nyo get dressed without any more comments."

"Don't worry Dmitry; he's gotta change back out of those robes some time!" Justy giggled as he saw Dmitry begin to pout.

Dominic glared at Justy, "You just wait till you're the one changing, I'll set him loose on you."

Justy stuck out his tongue. "Only if you join him!"

Dominic opened and closed his mouth a few times but was too shocked to say anything.

"Play nice boys," said Nyo as he pulled on his robes. "Dmitry, I want you to check in with Step and see if everything is going alright back at the Ark Compound; I left him to look after Matty I think. And Dominic, keep your boyfriend out of trouble."

Dominic smiled and pulled Dmitry into a hug, "I'll try to keep him out of trouble Nyo but that's asking a lot."

Dmitry giggled, "I can't believe you left Stepan with Matty; did you give him a cup?"

Nyo finished adjusting his robes and looked over at Justy, "I'm ready when you are Justy."

Justy smiled. "Okay; how do you want to be introduced?"

<I think he should be introduced as Nyo Curameton, Council Archivist of the Founder Council.>

"You heard the woman," grinned Nyo.

<Woman? I think Dmitry is a bad influence on you Nyo.>

"That'll work, almighty master of the silver cute boys!" Justy replied with a grin.

<Silver can symbolize purity, thus my boys are pure. And if you are naming me the almighty master of purity then I have no problem with that.>

Justy turned and caught Dmitry's eye, then winked to show that his next comment was going to be in fun. "Pure huh? I've got a one-word answer for that; Dmitry."

<Dmitry is pure at heart. And he is far more intelligent than...>

"Ark he's just kidding with you," interrupted Nyo. "No reason to get defensive."

"Thanks though Ark," said Dmitry.

Justy giggled. "Okay Nyo; show time." He then turned serious as he contacted the Vulcan Embassy. Due to the terminal and settings he was using, his call was immediately routed to Sarek.

"It is well to see you Grandson. May I surmise the situation you are experiencing is volatile enough to require additional requests for information?" Sarek asked as he came on screen.

Justin nodded. "Your logic is flawless Grandfather. The Family as represented by Clan Short has been approached by the Terran equivalent of the Vulcan High Council. The Council had receded into the background until such time as they determined that humanity was to a point of reaching peace. They have determined that our Family is that catalyst which can bring humanity to the level achieved by Vulcan and have made offer of their support and guidance to reach that end. We deduced the logical implications of such a union and have accepted. Do you concur with our determination?"

Sarek paused in thought. "Based on available data I concur with your deduction. Continue."

"I have present with me Nyo Curameton, Council Archivist of the Founder Council. Within limits set by the Founder Council he is able to provide additional information if you need it. In addition, the matter of familial status within the Clan regarding members which have adopted rescued younger Clan members has been questioned and the methods used by the Founders have been offered to rectify the interfamily status. We have requested him to review these methods with you to consider if they would be logical to be used by a Clan of your family."

Sarek nodded. "I anticipate an interesting discussion of these methods. Mr. Curameton may address me."

Justy stepped back. "Sarek, child of Skon, child of Solkar, Patriarch of the House of Surak of the planet Vulcan; I present to you Nyo Curameton, Council Archivist of the Founder Council of the planet Earth."

Sarek nodded his head as Nyo approached the screen. "Mr. Curameton; I am intrigued regarding your Council. Is there additional information you are authorized to dispense regarding your history and purpose?"

"I am authorized to answer any question you have after I am finished discussing the matter for which we have contacted you," Nyo replied in a calm tone of voice. "The matter that I have been asked to discuses with you is in regards to what humans consider marriage. The Founder equivalent of this word is Socius, which is also used to describe a husband or a wife, and means more or less 'bonded companion' if translated directly back to English. The Founder considered Socius to be the most valued part of their lives other then what the species as a whole considered important. If a Founder of any age found someone that they loved and loved them back and they wished to be bonded to one another then they would go to the Founder Council and request their permission to become Socius. If the Council considered the couple to be mature enough for that level of commitment and the Council could also see proof that the relationship itself had naturally matured then and only then would they give their permission. At that time the Council Seer, who is the head of the Council, or the Hand of the Seer, the Seer's assistant, would perform the ceremony and the two would be considered married and full adults under Founder law. If the couple did not meet the Councils approval then they would be counseled about what problems the Council found and would be asked to come back no sooner then six months later to make their request again. The Socius bond is considered a permanent and binding status and can only be broken if one of the partners in the relationship dies. At that time the widowed Socius is allowed to remarry if they wish. If you wish to know anything else regarding a specific topic then please feel free to ask and I will endeavor to answer to the best of my ability."

"I shall take that information under advisement and inform you of my decision at the conclusion of this discussion." Sarek replied. "I am unaware of any previous references to your ruling body in Terran documented history. Enlightenment of not only the reasoning for this omission as well as a summary history of your body from inception to the current time frame will prove instrumental to my understanding of your status."

"If you are under the assumption that human history only extends to about ten thousand years into the past then that might be the reason that you are unaware of the Founder Council. The Council is from a time where humans actually lived in peace which was over sixty thousand years into humanity's past. The Founders were a sub-species that humanity created that could see possible futures and eventually as humanity reached a point were they relied more and more on the Founders to dictate what their government decided the Founders were handed control of Earth's unified government. For about ten thousand years after that point humanity lived in the only true peace that it's ever known. But as it's said 'all good things will come to an end' it did. Humanity was led astray by a radical that accused the Founders of a great many things. His true goal was to push the Founders out and put himself into power; which ultimately he did along with killing off most of the Founders. The Founders were forced into hiding. Well after a few attempts to get humanity back on the right path and failing, the few hundred Founders that were still alive build a vast computerized archive. Into this archive they poured all their knowledge and then gave the archive a soul with which to bring it alive and watch. See it was this archive, which was named the Ark, which was tasked with the job of watching over all of humanity and looking for a time when they were once again at peace. At that time they would have access to this archive, this vast wealth of information. It would be the Founders final gift to humanity for reaching peace once again. But as I'm sure you've noticed humanity is not at peace and after sixty thousand years the Ark and I started looking for hope. That was when we came across Clan Short in the information we were bringing in. They are the only real promise that I've seen for humanity in all the time that I've been alive. I looked for over fifty thousand years for even a glimmer of hope and this Clan has given me more to look at then just that glimmer I was looking for. The Founder Council knew that they might not be around for when this time came, and this isn't exactly the time they were hoping for, but they left behind something to help humanity in the best way that they knew how. You asked why you had never heard of the Council; well after the Ark was finished they disappeared into society. And you've never heard of them or any of the rest of what I've just told you because every time humanity almost wipes itself off of this planet they forget their past mistakes. I am not a Founder, as you may or may not have gathered by now. I am another sub-species called the Vifer, but more importantly I am a caretaker of that archive that the Founders left behind. And now that we have hope again the last Founder has been awoken and the Council is being rebuilt and it is now our hope that we can help Clan Short help humanity because it so desperately needs it."

Sarek nodded. "A logical solution to an improbable expectation based on the current status of Terran civilization. A logical supposition would be that you wish to remain cloaked to the Terran population until such time as it would be advantageous to reveal yourself and your true purpose. May I inquire as to what assistance is currently proposed?"

"We can provide a number of things such as, although not limited to: living weapons, instant transportation around the planet without needing the Federation's assistance, detailed information about almost anything, better methods of communication and surveillance, and even genetic correction. An example of the last one is in regards to Clan member Rusty Timberlake; he has diabetes. We are able to perform a procedure that not only corrects that problem but allows him to heal ten times faster and live well past his original life expectancy. But like I said, it's not limited to that; the Clan can potentially have access to the entire archive if the Council sees that it is needed or warranted."

"I find the genetic correction for Rusty interesting. As he has sworn an oath of brotherhood to my grandsons he shares their status within my family." Sarek replied. "Logically I would insist such a procedure be commenced with the utmost haste if there is no danger to his life or serious consequences. What is the current status of this procedure in regards to Rusty? I would also require information regarding the detrimental effects and the expected lifespan upon completion of the procedure."

"If I am to understand the haste in which the Council Seer, Tyne Oraculum, left here with Rusty in tow then the procedure is probably being performed right now," said Nyo. "The Seer has become quite fond of Rusty and seemed to be more worried about what might happen if the procedure was not done. For me to get an exact estimate as to where they are in the procedure I would have to ask Ark. As I myself am Vifer I can tell you that there are very few bad side effects to the procedure. The only thing that he might need to be taught has to do with a Vifer's ability to absorb the abilities of other and use them. Without control a Vifer might accidentally absorb something like telekinetic powers and end up hurting someone if they didn't know they had that power; other then that there are no real detrimental effects. As to lifespan, well that can be hard to grasp but a Vifer ages at a very slow rate. The average Vifer ages one year for every five thousand years that pass. An example of this is I look about fifteen but I'm really 50,320 years old."

"Fascinating." Sarek replied with raised eyebrows. "I will await the results of the procedure. I would be interested in personally reviewing the final results if it will be permitted. You made mention of 'living weapons' previously; what exactly does that refer to?"

Nyo pulled back his sleeve to reveal the Phasenmorph on his arm, "It's called a Phasenmorph, it's a living weapon developed in the second cycle, which is the same cycle the Vifer was created in. It lives on its hosts arm and provides a number of useful functions. It is undetectable by any scanner except for one that the Ark is using, it fires electrical blasts of energy with varying degrees of intensity depending on what the host specified though the mental link with the Phasenmorph, it can shield it's host from any projectile, and it can block telepaths."

"A very unique weapon." Sarek said. "Due to the current tactical situation, it would be logical for my grandchildren to be outfitted with such a creature. I approve of such an outfitting at the earliest opportunity pending approval by your Council. I have determined that your intentions towards my family are proper and recognize your Council as a legal entity. The resources of not only Clan Short but also Vulcan are at your disposal. At such time as you determine it to be appropriate to resume governing Terra you shall have the full backing and support both politically and militarily of the planet Vulcan. Any required actions which require interaction with the Federation you are authorized to direct through the Vulcan Embassy; such requests shall be handled with discretion to protect your identity from detection."

"Very well, that's acceptable" said Nyo. "And what about the topic which we contacted you about originally?"

Sarek nodded. "You have satisfied my reservations. Your request is approved and such unions shall be recognized on Vulcan as if the union was approved directly by myself; they shall have the same standing as a Vulcan union. Live long and prosper, Nyo Curameton."

"Thank you. Sanitas exsisto per te Sarek, child of Skon, child of Solkar, Patriarch of the House of Surak," replied Nyo. As soon as the screen went dark again he repeated himself softly. "Health be with you."

"The conference is over; do I get to see you without robes now Nyo?" Dmitry asked hopefully.

"I'm glad I brought earplugs!" Justy giggled.

"Like you got room to talk!" Alec giggled. "You are the only guy I know who screams in pleasure by himself!"

"Nah you don't need earplugs for us," grinned Dmitry. "I mean would you really be able to hear us over yourself anyway?"

"Alec, you're just jealous because your hands went on strike due to never getting a break!" Justy giggled. "Let's go get changed in private Nyo; these pervs don't get no free shows."

 

One Hour Later:

Helen was just beginning to serve the boys their pre-bed snack when Tyne, Rusty, Matty, Stepan, Curly, and Brian suddenly appeared in the doorway to the dining room. She took one look at them before announcing "It's about time you brought those boys home Justin and Brian! It's almost bedtime; if I know the two of you neither of you thought to ensure they had a proper meal. You should be ashamed of yourselves; especially since Rusty needs to monitor his food intake. Sit down boys; I saved some dinner for you."

"Yeah Abbas and Paternus, Rusty has diabetes," Tyne said while trying to hold back laughter. "Shame on you."

Stepan quickly took a seat next to Nyo, "Thank you for saving dinner for us Helen."

"I have to watch out for all of 'my' boys since SOME adults can't seem to! That includes everyone who arrived today." Helen replied with a smile. "I look forward to you boys filling me in on what you were all doing tonight that kept you so late; from the smiles I'm seeing it must have been something really good."

Matty's grin grew huge. "I gotta play wit' a whole buncha Fuzzymowes! They was cwawlin' on me an' puwwin' an' cuddlin!"

"And Rusty's a Vifer now so he doesn't have to worry about his sugar anymore," said Tyne.

"So everything went okay then?" Nyo asked Tyne.

"Yep, I'm half Vifer and Rusty is one hundred percent," replied Tyne. "I just need to do a few self checks later before bed."

"Okay, get something to eat then and I'll fill you in on what you've missed," said Nyo.

Helen looked at Tyne. "So Rusty is healed? If you don't mind I would like to hear more after I serve everyone their food. Justin, Brian; since that is the result of where you were with the boys, you may be seated. I will see what I can find for the two of you real quick."

A few minutes later, everyone was served and Helen took her seat. As the boys were starting to dig in, Rusty yelped and looked at his arm. "What the HECK Lil Matt?"

Nyo looked up, tilted his head and then smiled, "Kyle's nearby, Rusty tell your 'morph to stop blocking mental activity."

Jamie hopped up. "I better go warn him; he usually tries to scan all new guys to see if they need help right away with anything."

"Go ahead; while you are at it bring them all in here so we only have to cover this all once." Alec replied. "Are you okay Rusty?"

"Yeah; Lil Matt just freaked out." Rusty said. "He's chilled now. Babe? Why did he freak so much with Kyle but nothing happened when we saw the twins?"

"Different kind of telepath," Tyne replied carefully. "Not all telepaths are the same. I'd imagine it might have the same effect with me. I use a different part of my mind for telepathic activity then normal telepaths."

"That makes sense." Rusty replied.

Just then Cory led the returning group into the dining room. "Hey guys; hi Helen! Rusty, what have I told you about bringing your parents over without keeping them on a leash!"

Rusty giggled. "They got all their shots now Cor; they should be safe. Besides; if either of them gets too goofy we have a new insta-dip procedure!"

Brian looked directly at Tyne. "Don't you dare!!!! I'm NOT going to deal with Helen complaining about wet floors too!"

Tyne grinned as he pulled his handheld out, "You know Paternus I wasn't going to until you said the word."

<No, my turn; I would like to keep control of the teleportation system this time Tyne.> Suddenly Brian was instantly wet again but was now standing in an empty kiddy pool that appeared under him. <There, wet and no dripping on the floor.>

Tyne giggled, "Thanks Ark."

Timmy giggled while the older boys who had just arrived stared in shock. "Uncle Brian!!! That's my KID pool!! You're a grown-up; you're too big for it! Now put it back and put my water back in it!"

Cory shook his head and turned to Sean and Danny. "Take a seat guys; something tells me the explanation for THIS one is gonna take a while!"

"Have you eaten yet?" Helen asked.

"We had breakfast before we left." Sean replied. "Some strawberry milkshakes sound good though if you don't mind."

Doc Austin had entered the room as Sean was speaking. "Stay seated Helen; I'll get them. I heard the boys were back and figured I'd give them my reports too. Brian; don't you think you're a little old for a kiddie pool?"

Brian looked over to Curly for support, but gave up on that avenue when he saw his husband barely controlling his laughter. "Don't go there Doc; a couple of recent additions have discovered sending people swimming and are using me for practice."

"Ya know I think he looks better wet anyway," giggled Dmitry. "Not sure I would go as far as cute but better then before."

"Finally, one that he hasn't called cute," said Dominic.

"Well he's too old anyway," added Dmitry.

"Have any of you figured out a way to instantly dry someone?" Cory asked. "It's gonna be hard to concentrate with him dripping in the background."

<Very well Mr. Short, I can stop the dripping.> Ark replied as suddenly all of the water on Brian turned to ice.

Nyo bust out laughing, "Ark how did you manage that one!"

<I just modified the buffer a little. No harm has been caused and he has most definitely stopped dripping.>

Cory giggled as he looked over the now-freezing Brian. "Uncle Bri; I'm not sure who this Ark is but I'm definitely starting to like him! Your spare clothes are in their usual spot; might I suggest going to change into them before you start thawing?"

"I would, but someone kinda forgot that frozen water is solid!" Brian replied. "I'm stuck in the pool; the water around my feet from me dripping is now a big ice saucer!"

"I could blast you out," said Dmitry as he started to take aim with his Phasenmorph.

Dominic grinned, "At least he won't hit you Brian, DT is a good shot."

<That is okay boys, I will get him to where he needs to go and take care of the ice.> Suddenly Brian vanished. <Justin did you want to help him?>

"Yes please Ark;" Curly chuckled. "You have my permission to remind him of this any time he accuses me of putting my foot in my mouth, okay?"

<Very good, while you are helping him you can help remove his feet from his mouth then.> Ark replied as Justin disappeared.

Cory shook his head. "A three-ring circus complete with clowns! Okay; which one of you wants to accept responsibility and explain what the heck happened while we were gone?"

Alec raised his hand with a grin. "I'll try Cor; you're gonna love this one! First off; the new munchkin is Matty; he's gonna be visiting for a few days until we can reunite him with his family. There is a religious group called the FCC that his ex-father was a member of; they took him from his Mom as a hostage and were trying to brainwash him. Just a warning; don't make him mad!"

Just then Wusty stuck his head over the edge of the table from on Matty's lap. Timmy concentrated for a second then grinned as he interrupted Alec. "Daddy!! Matty's got Patches' puppy! William says she gave him to Matty to keep!"

Cory looked over at Matty, who was holding Wusty protectively. "Relax Matty; if William says the puppy is yours then nobody better argue. What did you name him?"

"Wusty." Matty replied in a small voice. "I called him Wusty just like big Wusty who saved me."

Cory smiled. "That sounds like a good reason to me. Timmy, Ricky; how long until the birds are done getting some familiar food?"

"They're coming in now Daddy." Timmy replied after a second of concentration.

"Okay, thanks kiddo. Matty, when you are done eating you can join the rest of the kids over here if you want to. Timmy and Ricky have a pair of eagles that are really kewl; you guys can compare your last couple of days between all you kids while the rest of us compare ours. That way you won't get bored."

Matty gave Cory a small smile. "Okay!" Without another word, he dug into the plate in front of him eagerly.

Cory turned back to Alec. "Okay, that explains Matty being here; did I understand right that Rusty was on his recovery?"

"That's right." Alec replied. "Rusty and Andy went out to recover him and they have the bruises to show for it. Like I said; don't make him mad! You know about the trial we were monitoring; we ended up having to send Jamie and Jacob in to do some emergency memory restoration on two boys, Davey and Jimmy. Dmitry, he's one of the new guys who will be explained shortly, assisted them. Upon completion of their testimony, the boys were brought back here. They have suffered extensive brainwashing in addition to multiple types of abuse at the hands of their former stepfather with their mother assisting in mental aspects. Upon review by Xain and the twins it was determined that full repair of their memories would totally erase six years of their lives due to the thoroughness of the damage done. They have a relation which would normally be considered a suitable placement option, their Uncle Mike. Unfortunately he was targeted specifically in their brainwashing and their memories of him are tainted even after recovery. Unless they concentrate, they are getting false memories which would put them in a constant state of false fear for their own safety; if placed with their Uncle. In addition we have reason to suspect that due to their importance in the previous trial being opposite the testimony that was expected by the FCC that they are now targets of that organization and require a safe home untraceable by Terran Intelligence methods. As such, they have been adopted by Gabe and Travis; they are sitting between their new parents now."

Cory held up his hand. "Hold it. I know what you've found in their heads now; but there are two answers I need to hear right away. Jimmy, Davey? Could you guys come here a minute please?"

The two boys slowly stood after reassurances were whispered to them by Gabe and Travis. They walked over to Cory and stood stiffly in front of him. "Yes Sir?" they chorused.

"Relax guys; I'm Cory. Which one of you is which?"

"I'm Davey and he is Jimmy." the oldest one replied.

"It's great to meet you Davey and Jimmy. How do you feel about staying here? Would you rather live with your Uncle Mike?" Cory was watching the boys as he spoke; their obvious unconscious flinch when he mentioned their Uncle answered his question before either had a chance to say even one word.

Jimmy went first. "I was really little when we last saw Uncle Mike. I really like him, but if I hear his name I feel scared until I think about him hard."

Davey took over. "Me too. Both of us still love him; but I guess our old mother and the bastard told us so many times that he abandoned us after hurting us that we can't get it out of our heads unless we are thinking about him on purpose."

Jimmy continued his thoughts. "Dad and Pop are nice; they are helping us learn stuff we never got to do before. We even got to learn how to handle messing up."

Davie finished the response. Yes, and they have promised to help us get so that we can be comfortable being around Uncle Mike again and visit with him."

Cory smiled. "Good enough guys. I noticed both of you jumped a little when I mentioned him; that said a lot right there. All of us are going to help you with figuring out how to get comfortable again. I'm approving the adoption and I'm going to take some extra steps to protect you. You can go back to your new parents if you want to unless you have any questions for me."

"We'll ask them later." Davey replied as they turned and went back to their seats.

Cory turned back to Alec. "Okay; any more surprises?"

Alec giggled. "It's just starting. Cory Short, Patriarch of Clan Short of the family of Sarek of the house of Surak of the planet Vulcan, I present to you Nyo Curameton, Council Archivist of the Founder Council of the planet Earth. Nyo can fill you in on the rest of what has been happening."

Cory turned to the indicated new addition. "It is an honor, Nyo."

Nyo grinned, "No Cory, the honor is mine. Let me start by introducing my guys to you before I get started. The boy sitting next to me here is Stepan, the two younger blond terrors are Dmitry and Dominic; Dominic is the one with the metallic eyes. And lastly the boy sitting next to Rusty is Tyne, son of Cyos, of the family of Oraculum, Seer of the Founder Council but we just call him Tyne."

Nyo paused for a moment in thought, "I suppose I should start at the beginning, and when I say beginning I really do mean just that. I'll start before my time, back when the Ark was first created about sixty thousand years ago. The Ark is a very large artificial intelligence and computerized archive that was set in place by Tyne's people to watch humanity. See back then humanity was actually at peace for a few thousand years but like all good things that I've seen in history, it came to an end because of one half crazed man. He not only took over the government but he threw Tyne's people out and declared them an enemy of the government. So his people built the Ark with the knowledge that by going down its new path humanity would almost destroy itself. They hoped that humanity would rebuild and once again reach peace, but that never happened. Humanity hasn't just wiped itself out once but three times now, and each time they rebuild they forget what they did before."

"Well the Ark was given the task of recording all of humanity's actions until that time of peace was once again reached but after the first cycle was over Ark began having trouble repairing its own systems. So it created me based on the genetic research that was being done in the second cycle of humanity. I'm a Vifer; I'm blessed with slow aging, fast healing, and a few other gifts. Anyway, Ark raised me to primarily be its engineer but as time went on I began to help Ark look for maybe a glimmer of hope that humanity would find a way to peace again. But the years went by and we found nothing. It's been fifty thousand years and with us finding nothing the Ark was beginning to think what we were looking for was impossible to find. But then I found something that caught my attention. I found records on Clan Short pouring into the archive. Do you realize that your Clan has done more in the short time it's been around then most of humanity has done to help itself in all the time since Tyne's people disappeared?"

"Anyway, I was able to convince Ark that maybe your Clan was worth looking into. So I came to your compound just before you left for that conference off planet and I began observing you. Its one thing to read reports about you guys but it's another thing to see you guys in action. You guys are exactly what we were hoping you were; you guys are that hope that we've waited so long to see. But we also realized that without help you guys could fail. So part of why I was here was to offer help from the shadows but then something happened that I didn't really foresee. I was so touched by your actions I was inspired to try and help on my own. So I had Ark take me to Russia. Let's just say that there are parts of Russia that really need help and that's were I picked up Dmitry, Dominic, and Stepan."

"You mean that's were you saved us from," Dmitry corrected.

Nyo smiled, "Right, well by the time I got them fixed up you were back from the conference and after a little training we picked you guys back up in South Carolina. We watched you while you were there but then I followed you and Sean out to that Battery and that's when stuff kinda went wrong. I was somehow pulled to where ever your brother Mikey pulled the two of you and Ark did an emergency teleport and pulled me back to base. About the same time that happened Dmitry and Dominic finished up something I asked them to do and that task ended up triggering an old Founder Program back at base that put the Ark into stand by and brought Tyne out of cryo-sleep. It took us several days to get everything back out of standby and by that point Dmitry and Dominic had to deal with a few issues of their own."

"See a few days before this, when I had rescued Dominic, I had to give him new eyes. I won't go into what happened to his real eyes, that's up to Dominic to tell if he wants to. But something was a little off with the adjustments and it began giving him massive headaches. By that time Dmitry and Dominic had followed you guys back here to the compound again and when Dominic started getting these headaches they also started to lose power to their cloaking devices. So Dmitry made the decision to show himself to Jamie and Jacob to ask for their help with Dominic. Your doctor was able to do the corrections that were needed with Dmitry's help and now Dominic is fine. About the time that Dominic was recovering from the headaches Dmitry was asked to go on a mission with Jamie and Jacob and while there he killed, from what I understand, was a very bad man. I'll get back to that in a minute on what it meant though beyond that."

"So by the next morning I was able to finally come to try and get Dmitry and Dominic back as we were able to get the teleportation system working again. But of course when we got here we found that all of that had happened. About that time Tyne met Jamie and Jacob and was able to determine that when Dmitry was asked to go with them, and he killed that man the timeline was actually altered. Tyne can see possible futures and he was able to see that a really big change was made, and he assures us it was a good change though. So anyway, most of the first part of the day we have just been explaining things and doing 'damage control'. A little later though, when the condition red was called is when Tyne got to meet Rusty officially when they ran into each other coming into CIC. Long story short they got along really well and when Tyne found out about Rusty's diabetes he wanted to have the problem fixed. So I gave him permission to have Rusty turned into a Vifer. While they were off doing that I got to talk to Sarek about another issue that isn't really an issue but it's something that Founder tend to take very seriously, and that's marriage. If you have more questions on that I'll be happy to answer them but let's just go with the short version and say that Sarek agreed that it was a good thing and has given his permission to allow Founder marriages to those of you that are mature enough to handle the commitment."

"And if I left anything else out someone else please fill that in," Nyo finished. "I need to breathe now."

"Talk about a condensed version," commented Tyne. "You missed my favorite part; Rusty is my boyfriend now."

Danny chuckled. "Now you know how we felt when you gave us your short version of what happened at the Battery, Cory!"

"Bite me Danny!" Cory replied with a giggle. "Lets see ... Vifer, marriage, time splits, a funny looking thing on Rusty's arm; I don't know where to start. Would someone PLEASE fill me in while Nyo is catching his breath?"

"He fried Cory's brain cell!" giggled Dmitry.

"Maybe he can borrow yours," grinned Dominic. "I'll cover Vifer for you Nyo. A Vifer is a human sub-species that was created in the second cycle of humanity. Their name comes from the metal that their blood contains, see instead of having iron based blood a Vifer has Vitaferrum based blood. Vitaferrum is a special metal that restores the body rather then degrading it like iron eventually does. Now with that kind of blood a Vifer has a life span that's a lot longer then the normal human; in fact it slows down how they age making it so that they age one year for every five thousand. Other then long life a Vifer can also heal ten times faster then a normal human can again because of the properties of their blood. And lastly a Vifer can absorb abilities of those that they are around, but it's only for a short time."

"Yeah that also means it'll take me and Dom forever to get through puberty," added Dmitry with an evil grin. "I think that's the best part though, no chance that I'll wear Dom out when..."

"Hey! They don't need to know that," said Dominic.

Sean giggled. "That's a lot of lotion; JJ you better not try it unless you buy a lotion factory!"

"Whatever horsey boy! I'M not the one who had a case of it in my closet!" JJ replied with a laugh.

"Ah so JJ is the one that owns all that lotion I found," said Dmitry. "That's a nice collection of empty bottles you got going JJ, I'm not sure why you would save the bottles after they're empty, and I've never seen someone go through that many before the sell by date on the bottle actually came around. I'll have to check out Cory's collection later though and give it a try too!"

"You say that like you already...oh never mind," said Tyne.

"Cory gave up on lotion; he uses KY now!" Kyle announced with a grin as he ran to hide behind Danny.

"LEECH!" Cory exclaimed while his face turned seven shades of red. "I suppose those empty Vaseline jars in the trash outside your room you know nothing about, huh?"

"Not ours!" Tyler exclaimed with a blush. "Eli and Benji musta used our trash again!"

"Sure bro; blame the guys who ain't here!" Sean giggled. "Nice try!"

"Kyle do mind if I ask you a question?" asked Tyne. "I know from the way that the Phasenmorphs reacted that you're a telepath to some degree but isn't it rude to divulge private information about others without their permission even if it's in jest? Unless you have been spending time in Cory's room without him I'd guess that you pulled that from his mind. Are there no rules governing telepathic courtesy here?"

Kyle walked over to Tyne and placed a hand on Tyne's shoulder. "In this case what I said was based on personal knowledge. If it was something I didn't know otherwise, I wouldn't have said anything. Up until we moved here we all shared a bedroom; sometimes we still have sleepovers at each other's place just because we're that close. You guys are the only ones here I really don't know everything about though. I'm having to concentrate really hard to keep from doing it too; in the last month my head has gotten so that I have problems keeping from reading everything in someone's head as soon as I meet them."

"Hang on a second Kyle," Tyne replied, "Ark can you do something for me, pull up training file sixty-one from my personal file and read it to me through the sub-vocal."

<Yes Tyne. Beginning playback.>

Tyne was quiet for a moment as he listened. About a minute later Tyne looked Kyle directly in the eyes, "Kyle, do you mind if I check something really quick?"

"What's that?" Kyle asked curiously.

"I might have a suggestion to help you, I had a very similar problem when I was about your age," said Tyne. "It drove my father nuts. It won't hurt; I just want to check something to do with your mental state. All it'll really look like is me holding your hand for a minutes and I WILL NOT be reading your mind, I promise."

"Okay, go ahead I guess; if it helps I don't mind." Kyle replied gingerly.

Tyne took a hold of Kyle's right hand and then was about to close his eyes when suddenly he got a very surprised look on his face. "I know you," whispered Tyne as he pulled out his handheld and began typing in several commands. "Ark do you still have the last Council's DNA records?"

<Of course I do.>

"Pull up the Founder DNA tags on the Council Crafter, Shara Fervidus and stand by for a tag comparison; I'm sending you the unlock code for those files now," Tyne said quickly. Tyne then looked up and stared into Kyle's eyes but seemed to almost be looking through them.

<The tag information is ready.>

"Give me the mental sequence," said Tyne as he looked back down at Kyle's hand and gripped it tighter.

<The sequence you requested is A4D6F832.>

Tyne smiled, "I know your family; you come from a very proud family of Crafters. You are a descendant of the Fervidus family; you're a Founder."

"Are you sure Tyne?" said Nyo. "How do you know that he's from that family, you seemed to know before Ark said anything?"

"Because my Socius was a Fervidus," Tyne said softly. "I'd remember that pattern on touch almost any way you mask it."

"Oh my God; Cyna's gonna be sooooo happy!" Rusty exclaimed softly. "You have some really kewl ancestors Kyle."

"That explains the problem you just told me about though," Tyne said to Kyle. "Founders need a lot of focus if they don't know the right way to contain their telepathy. Your mind should be set up very much like mine, so if you want me to I can teach your mind a little trick to give you some relief until I can sit down and teach you the right way. Your mind, if it's like mine, has three different time shifts to it and it should be transferring focus to the past rather then keeping it in the present. I can tell it to do that temporarily and you'll still have the same abilities, but it'll only last for a few hours before it forgets what I'll tell it."

Kyle looked at Cory. "What should I do Cory?" he asked in a small voice.

Cory glanced at Rusty; when Rusty nodded his head Cory relaxed. "I think you should let him try little bro; I know how much this has been bugging you. They helped Rusty, so let him try to help you."

"Okay bro." Kyle replied. He turned to Tyne and said in a small voice "Go ahead I guess. This won't mess up my head will it?"

"No it won't mess up your head," said Tyne. "I can't mess up a structure that's already there."

<Tyne, Cyna said to remind you to be more careful than your father was with you.>

"I care more about family then he did," Tyne said softly. "I'll be more than careful. Besides I know more about telepathy then my father did." Tyne took a hold of both of Kyle's hands this time. "Let me know when you're ready Kyle."

Kyle nodded weakly. "Okay. Go ahead."

Tyne focused on Kyle for a moment and then closed his eyes. A few seconds later he smiled, "Okay I found what I'm looking for. Your mind has the splits but like any other young Founder you're not using them yet, it normally takes training to use them anyway. Give me another few minutes and I'll be finished. For having been over sixty thousand years I'm very surprised that you're this developed." Tyne fell quiet again and almost five minutes later he opened his eyes and grinned. "That should do it, any better?"

"WOW!" Kyle grinned. "Is this what it sounds like to the rest of the guys? I don't feel minds pulling at me any more! How long will this last?"

Cory walked over and stood by the boys. "Holy shit; that's pretty serious stuff! Tyne, you said that Kyle is a Founder. What does that mean as far as his skills go; is he a really strong telepath or is there more to it?"

"Actually I'd classify us as very weak telepaths," replied Tyne. "But only because we don't really have much control over what we see. If we try and read someone's mind we end up getting everything instead of just the few things we wanted. The Founders main skill is actually our ability to see possible futures. Most Founders can see between a few hours to a few months or years into the future but it takes a lot of very specific training to get it right and have control over it. I'm actually the only recorded Founder that has the ability to see thousands of years into the future with my range being about twenty thousand years give or take a few hundred. We didn't normally pay that much attention to our telepathic abilities unless we NEEDED to know something and there wasn't time to explain. I was also able to use mine as a weapon against a group of Moroi that killed Cyna. Other then that we had a few other uses for our telepathy but that revolved around what we would do in bed with our Socius. We might be able to do more with our telepathic abilities but that's never really been explored much beyond what I've mentioned."

"He's definitely figured out the last part!" Tyler giggled.

Cory shot Tyler a dirty look before sinking into thought. After a minute he replied slowly. "I'm not too sure about the weak telepathy part in Kyle's case. I get the feeling that you are the only one left who can train Kyle, Tyne. Kyle, please think about this carefully before you answer; but if Tyne is willing to train you do you want him to?"

Kyle closed his eyes in thought. A few seconds later he opened them and looked Tyne directly in the eyes. "We all try to be the best at whatever we can do. I'm thinking clear right now for the first time in a while; I really want to learn everything I'm supposed to be able to do so that I can use it whenever my brothers need me to."

"I'd be more then willing to teach you what I know," said Tyne softly. "You're Cyna's family therefore you're my family too. Just tell me when and we'll get started."

Kyle looked at Cory, who just smiled and nodded. Kyle smiled. "As soon as you are ready; is it okay if Ty sits with us? Him being an Empath won't hurt him or me will it?"

Tyne grinned, "An Empath? Really? Is he your boyfriend?"

"Yep! We kinda became attached to each other the first time we met!" Kyle replied with a grin.

"That's an understatement!" Cory giggled.

"With him being an Empath there is no better partner you could have that would be compatible with you short of another Founder," said Tyne. "The Founders are the ones that created the Empaths; they were derived from our own genetics. And every Empath that I've ever met has been a caring, compassionate person. So of course he can sit with us, in fact it might help to have him there if you're having a hard time with something. Can he project good emotions to others yet?"

"TYLER!" Cory yelled as he suddenly put both hands over his suddenly tented pubic area. "Does THAT answer your question Tyne?" Cory added with a blush as he stared at his giggling little brother.

"Cool! I wanna learn how to..." Dmitry started to say.

"NO! I don't want you to learn that!" interjected Dominic. "You'll use that skill against me and keep me hard all the time!"

"Well in that case will you learn it?" said Dmitry.

Dominic just rolled his eyes.

"Yeah I think that answers my question," smiled Tyne. "You guys must have a lot of fun then."

"Uh huh!" Kyle giggled. "Get over here cutie; if Cory messes with you, you can make him need a towel!"

Rusty looked at Tyne with a grin. "Hey babe; you said I can absorb abilities; can I practice with Ty?"

<Cyna says to tell you yes Rusty, even if Tyne says no.>

Tyne blushed, "Well I won't argue with Cyna but you already do that, you don't really need any help."

Kyle giggled as Tyler joined them. "Just wait! Where do we gotta do my training at?"

"Anywhere that you're comfortable," replied Tyne. "We can do it here or we can go somewhere else, it's up to you."

"Why don't you use the overnight room; there'll be less distractions and SOMEONE won't be tempted to pick on other people." Cory suggested with a smile.

"It's not like you needed much help!" Tyler giggled as he dodged a good natured swat from Cory.

"You heard him Ark, overnight room," said Tyne as he turned to Rusty with a hopeful look. "Rusty are you coming with us?"

"Only if you carry me, my Founder hottie." Rusty answered with puppy dog eyes.

Tyne got up and then picked Rusty up, "Check, okay are the rest of you ready?"

"Actually before you go I got a question Tyne," said Dmitry. "If Kyle is Founder then why doesn't he have purple eyes like you do?"

<When the Founders left my compound I kept track of them all the way up to the Faction War in the third cycle. In the second cycle they made their eyes brown by default to protect themselves. I lost them after the Faction War and until Tyne woke up I did not even remember that I was tracking them.>

"That was a program I set up," said Tyne. "You weren't really supposed to track them but I thought it was a good idea and Cyna agreed with me. So any other quick questions? If not then we're off to that overnight room."

"Go ahead." Cory replied. "If there is something none of these guys can answer we'll hold it until you are done."

"Alright, that works," said Tyne. "Ark, take us away."

Suddenly Tyne, Rusty, Kyle, and Tyler vanished from the room.

Cory turned from the suddenly empty spot in front of him. "Okay, I see that weirdness has returned. I'm going to assume the voice I keep hearing is Ark; could someone tell me how the heck he's talking to all of us and listening? I'm not even going to worry about the transporting without transporters until later. Just where is this 'Ark' at?" he finished with frustration beginning to show in his voice.

"Ark, like I mentioned before, is a very large computer archive with an artificial intelligence governing it," Nyo said softly. "As to where the Ark is located I can't really say other then it's very south, it's very cold, and it's under a lot of ice. Ark was designed to watch everything everywhere and that is exactly what it does. But the reason you can hear it right now though is because we tied my handheld into one of your computer consoles so Ark can pipe itself through the PA system. If you'd like to physically see Ark then I can arrange a tour of the Ark Compound for you."

Cory sat down. "I'm sorry Nyo; I guess it just seems that every time I think I can take a break; things get nuts. You mentioned earlier something about 'living weapons'; that sounds like something interesting to hear about. I'm gonna take you up on that tour; maybe there all these idiots who call themselves parents won't get to me."

Dmitry got up, went over, sat next to Cory, and gave him a hug. "After everything that you're expected to do you need a break," Dmitry whispered softly into Cory's ear. "But I want you do know how important you are to even me. Although Nyo was the one that rescued me did you know that if it wasn't for you I'd probably be dead now? Nyo rescued me while I was literally being skinned alive but he wouldn't have come to rescue me at all if it wasn't for you inspiring him to do so. There isn't enough hope in the world right now but you've given so much hope to those that have none, you will never know just how much you have done. But I want to thank you for what you've done. You're making the world a better place and making people look at what needs to be done and getting them to start acting instead of just talking about it. And on top of all of that you're still a kid and you need a break every now and then, even if it's just to remember that. Why don't you guys come back to the Ark compound for the night, no one can find you there. We can give you a tour, maybe show you some really cool things, and then you can just relax. Maybe spend some time with just Sean."

"That's a good idea." Cory replied softly. "But not just Sean and I; I can see it in the other guy's eyes that they need it as much as me."

"Then round them up," smiled Dmitry. "Pack an overnight bag and let us know when you're ready to go. We can leave at any time and we can get there in the blink of an eye."

Cory gave Dmitry a small smile. "Thanks bro." He then looked up. "Hey guys; pack for a road trip! We're camping out tonight; if anything serious happens I think Ark will let us know."

Matty gave an excited squeal. "KEWL! I can show my new bwothews the Fuzzymowe pool!"

<Phasenmorph.>

"Aw come on Ark, you're no fun," said Dmitry. "Fuzzymore is just as good as Phasenmorph."

Cory gave Dmitry a quick hug. "As soon as the rest of the guys are ready we'll go. We're still packed from Australia."

 

Notes:

 

 

The count of how many times Gabe 'passed gas' in his life is accurate -- research has shown that the average person 'passes gas' 14 times a day!