ACE - Artificial Intelligence

-Lieutenant Getty Roberts - 16 - Destiny - 3.11.2127

---

Getty sat in the pilot's seat with a frown on his face. The passengers of the Destiny were still trying to recover after the death of Eddin Tesik, and there was still no word from anybody back at ACE. Prince Deegan's father, the Emperor of Pydrak, had told his son through their weakening bond that the Destiny needed to get to the next set of coordinates quickly. If they failed to make it, they would be caught in the middle of a major battle between three different civilizations. So, while Dinrak worked on getting Andrew working again, Getty focused his attention on piloting the ship. Sergeant Miller, Getty's engineer, was busy trying to get the plasma core of the small ship operational again, so the Destiny would be able to use their Star Speed abilities. The Destiny only had minor self-defense weapons, and Getty feared that with the ship in its current condition it would be destroyed if they were caught in the middle of an unexpected battle.

Getty's head throbbed and he rubbed his temples trying to relieve the migraine that had been steadily dogging him since he had awakened from Deep Sleep. The pilot needed to be able to focus and that would only be possible if his migraine would pass. He was beginning to see double as he studied the screens and decided that he had enough for one day. The pilot stood from his seat just as Chos stepped onto the bridge.

"Sir Chos," Getty greeted the man.

"I believe that I may have a solution for your migraine, Captain Roberts," the Pydrakian said in a dry voice.

"Oh?" Getty looked up at the taller man expectantly. "What is it?"

"A simple technique that we teach on my home world, sir," the man motioned towards the open door. "If you would like to follow me to my quarters, I could perform the procedure on you."

"Is it guaranteed to work?" Getty asked hesitantly.

"The relief is almost instantaneous, Captain Roberts."

"Fine," Getty finally agreed with a sigh. "I have one condition, though, Sir Chos."

"Captain?"

"Please, start calling me 'Getty' while we're out here in space," the younger man requested. "I understand the need for it while we're in port, but it's not completely necessary out here in the middle of nowhere."

"As you wish, Getty," Chos replied with a slight bow. Then, the alien motioned towards the door. "Shall we?"

Getty nodded and walked with Chos to the Tutor's cabin. To ease his nerves, Getty decided to ask the Pydrakian questions about the procedure the alien was going to perform on him.

"What's this procedure, Chos?"

Chos smiled.

"If I tell you too much about it, Getty, you won't be relaxed enough for the technique to work." Chos explained. "I will tell you that you will feel like a brand-new person when I'm finished. It is a technique that has been passed down through the ages on my world. Here we are," Chos said as the two men stopped outside of Chos's door. The blonde-haired man opened the door to his room and motioned for Getty to enter. "There is a linen robe hanging in the wash closet, Getty. Please, go put it on and come back out here so we can begin. I will notify Deegan that we are not to be disturbed until the process is complete."

Getty nodded before he went into the bathroom and began pulling off his clothes. The pilot checked out his body in the mirror before he put the robe on that Chos had mentioned. Getty was proud of his body and all of the hard work he had put in when he was younger to get in shape. He wasn't overly muscular, but the teen was happy with how he looked. He had six-packs abs, and the pilot could win over anyone if he flashed his smile at them while batting his hazel eyes.

The lights in the small cabin were turned down low and a gentle song was playing over the speaker, setting a soothing atmosphere within the room. Getty smiled when he noticed Chos standing near the bed.

"Please, join me, Getty."

"Yes, sir," Getty replied as he moved towards Chos.

"Now," the Tutor continued once Getty was standing in front of him. "I'm going to put you in a trance that you will wake up from once all of the toxins have been removed from your system."

"A trance?" Getty was nervous as the words slipped from his mouth. All he wanted was to know what the alien wanted to do to him.

"Nothing about this is going to be painful, Getty," Chos reassured the man. "You have nothing to worry about, either. It is a completely normal procedure on my world. Okay?"

"If you say so," the pilot said nervously.

Chos smiled before he reached out and touched his fingertips to the side of Getty's head. Getty had a slight smile on his face as he fell forward into the older man's arms.

---

-Mason Tesik - 14 - Destiny - 3.11.2127

---

Mason laid on his cot and stared at the ceiling; the same position he had been in since Eddin's life had slipped away. It was an event that the boy couldn't deal with. A moment in Mason's life that he would never be able to forget. Mason had still been mentally connected with his cousin when the older boy had died, so Mason had felt the initial shock of the body shutting down around him before his mind returned to his own body. Prince Deegan had tried to help Mason with his grief, but not even the boy's bonded partner could help him sort out his emotions. Mason refused to speak to anybody else. Whenever someone would enter his room, Mason would simply close his eyes so he couldn't see if they tried to talk to him. Mason wanted to be alone. He could feel his bond with Deegan, but Mason even turned away from the flood of emotions the young prince tried to share with him.

Mason closed his eyes as he felt a wave of sadness wash over him. He hated that Eddin had died. Mason's cousin had his entire life ahead of him, and it was cut short simply because of an electrical malfunction when the Destiny had passed into the wormhole. That was the story that was told to Mason, but he knew better after his talks with Pilot Roberts from before the wormhole that the Destiny had already been attacked once. Who was to say that it didn't happen again?

The boy sighed wearily as he let his body relax enough to fall back to sleep. It was better than lying there. At least in his dreams, Mason could see and speak to Eddin. He still hadn't heard the stars since his experience where he went airborne in his quarters. The same event that had turned Eddin against him.

Was it just a dream? The boy asked himself. Was Eddin right?

Mason wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and tried to get his emotions under control. He couldn't get the image of his cousin turning to dust in front of him out of his mind, though. The cousins hadn't been able to break the connection in time for Mason to not get pulled into Eddin's wave of death, and Mason was suffering from it. He had felt Eddin's fear and anger at dying at such a young age. Mason had felt his cousin's relief when they had finally managed to separate, but nothing would ever wipe the image from his mind of how Eddin's own mind had broken down around them, sweeping Eddin into infinity and sending Mason back to his own body.

'I'm here for you, Mason,' he heard Prince Deegan say softly. 'Whenever you're ready, I'll be waiting.'

Mason didn't want to talk to Deegan.

He couldn't bring himself to talk to the Prince of Pydrak.

Mason knew that Eddin's death had nothing to do with Deegan. He also knew that Eddin's confinement was all Eddin's fault. Eddin had always had a short temper; Mason just never expected to be at the receiving end of it for once. All because Mason had heard the stars.

You're so fucking stupid, Mason, the deaf boy scolded himself. If you would have just kept it to yourself, Eddin would have never lost his temper. You could have had another day with him.

Mason rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes. He hated himself more than anyone at that moment.

---

-Colonel Jackson Tesik - 36 - Destiny - 3.11.2127

---

Jackson flipped off the monitor with tears in his eyes. The words that Admiral Thomas had told him devastated the Colonel, but he knew that he would need to carry on. That's what his father wanted. He wanted the Tesik Family to live.

How do I tell the others? He asked himself as he pushed his chair back from the console and stood. He knew that Mason was going to be the hardest, though. His middle child was the closest to Renly and always looked up to the leader of the Association of Colonization and Exploration with a hero-like complex. Mason was also still dealing with the death of Eddin, and Jackson knew that the death of Renly would only push the boy into a deeper depression. That is something I can't deal with right now.

Cort was still unconscious, and Jackson's oldest son Fyn had been complaining about migraines since he woke from Deep Sleep. Jackson had tried to get Wade to sit with one of his cousins, but the young man was also dealing with the death of his little brother. Jackson had even thought that Deegan would have been able to help Mason and Wade, but both patients had refused to even speak to the Prince of Pydrak. Jackson had tried multiple times to talk to Mason only to be faced with the boy shutting his eyes the moment Jackson entered his cabin. Jackson would sit next to his son and gently rub the boy's chest, but Mason would never respond to his father.

Jackson sighed and left his cabin in search of his older brother. Stanley would know what to do with Wade and Mason. Jackson found Stanley in the mess hall with Fyn leaning into his side with a pained expression on his face. Jackson squeezed the seventeen-year-old's shoulder as he took the empty seat next to his son.

"What's the word, Jackson?" Stanley asked gruffly.

"It's not good," Jackson said with a brief glance at his son.

"I'm seventeen, dad." Fyn said with a roll of his eyes. "You can't surprise me anymore."

"Renly Tesik was assassinated the other day," Jackson said in a soft tone.

Stanley's mouth fell open in shock as Fyn's expression turned to sadness.

"Never mind," the teenager said in disbelief. "I was wrong."

Fyn stood from his seat and gave his Uncle Stanley a hug before he moved onto his father.

"I'm sorry that you lost your father," Fyn told them both honestly as he fought the urge to cry.

Jackson reached out and took Fyn's hand in his own.

"Are you going to be okay, son?"

"Yeah, dad," Fyn said sadly. "I'll be okay. I'm going to go sit with Mason for a little bit before I check on Cort."

"Let me know if Mason says anything to you," Jackson instructed his son before he finally released his hand.

"I doubt he will even look at me," Fyn said with a shrug. "It doesn't hurt to try, though."

"Thanks, Fyn," Jackson said as he watched his son turn and leave the mess hall with his shoulders slumped.

"He's strong, Jackson." Stanley told his younger brother. "I'm certain that if Fyn keeps at it, he'll be able to help Mason out of his depression."

"I hope so," Jackson said sadly. "I really do, Stanley." The younger brother sighed before he noticed how Stanley was rubbing his temples. "Just so you know, Chos has a technique that will help you with that migraine, brother."

"He does?" Stanley asked, interested.

"He does," Jackson replied. "He's already treated AJ, and I believe he's in the process of treating Getty as we speak. All you have to do is ask him, Stanley."

"I'll do that, Jackson," Stanley replied with a brief nod. "I'll also make sure that Wade goes through with it, too."

"How's he holding up?"

"Not too well," Stanley said sadly. "I don't even know how to console him, Jacky."

Jackson reached across the table and patted his older brother's hand.

"I'm sure that you'll figure it out, Stan," He tried to reassure the older man. "You always do."

Stanley chuckled and shook his head nervously.

"I hope so."

---

-Lieutenant Commander Dinrak Soren - 23 - Destiny - 3.11.2127

---

"Come on, Wesley." The blue-haired man pleaded softly as he tried to get the android's CPU to power back up. The android had been offline since Getty found him unconscious on the bridge after the Destiny came out of the wormhole. "Please, wake up."

Dinrak was at his wit's end and had no idea how he could repair the android. If Andrew died, then Wesley's consciousness would be lost forever and Dinrak didn't think that he would ever be able to move on from that. The blue-haired man sighed in defeat as he continued to study the displays in front of him. He had an idea of how he could bring the android back, but he wasn't certain if it was the ethical thing to do. Wesley's consciousness was still alive inside of Andrew. It was the only reason the android even existed. Andrew couldn't survive without Wesley's presence.

"Wesley can survive without Andrew, though," Dinrak said sadly as he turned his attention back to the black-haired boy that lay motionless on the gurney. "I'm so sorry, Andrew. It's the only way, though."

The first thing Dinrak did was backup all of Andrew's files and memories onto a flash drive before he set to work wiping the android's programming. Without Andrew in the way, Wesley's consciousness would move to the front, and then it would be the simple matter of giving Wesley control of the body. The Fandrian frowned slightly before he began entering the commands that would permanently remove the android's programming. Dinrak hesitated slightly with the cursor hovering over the 'Enter' button on the center of the screen.

"I'll see you soon, Wesley," Dinrak said with a sigh before he clicked the button on the screen. Dinrak stepped over to the side of the bed and put his hand on the android's smooth cheek. "I'm sorry that you had to become this, Wesley. I truly am."

He smiled slightly, his skin glowing a deep pink in color as he left the room to see if he could help AJ or Getty. It would be several hours before he could even begin the unstable process of integrating Wesley back into the android's mind with full control over the body. Until then, Dinrak would find other ways to be useful aboard the ship. The passengers aboard the Destiny had suffered enough loss during the past few days and Dinrak didn't want to risk adding to that by losing the android completely.

At least, we will still have Wesley, Dinrak thought hopefully.

---

-Admiral Edward Thomas - 63 - Earth Star Port 1.1 - 3.11.2127

---

"This is bull shit, and you know it!" Edward Thomas shouted at the screen in front of his desk. "We have an entire division looking for the people responsible for Admiral Tesik's death, and nobody can find a single trace of the criminals? I call 'bullshit'!"

"The man was a trained assassin, Admiral Thomas," Admiral Porter tried to explain, but he was quickly cut off by the new Senior Officer of ACE.

"We need to do everything possible," Edward said as he gritted his teeth together in anger. "I want the footage of every security camera within seven blocks combed through for one week prior to the event until the time the body was discovered. This is a Federal level trial now, and all search warrants shall be blanket approved providing that they conform to the amendments of the New Constitution. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal," Charles Porter replied nervously. "The Intelligence Division will have an initial report ready for you by business end on the fourteenth."

"Fine," Edward said before he relaxed, slightly. "Has Admiral Cross been found, yet?"

"He was last spotted boarding a transport ship headed for Alpha Centauri, Director Thomas," Admiral Porter reported.

"I will dispatch Charlie Fleet to bring him back here, immediately," Admiral Fort said as he bit back his anger. "Renly was a good man and did not deserve to be cut down like that. I'd bet my pension that Cross was behind the entire thing. He never did like Renly."

"Keep me posted, gentlemen," Edward said calmly before he directed his attention to Fleet Admiral Roberts. "Garret, I think it's time we talk about the position that your grandson accepted with our former Director."

"I didn't even know Getty was considering joining Admiral Tesik in his private venture," Garret Roberts said with wonder in his voice. "It doesn't surprise me, though. Getty has always had high goals for himself. His father and mother would be proud of him."

Edward nodded in agreement.

"He has accomplished more than anybody else his age," Admiral Thomas with a grin. "I understand that Renly has already filed all of the paperwork for Getty's early retirement, but I want to offer him a position as a contractor for ACE. I know he won't want to pass up the opportunity to pilot the Stargazer, but I don't think it would be beneficial for us to lose someone as skilled as Lieutenant Roberts."

"He may be agreeable to that if the price is right, Edward," Garret said. "He won't come cheap, either. I'm certain that Renly offered him more than ACE could ever afford."

"He didn't tell you?" Ed asked in disbelief.

"We haven't spoken since he left on his current mission," Admiral Roberts explained. "My grandson is very free-spirited, in case you haven't noticed, Ed."

Edward Thomas laughed along with the other members of the council before he changed the subject, again. He wanted to find out who was behind the death of Renly, but there were other things the council needed to discuss in their daily briefing. The ACE Council went over multiple reports regarding the current status of the Association of Colonization and Exploration, and they spent the better part of an hour figuring out who was going to be responsible for the different projects the former admiral had in progress. By the time the meeting was over, Edward Thomas slumped in his chair in defeat, his list of things to do nearly twice the size that it had been before.

"How did you find time for all of this, Renly?" Edward asked himself quietly before he set to work trying to figure out where to even begin on the stack of paperwork sitting on his desk.

---

-Prince Deegan Aurdyn - 13 - Destiny - 3.11.2127

---

"Prince Deegan!"

Deegan stopped at the sound of his name. The boy was tired from pouring all of his emotional support into the bond link he shared with Mason. Deegan's new companion had been emotionally distant since the death of Eddin Tesik, and Deegan wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to take the separation. Mason was his other half and all he wanted to do was to hold him until his pain went away.

He won't even let me near him, though, Deegan thought sadly. A lump was beginning to form in his throat, and he had to put his hand against the steel wall of the corridor to steady himself. I can't do this without you, Mason.

"Are you okay, Deegan?"

The silver-eyed boy glanced up to see Mason's eldest brother standing beside him.

"You look like shit, kid," Fyn said with a sad frown. "It's Mason, isn't it?"

Deegan couldn't hold back the tears, any longer. His body went limp as he lost control of his emotions, and Fyn barely caught the boy from hitting the ground.

"I'll take you back to your room, Deegan," Fyn said softly as he picked the small boy up into his arms. "I'm so sorry that you're going through this. I know how much Mason means to you," the teen shrugged before he corrected himself. "Well, I know how much you mean to Mason, at least. He tells me everything. Mason still loves you, Deegan, and that is never going to change. You make my little brother happy, and that's all that matters to me. Mason will get better, he always does."

"I miss him, though," Deegan said with a sniffle.

"I know," Fyn said as his own voice caught in his throat for a moment. "I miss him, too. All I want is for Mason to come back to us. It's only been a few days, and already my family has lost more than anyone can imagine. We lost our Patriarch. We lost our Leader."

Deegan felt himself slowly regaining control as Fyn held him tightly. He was rarely touched by anyone in the past two years, save for a hug here and there from his father, so it was a strange experience for the boy to be touched by strangers as much as he had been since boarding the Destiny.

"I wish I could take your pain away, Deegan," Fyn said when he finally stopped outside of the prince's cabin. "I really do. You're a good person and you don't deserve to feel like this. If there is anything I can do to help you? Don't be afraid to come talk to me. It's not like I'm going to be very busy for a while."

Deegan giggled slightly as Fyn hugged him again.

"Thank you, Fyn."

"You're very welcome, Deegan," Fyn said with a smile as he set the younger boy back on his feet. "You're family, now, whether you like it or not."

Deegan hugged the older version of Mason before he slipped into his room, leaving a stunned Fyn standing in the corridor as the door closed between them.

---

-Lieutenant Getty Roberts - 16 - Destiny - 3.11.2127

---

Getty stared at the console as the results of multiple system tests flashed across the displays. AJ and the pilot had been busy repairing the different systems ever since Chos had finished with his treatment. Getty had awakened feeling like he could run laps around the entire ship without any issues. The Pydrakian had warned the young man to take it easy, but he also told him to make certain that he still did something that challenged his mind. Then, the man had moved on to performing the same technique on everyone else aboard the Destiny, leaving Getty to his own devices.

Getty of course, returned to work trying to get the transport ship back in working order. The last thing the pilot wanted was to be stuck in the depths of space with no help in sight. Getty entered the bridge and was surprised to find Stanley Tesik sitting in the co-pilot's seat.

"Good afternoon, Sergeant Tesik," Getty greeted the man as he took his own seat and powered up his computer display.

"How are you feeling, Lieutenant?" Stanley asked with a grin.

"I'm great, now," Getty said with his own smile. "Sir Chos really helped me out!"

"That's great, Getty," the eldest Tesik son said with a nod.

"Did I miss anything?"

"Not at all," Stanley replied before he sighed sadly. "Do you have any ideas on how we can handle the funeral for Eddin?"

Getty frowned.

"There are several options listed in the Exploration Handbook, Stanley," Getty said thoughtfully. "We could store the body until we get back to Earth. That's the first option. The second option is jettisoning the body into space or into a star or other anomaly. Our only other option is finding a planet and burying the body."

Stanley nodded thoughtfully.

"It wouldn't help Mason if we kept the body until we reached Earth," the older man said sadly. "That poor kid is losing his mind, and he's taking the rest of us down with him. I think it would be just as hard for Mason if we jettisoned the body. The only option we really have is to just find a planet and bury him."

"I'll start scanning for a suitable place, Stanley," Getty promised the man. "As soon as I find some options, I will show them to you."

"That's all I can ask for, Getty," Stanley said sadly.

Getty could hear the sadness in the man's voice.

"Are you okay, Stanley?" Getty asked quietly. "Have you had time to grieve yet?"

"I will, soon enough," Stanley said with a shrug. "None of it seems real, yet."

Getty frowned and stood from his seat.

"Stand up, Stanley," Getty said in a commanding tone.

Stanley looked up in surprise and immediately stood in front of the teenager when he saw the serious expression on the boy's face.

"I'm sorry if I offended-," Stanley started to say but he fell silent the moment Getty pulled him into a tight hug.

Getty held on tightly to the older man and buried his face in Stanley's shoulder as the man finally wrapped his own arms around the teen.

"I'm a little scared," Getty admitted. "I hate feeling helpless like this."

"You're not the only one," Stanley said quietly. "We'll make it through this, Getty. I promise."

Getty sniffled slightly before he finally pulled away from Stanley with a blush.

"Thanks," the pilot said softly. "Mason told me that you give the best hugs."

Stanley smiled and squeezed Getty's shoulder.

"We're going to be working together for a very long time, Getty," Stanley said seriously. "You can hug me whenever you need one. I'll never question it."

"Thank you, Stanley," Getty said with a nod. "The same goes for you!"

Stanley smiled and hugged Getty for a moment.

"Thanks, Getty," the older man said.

The two men turned to their seats and spent several hours going over the different data systems onboard the Destiny.

---

-Mason Tesik - 14 - Destiny - 3.11.2127

---

Mason's stomach growled, and the boy put his hand to his stomach trying to think of anything but his body's needs. He was mad at everyone. He hated everything, and he just wanted to join his cousin in the abyss. He hated Eddin for letting go so easily. It did nothing but make Mason angry and bitter the more he thought about how Eddin had pushed him away.

I could have saved you, he thought sadly. You didn't even let me try.

It was his bladder that finally drove Mason from the cot to stumble to his latrine. Once he had finished relieving himself, Mason caught a hint of his own body odor and frowned.

You smell, Mason, the boy told himself before he turned and started the shower.

Mason didn't bother grabbing any clothes. Cort was still in the medical bay recovering from the effects of the wormhole, so Mason wouldn't have to worry about anybody walking in on him. He pulled off his flight suit and checked the temperature of the water with his hand before Mason climbed into the water. The boy smiled for the first time since Eddin had died. He always enjoyed taking showers, but he knew he had to make it quick on the smaller transport ship. The water filtration systems on the ship would take longer to repopulate the Destiny's water supply if he drained it in one go. Mason had learned that several years earlier when he and his father were on a trip to Duega-5 together. The boy chuckled as he remembered the lengthy lecture that the ship's captain had given him at the time. The best part was that his father wasn't even telling him what the man was saying. His father simply told him to be more careful and to consider others when it came to sharing resources on different ships.

When Mason was finished with his shower, he wrapped the towel around his waist that he had used to dry off and went back out into his room. He walked over to the mirror and ran his fingers through his black hair before he frowned. Eddin would always run his fingers through Mason's hair whenever the boy felt sad or upset about anything.

He'll never do that again, Mason thought sadly.

The boy left the bathroom and jumped when he found his older brother sitting on his cot with a sad expression on his face. Fyn glanced up at Mason and patted the bed beside himself.

'Sit, Mason,' Fyn signed with his fingers. 'You and I need to have a little heart-to-heart talk, baby brother.'

Mason's shoulders dropped in defeat. He knew it had been coming, and he knew it wouldn't do any good to avoid Fyn, now. Mason was stuck with no other option but to hear his brother out. The boy nodded silently before he slowly sat next to Fyn with the look of someone that was ready to be executed. Fyn put his arm around Mason and hugged the smaller boy for a moment before he kissed Mason's cheek and made the boy look at him.

"I love you, Mason," Fyn said, knowing his little brother was reading his lips. "More than anything. But I can't see you like this anymore."

Mason frowned as he read his brother's lips, knowing that his brother Fyn was about to give him an ultimatum.

"I know you're mourning the loss of Eddin," Fyn told his little brother sadly. "We all are. I also know that it's going to take a lot of time to get over our loss. But it's not going to happen by hiding away in your room, baby brother. You need us as much as we need you. You need your little Prince as much as he needs you, too. I had to carry Deegan back to his room-"

Fyn fell silent when Mason's blue eyes filled with tears and he looked away from his older brother.

I've hurt him so much, Mason thought sadly. I'm so sorry, Deegan.

Mason sent the mental hug and tried to fill it with as much love as he possibly could, even though he knew his sadness was still mixed in with it. Fyn pulled his little brother into a tight hug as the boy finally released his tears into Fyn's chest.

Fyn let Mason cry himself out before he finally kissed the top of his little brother's head and pushed him away.

'I love you, Mason,' Fyn said with a flick of his fingers. 'Don't ever shut me out, again. I can't lose you, too.'

Mason sniffled and wiped his eyes before he nodded at Fyn.

"I'm sorry, Fyn," Mason mouthed.

"It's okay, Mason," Fyn told the boy. "Come on, we need to let dad know that you're doing better."

Mason pointed to his towel-covered body with a scowl.

'Do you really expect me to run around like this?' Mason asked with a flick of his fingers.

"I'm sure Deegan wouldn't mind," Fyn said cockily as he leaned back on the cot and waited for Mason to get dressed.

Mason rolled his eyes but went over to his dresser to find something besides a flight suit to wear. The boy decided on a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt that brought out the color in his eyes. He quickly slipped into his clothes, not caring if Fyn saw him or not, before he pulled on shoes and motioned to his brother that he was ready.

'Thanks for the show,' Fyn signed, making his little brother blush. 'Deegan's a lucky little prince.'

Mason's mouth fell open, and his cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. Fyn just shrugged his shoulders and smacked Mason on the butt as he passed by. Mason giggled as he pushed his brother away, only to be pulled into a tight hug. They had just broken apart when Mason heard a voice in his mind that he hadn't heard before.

'Hello?'

The voice sounded scared, and it sounded like a boy that was slightly older than Mason. For a moment, Mason thought it was Andrew, but the voice didn't sound quite the same.

'Hello?' Mason pushed his own voice out. 'Who is this?'

'I'm-,' the voice hesitated for a moment before it finally answered Mason's question. 'I'm Wesley Scott. Who are you?'

'I'm Mason Tesik.'

'Can you help me find Dinny?' Wesley asked, fear evident in his voice. 'Please, Mason? He's the only one that can help me.'

---

Note:

Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to write me to let me know what they think of my stories! I appreciate the feedback I've been getting! Also, thank you to Radiorancher for editing this chapter as fast as he did. 

Stay safe everyone!

-Myke D