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"But... I'm worthless," Lemic cried suddenly as he broke away from Joel and Kevin. The shame that he'd lived with for years was just too great for just simple words to erase. Even being told by that super powerful being that had rescued him that he would be safe wasn't enough. "I'm a Gorn! I'm so different... people won't accept m...me... I've always been told you lesser... you can't be tr... I don't kn...know... I'm a useless Gorn," he cried as he sank down on his knees and cried into his claws.
"Come stop your crying, it will be all right," Joel sang softly as he laid a hand on Lemic's head. "Just take my hand - Hold it tight."
Lemic looked up and saw Joel's other hand offered.
"I will protect you from all around you," Kevin joined in, also offering his hand, "I will be here, don't you cry."
There was a thump from behind the still crying Gorn. He turned to see what he'd never seen before; a biped lion. Mont. The far larger teen stooped and stood Lemic to his feet, then sang with a purr rumbling from deep in his chest, "For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm."
"The bond between us can't be broken," Levi smiled as he came and joined Mont in hugging the distraught boy. "I will be here, don't you cry..."
As the kids sang on, Viccy reached out and took what each Clan member and Dragon Division member was feeling and made all that emotion into a blanket. She wrapped it around the Gorn in Mont's arms and then joined her voice in with the others singing...
"Why won't they understand the way we feel?" Cory sang, pointing to the sky as if referring to Lemic's home-race. He smiled and shook his head, "They just don't trust what they can't explain."
"I know we're different," Levi smiled as his eyes really glowed purple, "but, deep inside us, we're not that different at all..."
Riti, flapping high enough to see over the boys crowded around Lemic, sang, "Don't listen to them, 'cause what do they know?"
"We need each other; to have, to hold," Sean added as he reached in and plucked the Gorn from Mont. "They'll see in time, I know!" he grinned as he squeezed the boy lovingly.
Lemic was no longer crying. His eyes were wide and the beginnings of hope was in his eyes. All this emotion... lesser races could love? Then... maybe this was real?
A blinding light from Joel eyes made all turn - they were shining, not blue, but white:
Kevin burst out loudly where Joel had left off:
"They'll see in time, I know," Cory sang as he rubbed the shocked and speechless Gorn's forehead lovingly. "We'll show them together!"
(You'll be in my Heart - Phil Collins)
As the last of the Clan stopped singing a new sound took over.
The sound of a happily laughing, and now secure, Gorn.
On Forever World the pulse of Light from the Guardian of Forever started to brighten.
In a voice that shook all creation, yet did so without anyone hearing, Vae'Runam spoke.
//T-minus 1 day, 23 hours, 53 minutes... Soon, the Ancients will walk amongst men once more...//
On the first floor of the Evans' Manor there was a room where a number of people were now gathered. It was a very interesting room, going by most of their reactions. A mixture between a mega-huge bathroom and chill-out area; saunas, steam cubicles and a huge communal hot bath in the centre of the room. The bath was sunk partly into the floor with the edge about a foot up from it. About a foot and a half deep in total, and a little deeper in some areas. It allowed for ease of access in and out as well as relaxation when in.
Cory was loving every minute of it as he lounged in it. The fact that both boys and girls, men and women were using it was irrelevant. This was a Vulcan tradition brought lock, stock and barrel from Vulcan and he was going to enjoy it. At his side was Sean, and he had his eyes closed blissfully.
Cory felt a small hand touch his shoulder. He leaned his head back on the rim of the bath and looked up at Viccy. "Would you like your hair washed?" she asked hopefully, shaking a bottle of shampoo in her left hand.
Cory's answering smile was all she needed to get started on his shoulder length blond hair.
"I love this... wish I had hair this colour," she whispered as she sat down outside the tub running her fingers through the blond teen's fine hair. "Sean, can I steal this from your hubby?" she asked with a giggle.
"No way, I've got to have SOMETHING to hold on to!" Sean giggled.
"Too much information, bro!" Adam giggled as JJ was washing his back.
"Yeah, Daddy complains if Poppa grabs his ears when theys wrastlin'!" Timmy put in helpfully at the same time.
Viccy and Cory laughed as Sean blushed hard, then the eight year old girl continued with her ministrations to Cory's scalp.
In the changing room, where the door out into the hall of the first floor was, Lemic was watching as his new parents stripped off in order to join in the fun. "Dads? Can I have clothes please? For after?"
Kevin looked up as he put his pants down on top of his tee-shirt, "Sure... why were you naked anyway? I know Gorn don't need to wear clothes the same way we do, but..."
"When my father kicked me out and made me outcast, it meant I was to only have this belt and strap for my essential tools," Lemic answered sadly. "If I survived my three years in the wilds I'd earn the right to go home. That was half a year ago."
"Oh," Joel murmured as he blinked mistily at his son. Then he smiled, "We'll get you whatever you want when you want clothes, Lem."
"Thanks," Lemic smiled. "I like being nude, but it would be nice to have clothes to show I'm honoured again."
"Hissy?!" Rafe yelled out from the doorway to the bathing area. He and the rest of the Tribe hadn't taken nearly as long to 'get ready' for the new room; they'd already been naked. "You gotta tail?! Wows!"
Lemic laughed. He had found out fairly quickly that Rafe was absolutely fascinated with him; his new 'lizard-brother'. Rafe had already nicknamed him as 'Hissy', and rather than mind, Lemic had just howled with laughter and accepted it whole-heartedly.
"Yeah, I gotta tail," Lemic giggled as he wagged his one and a half inch tail that normally rested flush between his butt-cheeks.
Rafe ran up to him and grabbed his clawed hand. "Come on! Come on, Daddy! Poppa! We's got splashing and fun to do!" he yelled as he dragged his new brother into the main room.
The Gorn was overjoyed at what he saw; this was a tradition that the Gorn shared equally with the Vulcans... and one he could experience again, with a new family that he believed would accept his slightly less than Gorn-normal behaviour. Maybe the 'lesser races' had some good ideas after all!
His small tail was wiggling happily as he stepped into the warm waters of the large communal bath and luxuriated in its heat. He felt two pairs of arms come around him and he looked from side to side quickly to see his new dads. "This is so... so..." he started, but words were not enough.
Giggling, Joel and Kevin - and their brood that had come up to join Rafe and their new brother - got the Gorn to sit down in the water and they all gathered around him. They washed his scaled skin and rubbed his back and started to get to know him better.
"Looket 'is toes!" the five year old squealed as he raised one of Lemic's feet out of the water. "Wows!"
Lemic wiggled his three clawed toes at his brother and giggled.
"Awesome!" Timmy giggled as he made his way over to watch.
"That," Lemic said with wonder, "is some awesome red hair! Never seen ANYTHING like that!" He reached out with his wicked looking, sharply clawed hand and ran those claws through Timmy's wavey hair. "You're... it makes you look beautiful, TimTims..."
Sue and Brian giggled as Timmy's face went as red as his hair.
"Paybacks for the ear comment!" Sean giggled. "He's our cute little fireball though."
There was a 'foosh' from Aslan and Shere Khan as they burst from under the water and grinned at Lemic. "You're dickie's like ours?" Aslan asked as he purred at the Gorn.
Lemic blinked. "I... don't know what you mean."
Shere Khan stood up and pointed at his privates. "See? My balls are here and my dickie hides."
"Ah," Lemic nodded as he got to his feet so that they could all see. "Yeah, kinda. My, ummm... balls hide too, though. Here, watch," he said as he gave the best approximation of a grin that a Gorn could. Timmy's eye went wide as he looked at the small belly-button looking dimple that Lemic had where his penis should have been. The dimple seemed to open and out came a fairly respectable sized 'little Lemic'.
"You're really unlike most Gorn or Soleen," Kevin grinned as he rubbed Lemic's back to show it wasn't a put down. "I thought you didn't do that unless you wanted to go to the toilet or you wanted to mate."
Lemic sighed, "Yeah, my parents kept telling me off for doing this... but I don't care! You've all got your penises on show so why can't I?"
"No reason to hide," Mont giggled from outside the bath as he used a hair drier on his legs. "I have to concentrate to keep mine out, though... don't you?"
"Yeah, I do too," the Gorn answered as Timmy, Ricky, Jessica and the rest of the Tribe and Rugrats came over to explore and compare.
Lemic started howling with more laughter when Belar nearly freaked due to his own clawed exploration of the Bajorian's dick and balls.
"Yous scared mes!" Belar giggled after he'd jumped back. He edged back forward and allowed Lemic to carry on from where he'd left off. "Not used to claws and stuffs touching my dickie!" he giggled again.
JJ shook his head, "And thus is it answered to Aunt Teri what they get up to in their numerous showers."
"You really think she doesn't know?" Cory giggled. "Remember, she raised me and Sean!"
"Yeah, and you ALWAYS started it!" Sean accused.
"Of course, you used to be shy until I brought you out of it!" Cory replied, the look on his face telling everyone that one more memory had made itself known once again to him.
Joel turned and saw what was going on in his brother's heart with his odd Crown-vision. He got up and splashed over to unceremoniously dump himself in Cory's lap. Sean was already cuddling up to his side. Cory smiled softly and opened his mouth to say something to them both when someone else spoke.
"Who am I, the cat's mother?" Teri called from one of the steam cubicles at the far end of the room.
"MEOW!" Hermes, Mercury, Artimus, Aphrodite, Bast and Mont all called out before falling into giggles.
"Technically... YES, Aunt Teri!" JJ added.
"You 'walked into that one', T'hy'la," Spock's voice could be heard from the same cubical.
Both Sean and Cory made a face as Adam nearly drowned laughing. "Ewwww, I hope they're not doing what I know we'd be doing in there," Sean whispered to Cory.
Cory nodded fervently.
Joel leaned close and said in a normal tone of voice, with a wicked smile on his face, "You do know, Big Ted, that Vulcans have a better sense of hearing than you silly humans? Daddy could hear that..."
"Crap," Sean whispered as Teri's laughter reached his ears. He sighed and looked about at the laughing faces of most of the other teens. What was more disconcerting was the huge, shit-eating grin on Xain's face. "Double crap."
Kyle and Tyler were at the other end of the pool-like bath, sitting on the rim, and also grinning at them. "Boy, Sean! It's a wonder how an inflexible human manages to to get both of his feet into his mouth up to his knees... can you tell me your secret on being so bendable?" Tyler asked sweetly as Kyle fell off backwards in hysterics onto the tiled floor.
Sean just sat there, his face as red as Timmy's hair. "I'll get you later, Turtle!"
Tyler giggled. "Which later? I wanna know so I can be there!"
"The later before yesterday and after tomorrow with a brief stop off at not yet," Joel answered dead-pan for his blushing brother.
"Right, making a note on my 'to-do list'," Tyler said, the 'to-do list' in question appearing with a pen in his hands. "Thanks, Elf."
"You're welcome," Joel smiled sweetly as Sean growled and pulled him onto his lap for a tight cuddle.
After being cuddled into submission, and after making sure Cory was really okay with the new regained memories, Joel got up and paddled across the pool to sit on the edge by Tyler. Kyle was just crawling back up to his lost seat breathing into a Mikyvis-strength brown paper bag that Levi had helpfully made for him.
Tyler smiled warmly as Joel cuddled up close. He couldn't read anything, not even emotions, from his Vulcan brother, but he could 'read' by Joel's face that there was something important on his brother's mind. "What's up, Elf?"
"Umm... can... can I ask you something?" Joel trembled, making Tyler nervous.
"Sure, bro," Tyler responded as he turned to wrap both arms around his skinny brother's torso. "Don't be scared."
Joel nodded. "Umm... thanks... umm... I know that some nicknames are real special to certain people... Like only Mikey gets to call Blondie 'Tigger', so I'd never do that... but I was wondering... ummm... Sean called you 'Turtle'... why? What does it mean? And... and can I call you that too?" he added very softly. "I don't have a nickname for you, yet, other than 'Lil'bro' and you're special to me and I want to have a nice one, but if 'Turtle' is real special to you like 'Tigger' is to Cor then I won't and I'll..." He stopped as he realised he was rushing and stumbling over his words. He closed his eyes and trembled, waiting.
Tyler smiled, "It's okay. He calls me 'Turtle' because I used to hide in a shell. I was afraid of everything. Kyle fixed me when he met me by being so outrageously cute..." Kyle started blushing "... but I still remember what it was like. Kyle helps me like Kev helps you, and since you're a lot like me I think you've got the right to call me 'Turtle' if you want to."
"Really?"
"Really," Tyler nodded.
Joel looked out over the bath at all his friends and family around, all having fun and playing. Then he smiled and looked back at Tyler. "Turtle is what Sean calls you... but I've got one that fits with how I see and know you. He remembers that about you so it fits between him and you... I don't see you, and never have, as hiding... Can I call you Leo?"
Tyler blinked. "I... Leo? Why?"
"Two reasons: you're not hiding in your shell any more, so you're more like Leonardo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! You're strong and powerful like him. The other reason... well, you're brave. Like a Lion. So... Leo!"
The water around Tyler's feet started steaming from the energy being released by his full-body blush. "Thanks Elf... i...if I'm 'Leo' then you must be 'Michelangelo' since you're j... just as brave and you create art whenever you touch something," he managed before the tears started pouring from his eyes.
Joel, as always, had managed to touch upon something buried so deep in a person that they had almost forgotten about it. In this case, he had grabbed hold of the point of Tyler's past that had been the source of his hurt and pain - the beginnings of it, in a way - and raised it to the surface; soothed it; dealt with it... and now Tyler was left. Sitting there. A little embarrassed, but then the reality came. He was three again. He had just been told by his mother that he was worthless. And those words from Joel had confirmed all that Kyle and his other brothers had been telling him all along.
The now sobbing Tyler jumped up and ran quickly over to the cubical that Teri and Spock was in. As the child he once was, hurt by the person who should never had hurt him, he blubbered all the way. "Mama! M...mama!"
The door to Teri's cubical was slammed open and the hurting yet soothed little one vanished inside. The door closed as Teri's comforting murmurs started.
Joel was about to get up and go after him in great concern, thinking he'd somehow hurt his little brother, when Kyle wrapped himself around the Vulcan like a leech. "No you don't," he whispered to Joel as he practically forced Joel to stay sitting on the edge of the bath. Kyle made himself comfortable by sitting chest to chest on the slightly larger Vulcan's lap and looked into Joel's mist-eyes. "Thank you. We've all been telling him that for ages, but... he's never really believed it until now. You just telling him what you see and what you've seen since you've known him... thank you!" he finished, crying softly himself.
Joel held onto the powerful yet now frail seeming being now crying into his shoulder. He didn't have anything he could say, but as he looked over at Sean and Cory in mute appeal he got two very happy and affirmative nods at him. He started to rock back and forth slowly, and just acted out what he felt - to be a big brother for one of the many of his family that had helped him so much.
Jason was outside the 'Splash-around Room' - a name Belar had given the communal bathroom two days after he'd seen it - with Cody Scott. "So, are you ready for your surprise?" the Welsh Patriarch asked.
"I think so," Cody trembled. "I'm just not used to being naked in front of so many boys and girls and stuff."
"You don't have to be," Jason smiled. "I'll stay dressed with you if you want."
"No... no, it'll feel more weird if I'm the only one dressed," he giggled. "It's silly. With a few boys or girls I'm fine... more than fine... to be naked, but I'm just not used to a lot of people."
Jason giggled. "It'll feel normal soon," he said gently. "No-one forces anyone to do anything. Now, on that point I have to tell you, I kinda know what your reaction will be when you see what I'm about to show you. However, what I want you to know is that the people involved don't even know you exist. I think I've put together what happened, but maybe we'll never know..."
"I... I've been guessing since you said before bed last night that they were coming. I've... suspected for some time... will... will they... he... like me?"
"How could he not? Oh, and he's a crier. If he's really happy or sad, he'll cry. You're not going to think he's weak... are you?"
"I'm the same," Cody whispered, shaking slightly. "Let's just get this over with... I can't wait any more!"
They entered into the changing area of the bathing room and started to undress.
Tyler had returned along with Spock and Teri and now all three were in the bath with the rest. Joel and Kyle had splashed over to be with them, and Timmy was showing his Grandma and Grandpa all the differences that Gorn had using Lemic as a willing model - being as he was the only model present, that was really a given. The Gorn was helpfully clarifying things for Timmy, but the young boy was doing an 'adequate' job, according to Spock. Sean and Cory were the only two of the older teens who were blushing at having Teri in the massive bath with them; not because they were naked as could be, but because she was. They were slowly coming to terms with it, especially as there were a number of adult Vulcans in the room as well, most of them being female.
It was Joel who saw Jason and Cody enter first. His jaw dropped open for his Crown-sight was showing him more than other people's sight would. He got up from Teri's lap and slowly moved toward the edge closest to the door, which was just the edge where Sean and Cory were sitting with their backs to.
Looking up at his 'Lil'Elf' with puzzlement, Cory asked, "Anything wrong, Joel?"
Cody had stopped dead at the sound of Cory's voice and he started shaking more. "He sounds like m...me," he whispered to Jason.
"Understandable," Jason said aloud, causing Sean and Cory to jump and turn to look. Jason smiled over at the Patriarch of Clan Short as he put an arm around Cody's waist in moral support. "Patriarch Cory Short nee Scott. May I present: Cody Scott... your little brother."
"OH CRAP!" Tyler and Kyle exclaimed as they broke their own personal rules and popped over to be almost on top of Cory, more to help catch him if needed, than for anything else.
Cory was still seated, thankfully, for he had wilted against Sean heavily.
Cody was standing there, his blue eyes wide and his hands clapped over his mouth as he stared into the eyes of his older brother.
Teri got up very slowly. Spock followed, for his wife-to-be seemed to be very unsteady on her feet. They both came over as Sean, Joel and the two Mikyvis helped Cory get to his feet. They all moved, baby step by baby step, over to Jason and Cody.
"I... a brother?" Cory managed to ask weakly. "I have... a brother? How?"
Joel rolled his eyes as he practically held up his brother's full weight. "Your Mam and Dad got an itch and then your Dad put his erect penis in..."
Tyler reached and covered the Vulcan's mouth with his hand to stop him.
"I think he knows the mechanics Elf, even though he hasn't figured out that practising on Sean will not produce kids," Kyle said with a grin as he reached out and put his arm over Joel's shoulder. "The real question is 'when', and I don't think we'll have any answers about that for a while... at least until the two of them re-engage their brains."
"That's something that I'd... I'd like to know," Teri said, pausing midway as a thought hit her. "Oh no. Cheri, why... why didn't you tell me?" she asked slowly as it dawned on her.
"Mom...?" Sean asked, the rest of the question unsaid but evident in his tone.
Spock pointed to some benches and chairs over to the side of the steam-area. "I believe this may take a while. Let us make ourselves comfortable before we go into this," he said.
They all managed to get to the seats without either of the blond brothers falling to the floor. They had not, however, taken their eyes from each other. Unshed tears were standing equally in Cody and Cory's eyes, and Cory's mouth was moving soundlessly. Cody still had his hands pressed tight over his own, and small hiccups were coming, muffled, from between them.
Tyler hung back a bit with Teri and Spock, and held his mother's hand tight. Teri's emotions where all over the place and she kept repeating the question to her long-dead friend, "Why didn't you tell me?"
JJ ran over to help Kyle, answering a mental summons that, maybe, the entire 'Heart of the Nexus' should be involved.
Joel rubbed Cory's back gently and whispered, "Do... do you want to hug your brother before we talk, or..."
Cory nodded dumbly and reached out, causing Cody to unknowingly reach out as well.
As the two newly united brothers got close to each other, with their fingertips touching, Kyle's eyes grew wide as he 'saw' the bubble protecting Cory's still-repressed memories begin to fracture.
What happened next even taxed Spock's powers of observation, due to the speed at which Kyle acted. For the first time in recent memory, Kyle's phasenmorph, Fuzzy, became visible to everyone in the room. As the lights throughout the whole of Dragon's Nest dimmed, a golden ball of pure energy about fifteen feet in diameter exploded from Fuzzy and formed in the open space around the boys gathered with Cory and Cody. The ball solidified into a reflective sphere, and, within microseconds, Cory, Sean, JJ, Kyle, Joel, Jason and Cody vanished into the interior of the sphere.
"To quote JJ, 'Holy Fucking Shit'!" Tyler exclaimed as he stared at the mini-universe that now occupied part of the room.
"What just happened?" Teri asked, totally ignoring Tyler's language.
"Cory's memory bubble started to break, then Kyle did something and made that bubble from another universe. I don't know anything more than that, I can't see what's going on inside it either," Tyler replied, his confusion and fright mixed in with his voice.
Spock looked around and saw Quint and Sammy Reynolds walk over. Before he could ask, Quint spoke, "I do not know what's happening either. Joel's in there."
"What does that have to do with it?" Sammy asked.
"Everything," Quint answered patiently. "Joel can't be read by a telepath any more. It seems like he's given a part of that to the making of the sphere, there. I can't see inside nor feel it at all."
"So you're as blind as me?" Tyler asked in a small voice.
Quint nodded. "This is the work of the Shaper... and more. Something frightening as we, us older High Races, never knew what 'The Sa'ren' would be or could do. The Shaper, we had some idea of. The blindness is of that. But not feeling it? That's something else entirely. The footsteps of the Shaper have vibrated back throughout time. It's never been hidden. This is... making this mini-universe not sense-able... that is not something that anything less than a High Race can do - and to be blunt, Kyle don't know he can do that yet. I could as I've been shown, but Kyle's not been been taught yet. This has to be Joel... Sa'ren... him working with Kyle."
"But Elf's mortal!"
"Is he?" Quint asked, looking directly at Tyler's now wide, frightened eyes. "Can you be sure? Is he really as old as everyone thinks? Is he more than the sum of his mortal frame? He is the Sa'ren, the focus of an ancient legend far older than its Vulcan title. He is the only one who is... well, One."
"I do not follow," Spock said as he laid a hand on Tyler's shoulder comfortingly.
"There... it will take a lot to explain and really, we don't have that type of time," Quint sighed in frustration. "Just know that everything that is exists in multiplicity. The Guardians are Two, the High Races are legion, the Lords of Fate are Five... nothing inside of the Universe or Multiverse is just One... except the Shaper, except the Sa'ren."
"Is my new Daddy okay?" Spock heard as a clawed hand took his own. He looked down into Lemic's amber, cat-like eyes. "Is he safe? I don't want to lose my new Dad."
"Your Dad's safe," Tyler replied, still holding Teri's hand with a death-grip. "He's just helping your Uncle Kyle."
Lemic nodded and just stared at the glowing sphere in the room. Now, like the rest of them, he had to wait to see what would happen...
"Where are we?" Sean asked as he looked around the empty space that they were all suddenly floating in the middle of.
"We're here." Kyle replied as he concentrated for a moment. Suddenly the view changed, and the boys found themselves standing in a field under a blue sky. "Sorry, it took me a minute to find the right channel so you could see." he added.
"Where is 'here', little bro?" JJ asked.
"It's a universe bubble where I have control over time for each of us." Kyle replied as he nodded his head towards Cory and Cody, who seemed frozen in position. "You can ask questions later... right now we need to deal with Cory's memory bubble that is holding back the things he don't remember yet. It's about to break apart, and the only people who can deal with holding him together are in this bubble."
"What types of things is he still not remembering?" Joel asked as he looked seriously at Kyle. "I thought he had all of his memories back... least that's what I was led to believe..."
Jason touched Joel's shoulder, "It's not that anyone was hiding stuff from you, Elfling. He has got a lot of his memories back, but there are some things that he had still not 'opened' yet."
"Yeah, he had one earlier," Sean smiled as he rubbed a finger down Joel's nose to make the boy sneeze. "You helped then. Kyle says you can help now."
"Mmm... then let's get this right so he don't have to be 'fraid of more stuff popping up that'll hurt 'im," Joel insisted grouchily. "Don't like my Blondie getting hurt."
"Nor do we, Elf," JJ agreed as he gave the Vulcan's shoulder a squeeze. "But it's more up to Kyle if Cory has everything opened. Some things could hurt him. I don't know what's hidden - probably only Kyle and Sean know that... maybe Aunt Teri too."
"I stay out of that area of his head." Kyle stated. "I went there once, and after seeing the nightmares he had after his mom died I never went back. Jace, you need to set up a container, I'm going to have to dump his memory bubble into it and then all of us need to sort it out for him and get it ready to put back into his head."
Jason was about to speak but Joel beat him too the punch. "In you honest opinion, what damage would his memories do to him if they were released?"
"He would go through what you were going through with your memories when you first got to this universe," Kyle replied seriously.
"To live it again as if it were real?"
"Yes."
Joel flicked at a stray hair that was getting in his eye-line and asked, "Has anyone considered a Mind-Healing? To walk him through his life, like I did with Juan, and with Sammy, about their experiences... like... like Daddy tried to do with m...me on Sunday to put my two sides back together? It didn't work for me, but..." He flicked at three or four hairs this time in annoyance.
"Would that deal with him re-living every nightmare he's ever had all at once?" Sean asked Joel, having read between the lines of what Kyle had said.
"He'd go back through his life in order, one day at a time, and hand in hand with the one doing the healing... I would give you an example from Juan's experiences but I promised not to... fucking HELL, my hair isn't this long... what the fuck's in here that's getting in my eyes, Kyle!" he yelled suddenly, making them all jump; except Jason who just raised an eyebrow. Joel was rubbing at his eyes and flicking his hands in front of his face as if possessed.
Kyle paused for a second. "Stop and look, Elf," he replied, realizing that he actually had a little bit of future sight inside the bubble. "We have as much time as you need..."
'Stop and look?' Joel thought to himself. He blinked and then focused on what was getting in his way with his Crown-sight.
There were fine hairs, like threads of some great tapestry, all around him and connecting to each of the boys before him - even Cory and Cody who were locked in that type of status. Also, some of them were woven together into something more akin to ropes. He reached out, his hand brushing past JJ's chest to grasp at a rope that was coming out from where his heart was. He could not move it. However, the threads moved according to his will, almost. More shocking was, as he touched them he could see what each was.
"You're waving your hands around, Joel," Kyle said patiently. "Try just reaching with your mind."
The Vulcan did so, and found that he could see 'new hands' moving the threads. He narrowed his eyes at what he was picking up, then trembled as he realised what it all meant. "Destiny... the threads of destiny. The cords of Fate. Can't do anything to the cords, but I can unravel destiny... I think I can even remake or make these threads!" he exclaimed. Then tears came to his eyes and he looked into JJ's hazel ones. "JJ..." he wept. "Hold still, JJ... I won't let it happen to you. I WON'T," he yelled as he reached out, forgetting about not moving his real arms. His hand brushed near to JJ's groin and a thrill of change ran up all of their spines.
"What did you find, Elf?" Kyle asked, half-guessing at just what Joel was finding out about himself but completely in the dark about what he'd 'read' from JJ.
"About me, or about JJ?"
"Yes," Kyle responded, trying not to laugh at the look on JJ's face.
Joel made a face. "I can... I think I can control destiny directly. I never saw it before, and I don't know wh... wait, I think I can guess. There was too much, before. But in here, there's just you guys and your destinies... wow! Past destinies? I can change... change the past too?! Umm... well, anyway. JJ, it's all okay, now. I made sure it wouldn't happen."
"What wouldn't?!" JJ near squealed as he was checking his bits and pieces.
"Cancer," Joel whispered.
"What?! When?!..." Sean asked in shock.
"Five years from now... prostate and... balls. It's okay! It's okay, I changed it... he's got a different destiny," Joel assured, patting JJ's bare shoulder lovingly.
JJ just stared at Joel in shock, not totally sure that he had just heard what he thought he had just heard.
"What's his new destiny?" Kyle asked, his face a little pale. He hadn't seen or expected this.
"To make love more times with Adam than Cory will with Sean... for the next week, anyway," Joel smirked. He reached and patted JJ's flaccid member, "It's okay, lil'guy. One of the Mikys will sew you back on after!"
Kyle couldn't help but to snigger. "There goes any rest time for those two!" he giggled.
Joel didn't answer, he just grinned impishly at JJ.
"Speaking of sex, Cory and I ain't gonna have any if you keep him frozen like this!" Sean added, trying to get back to his own personal main worry.
"Good, that means I won't have to return the money your sons paid me to keep you two separated so they could get some sleep!" JJ replied, actually glad for the change of subject.
Joel reached and hugged the slightly blushing JJ and whispered, "I'm not going to let anything happen to any of you. Promise." Then he moved away and over to the two blond boys. He started running his hands around them, yet not touching either of them.
As he did so, Kyle asked him, "One question I have about a Vulcan Mind-healing is... is it possible to do the walk with all of us? Jace and I have to hold together the contents of the memory bubble until you got to that time in his life, otherwise his mind would get flooded."
Joel answered without stopping what he was doing, "You won't have to hold anything together. I'll do that. His consciousness will be at the point that I'll be, so the memories could be fully released and it won't hurt him. That'll be ahead of time, in a way, and we'll get to each in turn." He stopped and looked at them all. "I can pull you all in. I've pulled two into a meld at the same time, and with a Mikyvis and an N-Gen here, not to mention that both Cory and Sean are psionic... It's workable. But know this, you'll see everything. So, since Cory can't give permission, under Vulcan tradition his next of kin has to - Sean... Teddy, this will involve each and every intimate time you and Cory shared. We'll all be walking through this together and we'll all see it..."
"I've already seen it, from both perspectives," Jason giggled. Sean rolled his eyes at him. "And I shared mine and Nathan's just to be fair."
Joel trembled, "I'll... I will share everything as well, if you want, Sean. If... to be fair... but you and Cor'll have to hold me when I get to... to Saturday... but before any of the rest of us make a decision, you need to, Sean. Do you permit this for everyone to be there? If not, will you permit me alone to do the healing?"
Sean glanced at Kyle. "Lil'Elf, while I trust you fully, if Kyle thinks all of us need to be in there it's best that we do what he suggests. I'm not sure, but I get the feeling it's one of those Nexus things."
Joel then looked at Jason, "You've seen it all once... even the bad things that Kyle didn't?"
Jason nodded. "Not to say anything bad about Kyle - I owe him more than I can tell, and I love him to much to diss him - but I'm trained for the worst. He isn't. I've seen it all. I'll go with you again if he thinks I should."
"I don't care what shit Cory's been through. I don't care if it makes me feel ill or sick - he'd go through hell for me, so I'll come. As for the sex stuff, since I've got a week of ass-pounding goodness coming up I'll need all the suggestions I can take!" JJ said, grinning at Sean.
"Yeah, it's a lot different than your hand." Sean shot back with a grin. "Why is mini-Cory here?" he smiled, looking at Cory's practically identical younger brother.
Kyle smiled, "That's our next project... after we stabilize Cor. I think Elf is gonna agree with me once we clear out the mess Cory's memories are causing."
Then Kyle went quiet as Joel walked up and hugged him full, chest to chest. The Vulcan's warm skin sent chills through Kyle's, even though he was a Mikyvis. In the back of his mind he wondered if this was something that his son, Levi, felt when he was with this wonderful Vulcan teen.
With touch as the medium, Joel telepathically sent to his young brother, 'What about you, Lil'bear? You said you've not seen the worst in Cory's head. If you come with us, you'll see it all.'
'There is a difference between curiosity and helping your brother. You've got an idea of what I've been through; I can deal with Cory's life,' Kyle sent back.
Joel tightened his grip around Kyle, 'I know it all, Lil'bear... I said when I discovered the threads just now. I can see past destinies... I saw yours. I see yours right now... I... I love you, Lil'bear, and if you want - after we help Cor and sort out Mini-Me-Cor - I can do a healing with you... if you want that.'
'I'm... I'm not repressing the memories...'
'No. But they are still eating at you... I can help more than I did with the Sharing, if you want. I can give you the footsteps and the tools to... I feel like a hypocrite... I can help you. I can help Cor. I can't help myself...' he finished with a whisper of tears in his mental voice. 'Please let me help you too, Kyle-bear... I love you too much to let you hurt about it...'
"Ok, bro," Kyle whispered. "Outside the bubble though, I'm running up Jace's electric bill with this setup."
Jason rolled his eyes and sighed while Joel whispered, "And who do you want when I help you? Ty? The guys here? Someone else? Or just me?"
"Ty. He's part of me anyway." Kyle replied softly. "Cory, JJ, and Sean too... and you better add Ezzy to the list, since he's been tied to the Nexus."
"I know that you might not like it, but there're two more I'd like to add," Joel whispered. "Juan. He's been through stuff like me but different - and we're both like you. You can understand the deep, abiding fear of loneliness that we've suffered. And... this one might piss you off, but he really wants to help you and his... well, his innocence may be key..."
"Levi?" Kyle whispered.
"Levi," Joel nodded. "Both Levi and Juan will be a help to you, but ONLY if you agree. They are not critical, just extremely helpful."
"You're the expert on this bro, not me," Kyle replied with a smile. "I'll follow your advice... especially after what you did for JJ."
Joel giggled and kissed Kyle on the lips. "I'm not an expert; Daddy is. I just cheat! If one is a Shaper of Destiny then one should use every tool at ones disposal, shouldn't one?"
"Agreed, one should," JJ and Sean said together as Jason rolled his eyes yet again.
"Come on, Lil'Bear... oh, and you hug real nice. Can we hug like this more after?" Joel asked curiously as they moved together into the midst of the others.
"We cuddle alla time, Elf!" Kyle laughed.
"Not naked... a Mikyvis' skin feels... nice when touching mine. Warm."
"I was about to say the same about your Vulcan skin," Kyle giggled. "Sure, we can do this more, but any funny business is just for you and my eldest!"
"Aye... Ty will feel left out!" Joel sniggered as he goosed Kyle's butt.
"Doofus," Kyle giggled as he wiggled happily.
"Are you two done making out yet?" Sean asked with a grin.
Joel blinked and turned to Kyle, "Did I French kiss you back then?"
"Nope!"
The Vulcan turned back to Sean. "So we didn't make out... now if YOU are offering... big boy!" he added, eyeing the naked teen up and down like a piece of prime meat. Then an odd look passed over Joel's face and he turned away quickly, blushing.
"Sweet... I get a front row seat!" JJ giggled. "You got a spare notebook, Kyle?"
Also blushing, Sean pointed at Cory, "Can this wait until after we sort out our problems?"
Joel nodded, quietly putting that slip to the back of his mind.
Kyle also kept quiet. He noticed the slight change in Joel's expression at what he had done.
They all moved over to Cory and Cody. "How do we do this, Elf?" Jason asked.
"Just put a hand on my skin... I'll do the rest. Kyle, I'll explain to you what you need to do to facilitate this once I have these three ready," the Vulcan said.
"Okay," Kyle smiled.
Jason and JJ took a shoulder each with their hands, while Sean reached between them to lay a hand between Joel's shoulder-blades. "No, not there, Sean," Joel said, straight faced.
"Oh... you said on your skin..."
"Yeah, but the front is better..."
Sean moved around JJ and put his hand on Joel's chest.
Again, Joel slipped. Without stopping to think about what he was saying, he smiled, "No, a little lower... lower... no, lower still..."
Kyle and JJ bust out laughing as Sean realised what Joel was trying to get him to do. He slapped Joel's bare bum lightly and giggled, "Pervy little Elf." He then placed his hand on Joel's chest and left it there.
It was at that moment that Joel realised what he had been saying. He whispered, "Sorry, bro. Shouldn't have said that..."
"Said wha...?" Sean started, but Joel didn't want to discuss it. He pulled the three boys into his mind quickly.
Kyle came up to stand beside Sean and laid his hand on Joel's arm. "Do you want to talk after?"
"No... let's just do this," Joel answered before quickly explaining how he and Levi meld.
Sean blinked as he looked around. JJ and Jason were at his side and only Jason seemed unimpressed by where they were. Darkness, but a warm darkness, was around them. Under their feet was a glowing white bridge of light. Behind them a doorway of warmth, love and welcoming and ahead the bridge ended in what Sean felt was a wall. A waiting feeling. He reached and touched Jason's shoulder, "What's wrong?"
"Wrong?"
"You don't look excited or as if you're in wonder. This is amazing!"
Jason grinned, "I've been in a lot of melds. I'm just enjoying the sensations of Joel's feelings from behind us." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the 'door'. "That's something new, you don't get to feel a Vulcan's emotions this way from inside their mind."
"We're IN Joel's mind?" JJ spluttered, pulling his eyes back from what he was trying to take in.
"On the edge of," Joel answered as he walked out of the doorway behind them, Kyle at his side. "It was fun bringing our resident Miky in here... he appeared in my memories..."
Kyle was blushing.
Sean raised an eyebrow, "And which memory was it, Kyle-bear?"
Kyle blushed more and sighed, "I was thinking about Levi when I got pulled in... so it was Joel's first time with Levi that I..."
"You're as bad as Tyler!" JJ giggled.
"Your point is?" Kyle giggled.
Joel sighed himself and grinned, "He's not pointing. You are... you're hard as a rock! You WERE checking out my butt, weren't you?"
"Still am," Kyle giggled as he goosed Joel as a payback for earlier, outside the meld.
Shaking his head Sean asked, "When does Cory get here?"
Joel pointed, "I'm touching his face right now... look ahead."
They did so and watched the bridge extend and then connect with another door-like opening. Sean inhaled for the emotions coming from it was pure Cory that he knew so well. A silhouette appeared in the light of that door and a nude Cory stepped out and onto the bridge. "Umm... what's happening?" he asked as he walked up to them, looking around like a sightseer.
"Mind-meld... these goofs decided to come for a tour with me," Joel said happily as he ran over and snuggled against Cory's chest.
"And why is everyone so interested in looking in my head?" Cory giggled as he gave Joel a hug.
"Timmy told us that is where he keeps his spare friends," JJ smirked. "We wanted to see the rare and extinct animals!"
Cory glared at JJ then looked down into Joel's smiling face... and burst out in tears. In here, in Joel's own mind, he appeared as he had done before his rape and attack... his beautiful blue eyes were back and staring at him lovingly.
"Careful with the waterworks bro, I don't see any floodgates!" Kyle said, his tone more of love than humour.
"Oh, my little Joel... I wish I could..." Cory sobbed.
"Don't," Joel reached up and wiped the tears from his brother's face. "Don't cry. Kyle? You wanna explain why we're really here?"
"Not really, but I will," Kyle replied. "Cor, the bubble that holds back all of the memories that you don't remember or have pushed back is about to break. We gotta help ya get everything back in place, or it's gonna overload you again."
Cory nodded. He asked, "Then why the meld?"
Joel answered, "Because if we - or rather Kyle and Jace - block them off again, then at some point in the future some of these shitty memories will pop back up and hurt you a lot... so, rather than do that, we're going to do a Mind-Healing. I won't take them from you, I won't hide them and some of this will hurt. That's why we're all here. We're going to walk through your life, from the start to where you are now, and deal with it all. Every last bit. I've gotten Sean's permission, so... now I ask yours. We'll see it all, big bro. Jace already has and Sean was obviously there for all the secret intimate bits - and Kyle's seen some of it - but me and JJ... we'll be seeing everything. Are you okay with that?"
"Yeah, JJ needs new fantasy fodder anyway," Cory replied, his grin showing he was paying JJ back.
"What about me...? If you're not comfortable with me doin' this, then Dad could instead... he might be more acceptable..." Joel asked softly so only Cory could hear. "You know... you know what I feel for you and Sean... you're okay with me helping or...?"
"Stop worrying, lil bro... I trust you," Cory replied softly.
Sean giggled and winked, "You might think differently after what he tried to get me to do as the meld started..."
"Sorry, was an accident," Joel whispered as his lowered his face so that Cory couldn't see his shame.
"Hey, don't be like that; after the last sausage hunt, nothing you could say or do should make you do this!" Cory whispered softly as he hugged his brother tighter, not at all happy by this strange seeming reaction. "I'd expect nothing less from my favourite Lil'elf."
Joel's mind went back to the 'trip' he and the rest had taken after Cory had judged his rapist, and blushed. "I was dreaming... I thought..."
"Thought I was Kevin? Pull the other one, Elf... you were moaning 'Harder, Sean, harder'!" Sean giggled. "And I won't repeat what you were saying about Cory's butt!"
Joel was blushing so much his ears changed shade.
"Well, he was right in his description..." JJ chimed in.
Joel grinned, still blushing, then moved to the light of Cory's mind. "I just need to check it out first, to get things ready," he said, pushing his embarrassment aside. He placed his hand into the light and went still.
Then, as the giggles from the group behind him continued his shoulder's bowed. "Please stop it..." he asked softly, nearly in tears now due to the memories he was seeing. "It's hard enough loving Sean and Cor and not being able to DO anything about it other than be their brother, but you all laughing at me isn't helping... not right this moment, anyway..."
"We were not giggling at you," Sean replied just as softly, his eyes now sad at the emotion that Joel was giving off. "We were giggling at how Cory was watching you."
"That just makes it worse," Joel wept as he pulled his hand back out and shook his head to order himself. He turned and came up to them.
Cory and Sean saw the look in his eyes and got to their knees to be just under his eye-level.
"I LOVE you two. And I know you love me too, but you're not in a relationship that is like mine and Kev's. We've Levi as an equal and I have Juan as another hubby... it's not an open relationship, but it's different from what you two have," he blubbered, tears streaming from his face. "But that makes it no easier on me. I KNOW you look at me 'that way' sometimes, like I look at you that way, too... but PLEASE... unless you MEAN it and want to make love to me, DON'T tease me 'bout it... not for a little while anyway. I'm... I'm..."
Kyle came over and laid a hand on Joel's side and another on Cory's shoulder and spoke for Joel, "He's very close to his feelings right now, due to Saturday - and not in a good way, guys. Sorry, but I noticed this when we were on Archnania, and again, just before the meld. I didn't think it would be this much of an issue, though."
"Please don't tease me... you can look all you want," Joel cried yet with a loving smile on his face. He looked down at his now erect penis which was flush with his groin, pointing to his bellybutton, "Obviously I don't mind. But don't giggle or tease me about it. I... well, I shouldn't be teasin' you either. That's a bit two faced of me if I can take it back... sorry, I didn't think... it's kinda my fault. I tease you so you tease me thinking it's okay... but it's not, not for me right now anyway... sorry. Will you forgive me?"
"Yes, Elf," Cory and Sean said as one, neither wanting to argue about none being needed.
Kyle kissed the back of Joel's head then looked up at the two older boys, "The reason he's not happy about sexy-teasing is 'cos of Saturday. But the reason he's been slipping and teasing you is due to Pon Farr..." he bumped his nose against the back of Joel's head. "You hear me, bro?" he giggled softly. "Not your fault. You know Pon Farr has a residual that lasts for a good week or so after the first time."
"That wasn't the case for Archnania," Joel responded softly.
"That was a dream. We have as much control over them as Cory does of his appetite!" JJ giggled.
Everyone laughed, including Cory, but the death threat in the blond Patriarch's eyes was clear to his friend. Rather than say anything right now to JJ, Cory turned his face to nuzzle Joel's cheek with his own, "So, we cool now? No more asking forgiveness which none of us needs?"
Joel closed his eyes and, with a smile not leaving his face, he nodded. He sighed as if a weight had left him. "You can still tease me 'bout anything else, just not the sexy stuff I feel for you two... okay?" he asked as he opened his eyes to peer into their souls, it seemed.
They smiled and nodded before squashing him into a hug between them.
As they pulled apart some, Cory whispered, "We knew you loved us like we did to you, and I knew we were all attracted to each other, Kev included... but I really didn't expect... I thought that was just a wet dream on Archnania. Sorry, Elf."
Joel shrugged, a quirky grin not leaving his face. He looked at Kyle, JJ and Jace then back at his two big brothers. "Here," he said, "this is my desire made manifest..." A wave blasted out from the doorway behind them, the doorway to Joel's mind; a wave of desire, love, longing. It was palpable, real and very romantic.
Joel looked seriously at Cory and Sean, "I will never come between you two, but I would love to love you like I love Kev, Leev, Juan... You deserve to be shown that you've done so much for me that I would love you that way. There's only three others... well, a fourth is on the cards... never mind. There's only three others that I have taken into my soul that way... but you two: really, you've both been there as long as Kev has. And it makes me long for you so much that sometimes it hurts me here," he finished, pointing at his heart.
"Oh, God," JJ sighed. "Look, Joel - this isn't teasing, but... Cor? Sean? Just take this wonderful boy to your room later and love him. It only has to be the once, but... God-DAMN, if someone, ANYONE, loved me and Adam that way; as much as we are solely committed to each other we'd let them in, even IF only the once. Give me a minute, guys," he said, nearly choking on his feelings, "I've got something in my eye." He turned and walked over to the edge of the bridge and stared into the darkness to compose himself.
Jason just looked at the three brothers before him and nodded before joining JJ.
Kyle had a quirky grin on his face. "You're so cute, guys. I can tell you this: WHATEVER you decide to do, nothing will change your brotherhood or the love you have for each other. Joel won't change if you don't, and your marriage won't if you do. Now, I'll go stand with these two J-Named nut cases..."
"Hey!" Joel giggled.
"... and leave you have some time to talk..." Kyle finished, ignoring the third 'J-Named person' in the group.
Joel was slow to turn his face back to his brothers, but when he did he saw the same love and nervousness in their eyes as he knew was visible in his own. Then they started whispering together.
Over with Jason and JJ, Kyle half watched them and half listened. He smiled.
"You ready?" a slightly more upbeat sounding Joel called to the three standing together about five minutes later.
"Yep, lead the way, oh wise one," JJ replied seriously.
Joel poked his little green tongue out at JJ then led them all into the light that was Cory's mind...
The meld ended and Cory came out of the stasis he was in. He blinked at the face of his brother before him and smiled. Cody was still in stasis, but he looked so cute Cory wanted to pick him up and cuddle him. He had a brother, and that was still the biggest mystery of all. He looked at the others standing around him, all touching Joel.
"What's it like, having all your memories back, babe?" Sean asked as tears were falling from his eyes.
"It's nice not worrying when the next one will pop up or what it'll be," Cory replied. "Is there a reason we couldn't do this before?"
Kyle nodded. "The bubble you had needed to weaken before it was safe. The problem was, instead of naturally getting weaker, like usual you tried to break it."
"And you really did need all of us to help you sort it out," JJ added, completely serious. "All of us together had the experiences from our own lives to help you."
"Now, what about Mini-me, here," Joel giggled as the others took their hands from him - with Kyle goosing him again just for good measure. "Why'd you bring Cody in here too, Kyle?"
"Remember those pesky hairs that you were having problems with?" Kyle asked. "Take a close look... I think that he's a balance to Ezra, bringing the Nexus back to an even number, now with two support beings."
"Hairs?" Cory pipped up as Joel closed his mist-eyes. Joel's eyes popped open wide in shock as he felt Cory moving his dick around a bit. "Kyle, he's still bare down there!"
"Not hairs down there, goof!" Joel giggled and blushed. "And now you've made me hard again!"
"And still just as cute!" Cory replied. "You wanna fill me in, then?"
Joel pushed Cory slightly so that he could comfortably ensconce himself on his brother's lap, then explained about destiny and fate and what he was now seeing. "... so if I pull on this one here, I get to see what it's about and... hehe... hehehehehehehe... umm, I shouldn't have checked that one... hehehee..." he finished, blushing and laughing. "Anyway," he giggled, "that's it. And Lil'bear's right - Cody's a balance to Ezra..." Joel then looked over at Kyle and winked, "And I'll let THEM figure the rest out!"
Cory rolled his eyes as Kyle started giggling madly. "For some reason, the thought of Ezzy and my brother pairing up for anythingworries me... especially if he's like me at all...."
"Welllll...." Joel giggled. "He's like you in that he likes getting his sausage nice and warm and cosy in tight holes... it's just that he's not too fussy about the gender that the holes belong to!"
"Oh crap... hey Kyle, could you let me out of here first so I can invest in a few lube companies?" JJ asked, making sure he was out of Cory's reach.
"Already done for you," Kyle giggled.
Joel smiled and got up from Cory's lap and walked over to Cody. "Can you release him now? I know what's needed from his past destinies to fill in the blanks for us all..."
"One thing, Bro... his mind is just as stable as Cory's was when we came in here... we might need to help him through this so that he don't crash," Kyle replied seriously.
Joel's shoulders sagged. "Jeez... okay, Kyle? Come here for a moment and cuddle me."
Kyle blinked but did as requested. Once they were wrapped up in each other's arms he looked up at Joel's face, "What's up?"
"Just something Leevee taught me," Joel smiled as he concentrated.
Kyle's eyes widened as he felt power, energy and strength being siphoned from his being. It did not lessen him, for he could recharge from all that existed, but he saw Joel's weariness evaporate. "Wow! You can... you can do that?!" he whispered excitedly.
Joel nodded as he kissed Kyle's cheek. "Yeah... I won't tell you when Leevee showed it to me, though... it was kinda needed at the time!"
Kyle's blush told everyone that he had probably figured it out. "Okay, you better?" he squeaked.
"Much... Cory? Front and centre. You too, Jace... We're fixing up Mini-me and at the same time the bros can get to know each other..." Joel giggled as he placed his fingers on Cody's face. "You know the drill, Jace. Cor? Just put your hand on my shoulder... that's the way... here we go..."
Juan and Tera arrived back from Utah at about the same time the Universe-bubble had appeared in the bathing room, and by the time they were directed there those inside the bubble were appearing. The last thing Juan saw as he finished stripping to join in the fun was the vanishing bubble and a Cory look-a-like cuddling the Clan Patriarch. Tera appeared a moment or so after and stood behind the half-Klingon boy and asked, "What did we miss?"
Joel grinned over at her, "Cory's found his little brother!"
"He has a little brother?" Juan spluttered.
"And we are still waiting on how that is so," Quint answered with a grin.
Teri was still looking sad at what she was guessing at, but was now back in the large bath with Spock, Lemic and Timmy and the Ferret twins, Jules and Verne, cuddling with them.
Cory walked over hand in hand with his little brother and introduced him around. Tera was the first to greet Cody with a Vulcan salute, causing the twelve year old to blush heavily as well as pop wood. As she moved away he whispered to Cory, "She's soooo hot!"
"I know. I'm gay and she gave me one too!" Cory whispered back with a giggle.
As Cody got into the water to go over and be welcomed by Teri and Spock, Cory said to the entire room, "Joel knows what's going on, since he's learnt how to fully use his abilities..."
"Wait; what?!" Quint spluttered.
Joel smiled at him, "I kinda really know that I'm the Shaper, and now I know what to do so it's not random alla time."
"Oh... shit," the little Q sighed.
Joel smiled again then became more serious. "I've talked this out with Cody while we were in a meld and what I've discovered fits with how he remembers things and how his and Cor's uncle and aunt remember things. Just after Cory and Sean's daddies died in that car crash, Cory's Mommy found out she was pregnant again. She wasn't feeling well inside her head and felt that she couldn't cope with another child who would remind her of the husband she had just lost. She came over to Scotland to find her husband's brother. She stayed with them until she gave birth to Cody and then made her decision. She left Cody with his uncle and aunt, who were childless themselves, so that she could go home and get well. She intended to reclaim her youngest son once she felt more able to love and look after him.
"That never worked out. She then found that she had cancer, brought on mainly by the stress and grief of her husband's death as well as the trauma of childbirth. She died a few years after. Here's where it gets strange. She never told Mama about Cody. She had left her own number with Cody and Cory's uncle, but once she had died no-one lived at that address any more. Then, a year after, there was a fire at Cody's home and they lost all contact information anyway. It became very difficult to find out how to get in contact. So... basically that's it. Cody's spent the last year searching for his family, and guessed when Clan Short came to the world's attention that Cory was his big brother - but because HE thought Cory would have known about him, he believed that Cory didn't WANT him. In reality, Cory never knew." Joel finished and looked seriously around at everyone, "As we all get to know Cody we'll all find out more, and I know there seems to be some unanswered questions - as a Shaper, I can only read Destiny - past, present and future ones. That is not, is seems, as accurate in detail of externals as a Mikyvis going back and checking. One of them doing so, however, should only be if Cor and Mini-me want them to."
"Mini-me?!" Gabe howled with laughter from his comfortable spot in the bath.
"That's me! Mini-me!" Cody giggled as he and Cory sported identical grins on their faces.
Just then, Ezra popped into the room. He took one look at Cory and Cody, then dead-panned, "ALRIGHT! WHO let Cory near a replicator?"
He then squealed as Joel picked him up, stripped him and lobbed him into the water. "Go ask them, you cute little pest," he giggled. "I'm going for a cuddle with my lovers..." he added as he waded into the water and pulled Levi and Kevin over to a quiet corner of the bath. He signalled for Juan to run over and soon there were four boys with their heads together silently talking with their pendants.
As Ezra was getting filled in, Quint and Kyle were talking as well. "... and when I saw what was happening, I created a mini-universe to fix up Cory in," Kyle said. "I hope Jace don't mind that I borrowed a few gigawatts of power from his grid," he added with a grin.
"Like it matters if he did," Quint giggled. "Too late now!"
Over with Joel, Juan was giggling. "If it happens, cool. Like I'd worry about that, cutie. Now, I need some time with Koth. Seeya laters," he said before giving Joel a meaningful kiss. Then he got up and paddled over to Koth and plopped himself down in his hubby's lap.
Levi was just grinning. He kissed Joel's cheek, tugged gently on his privates before paddling off in search of mischief.
That just left Kevin. The love of his life was just smiling at him tenderly. "You're really unsure, aren't you?" he more or less stated.
Joel nodded.
"Love, I'm not going to say anything one way or another. And as much as I'd like it, I don't feel the need to join. But will I be hurt if it happens? Never. Your heart is all mine just like it's all Levi's and all Juan's. But guess what? I know that you and I are connected in such a way that nothing could come between us. As for them? If your heart is lifted if it happens, great. If it never happens, I know your heart will rejoice anyway. Just go with what happens, sweetheart... now, do you want some cuddles?"
"Please," Joel smiled as he felt his nervousness evaporate for a while.
Lunch came soon after, although not soon enough for most of the kids who were believing that their stomachs had been forgotten. Whatever the food started as it all ended up as empty plates. Then the gang were off in separate directions. Some were called to get fitted for new clothes for tomorrow's weddings, others went off on exploration missions with some of the local kids. Timmy, Ricky, Belar, Tumelo, Rafe and Lee the Chimp all mysteriously vanished, along with Telez and five of the VSO Vulcan adults.
Joel, Cory and Sean had finished being fitted for their new threads when they discovered this fact, and it was only Sean and Cory's repeated reassurances that his sons would be okay that prevented Joel from heading off on a tear to find them.
"The same happened the day before our wedding, Elf," Sean smiled as he held his worried little brother close. "Just before you came everyone started doing weird things. We'd find some in some places and couldn't find others no matter how hard we tried."
"What were they doing?" Joel asked as he tilted his head up to look at Sean.
"Getting our wedding rings," he answered as he held out his hand to show Joel.
Joel looked and smiled, tracing his finger over Sean's wedding band. He remembered the wedding clearly. He hoped his own would be as nice, just a little less 'public'.
"So... TimTims has gone and corrupted Rafe and Lee... figures," he giggled.
"Come on," Cory smiled. "We've got things to do, Sean. Elf? Do you want to tag along? Looks like Kev's a right little Diva and won't be ready for a while... and surprisingly, so is Juan... just don't tell him I said that!" he finished with a conspiratorial hiss.
"He'd deny it. Totally. Then rip your nuts off to add to his collection!" the little Elf giggled. Then he tapped his comm, "Uh, Juanikins?"
"I told you not to call me that when there's people about, Elf!" came the almost instant reply from Juan. "What's up?"
"Just want you to know, a bunch of the kids have ran off to do... something. Don't know what, but it's all hush hush and secret about tomorrow, Cory's thinking. Anyway, Tumelo's gone with them. They've got a bunch of guards and Telez with them, so..."
"I'll kill that kid..." Juan sighed. There was a pause then, "Koth's telling me Telez is keeping a close watch on them. Okay, Elf. Through my hubby I've got a tab on the little imp. Thanks for telling me."
Joel sighed as the comm went silent. Then he looked up at Sean. "Okay, I'll come spend some time with you... I wanna think about stuff and I do that best when near people I trust."
"C'mon then, CuddleElf." Sean replied with a grin.
They moved down to a door near the top of the main stair way and entered. Joel looked around. "Nice, like the room Jace gave me, Kevvy and Leev," he said as he bounced over to sit on the sofa near the window in the more 'study-area' of the room. Sean was quick to cuddle in next to him and pulled him so that his left arm was draped over Joel's shoulder to hold him tight to his side.
"Looks like I'll be doing my work alone, since the Elf's stolen my hubby," Cory giggled.
"Too right. Get to work, slave!" Sean exclaimed before cracking up himself.
"You'll be screaming 'Master' later...." Cory laughed.
As Sean laughed, Joel found himself doing so along with his brothers. At first he thought nothing of it, then he froze, tensing up against Sean.
"What's wrong?" Sean asked, all thoughts of laughter gone.
Joel's face turned upwards and sideways so as to look up cutely at his big brother. The smile on his face relaxed both Sean and Cory, who had gotten concerned at the reaction from their Vulcan brother. "I just realised! I'm laughing at you two joking about being slave and master... a few days ago, I'd have freaked!"
Sean hugged him tight, "That's great!"
Cory nodded his head excitedly. "Looks like we're both making major progress, lil'angel."
Joel blinked and smiled softly, "Thanks, but you're healed. I'm still doing so."
Cory moved to sit on Joel's other side, "And we'll be there every step of the way, angel."
Joel smiled and nodded. Then he pulled both brothers close, "I know we talked in the meld, but... I shouldn't have ever told you all that I did. You're both happy with just each other, and now... now you're having to think of including me in your relationship. I shouldn't have done that. You're a duo not a..."
"We'll decide what we are, angel," Sean whispered with a smile. "You just pointed out what we've known was there since you arrived, yet never thought of. We're still talking about it. And when we've decided, we'll have the same talk with you."
"Talking? I've been here all along, and you've not... oh, yeah. Your mind link," Joel whispered as well. "Okay. Still, I'm sorry. If it wasn't for Pon Farr I'd have controlled that."
Cory shook his head. Joel just wasn't listening. Hearing, but not listening. Before he could say as much, the comm station by the door beeped. "Ah, I'll be right back," he said as he got up to answer it, leaving Sean to cuddle a now mute Joel.
It was Admiral Morrow. "Might I have a word with you and Sean in private, Captain," Morrow requested on seeing Joel in the same room.
"There's nothing that you'd say that Joel can't hear," Cory replied, his friendly tone hinting that he would not budge from his statement.
Morrow nodded but raised an objection, "It is in regards to the request made by your father yesterday. I am not aware of all those 'in the know', and I do not wish this to go further than you require at this point amongst the Clan."
Cory smiled, "Joel is a Fleet Captain in the Clan Short Fleet. He is cleared to know anything that I know."
By this time, Sean and Joel had come over to join Cory, and Joel said softly, "I was there when the problem Dad asked you to investigate was told to us, Admiral. In fact, it may be that I'm involved somehow - we just don't know how."
Morrow blinked but let that pass for the moment. "Then I will proceed," he said.
With a serious tone Morrow explained, "The preliminary reports from Sciences is that the information you came into yesterday is accurate, Captain Short. There are building tectonic stresses throughout most of the Earth's plates, and the consensus so far is that in six to eight weeks the Earth will become uninhabitable to most if not all life."
"Thank you for the confirmation, Admiral," Cory replied, his neutral voice showing that he had clamped down on his emotions to think clearly. "I will notify the appropriate people to begin preparations to deal with this matter."
"As am I," Morrow responded. "The Vulcan High Command is aware, as are the Tellarites and Andorians. Relief ships will be on their way within a week. I don't know what you have available, but from where I'm sitting, this looks bad. Have you told your Division heads yet?"
"No," Cory answered softly as Joel wrapped his arms around his waist. "I was waiting on your message. Admiral... is this something Starfleet has seen before? Is there anything that can be done to save this world?"
Morrow's eyebrow's furrowed. Then understanding came into his eyes, "You were hoping that one of our ships had come across this situation before and had found a way to reverse it, yes?"
Cory nodded.
"No, son, this is not something encountered before," Morrow explained gently. "We have seen things like it, and the message I've had from Kirk not an hour before reminded me of a few of his earlier missions, but all cases involved less of an effect, and Preserver technology to reverse. There has never been a sign of the Preservers in our sector of space, and we do not have the time to get to one of the devices Kirk used to bring it here to remedy this situation - and I don't think even their tech could help. This seems simply too massive. It's as if the moon had suddenly become too close to the Earth; within the Roche Limit. Such is the 'effect' that we're seeing, yet without the external gravity source to be the cause."
"Rest assured that I will be using my resources to try to avoid the necessity for an evacuation," Cory stated. "If it becomes necessary, you will have the assistance of the Clan to ensure the evacuation proceeds smoothly."
Morrow nodded. "Thank you, Captain. There is something else that I have to inform you of, but for that I will require your mother to be in attendance. I will call again later this week."
Cory nodded.
Joel pipped up, "Can you send me all the readings Sciences have received so far, Admiral? I'd like to look at it."
Morrow nodded and pressed a few buttons. The comm before the boys signalled that it had received the information. "Unless there is anything else, I have much to put into motion," Morrow said as he also received confirmation that the requested data had been received. "I'll see you soon."
Cory nodded his head and the comm channel dropped. He turned slightly and held his trembling little brother tight. "So... it is confirmed," he whispered, half to himself.
"So it seems," a dry mouthed Sean stated as he downloaded the information Joel wanted to a padd and handed it to him. "Shall I arrange for a meeting with the Clan leaders?"
Cory nodded before walking over to the sofa in the room and sitting with a loud sigh. Joel curled up on his lap and sat there, waiting on his brother to speak. Soon, he got tired of waiting and said, "It's likely Adam already knows."
"Mmm? About the problem?"
"Yeah. Juan would have told him," Joel nodded.
"That's okay, angel. Dad didn't order anyone not to, and nor did I."
"That's not how Juan'll see it," Joel smiled, "and Adam will be offended, at least a bit. He'd think you're hiding things from him."
Cory nodded, "Then I'll have to sort through whatever problems that come when I have this meeting."
Sean walked over from the comm, "And that's in an hour, bro. The guys will be ready then."
After saying so, he sat down next to Cory. For the next quarter of an hour not a word was said. Then Joel picked up the padd from his lap and started reading it extremely quickly.
"It amazes me how fast you Vulcans can do that," Cory said softly.
Joel nodded but did not trust his voice to speak. At least, not at first. After a few moments to assimilate the data he cuddled back a bit against his brother and sighed, "This makes no sense. The plates of the Earth are showing all the signs of the moon having come inside of Roche's Limit, but the magma and core don't. The temperature just below the crust is increasing, but below that it is normal... which is odd, to say the least. Planetary dynamics is not being adhered too."
"So what does it mean, Elf?" Sean asked, his stomach turning into knots.
"In about three weeks we'll feel the first major signs up here, but by then the lower crust will already be unstable. By eight weeks the entire surface of the Earth will be a mass of plate pieces, molten magma and cloud from the evaporated oceans. Between that time, the whole of the US will go up when the caldera under Yellowstone breaks loose. And yet the rest of the Earth, the main magma layer and the inner and outer core will be... normal! Within a few million years the Earth will be ready to sustain life once more... doesn't help us any, but... it's really freaky, bro."
"It's not what I'd call it," Cory whispered.
Joel half smiled, "With all we did on Archnania we can get everyone and all their fleas off of the Earth. Remember, they are a High Race. Their world is as big as needed. And there's probably other things others can think of to help. Cor, this is one planet. Yes, it's home, but it's not all we have available... we can save everyone..."
"When's the meeting again?" Cory asked sickly.
"Soon," Sean answered. "Come on, let's find Jace and get a conference room."
At the same time as Morrow was talking to the three boys, Kevin had finished with the tailors for his new clothes. He was on his way towards where he could hear a lot of the others playing, whistling tunelessly to himself. He was happy that he would look his best for the big day tomorrow, and looking forward to seeing Joel's reaction to his efforts. As he went past the library on the first floor of the manor, he found himself driven into the carpet by a heavy weight from out of the library door. His face mashed into the soft fibres of the carpet, he giggled as he could hear his newest son yell victory.
"Yeehaa!" Lemic yelled. "I pounced you good. Was that good, Poppa?" he asked, sitting square on the slight Kevin's back.
"Mmmmmhummmmm!"
Lemic leaned down to look at the back of Kevin's head, then back over his shoulder at the door. "What language is that?" he asked.
Three laughing faces peered around the door frame at him. Cain giggled, "It's 'I can't talk 'cos my son's squashed my face into the carpet' language, Lem."
"Oh!" the Gorn exclaimed. He started to get up off of his pop when an arm circled his waist and lifted him easily. He glanced up and smiled, "Hi, Poppa Juan!"
Juan grinned, "Getting trained up, I see."
As Lemic nodded his head, Juan then lifted Kevin back to his feet. "Poppa? Poppa Kev? Did I pounce good?" the overexcited boy asked, bouncing from clawed foot to clawed foot happily.
"Very," Kevin giggled. "Who's been teaching you?"
"Uncle... ummm... wait, I got it... Uncle Justy!"
"I should have guessed," Kevin rolled his eyes. He looked through the door into the library. "Are you enjoying the books, Lem?"
Lemic suddenly looked a little sad. "No. I can't read your words. My translation crystal only helps with spoken words... except for face squashed in carpet words... will have to teach it that," he added with a small giggle, his eyes still sad.
Kevin looked surprised, "Haven't you had the language dump yet?"
Lemic shook his head. "I don't even know what that is," he said as he touched his crystal with one clawed finger. "Is it an upgrade for this?"
Kevin smiled and shared a look with Juan. "Nope," he grinned. He moved into the library with his son at his side to be surrounded by the triplet Adam-clones. "How about you guys? Have you had the language dump yet?"
"Yeah, pops," Abel grinned.
Juan giggled, "Looks like you decided, then."
"Yeah," Cain stated simply. "We'll give it a shot... for now. Besides, it adds confusion! It makes you our brother AND our dad... and Adam our UNCLE as well as brother!"
"So confusing," Seth sighed. "I like!"
Lemic laughed. "So what's this language dump thingie then?"
Kevin looked at Juan, who nodded. "Poppa Juan will help you with it now," Kevin smiled. "Then we'll see if you like Earth books as much as me!"
Normally I like being carried by piggy-back by Cory, but I wasn't enjoying it when we went to the meeting room. Not because of anything wrong with how Blondie was carrying me, but due to two other reasons. We were about to tell something terrible to the rest of the Clan leaders, and I was having a hard time keeping my mind focused. It was as if something or someone else was pulling my mind back from being in control of my body. I was scared, for when this happened it meant that the other 'me', Sa'ren, would come out and take control. When we first starting trading places it was fine. Interesting, in a way. But now it hurt. The last time it had happened it had hurt so much that Uncle Bones had to be called.
I didn't want it to happen this time.
I looked around carefully, seeing the room in that lovely blue misty way that I was now used to with my crown, and I realised that I was on Sean's lap. Cory was next to us and Jason was standing just in front, with a big screen beyond him. I reached up and ran my fingers over Sean's ears, trying to calm my thoughts and hold my emotions back. Strong ones were most certainly a trigger for Sa'ren.
Cory was giggling nervously. "So you know too?" he asked Jace.
"Sure I do. What Draco knows, I know. I doubt Poppa Spock would have intended to include me in the 'do not tell yet' advice."
"Why not?" Sean asked, his breath brushing over the top of my hair. I smiled in comfort.
"We're trained not to panic and we wouldn't tell the public about things we know they wouldn't be able to handle," Jace replied. "We're also co-ordinating with Starfleet and the Vulcan Academy Sciences Division. If we can't do anything to stop this, learning as much as we can will only help us develop a way to do so in the future should it happen to another world."
"It sounds very cold when said like that," Sean muttered.
"I know it does. Logic can be cold at times. We - the VSO, I mean - don't forget about emotions, but sometimes we have to disregard them for the sake of all. I'm not concerned about getting people off of Earth. If it was dependant on only Starfleet and the Federation, then yes, we'd lose people. A lot. But we have access to more than they know. I'm sure Logan has already worked on a lot of this himself."
"I'm sure he has," Cory agreed.
I nodded as well and put in, "Don't forget, what Logan knows, the Logan Clones will know too."
I looked over at Cory and could just make out him smiling. "At least I have the best people and brothers around me. Them not knowing would gain me nothing. It wouldn't have hurt anything for them not to have known, considering that time isn't an issue for us, but by them knowing we could only gain."
"Why didn't you tell them yourself?" Jace asked curiously. "I'm sure Adam will feel a little put out at not being informed straight away."
I could feel Cor thinking seriously before answering. "A mix of things. They, and we, have been through a lot over the past few weeks. If I could hold that hurt back from them for a few hours or days then I would. Also, I had my little Elf-angel to worry about; I might not have thought it all through as thoroughly as I might have done had Elf been fully okay. On top of that was the hope that this was a known problem from other worlds that the Fleet knew about. If they could step in and fix it quietly then I could have - and would have - had this meeting with good news... I don't feel my silence was wrong, Jace. Once explained I hope Adam will understand. I don't know him as well as Joel does, of course, so I might have missed something..."
"I don't know if he'd want me telling you," I said softly, "but I trust you guys that it won't go further. I know Adz' life. We melded on Thursday when I helped him with that programming that the General had put in there. I melded with them all. They've not had the same upbringing as you and Teddy, or you, Jace. Adam has never had 'friends' before he freed himself, other than Mama Janet..."
"You call her that too?" Sean giggled at me, kissing my hair.
"Of course! You try calling her Auntie or Mrs Hayes and see what it gets you when she's told you she's another mama too you! Anyway, Adam's... in a way, he's fragile when it comes to trusting friends. If someone hides something from him, he'd feel like they don't trust him - especially once he's given them his trust."
"Ah... damnit," I heard Cory sigh. "So much has happened and what I would have liked to do has not been done... getting to reallyknow my brother..." he said. I reached over and brushed his face with my hand, only to feel tears coming from his eyes. "I wish I'd have known..."
"Shhh, Cor... he's a good person. I'm sure he'll understand. He doesn't know you as well as he'd like yet, either. He doesn't know that you would do what you did, not out of a lack of trust, but out of a father's heart to protect his family. He doesn't know what you know about being a Vulcan Patriarch. You both need time to hug and talk. Once you both know each other then when you both do your little idiosyncrasies you won't upset each other - at least not much."
I heard Jace cough, then and looked at him. Behind him, on the screen, was Adam and Logan. It was funny, but I could see their souls even through a virtual image. I looked directly at Adam, "Were you here for all of that?"
"Yes, Elf," he nodded seriously at me.
Jace added, "I thought he should hear what you and Cor were saying - naturally, without knowing he was there. So that he'd know this was from the heart.
"Did I do wrong to tell them? About you, I mean?" I asked Adz.
There was a small pause, then I saw him shake his head. "No... "Adam said with a small smile. "You did what you felt was best, and I will never fault you for that."
"I love you," I smiled, feeling a tear trickle down my own face.
"I know," He answered, touching the monitor before him. Obviously touching my face on it from his end. "And I love you too." He then addressed Cor, "Brother, we'll talk after. Maybe a mind chat so we can really talk. I heard what you said and I am not mad, now. Still a little hurt, but from what I just heard I have hope that we can move past things like this, and not have so many misunderstandings in the future. Deal?"
A sniff from my blond brother and then, "Deal."
I smiled. Sure, things are tense, but I knew they'd be alright soon. Then I sighed and closed my eyes. It was all my fault. Everything. I'd heard Levi talking. About what the Guardian had said. About those nonsensical things that were still confusing us all. Brother would be set against brother. I'd heard that Jace and Brant had been literally at each other's throats. And it could have happened with Cor and Adz. That wasn't good. Why me?
They were talking while I was thinking, but I was only half hearing them. I was getting upset. I quickly put a lid on it as I felt Sa'ren stir in my head.
"Do you wish to talk, Joel?"
I blinked. The voice had come from inside my own head, my own mind. And it wasn't Mother. I could still feel her there, shifting around at the back, way at the back, of my mind. This was something else. Not telepathy, of that I was sure.
Logically, it could be nothing other than Sa'ren. "I didn't know we could talk together," I answered.
"Neither did I, but trying was not illogical."
"But we're the same person... arenít we?"
"I do not think that holds quite as true any longer. We are separating. The last switch over started it. And it still continues now."
I shivered. Two of me? What would the others say? Kev! What would he say?
"I understand your... feelings," Sa'ren whispered. "I, too, am unquiet about what this will mean for those closest to us. Especially Juan. He does not like me very much. Yet I sense an emptiness if I consider him to be separate. It is not quite right if he and I do not walk the same road. I am... concerned."
I curled up slightly on Sean's lap as I tuned out what was going on around me. It would only distract from this discovery, and I already knew the horror that Cory and Sean would be relaying to the rest of the Clan division leaders. I expect that Adam and Logan have plans already; maybe not to save the Earth itself - that was not their forte, after all - but certainly plans for saving Earth's life. Us. However, since I was in the room and listening in a way, paying attention was not required. I could easily recall it all later.
Right now, this was more important to me. If the others need my input then they can shake me or call my name to get my attention.
"What are we going to do about this, Sa'ren?" I asked. "It is not right for someone to have two persons inside sharing a katra."
"I would agree, but I am not aware of anything that can be done. We are more apart than Juan was when he was dual. And there is something else that I can sense, but until I am sure I will not burden you with it."
"Still protecting me?"
"Of course. Call it motivated self interest. You can deal with things that I cannot, while I can do so for those things you cannot. We are here, we cannot change this yet, so we might as well be a team."
Internally I nodded. Then I giggled.
"What do you find amusing?" Sa'ren asked me.
"Well, at least we can have a conversation without totally losing everyone - especially when we talk about Star Trek!"
There was silence for a moment, then he answered, "Correct. I have sensed that in the others. Sometimes we can lose them. We are changing in more than just this duality, Joel."
I became sober, my giggles forgotten. "We see things. Know things. How did I know Ezra's name before anyone told me?"
"I do not know, but something is coming. I sense it, ever since the Enterprise and that alien ship... zKath... I do not know what that means, but..."
I curled up a little more on Sean's lap and closed my eyes, shutting off all vision from my Crown at the same time.
Then I talked with myself...
"So, you ready to find out the secrets we've kept hidden, guys?" Jason asked once the comm had finally turned itself off.
Joel turned in the direction of his Welsh brother and his mist-eyes reappeared. "Is it to do with that Cave we went to earlier?"
"Mom said it was kinda freaky," Sean put in.
"Yes and no," Jason answered seriously. "Or, to be clearer: we don't know but I think so."
"How big of a secret is this?" Cory asked. "And who knows about it?"
"Umm, big. And VSO Command knows, the High Command, my guys here... and of course Ark; can't hide much from Ark."
Cory blinked. "What, not even Starfleet is in the know?"
"Nope. It was felt when this was discovered that it was too sensitive for the Fleet. You'll understand when you see for yourself. Come on," Jason answered seriously as he beckoned them to follow him.
Sighing grumpily, Cory got up and placed Joel back to his feet. Together with Sean they walked out after the Welsh Patriarch.
As they the main hallway and foyer, Joel stopped dead then turned suddenly toward the kitchen. "Fooooood!"
Jason giggled and raised an eyebrow to Cory, "He's like his big brother."
"Oh, really?" Cory asked, playfully threatening his Welsh friend away from the joke at his expense he knew was coming.
"Yeah," Sean answered for the giggling Jason while skipping out of reach, "eats like a pig!"
"I'm not the one who likes swallowing sausage whole..." Cory commented with a grin.
Jason kept his composure as he strutted after Joel. "It's easier for me. Me and Nath are still relative wieners compared to your two shlongs... Nice going, Sausage boy!" he giggled at Sean. Then he started running toward the kitchen that Joel had headed toward.
By the time the three boys had gotten to the kitchen Joel was already on someone's lap and explaining how his belly was demanding food.
"See?" he giggled, then pointed to his stomach. A loud rumble came from it. "It's wanting more food!"
"We can't have you hungry, little imp," Meredith, Jason's grandmother, smiled as she pointed off at what was on another table. "There's not enough of you to survive without something every few hours..."
"Yeah!" Joel agreed, a happy grin on his face. He was going to get something yummy to eat, he just knew it.
One of the kitchen staff had seen where Meredith had pointed and was cutting a slice out of a freshly made cheesecake.
Jason's eyes widened and he sat quickly by the table at the centre of the room, motioning for Cory and Sean to do the same. Then all three started giving their best 'starved-warriors' expression at the grandmotherly lady cuddling Joel.
She rolled her eyes. "Here, blond-top," she smiled as she plonked Joel on Cory's lap. "I'm betting you all want to try some as well?"
"Please?" Cory said in his best 'I'm a starved urchin' imitation. "I'm wasting away!"
Meredith bustled off while the staff member brought Joel his plate of cheesecake. It was easily a quarter of the cake in one serving. Joel took off his crown and then fumbled for the plate.
"Headache, angel?" Cory asked softly.
"Yeah, and if we're going off to see something secret with Jace then I wanna be able to see it. So I'll rest up... but I think I'm gonna need some help. Eating this is going to be difficult without looking."
Cory giggled and started feeding Joel himself. Joel didn't complain. His cunning plan had worked, after all.
Meredith came back over and pushed an equally large portion of cheesecake over to Cory, while placing Sean's in front of him directly. "Now eat," she ordered, more at Cory than his husband. She turned and bustled back to get Jason's share.
Cory continued to feed Joel slowly, alternating with himself. Then he realised he was sharing the same spoon as his brother, and sighed. 'Will have to get a shot from the Doc, just to be safe,' he sent to Sean. 'Don't think it's that dangerous this way, but better to be safe than sorry with HIV.'
Sean nodded but didn't look worried. He looked back up at Meredith as he began to eat. Around a mouthful of what he thought was the most delicious dish of cheesecake he'd ever had, he asked, "Why were you telling Cor to eat especially?"
"He's too thin," she answered through pursed lips. "You are too, but he's making Jace seem fat. Anyway, I'm a grandmother. My job to fatten up the kids and let the parents worry about diets!"
Laughing, they kept on eating, with Joel savouring each mouthful before opening his mouth and vocalising 'ahhh' so that Cory would know when he was ready for more. Cory was having more fun feeding Joel that he was eating his own plate of cake.
The door to the kitchen opened quietly and T'Pol and Trip Tucker entered. "See? Follow the path of destruction until you find a kitchen, and you'll find kids. I told you, T'hy'la," Trip laughed as he and his wife approached.
"So you did," T'Pol answered.
As Joel said 'ahhhh' again for another mouthful he also raised his arm so that his grandmother could take more of his blood for tests. So used to it was he since Saturday that it was automatic whenever T'Pol first enters a room.
She raised an eyebrow. Deep inside she felt sadness for a brief moment, then forced it away. That her eldest grandson's reaction to her presence was this rather than the exuberant expressions of love that she had received last Thursday and Friday... it was oddly painful, even to her well trained mind. She nonetheless took a sample of blood from the boy, then ruffled his hair.
He was still saying 'ahhh', however, and no more food was appearing by 'Cory-Magic' in his mouth. He stopped and tilted his head slightly. "It's all gone?" he asked.
"Yup, we've both finished, Angel-Elf," Cory giggled.
"Oh... Grandma Mere?"
"Yes, sugarplum?"
Joel immediately giggled, but still managed to ask, "Can I have more later? It was very nice."
"Of course, sugar. And thank you; it's my own recipe."
T'Pol was half listening to the talk around her, but was also focusing on her tricorder. She smiled for a flash of an instant, but it was enough for Sean to catch.
"Okay Grandma, should I worry or run?" Sean giggled.
"Neither. Celebrate instead. For the past few days, Doctor McCoy and I have been seeing an increase in Sa'ren's immune system's fight against the virus. It has now purged his system of all traces," she answered as she waved the scanner over her grandson a few times. "Also," she added, her eyebrows raising in surprise, "he seems to have developed a counter retro-virus for the base code of the disease! I will have to run a few more tests, but it looks like his body has completed my daughter's work and found a total cure for HIV and AIDS!"
Joel's jaw dropped open and he let out the loudest yell of relief and joy that T'Pol had ever heard.
"I think that deserves a LOT of ice cream!" Cory suggested with a grin.
Jason and Sean were both cheering and nodding in agreement, but Joel instead burped and patted his slightly protruding stomach. "I've had enough for now, but... Grandma Mere? Would ice cream go well with your cheesecake?"
"I'll have some ready for you for later," she bubbled happily as she came around the table, scooped him up off of Cory's lap and squashed him into a cuddle. Then, with the slightly squished Vulcan teen in her arms she turned and pulled T'Pol in to join them.
T'Pol reasoned that it was best to not protest this, even though she found it slightly uncomfortable. Having her grandson squirrel around between Meredith and herself to latch onto her tightly was a far better reaction that what he had greeted her with when she had come in.
A half hour later and the four boys were down in the secondary basement of the manor. The corridor they were following led along the southern part of the area and transparent aluminum showed them the large indoor pool beyond. The floor above had mainly been storage, along with a secure area for Draco's main core.
"I like this pool better than the other one," Jason said as he continued walking and a reasonable pace. "Somehow feels more homely. The other's an Olympic sized pool, and with the way the roof of the building it's in works, can be either outside or inside."
Cory nodded, "It looks brilliant, especially with the old stonework of the basement."
Jason grinned. "If you think this is brilliant, wait till you see what's below us. There were only these two levels to the manor down here. But while I was off on Vulcan training at the beginning of the year, the Vulcan techs here found something else. There's a gap of about a floor's worth between this level and what they found below. Three more levels, easily double the length and width of the manor's own basements. They found the entrance with scanners then dug in a turbo lift from this level to the top one below."
There was something in Jason's tone that let Cory, Sean and Joel in on that he was keeping something secret.
"Spill," Sean said simply as they continued on toward what could only be the turbolift door at the end of the hallway.
Jason did not answer. They reached the door of the lift and got in. After a brief ride it opened and they all stepped out into a wonder. The hallway was long and well lit with Vulcan issue lighting, but the walls, floor, celling - everything about the architecture - seemed both alien and yet natural to them. Mostly a silver sheen, but matt not glossy. All tables and chairs there were of Vulcan or Earth design, but the doors were of a carved metal - carved as if made of wood - in a style not known to the boys.
"They found this, then we were told when we returned. Three floors of this, and it's been a complete archaeological site until fairly recently... at least until recently for these three floors," Jason explained as he slowly walked ahead of the group. "We still have historians and the like down here working, but we're now going to develop this area for more practical use. We have our answers, now, thanks to you guys in a way."
Jason turned to see weird looks coming from both Cory and Sean. Joel, however, was looking thoughtful as he moved to a wall and ran his hand over it. Cory hummed for a second, then asked, "Are you going to explain?"
"Vifer," Joel whispered.
"Huh?" Sean asked as he moved over to lay a hand on Joel's shoulder.
"It's logical," Joel explained, turning around to look at them through his crown-sight. "This place is old, of a human thought design, yet not a design known to Earth currently. Jason has stopped wondering about this place to the point that the main survey by the archaeologists has stopped, and he attributes it to us - or more precisely to you two. Ark released data about the past to the Clan just before I arrived, which would be about right to fit in with the withdrawal being 'fairly recently'. Everything here is silver, and the metal of this wall - and it is metal - feels warm. Alive. I'm guessing vitaferrum has been used in the mix of the alloy of everything here. This would likely point to Vifer. Or if not them then those who created them."
"Wait... the wall is warm?" Sean mumbled as he placed his other hand on the wall Joel was standing by. "It... I don't feel it."
"It's subtle. But the wall is metal and should feel cooler at room temperature as we're in now. There's no sign of a heating element... so what's making it warm? My Armour and Sword are warmer at room temperature as well, so it's an educated guess," Joel smiled.
Jason was clapping even before Joel finished. "Well done, bro. Yes, the Vifer. This place was dated as 50,134 years old; give or take. It's just a little younger than Nyo himself. Once we found references to the Vifer in your data-banks, and once we'd become part of Clan Short, we asked Ark about it. Ark told us that this was the first independent base set up by escaping Vifer not long after the race was created. It's small, at least what remains. Ark said this part was underground while most of the rest lived on the surface."
"What happened to them?" Cory asked as he moved to a door and ran his own hand over it.
"Died. In the Faction War. Quite early on, Ark said. All signals from here went dead at that point," Jason answered. "Of course, before we found out about Ark, this was a massive mystery to us. Not quite as big as others we found, but... well, this is just a small part of what I wanted to show you. Come on, over here and down the stairs to the lowest level of the Vifer Section. What's left to explain defies all of this."
As they walked to the stairs, Joel asked, "Why didn't you inform Starfleet about this? They would have loved to get involved."
"Because of what else we found... and because of what else we can't overcome. The Vulcan High Command and VSO Command told us to keep a lid on it. Now that I know the Clan has access to Ark and what I've already shown you could become known at any point, hiding this is pointless. What's below, however..." he sighed as he reached the third level of the Vifer base and moved out into the hallway, "what's below not even Ark can see. Yet Ark knows that some of us have been there and people are still studying it."
"Studying what?" Cory asked with a note of impatience.
Jason pointed at a door opposite. He opened it and stepped aside. Cory moved close enough to peer through.
Beyond was a sloping floor down until the short hallway was over fifteen feet high, and over ten wide. At the end, no more than fifty feet or so, was a huge door, measuring thirteen feet by six. Unknown markings were traced all over it. He watched as it opened and a Vulcan stepped through into the hall. He walked toward them, carrying several notebooks and files filled with papers, and came up the slope and went into the main hallway of the Vifer base.
"Okay, I want!" Cory exclaimed as he stared at the huge door. "What's this place, Jace?"
"We still don't know," the Welsh Patriarch answered. "But I'd advise you call out to those cute little lads who have taken up room in your head that you might drop off 'radar' when you go through that door. Joel? Do the same for those you're linked with. Not even Vulcan mind-links work through that door."
Cory concentrated for a second, then giggled. "I was just informed that if I make a habit of this that they're gonna make me pay for it! But they're not too worried; nothing's been able to stop them yet."
Joel blinked, not so much at Cory's statement but at what he was just told by Juan. "Um, I have to take someone else with me," Joel smiled as Levi popped in next to him. "As Juan said, '...if normal telepaths are going to be blocked, take a Miky with you!'"
"Okay," Jason grinned as he started walking down the slope toward the huge door.
As they drew close to it they could make out faint symbols and writing over the surface, but nothing that any of them could recognise. Just a few feet from it, some of them began to glow, but due to the damage of time they just flickered and did nothing else. Jason stepped back. "Careful," he hissed as he held out his hands to keep the others behind him. The words and symbols continued to flicker for a moment then stopped. "Strange... and unnerving," he said, his voice sounding odd.
"They don't usually do that?" Cory asked. "And Levi, stop trying to paint the walls of your Dad's room in my head!"
"Only once before, the first time I came down here. They haven't since. That was a bit freaky then, but it became unnerving later when... oh, I'll show you when we're inside the next level. Something's new that caused this door to react," Jason answered as he turned to look at them.
Joel's strange mist-eyes were glowing brightly as he surveyed the door. His face was puzzled but also understanding.
"What is it?" Jason asked him directly.
Joel pointed to the flowing script that seemed broken in places, "It's a warning, and a welcome. It doesn't say whom it welcomes or warns, but this door is part of a system of defences for whomever built this place."
Sean put up a hand in a waiting gesture, "Before we go anywhere, what do you know about this? Anything?"
Jason scratched at his head, "Not as much as we'd like, but we know it's safe - at least on the first level. What we have here is a complex that is unknown to us; even its full size is unknown."
"You said even Ark doesn't know about it?" Sean pressed.
"Correct. It's part of the reason I told you to warn the telepaths that you might drop out of contact. I drop out when I pass this door, so any lesser telepath would as well. Not sure if it'll effect the Mikyvis or any energy based being, though - still, a warning is better than a nasty surprise," Jason moved slightly and gestured for them all to sit near the door.
"Okay, this is what we know. There're at least two levels down there, and the gap between this lowest level of the Vifer section and the top level of whatever the hell it is is about fifty feet. This door leads to a spiral staircase, similar to the ones connecting the three Vifer levels above. The steps are huge, and the whole complex is just as huge in proportion. It's as if it were designed for people that are twice the height and size of a normal human. Nothing electronic can penetrate the door or the complex. No scanner can see it or size it, and we will be off transporter and teleporter ability once inside. Anything electrical we take with us will work and take readings, etc. But any electronic information gained, or even camera undeveloped film pictures of the inside, will be wiped once we exit. That's why that Vulcan you saw was carrying paper notebooks and the rest."
"This should be interesting," Cory commented.
"It gets better," Jason smiled. "The one floor of this complex we have access to is large, bigger than the manor in floor space. There is another door the other end that leads down into yet another floor, but only three have ever passed it. Myself, a Lieutenant Vok, and a young Blue Level operative, Michael. You might meet him down there. He's fascinated with this stuff. We somehow passed the second door and went down, but didn't get off of the stairs before we had to turn back. We only just made it for the door was closing by itself. Since then it hasn't opened to any, and I've posted guards to stop any from trying to get through. If it closes with someone the other side there is no way to get them out. No way at all. The door is impervious to phaser fire, explosives... the whole complex is. The technology is so far advanced that... well, it's..."
"Magic," Joel and Levi said together.
"Precisely," the Welsh Division Commander nodded. Then he dropped the bomb. "And we believe it is all governed by an AI."
Sean tilted his head and turned to look at Cory. Cory was doing the same and looking at him. Sean glanced back, "And you came to this conclusion how?"
Jason smiled, then raised an eyebrow and looked at their little Vulcan brother. "Joel? Fancy answering that, oh son of Vulcan Logic?"
Joel smiled then scooted over on his butt to sit on Sean's lap. Levi did the same to sit on Cory's. "Logic is the answer. Jace said that all electronic information gained within this deep complex will be wiped when it is brought back up to this level. He said nothing about any information from up here taken down being wiped. So, in order for such selective wiping, even to the extent of a camera's film, it would need a high intelligence and run time capability. Ark would have the runtime and likely the knowledge to run it, if Ark had the tech as well. Daileass and Draco, maybe. However, a standard computer program or even a sophisticated VI couldn't do it. It would have to be one of two things - an AI that is still running the place, or..."
"Or the builders are still there," Cory completed, nodding his head as he followed Joel's thought process. He looked at Jason, "Do you have a guess as to who built this? It must have been before Ark came online as she'd have seen it being placed."
"Would she?" Jason smiled. "The tech is keeping her from seeing it now. This is the most sophisticated cloaking device ever found, my Patriarch. Whoever built this could have done it a year ago and no-one would have likely known. However... however, while we cannot bring digital information back out our technology still works down there. Our Vulcan experts dated it, and you're going to shit yourself."
"No I won't -- I had an enema earlier today... meeting my little brother pretty much cleaned me out!" Cory giggled.
Sean giggled, then poked Jace, "Come on, don't keep us in suspense."
Jason laughed. "Okay, okay. It's over sixty five million years old."
Sean's jaw hit his chest.
"That's almost as old as some of your jokes, Jace!" Cory stated, an amazed look on his face.
"Yep, about that," Jason nodded. He glanced at Levi, who was also looking suitably impressed; then at Joel who had no surprise on his face at all. "Joel?"
Joel smiled, "I... just had a feeling about this place, Jace. I didn't know, but..."
"Okay. Come on then, guys. Let's go see what the egg-heads down there are up to today," the Welsh Patriarch said as he got up and helped Sean to stand. He reached and gently closed Sean's mouth. "Stop catching flies, bro."
Sean grinned. "Actually, I was waiting on Cory..."
"Bite me... OUCH! I meant Sean, not you, Angel!" Cory yelped as Joel bit his arm - gently, of course.
Joel kissed the boo-boo better then moved over, hand in hand with Levi, to the door. He touched it. For an instant the symbols glowed but then faded again. "You ready?" he asked impatiently.
Levi giggled, "If I didn't know better I'd say you were Uncle Jim's son, not Grandpa's! You're so like Uncle Jim!"
"Thanks," Joel giggled as well.
"I don't THINK Joel's tried to sleep with half the Galaxy..." Cory giggled and was about to continue when Joel interrupted him.
"Nope! Just, you, Teddy, Leevee, Juan and of course Kevvy!"
"But anyway," Cory continued, blushing until his face flamed, "go for whatever you're planning."
Jason shook his head. "Counting your chickens, Joel?" he giggled as he opened the door and moved the laughing Vulcan through gently. "You've not even bedded those two goofs yet."
"Been getting tips from Ollie," Joel giggled.
"Lord help us..." Sean intoned with a grin.
Laughing, the group all moved through the door.
Levi stopped laughing and yelled as he jumped backwards and back into the hallway. Kyle, Tyler and the rest of the Mikyvis all appeared with loud pops. Quint also appeared, tagging along due to curiosity if nothing else.
"What just happened?!" Kyle yelled as he grabbed Levi quickly. "Levi just... vanished for a moment."
"Interesting," Jason murmured. "It even affects Mikyvis?"
Tyler looked over at Levi, fire in his eyes. "Are you hurt Leev? If so I'm gonna..."
Levi shook his head. "Just felt weird. I couldn't feel you any more, Poppa."
"I don't feel Kevin in my mind any more," Joel said seriously, "but I told him it would happen."
"I didn't know if it would happen with you guys," Jason said simply, "but I asked Cory to let you know, just in case. If it's going to be an issue for one of you to follow us, then I'll understand if Levi stays here. It's not comfortable for me either, so I really understand."
Kyle was about to open his mouth to say that Levi would most certainly not be going with them, but Levi beat him to the punch. "I'll come. I'm in no danger, Daddy... I'll be okay."
Shutting his mouth tight, so that his displeasure could be seen in the fine line that it had become, Kyle nodded.
Peter bounced slightly. "Well, now that curiosity is satisfied, I'll go back to the second I left... I was busy. Seeya!" and away he vanished.
"You really stirred the pot when you vanished from their minds," Jason smiled. "Looks like it even concerned a Q!"
"I am more concerned about this... place," Quint said in distaste as he looked at the door. "Damn the Vol'Kier... I will not go with you. I am going up top."
With a flash of light he vanished.
"Hmm, it scares a Q? This could be fun!" Cory quipped, ignoring the glare from Sean.
Another flash and Quint popped back. "Scared? SCARED?! You're DAMN right I'm scared. You should be too! You are all treading on ground walked by Ancients, and though they are younger than all High Races of Old they are ALIEN to us all! We could never understand them! Never control them! They are phased so much from Time that we cannot even see the race they evolved from! No-one can... save one, and he never spoke of them. And the WONDERFUL Guardian of Forever LETS THESE FUCKERS DO WHAT THEY WANT! It's INFURIATING! And oh so dangerous... from the purest motives the worst evils can be spawned, and these Vol'Kier have spawned those who scare the Q only a little less than Vae'Za. You'd BETTER be scared!"
Then he vanished in a viciously bright flash of light.
Sean gave Cory an 'I told you so' glare that could melt ice, but Cory ignored it. "We gonna just stand here? I'm not gonna let a little technological magic dissuade me."
Kyle leaned over to Tyler, "Have you ever noticed that engineers are naturally insane?"
Tyler nodded, "Yeah, must be job stress related."
"I'll second that, Kyle," Sean stated in exasperation.
"So I'm guessing the entire Mikyvis Brigade - minus Peter - are coming too?" Jason smiled.
In answer, Kyle, his hubby and their kids all moved through the door to join the others together. "Just like the Tardis," Kyle whispered. "It's so quiet. The outside is gone. Cor? This isn't technology... at least I don't think so. I don't even think I could pop around in here."
"If it is, then it's very old, very advanced tech," Joel said as he started off down the large steps. "Very big too... I would hate to have to pick up one of these guys' shoes!"
"You know what they say about big feet..." Bryce dead-panned, his attempt to lighten the mood falling flat with everyone due to the tension.
As they continued down the stairs, Jason said, "Don't worry, guys. Quint might have a beef against the builders of this place - these Vol'Kier - but we've been down here for nearly six months. Nothing bad has happened."
"Yet..." Sean muttered under his breath.
They all gathered in the first room at the bottom of the stairs. Huge was not a big enough word to describe it. Standing lights of Vulcan and human design were placed all over in order to cast light on everything, and chairs and tables covered in papers and notes, plus a few tricorders, were scattered about. Three Vulcan scientists were talking quietly over in one corner, ignoring them completely.
All over the walls markings could be seen; writing from the celling down to the half way point, then pictures to the bottom. The script was foreign to them, yet one or two of them felt a tug at their consciousnesses upon looking at them. Jason felt it every time he came down here. The Mikyvis felt nothing. Cory and Sean felt the same as Jason. Joel just stared, trembling.
Jason pointed around. "We're taking our time, but really we could spend forever here. This language defies translation without a 'Rosetta stone' to aid us. But the pictures are interesting. Come here and..." he said as he moved to the nearest ones by the door they had just come out of, leading back to the spiral staircase.
Joel turned, then gasped. Over the top of the door were more words, and they now glowed at his gaze. "'Behold the Memories of our people,'" he whispered, "'writ here for the ages. Our past, our present, and if we earn it, our future. This is our Gateway, Reliquary. If you be worthy - blood of our blood, or heir of our legacy - you shall find the way, as Kal'Ras guides.'"
As soon as he'd finished speaking, all the walls glowed, then the writing changed. The three Vulcan scientists stepped back, staring at the walls before turning to look at the young Vulcan boy, their eyebrows raised. There was sudden noise from all the others as they all started asking questions. The Mikyvis chattered amongst themselves while Cory, Sean and Jason all spoke at once, their eyes roving over the moving writing and pictures.
"What is this?"
"Joel? What did you do?"
"Doesn't feel like anything Galli showed us, huh, Kyle?"
"Elf? You can understand this?"
The sound of tricorders could be heard from the three scientists further down as the recorded as much as they could. Whilst they could not take such readings back up to the main parts of the Nest, they could certainly use those readings to write down on paper all that they were recording at a later point.
Joel was no less surprised at what was happening; more so, in some ways. He could instinctively read this writing yet he did not know from where he gained that knowledge. However, to answer the last question he'd managed to discern from Cory, whether he could understand it, the words and pictures were moving too quickly to make out properly. If only there were a way to slow them, or order them, then maybe he could find out more about this place... and maybe even about himself.
As suddenly as it began, the movement of what was on the walls stopped. Everyone looked at Joel, and Cory walked up slowly to place a hand on the boy's shoulder. "What now, Lil'elf?" he asked.
The Vulcan gave no answer, instead read some of the other words that were on either side of the door to the staircase. He then nodded to himself and moved to the left of the door and started scanning the writing as far up as possible. As the wall was seventeen feet from the floor he found it difficult to see what was near the top. The door they had come through was just like the one above in the sloped hallway, thirteen foot high, but the writing he had read on the relatively small piece of wall above it had been larger.
"I wish the pictures were at the top and the writing down here," Joel grumbled to himself.
The walls - all of them in the entire floor, judging by the sudden comm chatter - changed as if to Joel's wishes.
"Definitely an AI," Sean managed to say as he moved closer to Cory.
Joel nodded absently, "Indeed. The real question is; why has this not done so before? Reacted to what people say, I mean."
At first no-one had an answer, but Joel suddenly stopped reading the section he was looking at and moved to the opposite side of the room, to the panel of wall on the right of the door leading out of the first room they were in and into a hallway. "Ah, the trigger was for someone to translate or interpret what the 'welcome message' said."
Jason was looking between the first panel of writing and the second that Joel was now at. "And this panel told you... it's an index?"
"Correct," the little Vulcan stated as he continued reading what he was standing by.
Cory looked back up at the 'welcome message' and felt a small hand take his. Automatically he hoisted Kyle up and sat him on his hip, "You okay, Lil'bro?"
"I guess," Kyle nodded as he cuddled into Cory's side, the security of Cory's arms relaxing him. Then he grinned, "I think I like a'ventures!"
Cory grinned as well, then called back to Joel over his shoulder, "What does 'Kal'Ras' mean, Elf? You translated everything else..."
"Unknown. Might be a proper name, but unless I find an explanation I'll won't be able to put it into the correct frame of reference to translate. Sorry," he replied, still studying the wall.
"Take your time," Cory smiled, holding Kyle close.
Jason had walked over to the scientists while this was going on. "Well, we wanted something to unlock the language. Those words above the door are unchanged and Joel's given us their translation. Does it help at all?"
One of the three nodded. "It is a beginning. We will need more to allow the translators to truly decipher all that is here, but we can begin at least."
"Good. I'm eager to know what secrets these aliens have buried here."
"This way," Joel said suddenly as he moved quickly to the door leading to the rest of the complex. "If we're to start anywhere then the beginning would be good."
They followed him, but did not need to go far for the boy had turned into the doorway of the first room on the left. In the centre of this room was a monolith with a carved relief, and around the walls the same writings and pictures were seen - now in the same order as the first room, due to Joel's statement.
"This is the only room we found with one of these. We think it has some religious or cultural significance," Jason said simply as he placed an arm loosely over Ezra's shoulder.
They waited while Joel studied the walls and monolith for a while. Then, after about ten minutes of chatting away to themselves, a small cough from the boy brought their attention back to him. "Looks like our Super-Linguist is about to stun us with his brilliance," Levi giggled.
Joel poked his tongue out at him.
"Promise?" Levi asked cutely and coyly.
Raising an eyebrow, Joel answered, "Of course. Then I'll follow up with..." He started to explain what he was planning on doing to the suddenly furiously blushing Mikyvis' body in exquisite detail.
Kyle and Tyler's faces exploded into blushes so fast that Cory swore their ears were smoking.
Cory decided that pity should be taken - not for Levi's sake, who, while still blushing badly, seemed to be enjoying the explanation of forthcoming mutual pleasures - but rather for his parent's sakes. "Um, Elf? You want to explain what you've discovered about this place?"
"You dawg, bro," Ezra giggled as he nudged his eldest brother in the ribs. "You sly, sexy beast. How did you land this one?"
"Act cute, blink cute..." Levi giggled as his face started to return to normal. Then he smiled over at Joel warmly, "No, I just returned his love... and asked him a few questions."
"Tell all!" Bryce and Dylan said at once.
"Why? You've got boyfriends! I'll tell my baby brother, though... got to give him some tips," Levi giggled, winking at the three of them to show he really would 'tell all' once they were out of ear-shot of their obviously more staid and modest parents.
"Guys," Cory giggled. "You're not helping your poor Dads!"
"Soooorrrrryyyyy, Daaaads!" all four echoed.
"You know, you guys still haven't got the hang of making fake halos," Kyle teased as a way of acceptance.
Joel tapped his foot.
"Sorry, big bro," Kyle grinned. "What have you found?"
Smiling, Joel pointed behind him at the monolith. "This room is a record of the earliest days of these people, and this big hunk of rock is all that is left of their religion as it used to be - or at least the prevailing religion, from what I can tell."
"Does it tell you who these people are, Elf? If we're to start at the beginning, then that would be a good place," Sean asked curiously.
The boy shook his head. "No, and that's interesting. It's all written in such a way that it assumes we should know who they are," he answered. "At least this room. But then, if this room is of the earliest records of these people, they might not have thought about aliens..."
"You speak as if these guys aren't aliens," Jason pointed out calmly.
Joel paused and scratched his head, "It's just a feeling, but I think that they are, or were, indigenous to Earth..."
"You better define 'indigenous' for the blonds, Elf," Ezra prodded with a smile.
"Bite me, Ezzy," Cory replied. "So you think they're not someone we deal with now, Elf?"
"Well, no. Not really, but also... there's stuff here that doesn't make an awful lot of sense, yet, Cor. They may still be around, but some might not be here and some might be... I can guess at their name, though."
"That's almost as confusing as Ezzy's genetic tree," Cory responded, giggling at his return poke at Ezra. "What kinda name are you thinking they're known by?"
"The Voth," Joel said quietly. "Distantly related to you... I mean us, cos I'm half human. From what I know from Star Trek, the Voth left Earth about sixty five million years ago. They now live on the other side of the galaxy, but... going by this, there may be some elements different in this place to that which I know of. Look here." He turned and pointed up at the top of the monolith at what seemed to be a large humanoid figure engraved there. "That's Ashkar, the Creator. The name means Great Father. And these three under him, the two white and one black? The white ones are Kla Rosa and Kla Saka - Lord of Justice and Lord of Order. The black one is Kla Levoz, Lord of Death. He has other names, though. jol'Nea, Dark Light or False Light, and... and..." Joel turned to look Cory in the eye as he said, "... and zKath Nesh. First Betrayer."
Cory blinked at the last of the names. "zKath?"
Joel nodded slowly. "You did read the report from the Enterprise, then?"
"Kyle did and dumped it all in my head," Cory answered. "So... so that huge ship that changed shape... they are somehow linked to all this? To that name you said popped into your head in your report?"
Joel nodded. "It gets better," he said dryly. "Think about the names again, Cor... Lord of Justice? Lord of Order? Death? False or Dark Light? First Betrayer? Doesn't that sound an awful lot like..."
"Yeah, it does," Sean whispered as Cory simply nodded. "What about the other three on there? There's a white and a black figure, and something else; can't make it out."
Joel turned back to the monolith, "These three. Well, okay - from what I read, these people - maybe Voth - believed in one supreme being but a few other gods under that being. They also venerated other beings of great power, or had respect and caution about them. The white one is one they venerated - u'Kan Reez, the protector of time. The one they were cautious about is u'Kan Vosk, protector of space; also called zKath vi H'Ki, Betrayer of Pride, and Aldu'Threis..." Cory sucked in another breath. "Ah, you recognise part of that too, huh? Home Reaver, or Destroyer."
"That was something that ship-thing said to you when you started talking that odd language," Kyle murmured. "Thinking about it, it sounds like the language here..."
Joel nodded. "Ha'Threis means 'Blessed Home'. The 'ship' also said 'Vol'Kier'... that's Oath-Sworn."
Cory rubbed at his chin, "There was more, wasn't there? Jak... something. They seemed to call you it when you spoke in this language."
"Jak'laran mas n'kana," Joel recited, his perfect memory serving as well as always. "Jak'laran. Dragon son or Son of the Dragon. Mas n'kana... is a bit difficult to put into exact translation, but the closest I can figure it would be 'herald of'. I'm not this 'Dragon son', but I'm meant to herald him or her... or it, for all we know."
"You sure it's not Cory?" Kyle giggled. "He seems to like collecting titles like JJ collects police badges!"
Cory reached over and poked Kyle in the ribs, "Watch it bro - remember, you actually sleep again!"
Smirking, Kyle turned to Tyler, "Was that a threat? I think it was a threat. It sounded like a threat, didn't it?"
"It suuuurre did!" Tyler giggled. "You know what that means."
Both boys grinned back at Cory sweetly.
"You wouldn't...." Cory giggled as everyone cleared the area around him.
They continued to grin... right up until the moment they tried to do whatever it was that they were planning on doing. They they became concerned. "Ah... our powers ain't working..." Tyler said softly, looking around at the room they were in carefully.
Cory's grin quickly vanished, "Can you guys check each other out to make sure you're okay?"
"They're... fine! My powers work..." Ezra said, his face a mask of puzzlement.
Levi made a cookie appear out of thin air... which vanished as quickly by the cookie-sensing Joel. "Okay, weird. We can do some things but... let's try dunking Sean in the Arctic Circle," he said softly.
"Hey!" Sean protested uselessly.
Nothing happened.
"You're not getting it," Joel said as he swallowed the last of the cookie. "Quint was scared of coming here. Something to do with Vol'Kier. Until I saw that writing I didn't understand any of this, but think about it. If Quint is scared of Vol'Kier then it means they have to be power based beings too. Maybe they're stopping you do 'aggressive' powers... and they might see dunking your brothers in the ocean to cool their 'bits' as aggressive," he finished with a shrug. "These Vol'Kier might still be here. Might not be an AI after all!"
"Well Ezzy, you're the weirdness expert here; you got any input?" Cory asked, his tone actually serious.
Ezra scratched at the side of his head for a moment, then created two cookies. He gave one to Joel and started eating the other himself. "Mmy'dunno!" he mumbled around his mouthful, shrugging at the same time.
"Okay Elf, looks like this is all you; since Kyle and Ty's kids have caught your cookie addiction!" Cory said with a smile.
"Ezzy has," Joel giggled. "Bryce and Dilly, dunno. Levi, though... he likes eating other things!"
The sweetest, most innocent, butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth look was perfected in that instant by Levi.
Cory rolled his eyes. "I don't wanna know... I REALLY DON'T wanna know!"
Still smiling that sickly sweet smile, Levi said, "If what Joel said is true and you're all thinking about... something... you might start eating my favourite meal too!"
Both Kyle and Tyler plugged their ears and started singing nonsense songs quite loudly, their eyes squeezed tightly shut.
"Lil'elf, control your Mikyvis!" Sean chuckled. "Cory's gonna catch fire if Levi makes him blush any more."
Joel raised an eyebrow, then moved over to Levi, spun him around and kissed him. Levi's legs turned to jelly after the first few seconds. After thirty, he was limp in Joel's arms. Joel sat him down on the floor then walked back to the monolith. "So, this last symbol on this thing," he said, as if nothing had happened.
Levi was giggling happily to himself, after having pulled off his sneaker to play with his toes.
Cory shook his head in wonder, "Okay, what do you think that symbol means, bro?"
Joel simply looked at it for a moment or so, then over at Cory. Concern and worry was on his face. "This is the strangest of them all. They more than venerate this deity, yet don't fully think of him as a deity. They don't worship him, nor treat him as the last two I spoke of - I think they represent the two Guardians, by the way; Forever and his fallen brother. They call this last one their 'maker to come', and the one who would restore the High Crown of their Home. The names here are Kal'Ras, Broken Soul..."
"As in 'as Kal'Ras guides'?" Dylan asked.
"Exactly. Then there's Nea'Nesh'Ral, Future's First Light, and Nea eTran, Light of Change," he said as he turned to look once more at the indistinct mark - like a faded star-burst - that represented this Vol'Kier god and placed the palm of his right hand over it.
"What about that name these unknown voices call you? Winglord? Does it have something to do with these Vol'Kier," Cory asked.
"It might... maybe I'm to find this god of theirs..." Joel whispered as he kept his hand over the image of Kal'Ras.
He then started shaking, and the monolith seemed to chime.
At the doorway of the room, electrical energy rippled and arced to the centre of the doorway. A large figure seemed to take on form, towering above them all. Outside in the hallway, all the Vulcans and VSO operatives in the area ran over to watch from the outside.
Inside the room, the kids all moved back to where the monolith stood, staring at this figure taking form in the doorway.
Joel still hadn't moved.
There were no distinguishing features on this being, just bright energy flowing around in the form of a man. More or less. The neck was too long, it had a tail, and only three digits on each hand. The face was elongated forward predominantly. And it was over ten feet tall.
"Ashhe ka reis, Celoi," it said, it's voice echoing and raspy. "Be thou welcome, Celoi. I am Reliquary. I greet you in the name of the Voth who were; the Oath-Sworn who are. Hope is born to us this day, for before now it was but a glimmer. Now we truly see a chance. Hold in your hearts the knowledge that we smile on you, little brothers. Hold on..."
He stopped and stared at them. Specifically at Cory. "You bear the legacy of blood. Is the time so close? Is the hour now?" He then looked past Cory at the Vulcan boy who was still as stone, touching the Monolith. "Is this the moment that the Great War ends?"
Sean twisted his head between the figure, Cory, and Joel repeatedly. "I'm gonna need Poppa Spock to help me sort this out in my head when we get back," he grumbled.
"Who are you? What does that mean?" Cory asked, his voice hollow as he stretched his hand backwards to tug on Joel gently.
The being, Reliquary, lowered his face, "That hope is born, yet horror comes. A threat already looms upon all you know, and it is only in the coming of Kal'Ras - the true coming that the Voth lost hope for - for it to be averted. Yet without the other side of the coin, the linked hands through stars... that hope stands upon the edge of a sword. Yet a sign should be given, more than what is... doest thou know the great hope of the Celoi? Does is still echo in your blood? In your souls? We kept it safe since the ages of Gold, long in your past... does it still live now? Do you carry the words, Son of Legacy, or does he?" the being said, looking beyond Cory to Joel.
Cory shook his head. He turned to wrap his arms around Joel and pull him from the monolith, but he found his little brother already looking up at him.
"When the Path to the Stars opens up over the Celoi," the boy said.
Cory stepped back, but, unbidden, he started speaking too. So too did they all:
"When the Star-Brothers to be bind to us with their blood,
"When the Forsaken Heir is found and Oaths are made firm,
"When the Raptor is felt and strife comes upon the Earth,
"When fear starts to grow in the Heart of Time's sons,
"The Reaver shall awake... and Kal'Ras will turn his gaze upon the last Jak'laran."
"It is the sign," Reliquary said. "I shall hope for those who made me. Tell your people that the knowledge here shall now start being revealed. They shall ask, I shall answer. They shall seek, I shall show. But I will not press on what could be or must be or should be. I shall await - secure in the knowledge that the promise, the truth and the faith we placed into your kind still lives... look for the Seven, Winglord; seek Kal'Ras. Look for the Arrow. He who would be Jak'laran, seek the Keeper of the Key... in Empire's Heart you shall find her; then ring the bell at the hour of need. If you be worthy, the last test shall await you as the Shadows test your resolve... Fare thee well, Celoi of Old; for such is shown to be reborn. May Kal'Ras guide you."
Then, as he appeared, Reliquary vanished.
"Okay, I'd rather a long talk with Galli and the Guardian compared to that vague nonsense!" Sean spluttered.
Cory would have responded, but Joel had gone stiff as a board in his arms. The Vulcan boy started to twitch and then convulse, his face twisting with pain. "Br...rother... it hurts," came his stammered yet dispassionate plea. 'Sa'ren' had returned, and this time it seemed Joel's body could not handle the change over at all. The boy lost consciousness, yet continued to twitch and convulse, heading toward a full blown fit.
Levi threw himself at his Joel as Cory started shouting for help. "I still can't port out!" Levi wailed. "I can't help him, he needs Grampa or Unca Bones!"
"Jace, are you..." Sean started as he helped Cory lower their brother to the floor and to try and stop him from hurting himself in this fit.
"...sure that transporters won't work? Positive... look, I'll carry him out. Come on, move it, people!" Jace yelled.
"There's no heartbeat! We don't have time to carry him up those fucking stairs!" Levi yelled, swearing for the first time in his young life - that his parents knew of, anyway.
Cory's eyes blazed in helpless anger and fear. "Reliquary, if you're still here, then get us the fuck OUT of here! NOW!"
As if in answer, the walls rippled with what looked like lightning. A voice spoke as the walls started glowing bright, "Unable to move him with Voth technology. Celoi transporters activated; in five, four, three..."
As Reliquary counted down, the electrical arcing increased until all of them felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.
Then:
"Activated."
They all vanished as they rode the lightning out...
Editor's Notes:
Now there's something you don't see everyday, a Vulcan boy being transported, using Celoi transporters.
This is indeed quite a memorable chapter, and so very fitting considering the special activities happening right about now.
Congratulations, guys. This is good stuff!
Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher