Memories Part 2: Spreading The Hope

USS Lafayette, Captains Quarters:

"Admiral Morrow on a priority call for you Captain." Lieutenant Markson announced.

"Patch it through." Roger replied as he scrambled to his desk. As soon as the image on the screen stabilized, Roger greeted the Admiral.

"This is Captain Simmons. Good morning Admiral; how may I be of assistance?"

Admiral Morrow made a barely-noticeable gesture that appeared to be nothing more than a nervous twitch as he replied "Good morning Captain. I'm afraid I must make a change in your deployment orders once again. At Ambassador Sarek's request, you are now permanently assigned to support Federation Youth Services. Your orders will come directly from the Federation Youth Services Director and Clan Short."

"I actually expected that Admiral." Roger replied with a grin. "I think my crew had a pool going as to when we'd get the official word. From the rumblings on the shipboard grapevine I think you were close to getting a petition for just that. Patriarch Short made quite an impression here while he was onboard. I think most of my crew has taken up his and Director Short's cause."

Admiral Morrow twitched again. "Very well then; I will leave it to you to pass on the news to your crew. Morrow out."

"Lafayette out." Roger replied as he reached out and slid a coffee cup from the right corner of his plastisteel desk to a spot directly in front of him that was marked with a 'knot' in the simulated wood surface. He picked it up as if taking a drink from it, then set it down in the opposite corner.

"Why can't you just use a foot trigger?" Morrow asked from a now blue-tinted screen.

"Because I like to hear you complain; it's no worse than your 'twitch'. Why did you need a secure connection?" Roger responded with a chuckle. "What's the real story Sir?"

Morrow shook his head. "I don't envy Cory one bit getting you. You're authorized to tell your crew this part; I'll fill you in on ears-only after the briefing. Effective yesterday afternoon Ambassador Sarek has promoted Cory Short to Fleet Commander of the Clan Short Division of the Vulcan Fleet. It is my understanding that he will be receiving his flagship, the D'Kyr, fairly soon."

"He's getting a D'Kyr class ship?" Roger interrupted.

"No; THE D'Kyr. Fresh from refit according to my sources." Morrow replied. "This is for your ears only. It seems one of our associates instigated an action which just about became an interplanetary incident. All contact was lost with him immediately after the issuance of the order; an investigation is in progress now. Based upon the after-effects of said order, our associates on the Security Council decided to propose this action, which was passed unanimously. Unofficially, you are now permanently assigned to the Vulcan Fleet under Fleet Commander Short. Any support you provide for Federation Youth Services will be under his orders. The Federation Council approved it this morning, and demanded the actual terms be kept top secret to prevent any fallout from other ships in the Fleet."

"I'll have to ask Cory about his retirement plan." Roger chuckled. "What's the 'Official' version?"

Admiral Morrow smiled. "For some reason I don't think retirement is in Cory's vocabulary. Officially, your ship is TAD* to Clan Short until such time as the Council determines their fleet can stand on its own. Even though I'm sure you're aware of this, Fleet Commander Short is in a position in the Vulcan Fleet which places him at a rank just under me in Starfleet. His Starfleet commission was made null and void by his Vulcan commission; but due to his status in the Vulcan Fleet he is to be accorded every right and courtesy granted a Starfleet Officer. I chose your ship due to the working relationship you already have with Clan Short. I need to know right now if there are going to be any issues with you taking orders from a fourteen year old equivalent to a Starfleet Admiral."

(* TAD: Temporary Active Duty - A transfer to another chain of command that is of a fixed duration of time then the affected party returns to their normal duty station.)

Roger shook his head. "There won't be any problems on this end; unlike SOME Admirals I know, he listens to reason before acting. Which version of our final Starfleet orders is the crew authorized to hear?"

Admiral Morrow looked over at a PADD that had just been placed on his desk by an unseen person. "I believe it is safe to tell your crew both versions. You might want to talk to your Fleet Commander about filling the three vacancies you just had open up in Transporter Control. It seems three of the personnel in that division were directly involved in a child slavery ring; I have taken the liberty of taking them into custody for Federation prosecution. Do you have anything else before I mark this officially completed?"

"No, I believe you have everything covered Admiral." Roger replied. "From the crew of the Lafayette thank you for giving us this opportunity."

"You're welcome Captain. Morrow out."

Roger shifted his cup back to it's original position, then opened the ship-wide announcement channel. "This is the Captain. All off-duty and non-essential on-duty personnel report to the Rec Deck in ten minutes. Repeat; all off-duty and non-essential on-duty personnel report to the Rec Deck in ten minutes." He then opened a private channel directly to the Communications Officer. "Bridge, this is the Captain."

"Bridge, Lieutenant Mathes. Go ahead Sir."

"Put me on the Bridge speaker please Lieutenant."

"Yes sir." After a brief pause, Mathes announced "You are on speaker Sir."

Roger took a deep breath. "This is the Captain. I have just received orders from the Federation Council which affect our operational status. Effective immediately we have been transferred to operate in the Vulcan Fleet under the command of Fleet Commander Cory Short. From this point forward any communications from Clan Short are to be handled using the same protocols that would be used for transmissions from Starfleet Headquarters. From this point forward our readiness status is to follow the security status of Clan Short until we receive orders from Fleet Commander Short stating otherwise. Mathes, please ensure that all personnel who are required to stay on-station are patched into the Rec Deck for my announcement to the crew. That is all."

"Acknowledged Sir." Mathes replied. "All Clan communications channels have been set to high priority. Bridge out."

 

Lafayette Rec Deck; 30 minutes later:

'That went well' Roger thought to himself as he watched his crew streaming out the doors. They had actually responded better than he thought they would, to the point that he had to stop repeatedly to let the cheers die down. He headed to the nearest turbolift and was just about to tell it to go to deck five so that he could return to his quarters when the yellow alert klaxon went off. "Priority override. Bridge." he snapped.

The doors on the lift immediately swished shut and the car quickly accelerated. Within seconds, Roger stepped out onto the bridge. "Report!"

Mathes turned to the Captain. "We intercepted a communication on the Clan Distress channel. The only thing we could make out was 'under attack; lots of people down' then it trailed off. I have the Clan-wide broadcast channel on speaker.

Roger was about to reply when the speaker suddenly screamed. "RED ALERT! All divisions! RED ALERT! Security Personnel stand by for deployment! All Medical Personnel prepare for incoming casualties. Report status to Headquarters immediately. This is not a drill, attack in progress. Casualties HAVE been reported!"

Mathes was quicker than Roger; before the transmission was half over he had placed the ship on Red Alert. Roger nodded at him, then reached over him to open the ship-wide communications channel. "This is the Captain; this is not a drill. All hands prepare for emergency maneuvers. Fire control bring all weapons online. Clan Headquarters has reported an attack in progress. Report ready status to the Bridge." Roger switched off, then turned to Mathes. "The second you have green lights across the board report ready to Headquarters."

 

Vulcan Cruiser D'Kyr; enroute to Earth:
(Approximately 1 day out at current speed of Warp 3.)

Sarek felt the ship return to warp as he exited the shuttle. Due to Admiral Morrow diverting the USS Wasp to provide transportation to deal with the latest situation with the Clan, he had been able to use one of the D'Kyr's shuttles instead of a Federation one. He made his way to the Bridge, stopping as soon as he entered. The three remaining 'members' of the D'Kyr's previous crew had their heads buried inside one of the consoles, obviously troubleshooting a few of the remaining problems that had not been repaired before the ship was pulled from refit.

As he watched the young techs at work Sarek reviewed their history in his head, as told to him by the former Captain of the ship. All three were youth androids; they had been ordered by a movie production company for one of the planets colonized by Earth in the early days of their space program. They had been stars in an extremely long-running youth series that finally ran out of steam after twenty years. Due to the show's popularity, there was no chance of them 'moving on' to other roles, so one of the production executives decided to make one last profit from them. He had contacted a 'friend' in the seedier side of the youth video market and struck a deal to transfer 'ownership' of the androids.

The laws of probability ironically worked in the boys' favor; the ship that was carrying them to their new job had completed a lifeboat drill a half hour earlier and instead of returning to their cabin the three boys were still playing in their assigned lifeboat. Data recovered from the emergency recorder in the lifeboat told the grim tale. The ship's computer registered an impending failure of the shield generators while traveling at warp speed. It had managed to bring the ship out of warp, but even at subspace speeds the generators were quickly going offline. Detecting three lifeforms occupying the lifeboat as the generators reached critical, the ship's computer sealed the hatch and ejected the lifeboat. Sensors in the lifeboat indicated that thirty seconds after it was ejected the ship's shielding must have totally failed; the readings were consistent with a ship suffering explosive decompression. The D'Kyr was patrolling the area nearby and picked up the distress signals from the lifeboat. When they arrived in the area all they found was the one lifeboat and radiation signatures indicating a successful core dump before the ship imploded. When the Vulcan crew opened the lifeboat once bringing it onboard, they found the three scared android boys cuddled into a ball in the center of the floor. Despite being ordered and built at the same time, the boys were not identical in any way. As the boys recovered and started helping out when they could, this fact made identification of each of them easier for the all-Vulcan crew, most of which had limited or no dealings with Human youth.

By the time the D'Kyr reached their next port, the boys had integrated themselves into the crew to the point that it would have been illogical to put them off as was protocol. They worked endlessly to learn more about the D'Kyr so that they could repay the crew for their rescue by being productive members of the ship's technical team. Three years later the D'Kyr was brought in for a refit. By this time the boys had managed to learn every possible technical detail about the ship and how the various systems interacted with each other; in addition they had learned the nuances of interacting with their Vulcan counterparts. Their accomplishments had been noted throughout the Vulcan High Command; with the disbursement of the ship's crew during the planned extended refit Sarek had been approached by the High Command with a 'request' that they be granted full Vulcan citizenship.

Sarek had seen the logic in the 'request', and personally met the ship as it arrived. He was intrigued to find the boys fluent in Vulcan both conversationally and formally. Even more interesting was their response to his offer of citizenship; they stated it would be illogical due to their apparent age to accept the offer without being adopted into one of the Houses. They went on to quantify their statements by pointing out that their status in society would be non-existent without a House to share in their accomplishments.

Sarek had already considered the possibility which they were discussing, and immediately responded with the most logical solution he had found. He proposed granting them the status of family of his own house with the full rights granted any adult Vulcan Citizen. All three boys agreed that was an acceptable solution and agreed to the terms. They stayed on with the ship as it entered refit; their intricate knowledge of the systems ship-wide proving invaluable repeatedly as the older technology was updated to more capable and efficient newer technology. Sarek had taken a personal interest in the welfare of the boys; ensuring they were well provided for and exposed to other facets of Vulcan society. In return, the boys strove constantly to bring favor to their family, even taking on Vulcan names instead of their old 'screen' names. About a month after they became citizens, they approached Sarek and asked his approval for them to address him as 'Grandfather' to signify the respect he held in their eyes. Despite the apparent lack of logic behind the request, Sarek's dealings with Humans had taught him the significance of being selected to receive such a title and he readily approved them using it to address him.

"Grandfather?" A young voice said; breaking Sarek's train of thought.

Sarek focused on the eleven-year-old chestnut-brown haired boy looking out from under the console. "My apologies Sipek; I was reviewing the situations which have brought yourself and your brothers to this point. You now have my attention."

Sipek nodded as he slid out and stood to address Sarek properly. "Understandable Grandfather. Did your meeting prove productive?"

Sarek nodded as the other two boys slid out and joined their brother. "Productive and interesting would best describe it. I received an unexpected confirmation of information that was only theoretical based on observation up to this point."

The black-haired youth now standing at Sipek's right spoke up. "May we infer then that Patriarch Cory Short accepted the commission conferred by the High Command?"

"That presumption is correct Syzik." Sarek replied to the ten-year-old. "Additionally the Federation Council has instructed Starfleet to provide one ship to operate under Fleet Commander Cory Short."

Sarek glanced at the third boy, an ash-blond which appeared younger than the other two and appeared to be deep in thought. "Skirk, may I presume you have a thought on this subject?"

"Indirectly Grandfather." Skirk replied, the nine-year-old microscopically tilting his head. "I was attempting to find the logic in Fleet Commander Cory using his surname in his title. I appear to have insufficient data available."

"I understand where you might find it illogical." Sarek replied. "Since your activation you have only been in contact with cultures which are similar to Vulcan in the use of names. Earth places more value on the surname than the given name; while illogical it is a method that they insist on maintaining, especially in Starfleet. This situation has been discussed within the Council. The logical solution when Cory was granted status as Patriarch of Clan Short was that he carries the same family surname as all four of us do, but his and his Clan member's given Earth names are retained and classified as a multi-part Vulcan given name to allow them to function properly in the location they are residing. This indicates logically that you will be offered the opportunity to add the Earth surname 'Short' to your own given names by Cory. The probability of that occurring is 98.7 percent; my approval of your acceptance may be presumed."

All three boys nodded their heads in assent. Sipek chose his words carefully as he voiced the question which was on all three boys' minds. "Grandfather; did Patriarch Cory indicate our status once we arrive?"

Sarek allowed himself a slight smile; despite their complete dedication to fitting in with their adopted culture, the three were still human boys at the core and still expressed well-masked insecurity at anything unfamiliar. "Based on my interactions with Cory there was no need to discuss the subject. His acceptance of the Android species has been proven by the methods used to rescue an apparently older member of your race which was thereafter adopted by himself and his partner into their own family. Additionally, he has assembled a subsection of his Clan dedicated to the support and assistance necessary for your species."

"Thank you Grandfather." all three boys responded softly. Skirk walked over to Sarek and looked up at him. "We believe we found the cause of the five thousandths of a percent deviation in the shield frequency." he stated. "Repairs are complete and we are preparing to confirm with diagnostics."

Sarek placed a hand on Skirk's shoulder. "Your performance is as expected. Proceed."

Skirk stayed by Sarek's side as Sarek took a seat to watch the testing. Syzik took two small devices out of the pouch he carried on his belt; both of the other boys carried identical pouches on their belts. Syzik plugged one of the devices into a port on the console they were working on, then reached behind his head and plugged the other into his data port. He took a seat, then closed his eyes and began the diagnostic. A minute later, he opened his eyes and reported the results. "The frequency compensator is now operating at .05 percent duty cycle which is down from a peak 27.9361 percent duty cycle before repairs. Optimal target is less than 15 percent duty cycle. Pending analysis, the indicated cause was degradation or contamination of the generator-synchronizer interconnect."

"Major Syzik; may I propose a more likely finding?" The Vulcan Commander sitting in the Captain's chair asked.

There were three other Vulcans on the ship besides Sarek and the three boys. Additional programming had been done to the ship's computer which made it possible for a minimum of two personnel to handle the duties on the bridge while en route. If no repairs were in progress, the boys took their turn in the rotation; their rank of Major was issued by the High Command based on their knowledge and performance since the day they were picked up. The only other passenger on the ship was the boy's pet Sehlat, Marjur, who was quietly resting in an unused corner of the bridge watching over his masters. The boys had 'inherited' Marjur from the former Science Officer on the D'Kyr, who had decided it would be illogical to attempt to break the bond they had formed.

 

Flashback:

It had been Marjur's lunchtime, and he was dutifully following his Master to ensure that lunch was not forgotten. The Science Officer stopped by Sickbay en route to inquire on the findings of the Medical Officer on the boys they had just recovered to include in his report. As they entered Sickbay, Marjur took one look at the scared huddle of boys and padded over to lie in front of them; shifting closer and closer until the boys got the hint and threw their arms over the oversized living teddy bear. When the Science Officer was preparing to leave, he began to reach down to lift the boys off of Marjur. The combination of Marjur's glare and full display of his six-inch fangs made the Science Officer reconsider immediately. For the next three days Marjur was fed where he lay; the only time he was not guarding 'his' boys was when he had to take care of bodily functions.

As the boys recovered from their ordeal and began learning about their surroundings, Marjur stayed right by their sides. If they were separated, he would prowl the ship between the areas they were each working in; stopping in on them to make sure each was okay. The Science Officer had taken them in as well; while instructing them on the care, feeding, and responsibilities of owning a Sehlat he discovered three diverse but equally open minds willing to learn everything they could about what was then their 'temporary' home.

End Flashback

 

"Do you have additional data Commander Xirok?" Syzik replied.

"Affirmative; on one of my previous assignments a similar defect was isolated. It was determined that a .000005 percent contamination in the core of one of the conductors was developing capacitance in the presence of certain third level harmonics."

"Your input has been noted." Syzik replied. "That theory will be given highest priority."

Just then the Communications console indicated an urgent incoming message. Skirk was closest, so he took the few steps necessary to get to the console and responded to the call. "Vulcan Cruiser D'Kyr, Major Skirk. How may I assist you?"

"This is Admiral Morrow. I have a Priority One message for Ambassador Sarek regarding Clan Short."

Skirk turned to Sarek, who tilted his head towards the main viewer. Skirk made the transfer and rejoined Sarek as the Admiral came on screen.

"Is there a situation Admiral Morrow?" Sarek asked as soon as the image stabilized.

"Unfortunately yes, Ambassador. I have just received word that Clan Short is under attack; injuries have already been reported."

Sarek stiffened slightly as he replied "What is the status of the additional support declared by the Federation Council?"

"The Lafayette has been transferred to Fleet Commander Short as of thirty-five minutes ago. I am uncertain as to the status of them officially reporting for duty; Terra Main has reported that the Lafayette has shields at maximum and all weapons are being brought online."

"Who is instigating this disruption?" Sarek said as he stood and stared at the screen.

"I have no solid proof; but I believe your logic will come to the same conclusion as my intuition. I can confirm it is not the party we discussed with Fleet Commander Short."

Sarek's reply was almost a growl. "Your courtesy in informing me of this situation is noted Admiral. Upon the conclusion of the current situation we shall discuss the ramifications of that parties' actions if your 'intuition' is correct." Sarek strode over and ended the connection; before he even had a chance to say another word Commander Xirok began issuing orders.

"Major Skirk, set security level to maximum. Contact USS Lafayette and inform them of our pending arrival. Major Syzik bring us up to maximum safe speed and ensure all backup systems are online. Major Sipek bring all available weapons online and bring shields to maximum. Ambassador, the ship is at your disposal."

 

Teri's house: Orlando:

 

"What's going on?" Carrie asked as she rushed in to where a pale Teri was standing with a scared expression on her face. "Why did my husband just beam out without even bothering to change into his work clothes?"

Teri was about to reply when the phone she had just hung up rang once again. She grabbed it off of the cradle. "This is Teri Short."

"Teri; Jon Bon Jovi. We were just grounded at the airport by Orlando; according to the tower it's due to a Clan Red Alert. Is there any way we can help?"

She was about to reply when her communicator sounded an emergency tone. "Hold on Jon; emergency call."

"FYS Director Short." she replied as soon as the communicator was in her hand.

"Aunt Teri!" Noah's voice replied over the communicator. "Can Ark teleport you over here? We need help with the incoming injuries at the hospital; they're coming in too fast!"

"Oh my God .... can Ark find the people on the other end of the call I'm on?"

"Ark has their location." Noah replied after a pause. "Please Aunt Teri?"

Teri looked over at Carrie, who nodded grimly. "Tell Ark to give me one minute to prepare the people on the other end of the line; as soon as I hang up with them Aunt Carrie and I are ready."

"Thanks Aunt Teri." Noah replied before cutting the connection.

Teri lifted the phone back to her ear to hear Jon yelling instructions to the unseen people on his plane. "... I don't give a flying fuck WHAT ground control says! Shut it down NOW! You have thirty seconds before this aircraft is empty; hit the damn emergency stop and we'll worry about fines for leaving it sitting and any repairs later." A second later, he spoke to the phone. "You there Teri?"

"Yes .." Teri started to reply.

Jon cut her off. "I heard more than I wanted to. We'll see you at the hospital." As he was hanging up the call, she heard him yell "Grab anything that ....."

 

Earlier that morning; Chicago:

DJ woke to sunlight shining in his eyes and the smell of bacon and eggs floating through the house. He grudgingly lifted Tanners arm off of his chest and glanced over to find Jordy had cuddled up behind Tanner in his sleep. He slipped out of bed and trudged into the attached bathroom to take care of his morning 'business;, then pulled on his jeans before reaching over and gently shaking the two boys who were still asleep. "Tanner, Jordy. Get up guys; it smells like breakfast is almost ready!"

The mention of food had Jordy awake in an instant; he quickly rolled to the other side of the bed and sprinted for the bathroom. Tanner on the other hand pulled DJ's still-warm pillow to his chest as he mumbled "C'mon dad; five more minutes."

DJ giggled at his boyfriend's antics. "I ain't dad goofball! That's just sick! C'mon, get outta bed so you can use the bathroom just as soon as Jordy's done peeling his banana!"

"I heard that!" Jordy exclaimed as he exited the bathroom. "You're just jealous!"

"Geeeze!" Tanner groaned as he rolled over to the edge of the bed. "Who gave you two sugar pills this morning?"

Jordy giggled as DJ stuck out his tongue at Tanner. "Hurry up babe." DJ snickered. "Rinse out your mouth so I can give you your morning kiss!"

"Now THAT is a reason to wake up." Tanner replied with a grin as he headed towards the bathroom. Once Tanner was out of hearing, Jordy came over to DJ. "Ummmmmm .... DJ?"

"What's up dude?" DJ replied.

"I kinda wanna .... umm ... I didn't mean ta get so close last night .... " Jordy stuttered as he looked at the floor.

"Chill dude." DJ replied as he put an arm over Jordy's shoulder. "You just cuddled up to the other side of Tanner; you didn't do nothin. You're family now dude; if I didn't trust ya you would'a been sleeping on the floor."

"Thanks DJ." Jordy replied in relief. "Umm ... is it okay to hug you?"

DJ chuckled as he pulled Jordy into a hug. "If ya don't we might just find out just how good that Vifer fast healing works bro!"

Tanner came out just as Jordy began returning the hug. "It's Jordy's turn to be the filling of a sandwich!" he giggled as he came over and joined them.

The boys broke their hug, then once DJ and Tanner got their morning kiss out of the way they headed downstairs to the dining room. "Mornin' Mister Carr." they chorused.

Parker Carr looked over at his three house guests. "Good morning sleepyheads. The three of you looked comfortable, so I figured I'd let the smell of breakfast wake you."

"Awww mannnn ....." Jordy moaned.

Parker chuckled. "Eat up guys; we'll discuss how you plan on pulling this off while we're eating."

The boys reviewed their strategy one last time with Parker, making sure he understood how to place the tracking device DJ had borrowed from John before they left. "Remember that we want everything to go just like normal until I'm told that it's safe to move if needed." DJ said in conclusion.

Parker nodded his head. "I got it. Are you sure you guys are teenagers? I've seen spy movies with less planning."

Tanner giggled. "Yeah. You think we're bad you should see some of our pre-teen cousins!"

"Somehow I'm not sure I want to." Parker chuckled as he pointed to a door on the other side of the room. "That door will get you guys into the classroom area without anyone seeing you. I always wait outside for the van; they made it clear that the boys were not supposed to be left alone for more than a few seconds."

The three boys nodded as they stood up and headed for the door that Parker had indicated. Once they were in the classroom and heard Parker go outside DJ motioned for the other two to come in close. "Okay guys," he whispered. "Mattering on what I find out from the boys we've got someone to take them if needed. I've checked him out; he's definitely not a perv. He already thinks of them like family; if his suspicions are right and there are no problems on the kids' side then he might be doing more than thinking it."

Tanner and Jordy both nodded with huge grins on their faces. "Ready when you are then, Deej."

 

One Hour Later:

"...Move in on them Uncle John; have Xain assist you with interrogation. The Federation can have this trash." DJ said softly into his communicator.

"Got it DJ. Take care of your group; we'll handle the rest." John replied as he closed the connection.

DJ turned to Jordy and Tanner. "Phase two guys; let's join the class."

The three boys walked out of their hiding spot, stopping as almost all of the eyes in the classroom turned to them. The oldest kid in the room, a skinny tall fifteen-year-old with long chestnut hair, smiled at the intruders. "It's about time you came out of there! You know how hard it is to study with the three of you talkin' in the back of my head?"

"Told ya not to worry about us Rex." DJ giggled as Tanner, Jordy, and Parker all gave him confused looks. "He's a telepath; but he really needs to sit down with the twins to learn to control it." DJ explained. "He bounces around so much he can't get a clean read; kinda like I was."

Tanner and Jordy both nodded. Jordy looked around and smiled at the familiar faces he saw in the group. "Wazzup guys! You ain't gonna believe it, but today's your lucky day."

"Who ARE these kids Mr. Carr?" a twelve-year-old kid with spiked brown hair asked suspiciously.

"Well B.J., I think if you give them a chance they'll introduce themselves." Parker replied with a grin. "I will say I can promise they are not going to lie to you."

All eyes turned to the three boys. DJ smiled as he replied "Thank you Mr. Carr. I'm DJ Michaels; Intelligence Officer, Clan Short of Vulcan. To my right is Tanner Michaels, Security Officer, Clan Short of Vulcan. Some of you know Jordy already, but for those who don't he's been adopted and is Jordan Short; Communications Officer, Clan Short of Vulcan." He then looked directly at the kid that Parker had identified as B.J. and grinned. "You can chill Taron; right now, if I know Uncle John, your former 'employers' are more than likely looking at each other through the force-fields of the holding cells on Terra Main."

"What the hell? How do you know my real name??" the kid asked in shock.

DJ tapped the side of his head. "Rex ain't the only telepath here; I've just got more training than he does. I already know everyone but our sleeping companion's real name. Since Mr. Carr don't know you guys' real names either, why don't you all introduce yourselves the right way?"

Rex nodded as he took the lead. "I'll start first; I'm guessing you guys all have heard the names we were told that we have to use, so it'll make sense to match them to our real names. I go by Rex Tumm, but my real name is Rex Charles."

Rex turned to the blond eleven-year-old boy at his right, who nodded. "Mike Hunt; but my real name is Marcus Frazier."

"Mort Watt; I'm really Nick Waters though." replied the dark-brown haired twelve-year-old before glancing at the boy behind him.

"Cravin Morehead; really it's Roger Morris." the light-brown haired thirteen-year-old replied as he stuck his tongue out at Nick.

"Guy Butts; but I'm really Gregg Roberts." the twelve-year-old dirty blond said as he moved over by Nick and took his hand.

"Som Yun Wang; but I'm Scott Cravenhill. My Mom was Chinese." a fourteen-year-old Oriental boy with black hair down to the middle of his back said with a smile.

"Dick Fitzwell, but I was named Rich Walker." the twelve-year-old with dark strawberry blond hair sitting behind Scott announced as he stood up and headed to the desk next to him.

"Dick Hurtz, I'm Rich's little brother Scooter Walker." the nine-year-old miniature mirror-image of Rich said with pride as he finished standing and began cuddling under his brother's arm.

"B.J. Goode; DJ there kinda already gave you my name, I'm Taron Goode." Taron giggled as he made a big show out of pointing to the next boy in the line.

"Longfellow Johnson but I'm really Kirk Miller." the eleven-year-old boy with light brown hair that had decided to take up residence under Rich's other arm said shyly.

"Harry Pitts; but it's supposed to be Hank Potter." responded the thirteen-year-old ash blond boy behind them. He smiled as he protectively put an arm over the shoulder of the last fully-awake boy, who had joined him and was snuggled in close to his side.

"Willy Little; Billy Langstrum." the eight-year-old said shyly as he clung to Harry, his long white-blond hair partially covering his heavily freckled face.

Rex nodded at the light-brown haired eleven-year-old sleeping on his desk. "That's Theodore Baer; they made him go by the name Peter Head. He'll answer to Teddy as long as you're not making fun of him. I don't know why, but he's been sleeping a lot the last couple of months."

"You guys might want to get him checked out; it sounds like he might be narcoleptic." Parker noted with concern.

DJ nodded as an evil grin crossed his face. "That's not a problem; but I know of a job opening for a teacher for the Clan which would give you the chance to look out for any of these boys that you might like to adopt. I've been in your head too Mr. Carr; you're approved to walk out of here with all of these boys as sons if you say the word and they all agree. All of them are orphans, so the placement is permanent."

Parker looked around at the twelve suddenly hopeful faces sitting at their desks, pausing on the one little guy who had slept through it all. After the first couple of classes, the boys had realized that Parker was not one of their 'employers'; he was just someone being paid to teach them. They had then opened up and bonded with him; he would find out later that they were not telling him what they did outside the classroom only because they were afraid they would lose him. "I see their answer in their faces; my answer is 'YES'!"

DJ nodded. "Any of you guys want to say no, now's your chance." He looked around at all of the boys, each nodding as his eyes met theirs. "Yes." Teddy added in a weak voice, his head still on the table.

DJ walked over and began to lightly run his fingers through the hair on the back of Teddy's head as he spoke. "Don't worry little guy, you're gonna be fine ...." DJ froze as his concerned look turned to panic. "Oh ... SHIT!" He dropped down beside Teddy, placing a shaky hand on Teddy's shoulder. "Teddy! Can you come online long enough to tell me how bad it is?"

Tanner looked over at Jordy. "Android; we're gonna need Marc." He then turned to Parker. "You've got about two minutes if you need to grab anything you need immediately; the rest of your belongings will catch up with us in Orlando. The only reason an Android sleeps that much is if their system is trying to perform repairs."

Parker nodded as he grabbed a book from his desk. "All I need is ..."

DJ, Tanner, and Jordy's communicators suddenly sprung to life. "RED ALERT! All divisions! RED ALERT! Security Personnel stand by for deployment! All Medical Personnel prepare for incoming casualties. Report status to Headquarters immediately. This is not a drill, attack in progress. Casualties HAVE been reported!"

"CRAP ... Jordy, call in; tell them we're having to divert to AI due to an Android Medical Emergency, then get Marc or Danny on the line!" DJ yelled across the room before resuming his conversation with Teddy.

As Jordy called into Headquarters, Tanner filled in the rest of the group. "Guys, I know you have no idea what's going on; neither do we. From the sound of that call the crap is hitting the fan. If anyone at the AI Division asks you to help please just do it; they'll tell you what you need to do if you don't know." He paused as he saw the stricken look on Jordy's face as Jordy closed his communicator and headed over to join DJ.

"If you guys know any prayers at all say them now." Tanner added as he looked toward the ceiling.