Jigsaw

Camp Bam Bam, Utah

With Jonas and Harry's help, Logan Hayes put his exhausted lover Cdr. Adam Casey of the Unit to bed to rest and recover, and then took them on a tour of the expanded Camp Bam Bam, a tour that was cut short by word from the Base A.I. Daileass that Adam had awakened. Led by Logan, they ran for the elevator back to Adam and Logan's room.

Logan led Jonas and Harry off the elevator, and went immediately to the room he shared with Adam. Walking into the main room, all three boys could hear weeping coming from the bedroom. Logan took off, and by the time the other two boys got there, Logan had Adam wrapped up in his arms, and was slowly rocking him. "Adam... Love... What’s wrong?"

"I... I’m... I’m not to blame..." Adam barely choked out.

"Of course you're not, babe." Logan soothingly said. "None of what happened is your fault."

"I... I know that now. They... told me so." Adam said, and told them about the dream he had had, a dream in which the Unit members killed on Saturday had appeared to him, cleansed him of the guilt he had been feeling, and reinvigorated him. "Hey guys, "he concluded, looking at Jonas and Harry, "let me grab a quick shower, then we can chat." Adam gave Logan another hug, then almost literally bounced out of the room. Logan smiled as he watched Adam go, then pointed to a couple seats for Jonas and Harry. Logan was just about to say something when loud music started to come from the bathroom. Logan almost fell onto the floor as he started to laugh. It only took Jonas and Harry a second to figure out what the song was, and they started to laugh too. All too soon, Adam’s voice could be heard coming from the bathroom as he sang along with the Shrek soundtrack’s song, ‘Livin' La Vida Loca.’

None of the three boys could do anything but laugh as the song played, and Adam sang. However, by the time the song ended, Adam came walking out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist, and a big grin on his face.

Logan walked over, wrapped his arms around him, and they shared a deep long kiss. Harry looked at Jonas. Jonas looked back and grinned. After about twenty seconds, he finally cleared his throat. "Uh, guys...."

Logan tried to back off, but Adam wouldn’t let him. They continued for about another five seconds before Adam let the kiss end. "Sorry guys," he said to Jonas and Harry, "but it’s been too long since I got to do that."

"I take it enhancement allows you to hold your breath longer," Harry said with a grin.

Adam was about to say something but Logan butted in. "Ohhhh... you have no idea... and nor will you... he’s mine." Everyone laughed at that one.

Adam turned serious as he turned fully towards Jonas and Harry. "So, you wanna clue me in on what you guys need?" He laughed a bit. "I am getting better at this whole telepathy thing...."

"So, then, you know what it is we want, already?" Harry said with a grin.

"Yes I do..." Adam grinned back..."but you and Jonas, with BBQ sauce laying on the beach together, is NOT something I really wanted to know about..." Adam said in a completely deadpan voice.

"What!" Jonas shouted. Adam, Logan, and Harry just laughed at him.

Logan didn’t miss a beat. "Umm... Adam... that was you and me... not Jonas and Harry."

Harry said, "Um — getting away from BBQ sauce, for a minute, we have a guy who really needs to learn what it is to be used by someone else — and he's been sentenced to a week helping out at a Clan Facility. Think you can help?"

"With the BBQ sauce, or with this kid?" Logan asked, still grinning.

Adam turned to Logan. "What is it with you and BBQ sauce?!?!"

"I don’t think you want me to answer that while there are people around," Logan said with a mischievous grin.

Jonas grinned, sending out a thought to Peter, and held out his hand. A second later, a bottle of barbecue sauce was sitting in it. "Here, will this help?" he asked, holding it out to Logan. 'Nothing like having a little brother who's a Mikyvis!' he thought to himself.

Logan grinned and turned to Adam, who also had a big grin on his face. He took the bottle and put it on their night stand. "We’ll use that tonight. Now... whats the full story with this kid. And what can we do to help?"

"Okay," Jonas explained, "what we have is a guy who was simply using both his girlfriend and one of our Clan brothers for sex, with no real thought for them but just for getting his rocks off. And on last Friday night, he ended up hurting Pen physically — potentially quite badly. That put him in court, and he accepted Clan justice. His sentence includes helping out for a week at a Clan facility, and learning what it means to people when they get used."

"Well... first things first... we better keep him away from Juan," Adam said while going over to his desk and pulling out the keyboard.

Logan just snorted. "Yeah... keep him away from Juan." After seeing the questioning look from Jonas and Harry, Logan explained. "Juan still hasn’t really gotten a hold of the idea that there might be punishments that don’t deserve death."

"More like he doesn’t care," Adam said with a chuckle. "Most of the time I agree with him, but since sentence was already handed down.... lets see what we can do."

"Well, death is just a bit extreme — he didn't intend to hurt Pen, he just didn't care," Harry said, thinking Adam and Logan were pulling their legs.

Adam shook his head while Logan turned slightly towards them. "Well as Adam said, we’ll play it your way, but... we’ll still keep him away from Juan. I mean Juan may not intend to hurt him... he just wouldn’t care...."

Jonas chuckled. "I see your point!" he said.

"So... you basically don’t want him to get hurt, but you want him to be taught a lesson?" Adam said.

"Exactly!" Jonas said.

"Right... okay... here’s what I got to offer."

---

"So... what do you guys think?" Adam asked after outlining the plan he had just come up with. Before anyone could say anything, Daileass’s voice came over the speakers. "Hey boss man, got a message for you."

Adam smiled as he looked up slightly. "Yeah? Well... get on with it."

"Okay... I am paraphrasing here but... ‘Them boys are Maine boys, and dammit they belong with us.’" It was obvious that Adam and Logan had no idea what he meant.

"Wha..?" Jonas asked. Harry however caught it. "Brandon and Andy, right?" he asked Daileass.

"Yup... now the question.... do you know who asked about them?" Daileass responded with a bit of humor in his voice

Harry thought a moment. "From the tone of voice....Dougie?" he asked.

"Nope." the disembodied voice giggled.

Harry scratched his chin. Jonas said, "Had to be Bobby, then!"

"DING DING DING... we got a winner!!!!!!" Daileass laughed while Adam rolled his eyes.

"Okay... this is my turn to play the uninformed one," Adam said while looking at Jonas and Harry.

"Okay, you need to know what your guys were doing last night," Harry explained. "It seems that Mikey engineered a visit between the Unholy Trinity with their father and our new Sheriff. In the course of that, they ended up walking around Farmington with Deputy Thomas, and they intervened to rescue two boys we know, sort of, that were being abused by their grandfather — which we weren't aware of until the Trinity met up with them."

"Kevin called for backup and medical help," Harry continued, "and Alvin sent out the other Terrors with Chang and Bryce Turner. They brought Brandon and Andy back here to your place for treatment."

"Yup... you guys wanna watch the video?" Daileass’s voice came from everywhere as always... and Adam just nodded.

Roughly eight minutes later, the video ended. Adam looked at Logan, who nodded. Turning to Jonas and Harry, Adam asked. "You wanna take them with you, or should I have them make ready and we can beam them to Bobby as soon as they're ready?"

"We'll take them back with us," Jonas said with a smile.

---

Shippingport area, Louisville, KY

Dan stood on the deck of the Vertical Lift bridge, looking down into the cold dark waters of the Ohio River shipping channel. He wondered if they would make it stop hurting — the pain in his stomach from no food in two days and only four meals in the past two weeks, the pain in his heart from having been thrown out like used garbage by Jerome. As they flowed quietly by below him, the waters looked inviting.

He absently scratched an itch, and inwardly cursed the hair he felt growing there. Though small and boyish-looking for his fourteen years, Dan had grown beyond Jerome's tastes, and after two years had been put out on the street in favor of a younger boy. For the last two weeks he had hung out in a series of buildings over on Logan Street that had been vacated preparatory to being demolished for the new townhouses being built there.

When his father had angrily disowned him, two years before, for being caught fooling around with Tim, he had run. At the time he thought it was his great good luck to run into Jerome outside the service-and-fast-food complex just off the Interstate. Jerome had treated him good, bought him what he wanted, showed him affection — and he was only too happy to share Jerome's bed and give him what he wanted in return.

But that had changed as Dan ("It's Dan — 'Danny' is for little kids") underwent the body changes of puberty. First Jerome had had Dan bring home younger friends. Then, slowly, Jerome started gravitating to little Pete. And finally, two weeks ago, Jerome had told Dan he had to leave.

A part of him still loved Jerome despite it all, wished things were back the way they'd been. Another part mourned the fact that at 14, his life was over, that no one would want him now. But both pieces were like small voices crying in the dark that eclipsed his soul,.

Steeling his courage, he crouched for the jump, and then literally froze in place. Literally — he could not move a muscle. In front of him, floating in the air, was a young boy in a hoodie. A trick of the lights from the shore made it look like there was a halo hovering above his head.

"Ya don't really want to do that," the boy said. "Ya got something important to do, somewhere you're needed, and where they'll love you. Now, we can stay like this for up to..." the boy paused "...three hours twenty-six minutes and seven seconds, before a train wants to use this line. But as soon as I can read in your eyes that you will do what I say and not jump, I'll let you go. There's guys that have been through pretty much what you have, and they're here to help. No, they aren't going to put you in foster care or a group home where you'll get beat up. They know what that's like. Ya want to talk to my bro Jeremy about that, when you get … aah, where you're going."

"First thing, you get back down off this bridge and start walking downtown. Go to the Old Belknap Building — it's only about half a mile walk. If you see a cop, don't run; just tell him that's where you're going, and he won't hassle you. The guys there, they've been through what you've been through, more or less, and they'll help. If they have any questions, tell 'em the password is 'Arilinn' and Pablito sent you." He grinned. "That'll startle 'em, for sure."

The hovering boy looked into Dan's eyes, and saw a flicker of hope there. "Okay, get movin'; your life is waiting for you!" Dan felt he could move again, and the boy abruptly vanished. Shaking his head, Dan walked down off the bridge, and turned left to follow the tracks downtown.

---

Engineering Conference Room, Starfleet Headquarters

The Engineering and Ordnance staff conference room was crowded as Captain Ben Matlock walked forward to the podium. Ever the efficient assistant, Cdr. Ray Doncaster handed him a staff list showing all but two from both shifts were present: the excused Petty Officer Tricia Palmense, and a civilian employee who had taken the afternoon off. A moment's recall of the list he'd seen on the datapad that Sarek had given Admiral Morrow, and he relaxed: the missing civilian was not among those to be arrested.

"I believe Ray has informed you of the main reason for this meeting," he began. "The Hood has returned from its test of the complete suite of upgrades, and the Enterprise has completed its upgrades as well. I need to know upgrade status for every other ship in the Fleet — not what we have on file, but a real-time report. I need to know what we can realistically expect to do in speeding up upgrading the backbone of the Fleet. And I need to know the protocols some of you have been designing to prevent a recurrence of what the Yorktown discovered at the beginning of the month. There are some additional questions we'll need to address, but those are my main agenda items. I'll be looking for brief verbal reports from each team leader, and after each report the floor is open to questions or suggestions. You all know my policy: sometimes the best ideas come from places or people you would least expect them from. So don't hesitate to speak up."

As he ad-libbed this opening statement, he glanced toward the door at the rear of the conference room, through which Capt. Barney Drumm's security forces would be entering.

"Ray," Matlock said to Doncaster, "why don't you take charge of calling for the team reports? That way, you can preface them with any data you have on cross-team needs, so nobody has to make excuses for lack of progress that couldn't be avoided." Doncaster glanced at his notes, then began with a comment on the structural reinforcement team's work. The veteran civilian heading that team sat up straighter and glanced at his notes while listening to Doncaster with one ear, knowing he'd be called on first.

In the hall outside, two squads of Security men mustered, joined a minute later by Capt. Drumm and the third squad he'd called in from the spaceport, along with Admiral Morrow, Sarek, and R'Kau of the V.S.O. Sehlat Division. The short, rotund Drumm was all business this afternoon, his normal easygoing manner eclipsed by an aura that expected obedience to orders and assumed competence in his staff. In a prison whisper, he directed each team to their assigned role.

Wordlessly, one team filed into the rear of the conference room. Their leader made a 'ready' gesture to Matlock. Doncaster, finishing his comments on the difficulties the structural reinforcement team had encountered, glanced with question at Matlock, who smiled calmly and motioned him to continue. Doncaster, mollified, called on the head of that team to make his report, and stepped over with the intent of asking Matlock what was happening.

"One moment, Floyd," Capt. Matlock interrupted the team leader's report. At those words, the Security squad drew their phasers, aiming them at the five F.C.C. men who had infiltrated Starfleet and Ensign Frank Oldenburger. "I'll be taking that," said the lieutenant commanding the squad, stepping forward to relieve Oldenburger of his laptop with the personnel files. One of the F.C.C. men bolted for the door; the Security man covering him stunned him.

As the security squad placed the six men under arrest and marched them out, Matlock announced, "Those five men, the ones you all called the 'Holy Joes,' were members of the Fundamentalist Church of Christ sent to infiltrate this division. They were responsible for providing the F.C.C. with the restricted weaponry they used last Saturday. And there is evidence that Frank Oldenburger took a bribe to hire them. That evidence came to light only this afternoon. I will not have Starfleet Engineering's name dragged through the mud." As he saw his staff react to this news, showing startlement and beginning to talk to each other, Matlock began the second phase of the plan. "I see that many of you were unnerved by the arrests. We will take a ten-minute recess to allow you to go settle your nerves and such. Ray, will you please go get a backup copy of the Human Resources files, please?" As Doncaster, relieved, nodded, Matlock said one more word: "Dismissed!"

In the hall outside, the five F.C.C. men were led by the Security men to a smaller meeting room. Expressionlessly, R'Kau followed them. The remaining two Security squads lined the hall, each with an assigned target.

---

Florida Mall Food Court

The five boys led Lee and Lonnie Carlson over to the table where Rina and Sylvia were waiting for them.

"C.J., I don't ever want to see you take another risk like that!" Rina began to say.

"Mickey and them wouldn't let me get hurt," C.J. interrupted. "And I couldn't let him get away!" The eight-year-old folded his arms stubbornly. "Besides, it's my job!" he added.

"Rina, we could have someone here that, if somebody tried to punch C.J., would vaporize him in the time it takes to throw the first punch," Jared interjected.

"That's why Mickey had me hang back," Raffy put in. "So's I could call for backup if we needed it. But we didn't need any help, beyond their Dad and his friend," as he gestured at the Carlson brothers.

"You can't blame her for worrying," Sylvia said, backing up Rina.

"No, we love her for it," Jed said with an affectionate smile at Rina. "But Ceej is right — we promised to step in, and we were keeping our word."

"I was ready to drop my guy and jump to help C.J. if he needed it," Mickey said. "But between that lady that tripped the kid and C.J., together they took him down without incident."

"That was just awesome!" Lonnie piped up. "Three of the baddest kids at our school, and you guys took 'em out like it was nothing." The four younger boys blushed at the praise.

"But you know," Mickey added, "I've come to a decision. Jed, Jared, the three of us are going to go through phaser training as soon as we can. I have to admit I was worried seeing my two little brothers and two guys that might as well be, going into danger without any weapons besides our bodies."

Sylvia was looking at Lee, who looked downcast. "What's wrong, young fellow?" she asked in her most grandmotherly manner.

"I'm dead meat now — they'll see me as a rat!" he said with just a touch of anger borne of pain.

"Don't be stupid, Lee," his little brother said. "Everybody knows they were bullying you, and you didn't rat them out — they got caught fair and square."

"And you don't have to put up with that sh- uh crap," Jed said vehemently. "Nobody does."

"That's easy for you to say," Lee said bitterly.

"I know what you're saying," Jared put in compassionately. "If anybody had known that I fell in love with Jed back when, my life would have been hell. But we're out to fix that."

"You guys are boyfriends?" Lee said incredulously. Jed nodded yes with an impish grin.

Mickey had been taking in the whole panoply of what was going on, Lee's despair and his slight, mildly effeminate features and mannerisms, Lonnie's defense of his big brother.... Now he spoke up. "Guys, I have someone I want you to meet." He touched his commbadge. "Seth, you there?"

"No, I went out for a jog," came the amusedly sarcastic response from the wheelchair-bound teen. "What can I do for you, Mickey?"

"I've got someone here I think needs to meet Laura — I have a hunch he needs to learn something from her." Mickey's stress on the name and the feminine pronoun were slight, but Seth picked up on it.

"Bring him to the Compound, Mickey. I'll make sure she's available, and dressed for the occasion."

"Thanks, Seth. McKendrick out."

"C.I.C. out."

Jared, Jed, and Rina were nodding agreement; Raffy and C.J. were stifling giggles. Sylvia looked confused.

"Hey, Lonnie, get ahold of your father, and make sure he has no problem with you coming with us over to Clan H.Q."

"Really? Okay! Wow!" Lonnie's excitement was palpable.

---

Martin House, Arkham

Skipper and Bobby were collapsed on the bed after exploring the ramifications of their favorite number when Grace's startled exclamation from downstairs galvanized them. As one, they jumped up and threw on clothes to rush downstairs in.

As they were dressing, her relieved and amused voice came up the stairs. "Hey, guys! You two need to come downstairs — you have company!"

They rushed out of the room and down to the living room, where Harry and Jonas were standing with Grace and two younger boys, who began giggling. Grace followed their gaze, started chuckling, walked briskly to the dryer, and returned with a pair of Bobby's sweat pants, which she handed to him.

"What do I need them for?" he asked.

Laughing, Skipper said, "Look down." Bobby looked down, past the sweatshirt he'd thrown on, to where his bare legs and penis showed below its hem. Blushing a bright red, he took the sweatpants and pulled them on.

Skipper, meanwhile, had identified the boys. "Hey, Brandon, Andy!" he said warmly. "I thought they were in Utah with the Unit," he said to Jonas.

"They were," he answered. "You guys know the Trinity, right?" Skipper and Bobby nodded. "Well, they were up here with their father to give Sheriff Winfield some help in implementing Vulcan law under Maine's Safe Haven status, when they ran into the boys' grandfather beating Brandon, after having already done a number on Andy. We got called in, along with the Tiny Terrors and Chang from the Unit. Old Man Jessup's in jail now, with charges from the Clan, Federation, and the state against him. From what we found out from Chang and Bryce, these guys were a mess, but a combination of Chang's skills and Federation technology took care of most of the worst problems. They're still going to need some recuperation time, and also some caring support while they adjust to not being victims any more."

"Okay," said Grace. "So you brought them here because we have medical skills?"

"That's only a part of it, and the lesser part," Harry answered her. "They're here because Bobby said that they're Maine boys and they belong back here."

"That got us thinking," Jonas continued, "and we contacted the Double J's by commbadge to confirm what we thought we heard in that. They said we were right."

"So all that's needed now is to make it official," Harry continued. "Grace, okay if we're seated?"

"Of course," she responded. She stepped to one easy chair, motioning the two Jessup boys to take the other, in which they sat gingerly together. At Jonas's gesture, Bobby brought in a captain's chair from Grace's dining room set, then settled down with Skipper on the couch. Jonas slipped on the black Clan cloak he had been carrying with him, and took the captain's chair, which Harry stood behind. The Jessup boys' and Bobby's eyes bulged at this.

"Okay," said Jonas, "I'm now officially functioning as Division Head presiding over a Clan Tribunal. The sole agenda item is the placement of Brandon Keith and Andrew James Jessup."

Skipper suddenly realized what was in the works. He locked eyes with Bobby, reading his younger partner and lover's feelings through expression and body language, then turned to Jonas and nodded.

Jonas sighed in relief, and said, "I've never known Clan Intelligence to be wrong, but there's always a first time. So let me ask everyone formally." He touched his commbadge, and asked "Recording?"

"Affirmative," came Daileass's disembodied voice from the commbadge.

"Thanks, Dail'," Jonas said. "Brandon, Andrew, you know Bobby and Skipper, right?"

"Um, yes, sir," Brandon said in a small voice.

"No 'sir' needed," Jonas said warmly. "We're young people just like you, just with some special prerogatives as members of Clan Short. Do you like them, feel comfortable around them?"

"Yeah..." a little more assured this time, but still quiet and shy.

"Look, guys," Harry broke in. "We need to make a rather big decision here, and we need to have you not be afraid and ready to speak up about what you really want. So speak your mind, okay?"

"Okay," little Andy said with caution and confidence warring in his tone of voice. Brandon nervously nodded.

"All right," Jonas said, "let's start with you, Grace. You're the householder here; are you prepared to take on a couple of grandkids?"

Grace's initial look of startlement was replaced by a broad smile of pleasure. "I'd sort of resigned myself to not having grandchildren," she said, "and certainly didn't expect to start this early. But yes, I'm quite prepared for it."

"All right. Skipper, Bobby," Jonas continued, "are you prepared to accept guardianship of these two, to give them the love and nurture they need?"

Skipper took Bobby's hand and exchanged a look with him. "We are," he said decisively.

Jonas turned his attention to the boys in the chair. "Brandon Keith Jessup, Andrew James Jessup," he addressed them formally, "do you accept James 'Skipper' Hamilton and Robert Strong Martin as your guardians, the people you can turn to for caring and advice? They are prepared to accept you, but your decision is just as important. And it's your free choice to make."

"But, um," Andy was puzzled. "Bobby's like a bigger kid, and Skipper's a grownup, and they're not um, like a father and a mother. I don't get it."

Harry grinned indulgently. "They're a team, partners, like best friends but even more so, just like Jonas and me. And we knew, from everything in Bobby's attitude, that he really wanted to do this."

"You guys want us, like for kids?" Brandon was incredulous. "Even as bad as Grampa said we were?"

"Yep!" Bobby's first comment was quite firm. "Betcha you haven't come up with anything that I haven't already tried!" Andy giggled.

"Come here, Brandon," Skipper said. Nervously, the boy stood, wincing a bit, and walked over gingerly to the tall, strong medic seated on the couch. Skipper spread his arms and pulled the boy into his embrace. Brandon sat down and slowly lost the tension stiffening his body, relaxing in Skipper's arms. Bobby motioned to Andy, who ran over to him, and followed suit.

"By the powers vested in me by the Clan Short Charter and Article 200 of the Safe Haven Act," Jonas said, "I now formally award guardianship of Brandon Keith Jessup and Andrew James Jessup to James Hamilton and Robert Strong Martin. This is a permanent placement. End recording."

"Got it!" came Daileass's disembodied voice.

---

Starfleet Headquarters

As the Security men marched the five civilian employees who were F.C.C. infiltrators into the small meeting room, the V.S.O. operative R'Kau strode emotionlessly in behind them. At his gesture, the Security men turned their captives to face him. He spoke one sentence to them: "I regret the necessity of what I must do to you," and then stepped forward to the first of them, and abruptly forced a mind meld on him. As he finished the mind meld, the man collapsed, grasping his forehead with both hands and a look of agony on his face.

"You shall not use those works of the Devil on me!" the second man shouted. "God will protect me!"

"It is recorded in our legends that Oekon said that it was better to be torn limb from limb than to bring harm on a little one," R'Kau said. "You have caused untold pain and death, and have forfeited His protection — if you ever had it. The skills of kahs-nohv are also said to be the gift of Oekon to my people." As the Security man restrained the second F.C.C. man, he repeated the forced mind meld; the 'Holy Joe' collapsed unconscious after, with pain etched on his features.

As R'Kau advanced on the third man, he broke away from his captor, and reached to pull a knife from his pocket. With one smooth series of movements, R'Kau grabbed his arm and with a single blow snapped his humerus. The man shrieked; the Security man regained control over him. Still without emotion, R'Kau placed his hands on the man's temples, and again forced him to divulge what he knew through mind meld.

The fourth man began weeping. "You weep for your own anticipated pain, but not for those children whom you helped kill or maim," R'Kau observed without emotion, and proceeded to seize from his mind the secrets that he held.

The fifth man, however, stood, if not calmly, at least with the air of someone meeting his fate bravely. "I believed I was doing the Lord's work," he said, "but after seeing what happened Saturday, I have regretted my part in it. I have remained silent out of fear, of what would happen to me if I confessed. Do what you must; it is no more than I deserve."

A ghost of what might have been compassion washed briefly over R'Kau's grave face. He began the mind meld, read the man's secrets, and dropped back. The man stood, with a hint of a sense of wonder on his face. "Forgiveness is not mine to give," R'Kau said, "but I grant you such peace as is mine to give. You did evil from good motives, and you will be given the chance to atone for the harm you caused. In the name of T'Khasi I promise this."

He stood silent for a moment, building interior walls to protect his own consciousness from the effects of what he had harvested, then turned and strode from the room.

---

Church Street, Arkham

Jonas and Harry walked companionably through the dusk on their way home from Grace Martin's. The short route for them led to where Church and High Streets angled into each other, near the playground where they had found Jed and C.J. three eventful weeks previous. As they drew near the old Templeton house, which Maureen and Josiah were buying, however, the quiet of the evening was disrupted.

The scene that met their eyes was a surreal one. From the building supply yard down in Farmington, a steady stream of lumber, conduits, plumbing supplies, and all manner of material was soaring steadily towards them, propelled by the telekinesis of Eli and Benji. As it arrived at the old Templeton house, Peter stood there directing it to the appropriate places, where nail guns, pipe wrenches, paint sprayers, and so on were framing, ducting, trimming out and finishing the parts into the remodeling and new addition, as if being wielded by invisible workmen. Peter stood in the midst of it along with the telekinetic twins, gesturing, like a band conductor or perhaps a legendary sorcerer.

Jonas began to grin, and started humming, "Bah-bah-bah-doop-bah-doop-bah doop," to the tune of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."

Harry caught the parallel to the Disney cartoon, and laughed. "Well, after all," he said, "he is a Mickey Mouse!"

Peter heard and grinned, gave Jonas a raspberry, and then turned serious. "Bro?" he said.

"Yeah, Peter?"

"Don't use that 'Mickey Mouse' thing with any of the others, okay?" he said. "I know you were just giving me some good-natured teasing, but we're all getting really tired of 'Mickey Mouse' jokes. Okay?"

Jonas and Harry's expressions asked an unspoken question. Peter explained. "When Kyle named our species, he invented the name after the two people he looked up to the most: Mikey and Levis — that's why he called us the 'Mikyvis'. While everybody gets the joke, it's really eating at him, kind of like they're insulting two people he cares a lot about, in making the joke." Peter's expression was earnest. "I think it's funny — but I know how much it hurts and upsets him. Okay?"

"Sure, bro. We didn't know."

"I know that; I was just letting you know, because I knew you wouldn't want to hurt Kyle or Tyler on accident." Peter's usual happy-to-be-alive smile was back, and he continued the building process as they talked. A break in the flying supply train happened, and Eli and Benji turned with grins and waved to Jonas and Harry.

"Hey, guys, good to see you! What brings you up here to Arkham?"

"Mikyvis Taxi!" Benji giggled.

"You know what I meant!" Harry said mock-sternly, smiling as he did despite himself.

"Teamwork," Eli amplified. "TK and Mikyvis make a good team."

"Yeah," Peter said. "The guys do what I can't, and I give them what they need."

"Huh?" said Jonas, feeling a little out of his depth.

"It's like this," Peter explained. "For all our abilities, Mikyvis are not naturally telekinetic. I am, a little bit, but that was a recessive gene in my family that nobody knew about until after Levi turned me into a Mikyvis. But the other guys can't TK things around. Some stuff they can levitate by creating magnetic fields, like what makes a maglev train work. And of course they can transform stuff, energy to matter and the other way around."

Benji added, "Using our own abilities, it's easy for us to get tired after using our TK for anything heavy. But Peter's got energy to spare, from being a Mikyvis; he can draw it from just about anywhere, and channel it to us."

Eli piped up, "So we lift and move stuff, and Peter feeds us energy and, um, gives us the room to concentrate on doing more than one thing at once. We can TK more than one thing at a time, as far as the ability goes, but by ourselves we can't concentrate on more than one thing. We can use Peter's head to split up our concentration to run a nailgun with one piece of our minds, at the same time as we're moving a piece of conduit with another."

Peter giggled. Pointing at his head, he said, "Mikyvis Hotel, rooms to rent!" They all laughed.

"So, how's it coming?" Harry asked.

"We should have the building finished tonight," Peter said. "We need to fit this in around when Benji and Eli aren't needed in Orlando for stuff, but we'll have everything ready to move in on Saturday."

"Nice!" Jonas said.

"Your room will have a kingsize bed and a bathroom with a built-in Jacuzzi," Eli giggled.

"Awesome; no more sharing a single bed!" Harry laughed, blushing a little.

"Do you need a hand?" Jonas asked.

"Nope — we just got a little more to do tonight, maybe another hour," Peter said.

"Okay, I'll tell Mom to expect you," Jonas answered.

"I'll beat you home," Peter said giggling.

"Time loop!" Eli laughed.

---

Starfleet Headquarters

As the remaining members of the Engineering and Ordnance Division staff exited the conference room, the two squads of Security men waiting in the hall quietly moved in, one by one, behind their designated targets, efficiently escorting twelve Petty Officers and fifteen civilian employees to a detention area where they were beamed out to Starfleet's Bay Area lockup, in the hills above Alameda. Two attempted to make a break for it, and were recaptured and subdued without fuss.

As Cdr. Doncaster exited the conference room, a Security man attempted to stop him. "Let me through, man," he said to him. "I need to get Capt. Matlock the Division personnel files."

Capt. Drumm stepped up to the taller man. "No, Ray," he said, "you're coming with me. We need to have a long chat about some interesting funds transfers." Doncaster made to pull away, and Drumm seized his arm firmly. Many people made the mistake of discounting Drumm's shortness and portly build as betokening the weakness of a small fat man — a mistake nobody made twice. Drumm grasped Doncaster's arm in a vise grip and marched him away.

Capt. Matlock and Lt. Allison Lindley, chatting in an apparently affable manner, were the last to exit the conference room. Lindley took one look at the Security personnel, Doncaster being led away by Drumm, Adm. Morrow and Sarek watching with stern expressions, and drew her hand phaser, which had been on her belt. Her first and only shot hit the wall alongside Morrow's head. As the Lieutenant commanding one Security group moved in on her, Sarek stepped forward and seized her right, weapon wrist. He squeezed. The weapon fell from her hand as she screamed in pain.

As the Lieutenant put her in custody, Sarek said emotionlessly, "She is likely to need prompt medical attention if she is to regain use of that hand. Ensure she receives it while she is giving you her confession — neither before nor after, but at the same time."

"Consider that a direct order from the Federation High Council," said the Admiral, picking himself up from where he'd thrown himself as the phaser shot hit the wall next to him. Turning to Matlock, he added, "Ben, I will see you in my office tomorrow about one. Bring your preliminary list of needs to get your division back up to speed. Don't be afraid to call on Scotty, Morgan, Charles, and the others to give yourself a good team."

R'Kau emerged from the room where he had mind-melded with the 'Holy Joes'. "Come," he said, gathering Sarek, Morrow, and Drumm with his eyes. "I have information which you are in need of."