Memories Part 2: Spreading The Hope

 

A few minutes later, Gabe, Travis, Davey, Jimmy, Rusty, and Matty assembled in the overnight room. As they were settling in on the couch to talk, Matty leaned over and whispered loudly "Wusty? Why does Gabe have a 'tenna on his teeth?"

Rusty giggled as he got an evil look in his eyes. "That's so he can listen to shortwave radio stations while he's sleeping Kiddo."

Travis looked over at his beet-red partner and added between giggles. "Hello Radio Moscow; come in Radio Moscow!"

Gabe glanced between his tormentors and then noticed that both Jimmy and Davey were sporting smiles and on the edge of laughing. His anger melted at the sight as he replied. "Dad says it's to keep Trav from kissing me so much; but really its part of my braces to help straighten my teeth."

Gabe waited for everyone to settle down before he began "Okay, if you guys have any questions, comments or concerns stop me. I'm guessing that a lot of things that happen around here are different than what you are used to; I'm going to try to cover the obvious stuff so you don't get the wrong idea when it happens. It's okay to interrupt me; you guys understand that?"

Davey, Jimmy, and Matty all nodded their heads.

Gabe began to carefully lead into the things he figured might freak out his new sons. "I guess the first thing you guys are going to need to get used to is that you can be kids around here. I know you've pretty much seen us all acting like adults today; we kinda do that when we are working. None of us are like that all the time; we pick on each other, wrestle, play games, run around, and generally have fun."

"Don't you get spanked for getting dirty?" Jimmy asked.

"No Jimmy; that's why we have washing machines and showers. There is not a single person here who will spank you for anything." Gabe replied.

"But the Bible says 'spare the rod and spoil the child'; does that mean they spoil you?" Davey asked seriously.

Gabe looked Davey straight in the eyes. "No son; what that passage means is that you must punish the child suitably for transgressions. There are other ways to punish someone without resorting to spanking; and since a lot of the other guys besides you have also been abused by beatings from adults Teri decided long ago that spanking was not allowed as a punishment."

"I won't get spanked fow touching my pee pee?" Matty blurted out.

"No Matty." Gabe replied with a smile. "If you are doing it someplace you shouldn't be, you'll be asked to wait until later or someone will suggest a better place for you to go do it; but you will not get spanked."

"Kewl!" Matty giggled.

Gabe giggled. "You'll fit right in with the rest of the rugrats Matty! Okay guys; I know the next one is unusual, but it's become a tradition with us. We have an indoor pool here at the Compound; the part that you'll probably need to get used to is that as a general rule nobody wears swimsuits while they are in there."

"What do they wear then?" Jimmy asked.

"Everyone swims nude." Gabe replied, expecting an explosion any second.

He was not disappointed. "I thought you said we didn't have to do sex stuff anymore! When you get naked with other people it means you're gonna have sex." Davey exploded.

"Stop and think for a minute Davey while I explain." Gabe replied patiently. "Remember I started this off by telling you things are different? This is one of those parts that is really different. I was wondering if that is how you guys would think about nudity; a few of the other guys were the same way. Jacob just told me something in my head; he says that the psychiatrists screwed with your head so that you would think that anything to do with nudity meant sex, then your old stepfather took advantage of it and proved it by raping you. I don't know everything that happened to you guys; the twins won't tell me, they say you gotta do it when you are ready. Jacob says for me to ask you to tell me what it was like when you used to stay with your Uncle Mike."

Davey's defiant look melted some as he responded. "When we stayed with him, after he gave us our bath he'd let us run around naked until time for bed; then we'd get in our pajamas and go to sleep."

Gabe could see the effect the memory had on the boys, so he phrased his statement carefully. "I'll bet that he never even suggested sex stuff, did he?"

Davey shook his head. "No, he didn't act any different than when we had clothes on."

Gabe nodded. "It's the same thing. I'm sure some of the guys will check you out; none of them will mind you looking at them. That's as far as it goes though; the nearest thing to sex that ever happens in there is if we play tag. To make it more of a challenge sometimes the rule is you have to tag someone on their butt; but if you don't feel comfortable usually there is a group not playing tag that you can hang around with until the game is over. If you get a stiffy no one will pick on you; in fact usually one of the guys will complement you on it. You can usually count on seeing them slapped on the back of their head by their boyfriend if they have one though; but even that is in fun."

Davey and Jimmy exchanged glances. "So you are saying we ain't gonna have to do stuff?" Davie asked.

"That is right; like I told you at dinner you don't have to do 'stuff' anymore unless YOU want it."

Davey looked Gabe in the eyes. "Okay; I think I see what you mean now. We need to think about it like we were at Uncle Mike's, not like it was at our old house."

Gabe nodded. "That would work; it sounds like it was a little like it is here when you were there. If you need to talk it over because of memories that it brings up just pick someone you trust and they'll help you out."

"Okay poppa; I'm sorry for being a brat about all of this." Davey muttered.

"You are not a brat." Gabe replied as he pulled Davey into a hug. "You are being honest about your feelings; I'm proud of you. It is going to take time to adjust, so don't be afraid to ask us if you are not sure about something."

"Thanks Poppa. Is there anything else we need to know?"

Gabe gave Davey an extra squeeze. "Yeah buddy; and it ties in to what we just talked about. Most of the guys feel more secure when we all cuddle up as a group to sleep at night; the grownups call it our 'nest'. Pretty much all of the guys sleep nude; you don't have to sleep nude but you need to know that others will be. It is your choice what or if you wear anything."

"Is anyone gonna touch our stuff when we're asleep?" Jimmy asked nervously.

"None of the older kids will." Travis answered. "Some of the rugrats are notorious for being curious about new kids, so they might inspect you while you are sleeping. They might touch you, but they don't mean anything by it."

"Oh." Jimmy replied. "I guess that is okay; it kinda scares me to have anyone touch me down there, I feel dirty thinking about it."

"It's okay Jimmy." Matty announced. "Johnny was tellin me all 'bout it. He says all pee pees look diffwent an' it's only diwty to touch them if you wanna do bad stuff with them. I'm gonna sleep nudie; you wanna see my pee pee now?" Before anyone could reply, Matty was on his feet and all but ripping his clothes off.

Rusty looked at Matty in shock. "What's the rush little buddy?"

Matty stopped and replied. "My big brothews used to get nudie with me when ouw fathew was not thewe. It was fun an' feels good; I wanna do it all the time if no ones gonna get mad."

Rusty nodded his understanding, which was all Matty needed to continue. As soon as he was stripped, Matty walked over and climbed up on a still shocked Jimmy's lap. "See Jimmy, it ain't diwty. You wanna twy it too?"

Travis saw the look on Jimmy's face and was easily able to guess what was going through his mind. "Relax Jimmy; I think I know what you are worried about. Yes you will probably get a stiffy until you are used to being naked. Just because you have a stiffy does not mean anything to do with sex; it's a normal part of being a boy. Gabe's dad explained it to me; until you get super old like in your thirties just something touching it or it bouncing around will make it stiff. It's normal and none of the guys will think anything of it since they get them too."

Jimmy thought about it for a minute then turned to Davey. "Davey? I don't want to try it alone; will you try it with me?"

Davey nodded. "Sure little bro; it was fun when we were little like Matty is. I feel safer in here with it just being us instead of everyone."

Jimmy lifted Matty off of his lap then the two boys began to stand up. Gabe reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If it will make you more comfortable Trav and I can sit over with Rusty. We'll only stay here if that's what you want."

Davey finished standing and answered by asking in a timid voice; "Poppa, will you get me ready for bed?" Immediately after, Jimmy echoed the request to Travis by asking in the same tone "Me too, Pop?"

Both Gabe and Travis realized instantly what was happening; semi-consciously their new sons were testing their fledgling trust in their new parents. Both nodded their heads and slowly reached out to the son in front of them. After removing their shirts and the white tee shirts underneath, they leaned over and undid the glossy dress shoes both boys were still wearing. Next to go were the black nylon dress socks. They then loosened the black leather belts and undid the clasps of the dress pants' waists, immediately moving their hands to the belt loops on either side to push the pants down over their hips and down their legs. Once both boys had kicked their pants free, Gabe and Travis made direct eye contact with the tear-streaked face of their respective son and kept it as they pushed down the bright white briefs still remaining on the boys. Once both boys were completely rid of their clothes, Gabe and Travis pulled them into a loving hug and held then tightly as they sobbed gently into their parents shoulders.

Gabe got Rusty's attention. "Rusty, take these clothes, get the sizes off of them, and find something in their sizes in the emergency clothing supply. Throw these in a trash bag; our sons are going to burn these reminders of their old life tomorrow. Matty can help you pick out stuff for them if he wants to."

Matty looked at Gabe then back at Rusty. "Wusty, pwomise you'll come back? Davey and Jimmy awe huwtin'; I gotta stay an' help them."

Rusty smiled as he walked over and lifted Matty up to kiss his forehead. "I promise lil' buddy; you take good care of these guys while I'm gone, okay? I'll only be about twenty minutes or so I guess. I'm proud of you kiddo."

"Okay Wusty!" Matty beamed. As soon as Rusty put him back down, Matty hurried over to sit between the two pairs of boys and took one of Davey and Jimmy's hands in each of his.

After a few minutes the boys settled down and just sat there cuddling Gabe and Travis. Davey leaned back a little and looked Gabe in the eyes. "You didn't look." he stated simply.

Gabe smiled. "That's right, son. I'll wait until you are comfortable with showing me what your body looks like."

"Thank you." Davey replied. He seemed to think for a moment, then added "Do you want to look?"

Gabe answered carefully. "I would like to look at all of you; I want to make sure you are okay."

Davey considered Gabe's statement. "Do you promise not to touch me?"

"I promise with all of my heart." Gabe replied seriously.

"Okay." Davey said as he slid off of Gabe's lap, moved a couple of feet away, then slowly spun around. When he stopped, he looked at Gabe and was surprised to see tears flowing from Gabe's eyes. "Why are you crying Poppa?"

"I'm crying for all of the pain you have felt." Gabe replied softly. As he held out his arms, he added "Come here son."

Davey slid into Gabe's arms and resumed his cuddle. Gabe thought for a minute, before softly saying "Davey? Do you still hurt?"

"I was hurting, but it stopped when Matty climbed up here." Davey replied.

Gabe nodded. "Okay, I think you owe Matty a big thank you hug. You know Grandpa is a doctor; would you be okay with it if I call him and have him check both of you to make sure nothing has been damaged by your old stepfather?"

Davey nodded. "Grandpa was nice; he won't hurt us. I don't care as long as Jimmy don't care."

Before anyone could ask, Jimmy replied. "Go ahead Poppa."

Gabe nodded. "Okay guys." He pulled his communicator out and flipped it open. In a flat voice he spoke. "Clan Short Security Michaels to FYS Medical. Priority Transmission."

"Medical, Doctor Austin speaking." was the immediate reply.

"Father; I have two cases of third degree physical abuse which require your immediate attention. I require your presence at the Camp Medical facility as soon as practical."

"Acknowledged; I am en route. Austin out."

Gabe flipped his communicator closed just as Rusty walked in carrying an armload of clothes. "Good timing Rusty." Gabe commented. "Guys; we are going over to Grandpa's office to let him make sure you will be okay. If you want to put some clothes on, Rusty has some for you."

Rusty walked over with two pairs of light blue boxers in his hand. "Here ya' go guys; these should be more comfortable."

Jimmy looked at Rusty like he was insane. "Where is our underwear? We can't wear shorts without underwear! Look at these; they don't even have a zipper! You're joking, right?"

"Haven't you heard of boxers, Jimmy?" Travis asked.

"Yeah Pop; they are guys who fight for money. You know, Muhammad Ali, guys like that." Jimmy replied with total seriousness.

Travis and Gabe exchanged a quick 'Oh my God' look before Travis replied. "Jimmy, there are different kinds of underwear. What you were wearing are called 'briefs'. There is a smaller version of those called 'bikini briefs' that covers a lot less. What Rusty has for you are called 'boxers'; that is what most of us wear because they are more comfortable. There is another type called 'boxer briefs' that are like boxers but the leg openings are stretchy and cling to your legs. I'm willing to bet that you were not told about a lot of choices you have with clothing; so if something seems weird just ask us about it."

"You're not trying to embarrass us are you?" Jimmy asked in an unsure voice. "Why would you need different types of underwear?"

"I'll never tell you to do something that will make other people laugh at you." Travis replied. "A lot of people can't wear the type that you were wearing; it causes them to get a rash where the underwear sits between their legs. Boxers let more air in there so it does not get as sweaty and yucky. They also don't keep your 'stuff' all scrunched up like briefs do; Doc Austin says that it helps your body some since your nuts need to hang down to keep at the right temperature. They can't do that in briefs."

Jimmy looked Travis in the eyes for a minute, checking for any signs of lying, then replied. "I guess I'll try them; do I gotta keep wearing them if I don't like them?"

"No, lil' buddy. Give it a chance though; the more things you do differently than what you used to be forced to do, the faster you'll forget about that stuff and become the real Jimmy that we know you can be."

"Okay Pop; I'll try them." Jimmy replied as he took the boxers from Rusty's hand.

Davey reached out as well. "That makes sense to me Pop; what else do you want us to wear?"

Travis nodded towards the piles of clothes. "It looks like Rusty brought you a selection; just pick out something and put it on."

"I don't know how." Davey replied. "We always wear what our parents tell us to."

Gabe heard the panic creeping into Davey's voice and quickly hugged him. "Relax Davey; it looks like Rusty grabbed stuff that will go together pretty good no matter what you pick. Give it a shot; Rusty will help you figure out what you need to put on if you need help. Both of you are really smart; I bet you'll figure it out really fast."

Both boys warily slid off of Gabe and Travis's laps. After quickly pulling on their boxers, they headed over to the piles of clothes Rusty had brought. Rusty noticed the lost looks on their faces, so he began gently giving them hints. "Okay Davey; what do you want to put on first?"

"I guess pants; but I don't see any." Davey replied.

Rusty went through the piles and laid out three pairs of shorts in front of each boy. "Okay guys, since we're in Florida and it's still hot I got shorts for you. Each of you pick out a pair you think looks good from the three in front of you and put them on."

Davey and Jimmy considered the options for a minute then each picked up a pair of shorts. "Are these the right ones?" Jimmy asked.

"Only if they are the ones you like the best." Rusty replied. "If they are, try them on and see if they fit you okay."

Rusty breathed an internal sigh of relief when both pairs fit exactly like they should; he had taken a chance and got one size larger due to how tight the boy's other clothes had fit. "Okay guys, what do you think is next?"

Davey looked confused. "I think undershirts; but you forgot to get some."

Rusty smiled. "No, I didn't forget. Those are only needed if you are dressing up for a wedding or something; the shirts you wear everyday don't need them. In fact, you will overheat outside with them. Do you want to pick out shirts instead?"

Both boys nodded. Just as Rusty was about to lay out the shirts, Jimmy spotted one and pulled it out. "Rusty, what is this? Jamie and Jacob had it on those weird robes they were wearing earlier." he asked, pointing at the logo over the breast of the polo shirt.

"That is our Clan Crest." Rusty replied. "That Crest means that the person wearing the shirt is a member of the family of Cory Short, Patriarch of Clan Short of Vulcan."

"Oh." Jimmy replied. "I guess I can't wear it then." he added as he tossed it down.

"Yes you can." Rusty stated as he picked the shirt up and pressed in into Jimmy's hands. "Both of you were put under the protection of Clan Short in the courtroom today; when Gabe and Travis adopted you that made you officially part of the Clan. You have earned the right to wear the Clan uniform; this shirt along with comfortable shorts or jeans is the casual uniform. I was hoping you might pick these shirts; they are not emergency clothes, they are right out of our uniform supply."

"Won't this Cory guy get mad?" Jimmy asked, still unsure.

"No little brother; he'll be happy that you are safe and learning to choose for yourself." Rusty replied with a smile.

"Umm, why did you just call me little brother?" Jimmy asked in surprise.

"I forgot; Sean's not here to explain." Rusty giggled. "Gabe and Trav are you guy's parents now; but all of us are like one big family too. We all call each other brothers. It's not just a word though; we all look out for each other and help each other just like we were really brothers. When you were adopted by Gabe and Trav the rest of us accepted you as our new brothers without question."

"He really means that guys." Travis added from his seat on the edge of the bed. "Ask your Grandpa about it while he is giving you your checkup."

Davey looked between Travis, Gabe, and Rusty a couple of times, then reached into the clothes and yanked out a shirt matching the one Jimmy was holding. Jimmy saw this, and quickly put the shirt on that Rusty had placed in his hands.

Rusty smiled at their budding enthusiasm. "Okay guys, you can tuck the shirt in or leave it out; I like to leave mine out 'cuz I think it looks better."

Davey smiled and replied with a newfound edge of defiance in his voice. "We always got in trouble for our shirts being out. I hope the bastard can see this from Hell." He then pulled his half-tucked shirt out of his shorts.

"Me too!" Jimmy replied as he also pulled his shirt back out.

Rusty giggled as he tossed each boy a pair of ankle socks. "I've heard that a lot lately! Before you ask guys; yes, these socks are supposed to be this short. Socks don't do anything above the ankles anyways, so why bother having them any higher."

"That makes sense." Davey commented as he sat down and put them on.

Rusty pulled two pairs of Nike running shoes out from under the pile. "Okay guys; since everything else you were wearing seemed too small, I got you some shoes a size larger than what you were wearing. If they feel too big we'll get smaller ones for you."

Both boys nodded and quickly put the new shoes on. Jimmy grinned. "Wow; my toes are not squished together. Is that how it is supposed to feel?"

Rusty nodded. "Yep. It sounds like yours fit Jimmy; what about you Davey?"

Davey smiled. "Thanks Rusty; I can't remember my toes not being squashed in shoes. These feel great!"

Both boys bounced up and moved to stand in front of Gabe and Travis. "Poppa, Pop; do we look okay?" Davey asked hopefully.

"You look awesome!" Gabe replied as he pulled them into a hug.

Travis giggled as he tapped Gabe on the shoulder. "No fair hogging the best-dressed boys in Florida hon; let me hug them too!"

Huge smiles adorned the boy's faces as they broke free and piled into Travis's arms. After a minute of cuddling, Travis released them and took their hands. "C'mon guys; let's go show you off to Grandpa!"

Rusty took a seat as the four headed out the door. Matty came over and climbed onto Rusty's lap, cuddling into his chest. After a few minutes, Matty softly spoke. "Wusty?"

"Yeah lil' buddy?"

"Can we go take a showew? Jimmy an' Davey's old daddy made them feel bad. When I touched them I felt how they felt now I feel diwty."

"Okay munchkin." Rusty replied. "After the shower, let's talk with Jamie and Jacob about what happened when you touched the boys. I think we might find out that you are a very special little boy."

"Okay Wusty. Cawwy me?"

"Sure thing Matty." Rusty replied as he stood up to head into the connecting shower.

 

Alec had just finished his call updating Cory on the latest developments when the boys returned from the medical compound. He joined Gabe, Travis, Davey and Jimmy in their walk to the Rec room. "How'd it go?"

Davey shyly looked up at Alec. "Doc says we're gonna be okay now Uncle Alec. He fixed where the bastard messed up our butts."

Alec squeezed Davey's shoulder. "It'll be okay kiddo. It takes a little time to get over stuff like what you guys went through; any time you guys need to talk about it any of us will help, okay?"

"Okay." Both Davey and Jimmy replied. Just then, they reached the doorway and froze. "Poppa?" Jimmy asked shyly.

Alec looked over the boys head and instantly saw the problem. The rest of the Clan was in their normal state of pre-sleep undress; lying around watching "Home Alone" and talking quietly.

Gabe pulled Jimmy to his chest. "Remember what I said earlier son? It's your choice and nobody will mind. Look over there; Beau, Jamie, and Jacob are wearing their boxers tonight. Nobody is saying anything to them."

"I think I'd like to sleep like that." Jimmy commented. "Is that okay Poppa?"

"Yes Jimmy; however you feel comfortable." Gabe replied. "What about you Davey?"

"Yeah, me too. I don't want anyone looking at my stuff." Davey replied.

Gabe nodded. "That's fine. Follow me guys; to make things easy in case of emergency we've got an area to put our family's clothes."

Alec gave both of the boys a quick hug. "Sleep well guys; I'm going to go see if Andy has recovered yet from Matty."

Gabe and Travis helped their new sons get ready for bed. They picked out a spot on the floor, and settled in to watch the movie.

On the other side of the room, Johnny walked over to where Dmitry and Dominic were settling in. "Did you guys take care of your boyfriend stuff in the shower like everyone else? Uncle Aaron ain't here and I kinda wanna cuddle with you guys tonight."

Dmitry smiled as Dominic laid his head on Dmitry's chest and cuddled up to his right side, "Sure Johnny you can join us."

"Yeah I'm much more relaxed after that shower," Dominic smiled and said softly with his eyes closed. "I think this is the most relaxed I've felt in months."

Dmitry giggled, "Any second now I expect him to start purring like our Phasenmorphs."

"I've claimed this side of DT but if you want his other side Johnny I'll gladly share him with you tonight," said Dominic. "Personally I think he's very cuddly."

"Kewl! Can I cuddle your fuzzymores too?" Johnny replied with a huge smile.

Dominic chuckled, "Fuzzymores huh? I guess that is easier to say."

"I don't have any fuzzymores yet," giggled Dmitry. "At least as far as I..."

"You don't," Dominic said cutting Dmitry off.

"But if you want to cuddle Giggle or Eyes then you're more then welcome," said Dmitry.

Johnny quickly dropped down and snuggled against Dmitry. "You are nice; I like you guys." Johnny stated as he found a Phasenmorph for each hand and settled in for the night.

By the end of the movie all of the boys were sound asleep; worn out from the trying day.

 

The next morning:

A smile spread across Dmitry's face as he felt a kiss on his forehead and heard a familiar voice say "Dmitry I need ya to wake up buddy." He slowly opened his eyes and responded "Hi Nyo, it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," replied a still-cloaked Nyo as he sat down next to Dmitry. "Do ya mind telling me why you and Dominic are visible?"

"The cloaks are pretty much dead and there was something wrong with Dom's eyes and we...," Dmitry started to say.

Nyo interrupted him, "Something's wrong with Dominic's eyes?!"

"It's ok don't freak on me," said Dmitry. "With a little bit of help from my handheld and the help of the Clan doctor Dom is fine, we just had to tone down the Biological Interface Strength a little."

"Well crap," said Nyo. "I completely forgot that he might run into that problem, it happens sometimes. But your cloaks are dead? Oh wait, I forgot you guys only had the three day power cells; I'm so sorry guys."

Dmitry nodded, "They've got about an hour of power left on them but Dominic needed help and I..."

"Shhh you did just fine Dmitry," said Nyo. "I'm guessing though that this means that the rest of the guys in here know about you two?"

"They don't know who sent us..." Dmitry said.

"Jamie and Jacob do..." sighed, Dominic as he shifted a little."Hi Nyo, hey Stepan, and hi strange guy I don't know."

"Go ahead and turn your cloaks off guys so Dmitry can see you too," said Nyo.

"Oh Step! I didn't even see you there," giggled Dmitry.

"Duh!" said Dominic.

"Hiya! And yeah hi new guy," said Dmitry. "You have very pretty eyes I can see them from down here."

Tyne blushed, "Thanks."

"This is Tyne guys," giggled Stepan. "He's a Founder."

Just then Johnny stirred and looked at the new boys sleepily. "Who are you? Is those fuzzymores under your shirts? Deemeetee, I gotta pee. Will you take me to the bathroom?"

Nyo smiled, "Hey there little guy, I'm Dominic and Dmitry's friend Nyo. I've never heard them called fuzzymores, although that sounds a lot more fun, but yeah we're wearing Phasenmorphs." Nyo stretched out his arm and pulled back his sleeve, "This is Phil."

"Nyo, the boy needs to pee," said Stepan. "Let Dmitry take him to the bathroom and then you can talk his ear off when he gets back."

"Just think DT you finally get to go into a bathroom with one of the boys here," said Dominic as he stretched and then sat up.

Dmitry grinned, "I didn't want to follow Johnny into the bathroom, he's cute but way too young for me."

"Whatever, just hurry up already," said Dominic. "You're my pillow and I want you back when you return."

Dmitry blushed as he got up to lead Johnny to the bathroom.

"So while DT's gone what's been going on with Ark?" asked Dominic.

"When we had you guys complete your side mission it started a reaction that placed Ark into standby and woke Tyne here up from a very long sleep," replied Nyo. "We've spent the last few days trying to get Ark's systems back online because taking it out of standby didn't bring everything back online."

"Oh ok," said Dominic. "I'm glad you came back for us."

"I'll never leave you guys behind," Nyo said as he pulled Dominic into a hug. "You and Dmitry are two of my best friends; I'll never abandon either of you."

Dominic smiled and wrapped his arms around Nyo, "You don't know how much that means to me."

Just then Dmitry and Johnny came back from their trip to the bathroom. Alec followed them over to the new group. "Hey there guys. I'm Alec. I'm guessing your friends of Dmitry and Dominic by your clothes; welcome to Clan Headquarters. Tell your 'morphs they can relax; the twins swore secrecy on anything to do with you guys, so they won't try to scan your heads unless you give them permission first."

"Thanks for the welcome Alec," Nyo said as he looked Alec up and down before turning to his guys. "I'm Nyo and this is my boyfriend Stepan and our friend Tyne."

"I'd hope you'd look guilty but I was looking too," said Stepan with a smile causing Nyo to blush.

"You mean some of these boys are telepaths?" Tyne said almost in a panic. "For their own safety they'd better keep that promise or they could get hurt, I don't want to think what would happen if another telepath tried to read my mind."

Alec turned his full attention to Tyne. "Tyne, are you saying there is something different about your mind that could hurt them? It's not a problem, but if you don't mind I'll warn the twins and Xain so that they can make sure to block any stray stuff that you might be transmitting."

"I don't transmit but they'll need to keep out of my mind if they value their consciousness," replied Tyne. "They could get stuck or lost in my mind. I'm in three different times at once."

"Wow; that could mess someone up!" Alec replied. "From what Kyle told me, everyone is kinda like a radio station; their surface thoughts radiate out and Kyle hears them without trying. The twins have never said anything about it, but I would rather be safe."

"Yeah Kyle's the one we don't have a definition for," said Nyo. "He's kind of a PAIN to block too."

"That reminds me of something someone once mentioned," Tyne said deep in thought.

Alec giggled. "Yeah, Kyle's kinda unique. Even we don't know what all he can do; he keeps surprising us with new things none of the other telepaths can even figure out."

"Yeah, tell me about it!" Jacob muttered as him and Jamie joined the group with Beau sandwiched between them. "Hey, double D's; is this who we think it is? Who's the new guy?"

Dmitry giggled, "Yeah this is Nyo and Stepan; the new guy is Tyne, he's a Founder."

"Just stay out of his head though guys, his mind is mentally a danger to the both of you," added Dominic.

"That's a thought, me being dangerous without me even trying," said Tyne. "You know I never used to have to worry about this. Founders never had this problem between each other."

"You'll have to excuse him," said Stepan. "He's been asleep for about sixty thousand years."

"Give or take a few thousand," said Nyo. "He's a good guy though."

"Great to meet you." Jamie replied. "You know;"

Jacob got an evil grin as they started to see-saw the conversation. "If you really wanna ..."

Jamie: "find out about Kyle"

Jacob: "If you can see in our heads"

Jamie: "We'll let you look"

Jacob: "Since we've been in his head"

Jamie: "You can see how really"

Jacob: "unreal his brain is."

Johnny giggled as he reached out and started petting Nyo's Phasenmorph. "You're silly Uncle J's!"

Nyo yelped and jumped a little but then moaned, "Ohhhh that feeeeeels goooood."

"I didn't know you could make that noise Nyo," giggled Stepan.

"No better way to incapacitate someone then to pet their Phasenmorph," said Dmitry.

"I don't know if that's a good idea or not guys," Tyne said to Jamie and Jacob. "I don't have control over how much I read. It's like only having two settings, scan and kill."

Jamie looked Tyne in the eyes. "I can't say what we know with everyone else here; but Jacob and I know enough that we trust you. If we didn't, double D's would not have been welcomed into the Clan family. If you can't be selective, we trust you to keep our secrets just as much as we have been trusted to keep yours. Just try not to use the 'kill' mode; it really messes up the morning to be dead before breakfast."

"Kill doesn't actually kill it just makes you hallucinate and see what you fear most while blocking me from your mind," said Tyne. "I haven't used something like that in a very long time and I hope I never have to again. But that's very trusting of you, maybe later we can find somewhere quiet and give it a try. I haven't used my telepathic skills in a while."

"Kewl." Jamie replied. He reached out his free hand for Tyne to shake. "After breakfast I know of the perfect place; I've got a couple of questions I'd like to ask in private anyways."

Tyne smiled and shook Jamie's hand, "That would be..." But suddenly Tyne stopped and then tilted his head sideways. "Something's not right here," Tyne said softly to himself. He tightened his grip a little then the loosened it again but didn't let go. "Yesterday you went somewhere that you should have gone to by yourselves," said Tyne as he let go of Jamie's hand. "Someone was killed that wasn't supposed to die then, and they were killed by someone that wasn't suppose to be there. Which one of you was it? Which one, I have to know which one of you!"

Dmitry spoke up, "It was me Tyne."

Tyne looked at Dmitry with a very strange look on his face, "Give me your hand then."

"What?" said Dmitry.

"Tyne what's wrong?" asked Nyo.

"I'll explain in a minute," replied Tyne. "Dmitry give me your hand."

Dominic took a few steps towards Dmitry wanting to protect him but Dmitry shook his head at Dominic.

"It's ok Dom," said Dmitry as he stuck out his hand. Tyne quickly took a hold of his hand and then closed his eyes.

"Jeez I can't see far enough," Tyne said after a few seconds. "Dmitry sit down with me for a few minutes."

Both boys sat down on the floor with Tyne still gripping Dmitry's hand firmly. The room was quietly watching them and after a few minutes Tyne sighed and shook his head.

"Time and destinies change all the time," said Tyne. "Most of the time the changes are so small that they're never noticed, they never make very big waves in the time space continuum. But this is different, whoever had Dmitry go with Jamie and Jacob yesterday set things up for a very different future. And when Dmitry showed himself and killed that man it split the time line in two; one with how things would have been and one with how things will be now."

All of the boys exchanged glances before Alec asked "How bad? How many people does it affect; just those of us here or what?"

Tyne looked up at Alec, "If it just affected a few people I wouldn't both to look almost twenty thousand years into the future to check long term repercussions. This has a different feel to it than what I've seen before; you guys managed to create a rift, an exact split in time and space creating a parallel effect which is something that only the Founder Council has ever dealt with. It's a situation where you've forced time to make a change without even realizing it to fit a new future. Meanwhile the original timeline, what's left of it, continues on in that parallel time. I can't even see that part of the timeline anymore, this is the new timeline. I can tell you that more people are alive because of this change than the old timeline though."

Alec shook his head. "Oh shit! If I wasn't used to guys with weird abilities telling me stuff and/or doing weird stuff I'd tell you that you were nuts. After living with Kyle, Eli, and Benji around I've learned to expect anything; but this is unreal. What exactly can you do Tyne?"

"I don't know what all I can do, I just know what skills I've been trained to use," replied Tyne. "The one that most Founders are known for is their ability to see into the future; although range depends on the Founder. We can see into the past too, but we don't normally use that very often unless we need to see what caused a particular action. The other skill most Founders are somewhat trained to do is what we call Scanning, which is just another way of saying we're telepaths that can only read one way and we get everything at once rather then in controlled amounts. And a few of us can use that technique to also do the reverse effect that I was telling the twins about a few minutes ago. If we have other abilities then no Founder has ever bothered to develop them."

"Oh great; a Kyle that can also see the future!" Beau moaned. "It's bad enough with these two cuties rearranging everyone's head!"

Alec laughed as Jamie and Jacob pulled Beau to the floor and started tickling him. "I'm not going to argue. It looks like the rest of the crew is waking up; why don't we head into the control room and I'll get you guys entered into the system so that you don't have to break in anymore. After that those of us who are still undressed for bed can get dressed and we'll grab breakfast. If you don't mind, after breakfast the five of you could join the twins and me in private and we can catch up on what you are allowed to say to us. At the same time I'll answer any questions you guys have."

"Ok that'll be fine," said Tyne as he got up off the floor and then helped Dmitry up.

Nyo nodded his agreement, "Yeah Ark should have communications back up and running by then and breakfast could be fun; we haven't eaten yet either."

"Yes food," giggled Dmitry. "Already our minds are becoming like one; we are thinking the same thoughts..."

"DT Nyo's mind could never be as bad as yours is," interrupted Dominic.

"Sure it's not," mumbled Stepan. "You just keep believing that Dominic."

 

After Breakfast:

Alec closed the door behind him as he entered the on-duty suite. "Okay guys; since Cory's not here I guess it's up to me to figure out what we need to do. Nyo, from what I've seen you're in charge; would you mind filling me in on what you can and then we'll figure out a way to work you guy's jobs in to benefit both groups?"

"Well what do you want to be filled in on?" asked Nyo. "I'll answer any question you have; but I have to know the question before I can answer it."

Alec grinned. "Nice evasion dude. It's kinda hard to ask questions when the twin terrors refuse to tell me anything to even hint at what I need to know to ask you; I've got more blanks than facts right now. All I know is you guys are watching us for someone; that and you have some really sweeet living weapons on your arms. Past that I have no ideas except that Tyne here seems to be a more powerful version of Kyle."

Nyo grinned, "Fair enough; I'll start with expanding what you already know then. First I want to ask you a question though; how long do you think humanity has been around?"

Alec thought for a minute. "Maybe about eight to ten thousand years."

"That's not a bad guess," said Nyo. "But what if I were to tell you that it's more like sixty to seventy thousand years."

"I'd say there are a few historians who have a LOT of questions for you!" Alec giggled. "Are you for real?"

"After watching most of it happen I don't even think I could make this stuff up. See humanity has been through various stages throughout that time, splitting it into about four different cycles," said Nyo. "A cycle ends every time humanity almost wipes the planet of its existence through very destructive means; like dropping bombs on itself causing an ice age or creating a plague that kills millions upon millions of people. Each cycle has had its own technological advances, each cycle has had different results, and so far each cycle has gone out in its own unique blaze of hatred. I am part of a foundation or agency that has been watching humanity through all of the different cycles and for the most part has just been recording all that humanity has done. We've been watching and waiting."

"Waiting?" Alec asked curiously.

"Oh yes, waiting," replied Nyo. "Let me start at the beginning. You see back before cycle one even began humanity lived in peace for a time. I could go into long details on how they got this way but I'll just go with the short version and say that the Founders were the ones that helped keep humanity from its destructive nature. But nothing lasts for long I guess and a group of people calling themselves the Moroi rose up against the Founders and convinced the world that the Founders were out to improve life only for their people and not for the rest of humanity; and so the Founders were cast out. As they were though one of them saw a glimpse of what would end up happening to humanity because of all of this. They saw that humanity would nearly obliterate itself due to its own jealous hate. So they formed two different plans; one to try and correct the problem and the other if they failed. Well long story short their first plan failed and because of it the Moroi were then hunting the Founders and killing them. So they quickly started their second plan hoping that they would be around long enough to complete it. Their plan was to create an enormous archive with an artificial intelligence that would record all human history and watch for the time that humanity once again was at peace. At that time the archive, which was named Ark, was to give humanity all that it had collected up to that point."

"Okay; that makes sense. Something tells me that you haven't exactly been telling anyone about this before; what's different this time?"

"That's difficult to say," said Nyo. "Let's just say that I got tired of waiting for Ark to tell me when humanity was ready so I started reading the current archive information myself in my off time. That was about thirty thousand years ago when I started reading some of what Ark was collecting in between fixing Ark's systems and keeping them well maintained."

"You've done a good job at that too," commented Tyne.

"Thanks Tyne," smiled Nyo. "Anyway, recently your clan has come into my radar and what I read about you guys immediately got my attention. You guys were actually making a difference, and not just in your small little area but the world. So I brought it to Ark's attention that maybe you guys could be what we've been waiting for all these years, or at least close enough to what we were looking for that if given a little nudge you guys could perhaps achieve what the rest of humanity has failed at for so many years."

Alec looked at the group in shock. "Us? We ain't nothing special; we're just trying to keep other kids from going through what some of our guys went through. We're just kids who have got lucky so far."

"Ooooh yeah you guys are lucky," giggled Dmitry. "Just look at how many cute..."

Dominic poked Dmitry in the side getting a yelp, "Not that kinda lucky DT."

Nyo smiled, "Thanks Dominic. But what do you mean nothing special? Do you know of any other group of any kind that has continuously saved child after child from bad situations, has constantly put entire governments in their place, and genuinely cares about what happens to those children that they save once they get them to safety?"

"Yeah and do you have any idea how much the world needs guys like all of you?" added Dominic. "In the country that me, DT, and Stepan are from its hell to live there at all as a kid. But whether you guys realize it or not you've even had influences there too. The youth services that you guys helped get into place is responsible for getting our country's government to setup the orphanage that we were living in. You're all responsible for shutting down some of the child porn rings going on there and scaring some of those kinds of people into hiding which in turn keeps other kids that I knew from being drawn into that dark and twisted life."

"And while there are still problems there and in other places the world is looking brighter and better because of you guys," said Dmitry. "You're bringing hope to those that previously had none and you're claiming that you guys are nothing special?"

Alec looked over at the twins. "Don't look at us!" Jamie giggled. "We've been in Dmitry's head; after what we saw we're on their side!"

"Thanks brats!" Alec chuckled. "Okay, assuming we really have made a difference, what now? As far as I'm concerned there's no reason to hide from us if you want to watch us. I'd really like to know more though; stuff like what happened before, where y'all came from, what the deal is with the 'morphs, things like that."

"Where we came from is probably the easiest to answer so I think we'll start with that one," replied Nyo. "Ark created me in the second cycle of humanity after it started having trouble taking care of its own systems. I'm based off of one of the sub-species that were created in that cycle called the Vifer. A Vifer has vitaferrum based blood so we can heal ten times faster then the average human and we live for very, very long periods of time. An example of that is I'm 50,320 years old but I don't look a day over fifteen. Stepan, Dmitry, and Dominic started as humans but were recently made Vifer to help them recover from what they went through before I saved them; the three of them are from Russia though and I saved them about six or seven days ago."

"Dang now I can't tell them I'm like hundreds of years old," giggled Dmitry.

"Like they'd believe you anyway DT," said Dominic. "You're still to wacky to be any older then ten."

"Tyne is a Founder from the first cycle," continued Nyo. "He's been in a cryo-sleep for the last sixty thousand years give or take a few thousand. He pretty much already told you what he can do earlier but other then his people being created in the cycle before the first cycle there's not really anything else to say."

"Yeah my people's history isn't that exciting," added Tyne. "The Founder Council's history is far more entertaining but takes too long to go over."

"Kewl." Alec commented. He settled down on the floor Indian-style then added "This stuff is really awesome, I wanna hear more!"

"Human sponge," muttered Dmitry.

"Next topic please before DT takes that comment somewhere else," Dominic said quickly.

"Right," Nyo said with a grin. "A Phasenmorph is exactly what you said, a living weapon. They were created in the second cycle, kinda like me, by Bioengineer Marcus Takato after five attempts to create a living weapon. The Phasenmorph was engineered to have lower brain functions of that of a human and was said to technically have no higher brain functions, although we know now that that's not entirely true otherwise the user would have trouble interacting with the Phasenmorph. The Phasenmorph relies on its connection to its host for information on the current situation, without the mental link it forms then the Phasenmorph is almost useless. It can do a good many things but unless you intend on using one then I'll keep from going into detail."

"Please, go into detail! The rugrats seem to have become attached to Dmitry and Dominic's little companions. Besides, considering the report I got from the twins I would definitely like to see about outfitting the senior security personnel with them." Alec said with a grin.

"This could take a while," said Dominic as he sat down next to Alec and then pulled Dmitry into his lap. "I might as well get comfortable."

"Alright, it's your head that'll explode," grinned, Nyo. "Before being attached to a user or when they are not being used a Phasenmorph lives in pools of fresh water and can interact with each other through electrical signals. The original purpose of the Phasenmorph was to act as an all purpose weapon; acting as shield, weapon, area of effect damage dealer, and mental cloak. The Phasenmorph could protect its user from being detected by any telepaths, it can physically shield its user from any kind of projectile or electrical blast, fire off different intensities of electrical blasts, and create an expanding area of effect blast to take out more then one enemy. The Phasenmorph only does what its told, so if you need to use its AOE but you do not want to harm your own men then the Phasenmorph will match its biometric electrical signal to those that you do not want to harm and the blast will pass right over them without harming them. The same thing can be applied to the shield, the Phasenmorph can shield more then one person if need be. The Phasenmorph can also mask itself so that it can not be seen and is not detectable by any security device as it will change its chemical makeup to adapt and avoid detection if the user so desires."

"And when putting it on it now makes your arm numb," added Tyne. "And I highly recommend training if you want to use one. I don't want to think what could happen if you gave someone a Phasenmorph and then didn't teach them how to use it."

Alec nodded his head. "Sounds like they are a lot more than you'd think! Are there any issues with them and what we consider 'normal' humans? I'd like to see how they'd work out; it kinda worries me when Cory and Sean take trips like they are on now. They started all of this and all of us would die to protect them. What is involved in training?"

"The Phasenmorph was originally designed with 'normal' humans in mind because every other sub-species of the second cycle could, if they had to, make due without," replied Nyo. "Training though depends on the person and can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days or weeks depending on how much you want to learn to use. Dmitry and Dominic are the only ones that have a good base in Phasenmorph training other then myself at the moment; Step and Tyne have a three hour crash course. For decent results a week normally turns out good results."

"They don't seem to like me all that much," commented Tyne. "The poor things go running from me."

Jacob giggled. "They must run because you are so cute it scares them."

Alec giggled at Tyne's sudden blush. "Well, Jacob's right dude! What's the deal about watching us though, Nyo? We kinda know about you guys so it's stupid for y'all to stay hidden. I'd kinda like to know a bit more about what's up though."

"Ah but you didn't know about us prior to Dominic or Dmitry making themselves visible," said Nyo. "Our original intent was to observe and intervene only a little bit without being noticed. We didn't know if you guys were what we were looking for or not and we didn't want to risk you not being what we were looking for."

"Makes sense." Alec replied. "Chill with the invisibility unless you absolutely have to, okay guys? You are a part of the family now; Dmitry sealed that one for all of you. Think about training someone with a 'morph please; I think it'd be nice to have someone we can count on to watch over the guys safely. One question; do you plan on letting us know if we are screwing up like the other cycles did? I'm sure Cory won't mind; he's worrying himself sick about if we are doing any good."

"Hmm...screwing up..." said Dmitry.

"No," replied Dominic. "Don't even go there DT."

"If you guys come anywhere close to messing up I'll be able to see it," said Tyne. "And now that I'm awake I'll do anything to keep from letting you guys fail. Humanity has gone on long enough without a direction and you guys are finally giving it one so I will see you succeed."

Alec giggled. "Dmitry, you know screwing is supposed to be in private! Seriously; pick someone to train. I trust you guys to choose someone that is ready since you know how mature someone has to be to handle the 'morphs. Speaking of the 'morphs; you really should tell them it's okay around the telepaths, even Kyle. From what I hear Kyle drives them nuts; until you figure him out that might be best. From what you said earlier Tyne; it sounds like they like Kyle about the same as they responded to you."

"At least I'm not alone," responded Tyne. "I was beginning to think Phasenmorphs just didn't like me for my smell or for being a Founder."

"Mature? Then why does DT have one?" said Dominic.

"Hey!" replied Dmitry. "I'm mature!"

"We'll get with Ark and see if we can come up with a short list of clan members to start with Alec," said Nyo. "For now we already told the Phasenmorphs to take a break."

"Kewl; that'll work Nyo." Alec replied with a smile. "Oh, Dmitry; if you are so mature why is it Dominic had to tell you that you have no fuzzymores yet? I think the entire room heard that!"

Jamie and Jacob came over and joined the hug. "Don't worry Dmitry." Jacob whispered. "I think the more pubes that the old guys get the less they think. I wish we could live that long; from what I've seen of adults I don't ever wanna be one."

"Thanks guys," Dmitry whispered back. "But be careful what you wish for."

Jamie turned Dmitry's head to look him in the eyes. "Bro, we've seen into everyone's head since before we could talk. Uncle Spock taught us to control it, but after what we've seen adults go through that wish is totally serious. The main reason the Clan works is that we are not bogged down with all of the junk the world makes adults do. If it means staying a kid to pay back Cory and Sean for saving us, we'll do it in a heartbeat."

"That's really something you should think over all the way through first Jamie," said Dominic. "We weren't given the choice because we needed it to heal but you guys would have the choice and it's not something that can be undone afterwards."

"You'd have to talk to Nyo if you did go that way," added Dmitry. "We don't know anything about it and it's not our decision who, does and doesn't become another species."

Jamie turned to Tyne. "Tyne, you can scan our heads; go ahead and do it now so you can tell Nyo your opinion. You've been around a lot longer than us; see if you agree with us."

Tyne frowned, "Isn't that kinda jumping the gun just a little bit?"

Jacob joined Jamie in the conversation. "No it's not Tyne. You'll get a lot of the Clan's history too; stuff I'll bet you guys never knew about. This is your chance to learn stuff that isn't talked about. Since you guys are new to the Clan you should get a history lesson from Sean; this just puts ya ahead of the game."

"That's your decision then I guess and I'll respect your reasoning. Just be warned I haven't intentionally read someone else's mind in a long time so I might be a little out of practice," said Tyne. "Just so I don't hurt you guys by accident by bringing up bad memories I'll set up a void in my mind to kinda buffer everything; it might not happen but again it's been awhile and I'd rather be safe."

Jamie smiled. "That will work; we do the same thing. We can lock each other out for a little while as long as we concentrate on it; we'll do that so you don't get both of us at once. Who do you want first?"

"You pick," said Tyne. "I can do one at a time or I can do both so it really doesn't matter. If I do both though then I'll have to buffer one of you in the past while the other will be present. If you want to do one at a time then which ever of you is ready now is who I'll take first."

Jamie nodded. "Since you are out of practice I'll go first."

"Ok then," said Tyne as he focused on Jamie. "Just don't move."

Tyne then closed his eyes and tilted his head to the left. A few minutes later he opened his eyes, "Ok, I still have my mind processing all of that but I think it went ok; I'm done Jamie, you can move again."

Jacob wordlessly swapped places with his twin and froze in position. Tyne smiled at Jacob and then closed his eyes again. A few minutes later though Tyne frowned, then opened his eyes and then looked down at the ground. He was quiet for a few more minutes before he looked up to see Jacob still standing still.

"Sorry Jacob you can move again, I'm finished," said Tyne as went back to staring off into space. "About half way through your scan I started integrating from past memory into present. Now I remember why my father longed for days when humanity was calm and peaceful."

The rest of the boys quietly watched as Tyne integrated the memories. After a few minutes, Tyne returned to the present. "Everything okay Tyne?" Alec asked with concern.

"I'm not sure," replied Tyne. "I don't think I've ever absorbed that many painful memories before. It's...it's depressing to know that some of that kind of stuff could actually happen to anyone. Humanity needs a lot of help if that's the state of things."

Alec nodded. "I know what you mean, Tyne; but consider that you are looking at a small slice of humanity. In general humanity is not that way; but the actions of a small part of humanity is what brought this group together. If all of humanity was like the people that caused us to need to band together then we never would have had a chance at becoming what we are."

"That's good to know," Tyne said as he looked Alec in the eye. "All of you have still been through more then any kid should ever have to go through. And for most of you, after what you went through, if it was me I probably would have given up hope; for making it through and still keeping your innocence, sanity, and hope you'll have my deepest respect."

"All of us agree with that." Alec responded seriously. "Mom and I were talking a while back and she commented that the adults all think that we're a special group. None of them can figure out how most of these guys survived; they think all of us together are what has made it so everyone recovered so quickly. I do appreciate your respect though; coming from you it means a lot."

Dmitry looked back and forth between Alec and Tyne for a moment and as soon as it looked like they were done he let loose.

"So can I make the list?" asked Dmitry. "I got dibs on the cute ones!"

Dominic sighed, "DT we can't take the whole clan for training."

"Let's wait till Ark contacts us first Dmitry," smiled Nyo. "We should probably cross-reference with it."

"It might not be a bad idea to ask for volunteers and see who's interested too," added Stepan.

Alec giggled. "You ask for volunteers and you just might get everyone here! I know one of the guys I'd like to see get one though; I think Rusty would be a good candidate. The main reason he has not been more active is Curly is afraid he'll get hurt; with a 'morph on him it'd mean he'd be a lot safer."

"Ok that makes one then," replied Nyo. "Do you have any others in mind or do we actually have to do work?"

"Dude if you take Rusty then what are ya gonna do with Matty," said Dmitry. "He isn't gonna give up Rusty that easily."

"Good point Dmitry; I think wherever Rusty goes Matty will tag along. What do you think Nyo; could you handle the munchkin hanging with Rusty?" Alec asked.

"Nyo if you say yes to that then you're buying me a cup before we get back so I don't end up like Andrew," said Dominic.

Dmitry giggled, "I second that."

Nyo gave Dmitry and Dominic a strange look and replied, "Sure I guess he can come, but he's too young to get a Phasenmorph though."

"Yeah so Alec, how is Andrew doing?" asked Dmitry.

"I kissed his hurts until he felt all better!" Alec replied with a smirk.

"Hmm...Nyo just get a cup for me then," said Dmitry as he looked at Dominic with an evil grin.

"Is there something wrong with the kid?" Nyo asked Dominic and Dmitry.

Dominic grinned, "Just don't piss him off."

Alec giggled as he accessed the terminal in the room. "Watch this and you'll understand Nyo." He then played back the logs of Matty's rescue.

Nyo watched for a minute and then shook his head, "And you want to send him with me?"

"He's a nice kid once you get to know him," said Dmitry. "That and if you let him pet your Phasenmorph it'll keep him busy for hours."

"Look at how he takes down the entire group with one blow," Tyne started to point out. "Like a shark launching into a school of fish."

Stepan smiled, "Your call Nyo; if you think Ark is up to it then I don't see a problem with it."

"Looks like the fish'll be feeling that one for hours," Tyne continued as he kept watching the playback.

"Oh they were," said Dominic. "That's why I want a cup."

"I'll take some football gear while we're at it," added Dmitry.

"No a suit of armor would be better DT," said Dominic.

"Good point," said Dmitry. "Hey Nyo can Ark make us suits of armor before we get back?"

"He's just a little kid!" Alec got out between giggles. "Why are y'all so scared? Wait until you meet Timmy!"

"Oh we've watched Timmy," said Dmitry. "He's fun."

"At least he's not crippling," mumbled Dominic.

"If you want us to take Rusty then I suppose we can live with having Matty around," said Nyo. "I'm sure we'll live."

Jamie giggled. "Dude; just make sure he has a 'morph nearby to pet and Matty will be just fine. It relaxes him just as much as it relaxes you guys while he's doing it. Just don't give him one to keep; I don't wanna see what it'd be like for him to get pissed with one of those things!"

"Like I said he's too young to get one," said Nyo. "I won't breed Phasenmorphs young enough that they could attach to him while he's visiting. Come to think of it I won't let anyone that young have one at all unless I think they're mature enough and our Task Force Chief thinks they can handle it."

"I couldn't agree more." Alec added. "The only kid that young I'd even consider giving one to is Timmy; none of the rest are near ready for it yet."

"Why would you consider him?" asked Nyo.

"You've seen him in action, see what you think." Alec replied. "Mentally and emotionally he's a lot older than six; he is more concerned with making sure others are taken care of than himself. A perfect example is when Ricky joined us; Timmy took it upon himself to look after Ricky and help him integrate into his new family."

"I'll definitely take him into consideration," said Nyo. "But for now he's not here so he'll have to go with another batch."

Alec thought for a minute. "Ian and Toby would make a good pair to train. They're ready to start making their place in the Clan."

"Awesome that'll make up a good first group then," said Nyo.

Stepan giggled, "You just didn't want to have to ask Ark who it thought would be good for a first group."

"Well it probably wouldn't ever get back to me," replied Nyo. "It would have a reason for every one of them."

"I don't mean to be rude but can we like take a break or something?" asked Dmitry. "If I gotta sit here for too much longer I'll go nuts."

"Yeah I know you're bouncing around on my lap so much you're giving me reason to blush," Dominic whispered in Dmitry's ear.

Jamie giggled. "Hey guys, shower's over there!"

Alec laughed. "I think we got it all covered. Let's hit CIC while those two calm down."

"Actually if you guys don't mind we'd really like to use your pool," said Dominic.

Dmitry smiled, "Yeah we haven't gotten to go swimming in a pool in forever! Can we please?"

"Sure." Alec giggled. "Just remember; no suits allowed. If you guys want join them go ahead; I'll be in there in a few once I see what trouble the rest of the guys are up to."

"Hmmm who can we draft into going with us?" mumbled Dmitry.

Dominic sighed, "Oh boy here we go."

"How about we go find Rusty and Matty and then hunt down Toby and Ian and get them to go with us," Dmitry replied with an evil grin. "I'd like to get to know them better."

"I'll go too," said Tyne. "I could use some exercise."

"Ok, in that case do you mind if me and Stepan come with you Alec?" asked Nyo.

"No problem." Alec giggled. "You guys head on over to the pool and we'll send the victims ... I mean Rusty, Matty, Ian and Toby over."

Dmitry grinned as he stood up and then pulled Dominic to his feet, "We'll be waiting for them then."

"Alec do you realized what you've done," said Dominic as Dmitry pulled him towards the door. "You've set him loose with a rule that lets him look! I'll return the favor later!"

Stepan laughed as he watched Tyne follow them out of the door, "Have fun guys!"

 

Two hours later:

Rusty giggled as Matty squirmed around on his lap. "What's the matter, getting bored munchkin?"

Matty nodded his head. "Don' you guys EVUH stop wo'kin'?"

Rusty looked over to Gabe. "Hey Gabe, what you say we take the munchkins out and let them show Matty around the property?"

Gabe looked around the room. "Yeah, not a bad idea Rusty. Things are comin' together pretty good; I think they earned some play time. Johnny, Robby, Ricardo, Reuben! You guys are coming with Rusty and me; You got a new friend to show around the compound."

The four boys screamed with glee. "Yay!! Just wait Matty; there's some awesome stuff out there!" Robby exclaimed.

A few minutes later, Matty's eyes bugged out as the seven of them entered one of the pole buildings at the edge of the housing area of the compound. Spread out inside the building were numerous 4 wheel ATV bikes; ranging in size from mini to full sized. "Wusty!! We gonna wide them? I dunno how to though!"

Rusty giggled. "Relax little buddy. You get to ride with me today; we'll teach you how to ride one of the little ones tomorrow, okay?"

Gabe held his stomach in laughter as Matty almost strangled Rusty with a huge hug.

"Weally Wusty!!! AWESOME!!!"

Gabe caught his breath. "Okay, mount up guys! Ricardo, you get to ride with me today."

Ricardo giggled as he climbed up Gabe. "Kewl! We gonna do wheelies Gabe? PWEEEZZZEEEE!!!"

Gabe sat Ricardo on the seat and then climbed on behind him. "Not today munchkin; today we get to show Matty some of you guy's favorite play places. You get to help me find all of them."

Johnny turned to grin at Matty, who was perched happily in front of Rusty on Rusty's bike. "Matty, you ready to go play?"

Matty nodded his head rapidly. "Let's go Wusty!"

With Gabe leading and Rusty bring up the rear to watch the young guys, the procession slowly headed out towards the undeveloped areas of the compound. Their speed was limited by the speed of Johnny's bike; each bike was governed to a speed suitable for the rider's age and skill. After five minutes, they came to a sandy area with a shed off to the side. When they were within 50 feet of it, Reuben sped up and passed everyone as he rushed to the door of the shed.

"You trying to say we're stopping here?" Gabe asked with a giggle as he brought his bike to a stop.

"Duhhh!" Reuben said as he opened the door. "Matty's gotta see our fort!"

Rusty lifted Matty down off of the bike. "Go on and play, kiddo; Gabe and I will watch out for you guys while you have some fun, okay?"

Matty smiled. "Otay Wusty. You pwomise not to leave me?"

"I promise; go have fun, I'll stay where you can see me. Just promise you'll protect me okay? You gotta teach me to punch like that!" Rusty replied as he gave Matty's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Matty giggled. "Yous silly Wusty!" He then turned and ran into the shed to check out the toys. For the next twenty minutes, Rusty and Gabe watched as the boys relaxed and played with the various things they had collected in their 'fort'. They had settled into playing with a set of cars that Cory and Sean had donated to the little kids when a golden retriever came walking around the building.

Matty quickly ran over to Rusty. "Wusty!! Stwange Doggy!!!"

Rusty grabbed Matty and hoisted him onto his lap. "Relax kiddo; that doggy lives out in the fields here. She's a good dog; Helen even makes sure she's fed. She just don't like living in houses, so she stays out here."

"Weally?" Matty asked, searching Rusty's face carefully.

"Yep; when Timmy comes home you'll understand better; but if he says an animal is okay you can believe it. She's called Patches; and Timmy says that she is really okay. Why don't you go say Hi?"

Matty looked over to where the rest of the boys were petting Patches, then slowly climbed down and approached the group. As he drew near, Patches separated herself from the rest of the boys and waited for Matty to reach her. As he timidly started to reach out his hand, she placed her head under it; inviting him to scratch her ears. It did not take long for him to relax, and shortly he was hugging and happily petting his new friend.

After about five minutes, Patches gave Matty's face a series of licks. She then sat up and gave a series of three quick barks. She listened for a minute, then jumped up and trotted around to the far side of the shed. Almost immediately she came back, carrying a puppy carefully by the scruff of the neck. She navigated around the rest of the boys and brought the puppy directly to Matty, setting it down by his leg.

Matty's face glowed with a huge smile. "PUPPY!!!!"

Rusty watched as the puppy sniffed Matty a couple of times then scampered into his lap. Matty was all giggles as he petted the new pup, squealing with joy when the pup rolled on it's back clearly wanting a belly rub.

Gabe got Rusty's attention. "Dude, did you know she had pups?"

"I think Timmy said something once; but as far as I know nobody has ever seen them." Rusty replied.

Gabe shook his head. "Ricky woulda told me if anyone had. I wonder why she called one today?"

"No idea bro." Rusty replied as he watched Matty lay down on the ground; giggling madly as the puppy perched on his chest and furiously licked 'his' boy's face.

The boys spent the next half hour playing with Patches and the puppy. Suddenly the peaceful scene was interrupted by communicators screeching.

"Condition Red; Condition Red - this is NOT a drill! All personnel contact AI division HQ for assignment. Condition Red; Condition Red - this is NOT a drill! All personnel contact AI division HQ for assignment. Condition Red; Condition Red - this is NOT a drill! All personnel contact AI division HQ for assignment."

"SHIT!!!!" Gabe screamed as he pulled his phaser out with one hand and retrieved his communicator with the other. "Rusty; load everyone up on our bikes. We'll get theirs later!"

"HQ, this is Gabe. Status report!"

"Alec here. AI division is in transit for emergency extraction. Lafayette at red alert; standing by for support as needed. HQ at full lockdown; all personnel present except your group. Incoming call from Patriarch Short now."

"Fill Cory in; we are en route to CIC, ETA five minutes. Report status as ready. Gabe out."

Gabe froze as he turned to go to his ATV. Johnny, Ricardo, and Reuben were sitting nervously on Gabe's ATV, while Rusty, Robby, and a very scared Matty were on Rusty's ATV. The ATVs for the older kids had been specially modified to handle multiple passengers; the fold-out safety bar for passengers to hold onto was now deployed on both bikes. What made Gabe freeze was the drama unfolding before him; Patches had picked up the puppy and was carrying it towards Rusty's bike. When she reached the bike, she lifted herself up and gently placed it in Matty's lap; then turned and pointedly gave a single bark in Gabe's direction.

Gabe smiled as he heard Rusty tell Matty "It looks like Patches thinks that you need a puppy. What you gonna call him lil' buddy?"

Matty looked over at Patches in shock, his fear forgotten with this sudden turn of events. When Patches seemingly nodded her head and gave a short 'woof', his face broke into a huge grin. "I'm gonna name him aftew my bestest fwiend evew!! I'm gonna call him 'Wusty'!"

"Thank you." Rusty whispered as he reached around and hugged Matty.

Gabe walked over to Patches and scratched her ears. "We'll make sure he takes good care of him, Patches. Thank you for making Matty's day. We gotta go, but we'll be back so you can catch up on what's happened."

Timmy's insistence that Patches understood 'human' was proven as Patches rubbed her head on Gabe's leg then prodded him with her nose towards his ATV. She backed off to stand by the shed as he mounted the bike and hit the ignition. Rusty followed suit, and shortly both boys were revving the engines preparing to take off.

"Hold on to your puppy Matty; this is gonna get bumpy!" Rusty warned over the noise of the engines. Matty nodded as he pulled his shirt out and wrapped the puppy in the front of it. Gabe nodded at Rusty, then hit the throttle and tore away with dirt flying from all four wheels.

Rusty hit the throttle and tore off behind Gabe, sticking to the fairly smooth trail the boys had blazed for just such an emergency.

In no time both ATVs were maxed out in fourth gear and flying towards the main compound. A few minutes later they skidded to a stop in front of the main entry and killed the engines. They scrambled off of the ATVs, the young boys all with huge grins on their faces from the excitement of the ride. Matty kept the new puppy in his shirt as Rusty and Gabe hurried everyone through the doors and into CIC.