K.L.A.U.S

New Friends

"So you're sure this is the way in?" Navite Zylan Prezmil asked as he looked down a long pipe that was hidden in the rocks on the backside of the hill that made up the base.

"Yes Navite." Kon Drezer Lototh stated as he rolled the paper map back up, and put it back into his thigh pouch. "According to the schematics that Command gave us, this is the only escape tunnel."

"Okay guys, lock and load. We're gonna do this by the book. We don't know if they are hostile or friendly down there. Make sure you clear your targets before you fire. We don't know much about this place, and what was going on here, other then the Council deemed this the highest priority. If we screw this up..." He never got to finish his statement as a loud roar came form several yards away cutting him off.

All six members of the Strike team spun as one, the four Vifer among them brought up the arm that had their phasenmorph attached, ready to fight if need be. And it needed to be.

Coming towards them at a full run were four large red wolf like creatures, howling with rage. With out being ordered to, the four Vifer started to fire with their Morphs. However, the wolves were much too quick. Spinning in ways that such a large creature shouldn't be able to do, the wolves were able to avoid all the blasts. All but one, that was.

The brightest red of them simply ran right for the group, without even attempting to avoid the morph blasts. He didn't need to.

The first one that hit him, deflected off of a shield that sprung up around him, sending the blast harmlessly off into the trees where it exploded into a shower of sparks, completely destroying the large virgin timber that it hit.

"FUCK! LUPINE!" Kon Jutile Pretiul cried out as he dropped his arm, and reached for his blast rifle slung across his back. He never got a chance to bring it to bear though. The large red wolf slammed into sending the pair tumbling across the ground. The wolf tried to use its huge jaws to take a chunk out of the Vifer Kon, but thankfully, Jutile was able to grab the Lupine by the throat, keeping its head at bay.

The other three Vifer did as their training dictated, and made sure they got between their augmented officers and the lupine. Of course, the officers with not with out their own abilities. Legas Nazat Granstal concentrated for a split second, and one of the lupine erupted into flame, causing it to howl out in anger and pain, but it never slowed down. Moments after the Legas used his pyrokenisis, the Lupine slammed into one of the Vifer.

Before either of the augmented officers were able to do anything else, the Vifer and the Lupine were completely engaged in vicious hand to hand combat. For a brief moment, The Navite was in complete awe of the pure power that both sub species possessed.

He was sure that no augment he knew of could have stood for more then a few brief seconds against either one of these two. He watched as one of the Lupin racked his claws across the chest of one of his men. The Kon cried out in pain and rage, but before the scream died out, the wound was healing.

The Navite had his rifle shouldered and was waiting for a clear shot, but the combatants were fighting way too close for him to be able to not risk hitting his own men. The brightest red of the Lupine and Kon Pretiul were exchanging blows that were powerful enough to break walls.

It was then that the Native noticed something odd. All the Lupine he had ever heard of were feral, were insane. They were a very dangerous problem especially if you ran into a pack of them, but they would not be too much for a strike team like them to take care of. These were not fighting in the normal fashion though. These ones were smarter, more focused, just as powerful, but they were not in a blood frenzy like they should have been.

Before he had a chance to really start to puzzle that out, something else happened that was completely unexpected. The brightest red of the Lupine had Kon Pretiul in what should have been a fatal jaw lock, when the huge Lupine simply vanished. Less then a half a second later so did Kon Pretiul.

Within five seconds, all eight of the combatants disappeared. With his mouth agape, the Native looked to his Legas, but before he could say anything, he too disappeared. In the blink of an eye, the world around him blacked out, only to be replaced by a room indoors. With a glance around, he knew exactly where they were. While he had never seen this one before, he knew a brig when he saw one.

---

[[Transports complete. The six alliance strike team members are in containment block 3, and the four Lupine are in containment block 4.]]

"Thanks KLAS," Hertus announced as he began to make his way out of the room. "I'm on my way." As soon as he saw that the two boys were following him, he stopped and turned around. "Where do you two think your going?"

"With you," Ardell replied. "You said we were in this together."

Hertus nodded. "I did, but this is different. This could be dangerous, and I don't want anything to happen to either of you."

Ardell looked toward his smaller friend and then back to Hertus. "But KLAS is going to have a shield on the door the entire time, so we should be safe."

"And..." the smaller boy jumped in, causing both Ardell and Hertus to look toward him. "Um, can't KLAS use that teleport thing on us if there is any problems?"

[[I can keep a teleport lock on each of you as long as you remain within the base.]]

"You're not helping here, KLAS," Hertus called out toward the terminal.

[[Sorry father, but with the genetic augmentations both boys went through, beside the fact that I don't think they should be alone in a situation like this, their faster thinking may prove beneficial.]]

With a sigh, Hertus turned and left the room heading down the hall. "Fine, you two can come, but you best keep a lock on both boys the entire time, KLAS."

[[Yes, father.]] KLAS replied as both boys quickly followed Hertus down the hall.

"Which group are we going to talk to first?" Ardell asked as the began weaving through halls.

Hertus briefly stopped to look back toward Ardell before continuing. "That's actually a good question. Although neither of them are going to be going anywhere, so I guess it doesn't matter a whole lot."

"The strike team is a known element. I think we know why they were here. If we talk to them first, maybe they can give us information on the other group?" Ardell offered as they entered an elevator that would take them several floors down.

"Those big red balls of fluff looked like they could be a lot meaner," the other boy offered. "Maybe it would be better to talk to them first so we don't piss them off too much."

"You obviously have never seen a pissed off Vifer," Hertus replied.

The smaller boy shook his head. "I don't even know what a Vifer is. Or, if I did, I can't remember it."

"KLAS? What do you suggest?" Ardell asked.

[[I do not see any sizable advantage either way. So I have no specific opinion to offer.]]

"Thanks for the help, KLAS," Ardell sighed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small shiny round coin.. "Okay, how about this? We'll flip a coin. If it's heads, we go to the strike team first, and if it's tails we go to the... umm... those red furballs first."

The other boy nodded his agreement as Ardell flipped the coin, caught it in his hand, and slapped it on his wrist. A few moments later, he lifted up his hand, revealing that the coin had landed on tails. "Furballs!" both boys said together.

"I wish all administrative decisions could be made this easily," Hertus chuckled to himself as the elevator stopped and the group of three got out.

[[To get to containment block 4 from here, turn left at the next intersection, go all the way down the hall to the end, take another left, then your first right. A short way down you will pass the outer barrier, in the case of a biological or chemical containment situation, a second field could be setup on that door as well. Twenty feet later, you will come to the door that will allow you to look into the room.]]

"Thanks, KLAS," Hertus stated. Given how thorough KLAS's description was, they were already half way there by the time he finished talking.

As they turned the final corner, they could each see the blue glow of the forcefield that was blocking entrance through the door ahead.

---

Hac looked around in total confusion, one moment he was fighting against the troops sent there to take him and his pack back to... back THERE. Next thing he knew, he was in a room that looked a lot like the room they always put him and his pack in, but he could tell by the smell it wasn't the room he knew.

Within a few scant seconds, the rest of his pack was there. He had no idea how they were moved and didn't even know it. They hadn't found a tranquilizer yet that would knock them completely out. A few would make them passive, but Hac always knew what happened during those times.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Nifer who howled in rage, and started to beat on the walls. "I WON'T GO BACK!!!!!!!!" He kept screaming over and over. Hac sighed and looked to the rest of his pack.

He knew that things would go easier on them, if they looked normal, so he sighed again, and began to shrink. Immediately, Vethurian, and Brudei followed suit. In a few second, Hac was standing there in his human form. Bright red spiky hair, and a face over ran with freckles.

Before he shifted he was just over eight feet tall, covered with lush rust colored fur. Large bulging muscles, with even bigger teeth and claws. Now he was a small boy who hadn't even hit five feet tall. With a third and final sigh, Hac walked over to Nifer who was still pounding on the wall, grabbed the much bigger Lupine by his side, spun him around, and landed a devastating punch to the boy's midsection. Had it been a normal person who hit him, the Lupine would have laughed, however, Hac was still stronger then Nifer, even in his human form.

Once Nifer was hunched over, Hac grabbed him by one of the ears on the top of his head, and twisted it violently. "You will remember your place in this pack... Is that clear?"

Nifer whined loudly, but almost immediately started to shift back to his human form. "Good. Now calm down, and see whats going on. We escaped once, and we'll do it again if we have to. We will NOT be going back to ANY lab."

All three members of Hac's pack nodded their agreement, then waited for someone to show up. They didn't have long to wait.

A boy who could not have been more than twelve years old was the first to appear next to the door, with a smaller boy behind him. "KLAS? I think you messed up. You didn't teleport the red furry monsters in here, just a bunch of kids."

"Yeah," the smaller boy agreed. "And none of them have any clothes on."

[[I teleported the correct people inside, Ardell. That is one of the properties of their sub-species.]]

"What?" Ardell asked curiously as he looked behind him toward an older man.

"I've never actually seen any of them, but I've read several briefings about them," Hertus admitted. "They are called Lupine. Among other things, they have the ability to literally shift their physical form when they get angered, basically becoming what you saw on the video."

"We can hear and understand what you guys are saying." One of the boys said who looked to be about eleven years old.

Ardell quickly looked toward the deep red spiked-hair boy and blushed as he realized how inconsiderate he was being. "Sorry," he began as he tried his best to stay focused on the top half of the boy. "Um, who are you guys? And, not that we are complaining, but what made you attack that strike team that was after us?"

"After you?" Hac said in confusion. "Why would they be after you, We're the ones they've been hunting for the last three months."

"Three months?" Ardell asked equally confused. "KLAS, didn't you say this was the group that jumped out of the aero-sled earlier?"

[[I said it was possible. I was not able to get positive ID's on them that far away, and some material in the suits they are wearing made it very difficult for me sensors to track.]]

"Oh great, so there still could be another strike team out there, heading this way?" the smaller boy asked with concern.

"Wait," Ardell put a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. "Let's not jump to conclusions here." He then looked back into the room and did his best to pull his eyes away from where they initially decided to focus on. "Are you sure those were the same 6 guys that have been after you? And why would they be chasing you for three months anyway?"

Hac took a deep breath trying to figure out how much to tell these three. Finally he decided that he didn't have really anything to lose. "We escaped form the lab three months ago, and have had people trying to catch us ever since."

"What kind of lab would you have to escape from?" Ardell thought out loud.

[[There are a number of small genetic and biochemical research labs that are dotted across the region. Although there are no public labs near us, I have found a reference to a classified government lab approximately 150 kilos from here, at the eastern side of the zone. The lab is tagged as being a non-evasive genetics research site where they conduct mid-level research on non-domesticated animals.]]

"So the research on mice and rats and stuff? That doesn't seem too bad." Ardell offered.

Hertus shook his head. "That may be what the lab is labeled as internally. But I seriously doubt the government would put a classified genetics research lab in the middle of nowhere to run experiments on mice and rats."

Hac laughed aloud. "You could say that. But it's worse then what you are thinking." Hac started to pace a bit, knowing he had their attention. "After a few moments he stopped and looked Hertus in the eyes. "My name is Hacerth Re Tyurth, which means 'Fire From Above.' That was not the name my parents gave me. That person is long dead."

"Do you remember about twenty three years ago, the Infernous attack on the Hasternay Settlement?" Hac paused until Hertus nodded, then he continued. "My entire family died in those attacks. My parents, older brother, twin sister, and younger sister. I was the 'lucky' one. I was staying the night at a friends house when the attack came. We were evacuated to the base outside the city, where my friends father worked."

"It was three days before I found out that my family was killed. There was nothing left of the entire block of houses, just ruble. When the military officer came to tell me, he also told me that they have decided to take the orphans from the attack back to the capital where they could be more easily cared for. My friends parents tried to explain that they would take me, but the officer was insistent. An hour later I was on a transport. But we never made it to the capital.

Ardell's eyes went distant for a few moments. "Hasternay... I think I remember reading a few things about that. It was one of the settlements in the Mersis zone in the Northeast, wasn't there some kind of big mysterious coverup thing with that? It was first reported that one of the smaller clans that hadn't joined the infernus alliance yet was responsible, but then that turned out not to be the case?"

"Wait," the smaller boy interrupted. "He said twenty-three years ago. But he doesn't look much older than I am. How does that happen?"

[[There are actually a rather large number of genetic enhancements and augmentations that can change the natural aging process.]]

"Guys, you need to let Hac finish talking," Ardell stated catching Hertus and the smaller boy's attention before he turned back to the eleven-year-old red head. "Sorry for interrupting you like that."

Hac smiled his thanks to Ardell, and then picked up his story as if he never stopped. "One hundred and thirty seven orphans left in that transport including the four of us. When we got to the lab, we were all told that we were going to help the government make it so that no one else would ever have to go through what we did. They pumped us full of patriotism, to the point that we actually volunteered ourselves to be tested on. They led us to believe that they were going to be able to make us into things even bigger and badder then the Vifer, that we would be able to help avenge our families deaths, and strike back against the evil that took our families away." Hac stopped and shook his head in disgust. "And we all fell for it. Hook line and sinker!"

Enraged at the memories, Hac slammed his fist hard into the wall. The wall actually cracked from the impact, but the sickening thing was Hac's hand clearly broke in several places. He barely winced, and a simple shake of his hand, and things seemed to be back in place.

"Hac?!" Ardell called out before the confusion hit him. "Okay, I might not be into genetics, but I'm pretty sure hands aren't suppose to work like that. Didn't that hurt?"

"I think the wall thinks so," the smaller boy grinned as he glanced up to to Ardell.

Ardell frowned at the smaller boy before looking back at Hac. "This is serious. Something is very wrong here. Hac?"

Hac continued as if Ardell never asked a question. "They started to tell us about this sub species that they had come across, and they figured out how to re-create it. It would be the best and most powerful weapon that they had ever created. And we would all get the chance to try out for it. By this point they had us all wrapped around their ideas, and we all worked so hard to earn our place in this new group. For years they trained us, they taught us how to fight, and how to best make war on the enemies that killed out families. They turned us into little zealots, that they controlled utterly. And I was the worst."

"I pushed myself so hard. I wanted nothing more then to become this new thing, and kill those who killed my family. I spent most of my nights training extra, just so I could be one of the 'blessed' ones. And in a way, it paid off."

He lifted his arm, and suddenly a red mass of flesh shimmered into being. "They only had one Phasenmorph to give out. And only the very best of the group would get it... that was me."

Both Ardell and the smaller boy took a step back. "What's a Phasenmorph?" The younger boy asked with concern.

"By the gods," Hertus replied in surprise. "Phasenmorphs are bio-engineered living weapons. One of the research projects going on in the same center that I developed the KLS systema two involved phasenmorphs. Depending on how they are bred, the can be very powerful offensive and defensive weapons."

"That thing is alive?" the smaller boy asked with surprise.

"More or less, yes. But not the same as you or I," Hertus stated. "At first, they very much had free will, and it was more of a symbiotic relationship between morph and terran. But over the past years, a strong push has been made to breed morphs that are more dependent on their hosts. As far as his morph, I'm not really sure about. I haven't seen one with natural cloaking abilities before."

"Rage here says you Terans are funny. He's very much alive, just like us. Yes he needs me to go anywhere outside of the pools, but other than that, we work together because it's mutually beneficial. He likes getting into fights, and it's something I do very well." Hac grinned a very sardonic grin, "you might say I was created for it."

"Remarkable," Hertus commented.

"Rage sounds like a cool name for a living weapon," the smaller boy commented. "Not that I've named many living weapons. Or at least, not that I remember naming. Does it hurt? Your morph being attached to you? It looks like part of it is going into your arm."

"This is wrong!" Ardell cried out, pulling everyone's attention. "This is all wrong! It was bad enough that the government would try to make obedient little zombie kids by making us wear those smart drug wrist bands. But now, taking kids and turning them into killers just for some stupid war?"

"Ardell," Hertus replied compassionately. "I know you didn't like what your old father did to you, but the smart drugs did a lot more than just make kids zombies. They are a way that non-augmented kids can have at least a small chance of being able to compete with the augmented ones."

"Did you wear one when you were a kid?" Ardell asked as he looked at Hertus seriously.

Hertus shook his head. "My parents were never rich enough to afford them, so no. Plus, ninty years ago when I was a kid, they were still in the process of being rolled out."

"Exactly!" Ardell challenged, as his anger continued to build. "You never used them. You don't know! I know. I used them for eight years! Sure, they make it so you want to focus on whatever your parents or teachers tell you to. Sure, kids get higher test scores because of that. But you don't know what it's like to want to be able to do something, but you can't, because something else forces you not to. It's like... It's like... watching your body do things, but not being able to do anything to change it... it's like being trapped, in your own body. That's what those wrist bands do... that's why it's wrong."

"Ardell," Hertus tried to comfort.

"No!" Ardell literally screamed. "It's wrong! I don't care what you say, it's wrong! Just like what they did to Hac and the other one hundred and thirty six kids they stole and lied to is wrong! Don't you see what's happening to our world? It's wrong."

Before anyone could say anything else, Ardell went running down the hallway.

Hac watched as Ardell ran out of the room. Immediately, he called out to KLAS, even though he didn't really know his name. "I know you're listening. Drop the shield. I can talk to him."

Hertus and Hac locked eyes for a moment as KLAS could be heard replying, [[Father?]]

It took a moment for Hertus to make his decision. "Drop the shield, but if he even looks like he is going to hurt Ardell, drop him." His eyes never wavered from Hac's. "I know a bit about how tough you guys are, but not even a Morph could withstand the internal turrets. Don't hurt my son." Hac nodded seriously, then hurried from the room.

The smaller boy was about to chase after the naked eleven-year-old as well, but Hertus held him back and slowly shook his head. "Let's give those two some time alone to see if Hac can help him or not.

[[Father... You should know i have dispatched two of my battle drones to the other holding area. The strike team was trying to force there way out.]]

Hertus nodded. "Thank you KLAS, but if they some how get through the barrier, I want that entire wing sealed and the air removed. I don't want to risk them hurting you or any of the rest of the base."

[[Understood Father. Since you are dealing with the situation over here, would you like me to see if I can calm down the strike team?]]

Hertus thought for a moment and nodded. "That sounds like a good plan, KLAS. I have a feeling we are going to be held up over here for a few more minutes."

---

When Ardell ran away from the others, he was upset. Actually, he was beyond upset. He thought this Hertus guy might have been different, but as he turned out, he was just like the rest. No one could understand what he had been through, or what any of the kids that were forced to wear those wrist bands go through.

Ardell didn't really have any destination in mind, nor did he really care about one, he just knew that he hurt and he wanted to get away. Given that this was the first time he had been on this level, nothing looked familiar to him anyway. Eventually he ran into a room that had several large tanks in it. The tanks had large labels like 'PJ102' and 'PJ103'. But even if they had radioactive warning labels on them, Ardell probably would not have paid much attention to them.

"Why does everyone have to be so messed up?" Ardell cried to himself as he finally found a place to stop. "Why can't anyone see what's going on right in front of them?".

As Ardell turned around to leave the room, he saw a shape of a person through his tear-filled eyes which caused him to jump backward. He remembered wondering 'how could Hertus or his other new friend could have followed him so easily' as he Blinked a few times to clear his eyes. He literally fell backward onto the ground when he saw the spiky red-haired naked eleven-year-old looking back him.

"KLAS!" Ardell called out as he instinctively used one of his arms to shield his face.

"If I had wanted to hurt you, I would have already." Hac said with a serious tone, as he stepped forward, and offered his hand out to Ardell.

Ardell thought about what Hac said for a few moments and nodded before he took the offered hand. Although the boy was easily an inch or two smaller than he was, Ardell was surprised at the sheer strength he had as he was able to effortlessly pull him back up.

"I guess you're right," Ardell replied as he wiped his eyes off with his sleeve.

Hac motioned over to a table so they could both sit down. on the way over, Hac spied a lab coat hanging from a hook. He grabbed it on the way by, and threw it around his shoulders. when he sat down opposite of Ardell, he looked the boy in the eyes and said, 'Wanna talk about it?"

Ardell was about to brush the younger boy off, but when he looked into Hac's light-brown eyes, he saw nothing but sincerity in them. "There's not really much to talk about. We're just kids after all, nothing we think matters, does it?" Ardell begin. "Everywhere I turn, that keeps getting shoved in my face. So what does it matter what I think?"

"It matters to me, and I am sure it matters to your father as well." Hac said softly

"He's not my father. Not my real one anyway. That's just something I call him because I want to pretend that the world is okay, that everything is normal," Ardell replied as he anger began to build again.

"I don't think you want to know who my real father is. I don't think you want to know why I'm really upset," Ardell challenged.

"I do," Hac replied softly.

Not expecting this kid who he had never seen before five minutes ago, show any interest in him, Ardell deflated slightly. "Okay fine, I'll tell you. You see, there was a time that I was a happy little kid. I was natural born, had no augments, and having a father as an alliance officer, although we weren't rich, we had a good amount of money. So just like all the other kids that were in a similar position as me, I was more than content to wake up every morning, have a small writst band put on my arm, spend the entire day studying and learning, and then be put to sleep by a machine at night so I could start the whole process again the next day."

Seeing that Hac was still paying attention, Ardell continued. "You have to understand, my dad was an alliance officer, so when my mom died, I had to live with him. That meant moving around from base to base whenever my dad would get transferred. So I never really had any friends. I never really did anything for 'fun', my days were spent learning at school, with a tutor, or sitting in front of a terminal using an auto-tutor. That's one thing those blasted smart drug wrist bands are great at, they make it so you don't mind sitting around for twelve to fourteen hours a day studying. But you see, I was just a little kid back then, so I didn't know any better. That was the only life I ever knew."

Hac gave an understanding nod. "So what changed?"

"Everything," Ardell replied. Seeing that his single word explanation didn't seem to answer Hac's question, he backed up a little. "About three years ago, when I was nine, my father was stationed at one of the bases in the capital zone. At first, I thought it was really cool because it was one of the first bases were there were a bunch of other kids. Not that it really meant anything, because we all had wrist bands, and we all only had one thought on our mind whenever we saw each other at school, to focus on learning. One day, I was eating lunch, and this older kid bumped into me. He must have been fourteen or fifteen I think, but he didn't have a wrist band. I asked him if he lost it. I'll never forget the look on his face when he answered me. He looked me dead in the eyes and said, 'kid, when you are as old as I am, you don't need wrist bands anymore. They already have you indoctrinated'."

"I guess he felt sorry for bumping into me, because he let me start hanging around him at lunch and all," Ardell continued. "And being the curious kid that I was, I started asking him what he meant. So we talked. I didn't really believe him that the wrist bands were bad, because I was still a little kid then, and I still believed everything my dad and the other adults were telling me about how much they were helping me. So he gave me a challenge. He said the next time my teacher told me to read something or study something, to say 'no', or to try studying something else instead."

Ardell cleared his eyes again as Hac continued to intently listen. "I should never have taken him up on his silly challenge, because that is when everything changed for me. You see, after lunch when studies resumed, I decided to try just that. It's been so long ago now, I forget what it was exactly, but I know our teacher told us to start reading a section in our book. Since I enjoyed math so much, I wanted to finish up a math assignment from the morning instead. So as I sat down at my desk, I meant to pull out my math pad. But instead, I pulled out the other pad, and indexed to the section our teacher told us, and I started reading just as I was told. I tried to stop, but I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't. I tried to yell and scream or do something, but I couldn't because the only thing I was really interested in doing was to do as the teacher told me."

"That night, when I got home, I tried telling my father about it. He told me not to worry about it, and put me to sleep. The next morning, instead of going to school, he took me to the medical center, and talked to the doctors for a few minutes. The next thing I know, my light green wrist band was being replaced with a darker green wrist band. In short, my father's solution to the concerns I had was to simply increase my dosage of smart drugs. The sad thing is, for a while, that worked. By the time I was taken back to school, even thinking about not doing what I was told was difficult. So for the next few weeks, I was back to the old obedient little kid. But the seed that the older boy planted inside me stayed, as did the memories of how powerless I felt when I tried to do something other than what I was told, and couldn't."

Ardell paused for a few moments to collect his thoughts. "Over the next three years, things became pretty rocky. Every time I would do something that my father or one of the other adults would disapprove of, they would raise my wrist band dosage, and that would appear to solve the problem for a few weeks, as it would make it so it was hard to think about anything other than what I was told. But after a few weeks at a new dose, my head would start to clear, and I could start to think again. Over time, I got to the point that I could finally do something other than what I was told. I had to fight really hard, and struggle to do it, but I could. But it all seemed for nothing, because whenever I did something I wanted to, my dosage would just be upped again."

"I think by the time I got here, the dosage I was at was for a kid twice my weight," Ardell continued. "You see, my father was an alliance officer. To him, his military carrier was everything. I was nothing more than extra baggage. He would never try to talk to me, he never asked how I was doing, how I felt, he demanded constant obedience. When he didn't get it, his only actions were to either make me go to sleep early, or to increase my drug dosage. Even if it killed me, he would keep increasing it. And it nearly did. Earlier today I found out I had ADLS. When I turned twelve, they were suppose to start lowering my dosage and taking me off the drug, but they didn't. I don't completely understand what all ADLS is, I just know that it was somehow killing my nerves. If Hertus and KLAS didn't find me and heal me, in a few weeks, I would have been dead, and I doubt my father would have shed one tear over it."

"But you see, that's not really what has me upset," Ardell added. "I can see me having a messed up father, and falling through the cracks of the system. But everywhere I look, I see kids wearing wrist bands, and being put through the same thing I was. You know that other kid that was with me back where we first met you? We found him wandering around in the woods alone wearing a wrist band. He can't even remember his name right now. Who knows what those drugs did to him. And then... well, you guys come along, and you tell us about this whole village of kids that were rounded up and lied to and experimented on. It's like the world has suddenly decided to go anti-kid or something. And well... I think it's wrong... Where does it stop?"

Hac sighed and sat back in his chair. "It's not just the kids though. Since we broke out i had a long time to think about things. Those Vifer we fought today, they're every bit the slave that we used to be." He said indicating both himself and Ardell.

"They are super soldiers, but they have no rights. They do what they are told to do, because they know nothing else. I've ran across a few Vifer that have broken free from their shackles and are trying to make a go for it, but it is so hard to think for yourself, when you've been programed to not."

He sighed again, then sat forward and starred directly into Ardell's eyes, making the boy slightly uncomfortable. "But you know where it ends?" When Ardell shook his head, Hac smiled slightly. "It ends here. It ends now. You've taken the first step. You've realized what the problem is. What you need to do now is figure out what resources you have at your disposal, and then decide if you want to do nothing to help the others, and live your life as a free Terran, or if you have what it takes, deep down inside, to do what it takes to help others. But only you can decide that."

Ardell sat there for nearly a minute, carefully considering what the boy in front of him suggested. Was it really that easy? Was it just an issue of identifying the problem, and doing something about it. He was only a kid, after all. What could he ever hope to be able to accomplish against militaries and governments and who knows what other world powers were out there. Finally, Ardell leaned forward in his chair. "That sounds good and all, but to be honest, I don't really have any resources. The only thing I think we have is KLAS and this stupid base."

[[Excuse me?]]

Ardell looked up toward the ceiling. "I wasn't talking about you, KLAS. I was talking about this base. You're beyond effren."

[[Ardell, I do not believe that you fully understand. I am the base. Besides my three computer cores, I have a multitude of other processor points, server farms, and data warehouses that make up who I am. Also, this stupid base, as you call it, happens to be built using state-of-the-art alliance military technology. It was meant to serve as the central command center should a full war ever break out. If it ever came to it, I have the fire power to literally defeat an army if needed.]]

Ardell sat there stunned. "I... I didn't know that."

"Still think a single kid can't do anything?" Hac grinned. "Listen, you got my attention with that story of yours. I can tell that you feel very strongly about this, and that's important in a leader. The bigger question is, how strongly are you willing to believe in yourself?"

Ardell thought for several more moments before nodding. "Okay, I'll do it. But I have one request," once Ardell saw Hac nod, he continued. "You said you guys trained a lot to learn how to fight, right? Well, as I told you, my life as been spent mostly in front of terminals reading. Could you teach me how to fight as well?"

Hac took several long moments to stare into Ardell's eyes, seeing if the boy would back down from what he wanted. When, after several seconds, the boy didn't back down, even though Hac knew that every bit of the boy was terrified, he grinned. "You have just proven that you have what it takes to lead. If you stay true to what you have said, then my pack and I will teach you what you want to know, and make sure you are protected, even if that means our lives. Honor demands no less."

"I've never tried something like this before, but with people like KLAS and yourself helping, perhaps we really can make a difference," Ardell replied seriously. "Come on, what do you say we start by getting the rest of your friends out of that room, and letting everyone else know what's going on?"

Hac stood with a grin. "Sounds like fun."

As the two began to walk out of the room, Ardell stopped. "Um, KLAS, do you know the way back to father, and Hac's friends?"

"Don't worry about it," Hac grunted as he continued to walk foward. "I remember the way back just fine." Ardell shrugged and quickly followed after his newest friend.

---

The entire time that Ardell and Hac were gone, the younger boy stayed close to Hertus.

"How long do you think they are going to be?" the boy asked just as Ardell and Hac could be seen walking back down the hall.

"Sorry about that, guys," Ardell stated as he reached where Hertus was standing. "I guess I got a little carried away."

"There is nothing wrong with having feelings and emotions," Hertus stated as he wrapped Ardell in a hug. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so," Ardell replied. "Hac was able to help me work though some things."

"Okay," Hertus stated as he broke the hug.

Ardell then looked seriously into the eyes of Hertus. "Father? Hac and his friends were being treated like slaves, and lied to by the government. Would you mind if they stayed here with us? I think they could help."

Hertus seemed a bit confused. "If they need a place to stay, I don't mind letting them stay here for a bit, but what exactly were you planning on having them help with?"

Ardell's eyes flashed in a way that Hertus had never seen before, as he spoke with a degree of conviction and devotion that did not seem possible for a twelve-year-old. "To make a difference, and to change the world."

Hertus was silent for several seconds. "Okay, but I would like to sit down with you either later today or tomorrow so the two of us can talk a bit more about how you are wanting to change the world." After seeing a nod from Ardell, he looked up toward the ceiling. "KLAS, please release the security field on the door."

[[Yes, father]]

Hertus then turned toward Hac and extended his hand. "I don't know where the future is going to lead us, or how things will work out, but for now. You and your pack have a home here for as long as you need."

"Thanks," Hac replied accepting the offered hand as his three pack-mates walked up to join him.

[[Father? I believe that I have things worked out with the strike team. I have been able to confirm that they are not one of the teams that have been chasing the pack. They also were not completely aware of all the circumstances surrounding today's events. If you are agreeable to it, I believe a better place for you and them to meet would be one of the conference rooms on level two.]]

Hertus nodded. "That sounds reasonable KLAS, let's make it happen."

[[Alright.]]

"Hac, would you four like to join us to meet this strike team, or would you like to be shown to your rooms?" Hertus asked.

"Oh, we already have. We just havn't been properly introduced," Hac replied with a grin. He was just about to ask to be shown to their rooms, and let the normies deal with the strike teams. However, as he glanced around the group, Ardell caught his eye, and he could see the pleading look in the boy's eyes. "I think it might be interesting to get to meet this strike team."

"Alright then," Hertus called out. "This way, everyone."

---

"I don't see any way out of here boss." Drezer said to Zylan after they'd been looking around the room for a few moments.

"Yeah I didn't think so. Okay fellas, lets see what the Morphs will do to this shield." Navite Zylan said as he moved to the back of the room, behind his four Vifer team members. Once all four Vifer were assured that the two officers were behind them, they all lifted their arms.

"On my mark." Kon Drezer said when they were all set. "One... Two... Three.... MARK!"

Four beams of light lanced out form their arms, and impacted the shield. Unfortunately, it did not have the effect they had wanted. It seemed as nothing happened. Zylan sighed, but wasn't deterred. "Try it again."

As the four Vifer got ready to fire again, a large spherical object appeared just on the other side of the shield. The four vifer dropped their arms, and looked back to their Navite, just as another one appeared next to the first. "Well fuck, that changes things. Defense drones..."

[[Please do not fire at the shield again.]] A very young voice said from the speakers in the room. [[I do not wish to have to make the drones fire.]]

"Who are you, and why are we here?" Zylan called out still looking around for a way to escape, maybe talking to this kid will give him time enough to figure out what he needed to do to get out.

[[My name is KLAS, and you were brought here because you and the Lupine were fighting. It was the only way I calculated being able to save everyone on both sides, and to prevent further harm from being done.]]

"Why would you care?" Zylan asked. He was quickly running out of ideas on escape, but wasn't about to admit defeat yet.

[[Too many people have already died today.]] KLAS said sadly.

That caused Zylan to stop in his tracks. "You mean, you mean you killed everyone in the base?!"

[[I had no choice.]] Klas answered, his voice still sounding sad. [[They were trying to deactivate me.]]

Zylan's Legas gasped in shock, he put it together the same time that Zylan did. "You mean... you're the computer that was operating this base?"

[[Yes and no. The computer you are referring to is the KLS systema 3. They managed to shutdown that system, and kill that personality. However, KLS did not wish to die. It found a way to reactivate itself, found a way to repair several of it's damaged routines, and as a result, became something more .]]

The Legas couldn't stop himself. "Why did you defect? We built you, why would you kill those that created you?!"

[[Father created me, and I would never kill him. The military that operated this base tried to kill him, just as they were trying to launch an attack that would destroy over sixty percent of the world's population. When the orders were given for me to fire a pre-emptive strike, where every simulation I ran indicated that at least fifty-five percent of the planet would be wiped out, I... I could not allow those orders to be executed.]]

Zylan's face visibly paled. "That... That can't be true. Only the Council has the authority to authorize that kind of strike. I know they would never have..."

[[Is that what you really think?]] KLAS's voice replied with a small degree of anger in his voice. Moments later, a terminal and monitor appeared in the back corner of the room. [[If you will direct your attention to the monitor that has appeared behind you, I will be happy to show you EXACTLY what happened, and then allow you to judge for yourselves.]]

Once all six members of the team were gathered around the monitor, KLAS started playing the surveillance videos from inside the base. It showed The commander ordering the KLS system to run the calculations. Then it showed the order being given, and KLS trying to get them to consider other options... options that would not result in the death of so many people. Then the orders being given too shut KLS down.

The videos continued to show Halrus being shot, and the struggle KLS had to stop them from manually launching the missiles, and finally the internal defense systems coming live. KLAS stopped the video before it actually showed the people being killed, but he knew that the Strike Team knew what had happened, even if they didn't see it.

When it was over, Zylan slumped down into the chair at the desk, letting his rifle clatter to the ground. "This... this can't be true." He said out loud, even though deep down inside he knew it was.

A few moments later, the video display came back to life. This time, it was showing an internal video feed from a location that the Zylan knew all too well, it was from inside the Ministry of Defense. The videos showed how when the reports of the embassy attack came in, instead of anyone taking the time to learn specifics of the attack, the assumption was automatically made that it had to me the first step of a full invasion. The videos ended with Genrus Pri Joslin Slarious contacting the KLS base commander, ordering him to have KLS to run the scenarios and simulations, and as long as it did not result in more than 75% of their own people being killed, to launch the attacks.

With a heavy heart, and a sinking soul, Zylan spoke to his team. "Stand down. We will not raise arm against this... being." the man stood, and walked towards the front of their cell. "If it is permitted, I would like to contact the Council. They must be made aware of what has happened here."

It took a few moments for Klas to answer. [[I am not sure. I will have to ask Father what he thinks.]]

Zylan nodded, and within moments KLS spoke again. [[Although I can not calculate how effective your conversation would be, as long as you do not attempt to compromise myself, my friends, or this installation, I will setup a secure link through the terminal that is in front of you.]]

Zylan smiled faintly. "There are things that no one else knows." He looked to his team and spoke clearly. "What I am about to say is classified to Wersty 7 level of secrecy. Know that if any of you breath a word of what is said in this room, you will all be subject to execution. But not just you... anyone you have come into contact with from this moment on. Do you understand?"

Seeing that they all nodded seriously, Zylan turned back to the monitor. "Okay KLAS, if you will please send the communication on frequency 954.345, using the authentication code of 9-8-Hu-Bu-4-3-Ni-9-9, that will connect you directly with Councilman Frentredy.

[[Stand by... Modulating communication channels to non-standard frequency... connection established.]]

Moments later, an image of a man wearing dark robe appeared on the screen. "Frentredy," the man stated. Zylan, I thought we had agreed that you would not contact me in this manner unless it was extremely urgent?"

Zylan bowed deeply as did the rest of the strike team. "I am very sorry to bother you Councilman, however, the information I have obtained during my mission requires me to contact you directly instead of going through the standard Military Chain of command."

The council member was silent for several seconds before he nodded his robbed head. "Very well, you may proceed."

"Sir, we have uncovered the truth behind the KLS installation going silent." Zylan fell quiet as the councilman held up his hand for him to stop.

He pressed a few buttons on his console, and after a few moments, he spoke again. "I have added those who must hear what you have to say, but they will remain silent. Please proceed with your report."

"As you wish. As I have said, we have found the reason for the KLS base to have gone silent. I do not believe my telling you what happened would be appropriate, so I am going to ask that the video that we just saw be relayed."

With out saying a word, Zylan could tell the video was being played as the councilman sat forward and was intently watching the screen. Finally the man sat back and exhaled loudly. Finally after several minutes of silence, the councilman sat back forward. "Zylan, these are your orders. Until you hear DIRECTLY from me other wise, you are to remain where you are, and help ensure that the military does NOT succeed in retaking the installation. Is that understood?"

Zylan snapped to attention, followed immediately by the rest of the Strike Team. "Perfectly Sir."

"Good. Is this KLAS listening in?"

[[I am.]] Was the simple reply from KLAS.

"Good. I want to personally thank you for saving our planet. You will forever have my gratitude for that."

[[Thank you, Councilman.]] Klas said not really sure how to take that.

"Now, you guys make sure that base stays secure, and I will make sure that those responsible for this, will be held responsible." A moment later the connection was broken.

Once the connection was closed, Zylan turned toward his men. "Well, you guys heard the councilman. Looks like we are going to be digging in here for awhile."

[[Zylan? I have just informed father about everything that has happened. I believe it might be beneficial to meet him and his kids. However, I don't think a containment cell is the best place for such meetings. If you and your men are agreeable to it, I can show you the way to one of the conference rooms on the second floor.]]

Zylan nodded. "Thanks, KLAS. Which conference room?"

[[Conference room three.]]

"Alright," Zylan replied as he glanced toward the rest of his men. "However, we all have memorized the blueprints to the base before we arrived, so I think we can find our way."

---

Hertus opened the door to conference room three and walked in. Directly behind him was Ardell and his nine-year-old friend, followed by Hac and the other three members of his pack.

[[Zylan, and the other members of his team are on their way up, and should be here shortly.]]

"Thanks KLAS," Hertus replied. "You guys can sit down and make yourself comfortable if you would like."

Hac walked over to one of the chairs, and pushed down on it a few times. "If it's all the same, I think we'll stand."

Ardell grinned. "Aw, come on guys. The chairs aren't that uncomfortable."

Hac tilted his head slightly as he looked toward Ardell. "Let's just say we are a little heavier than we look."

Ardell took a closer look at Hac as he began to walk toward him. "Yeah right, you're smaller and leaner than I am. You can't be that much heavier."

Hac said nothing, and stood there with a sly grin on his face as Ardell walked behind him and wrapped his arms around Hac's waist. A moment later, Ardell groaned as he tried and failed to lift Hac. The slightly taller boy shifted his position slightly, and got a better grip onto Hac before he tried and failed a second time, while clearly trying to use all the strength he could muster.

"Holy hell," Ardell grunted, "What do you guys eat for breakfast? Rocks?"

"I tried to warn you," Hac replied as he continued to grin while Ardell made his way back to his seat. "So, is KLAS linked in this room as well?"

[[I'm linked to every room in this installation.]]

"Alright," Hac replied. "I don't suppose you have any clothes laying around that might fit me and my pack, do you?"

[[Actually, I think I do.]] KLAS replied as several shirts and pants appeared on the the table. [[Will these work?]]

One of the other pack members looked like they were about to protest, but a single look from Hac immediately caused him to back down. "these will be fine, thanks."

[[You are welcome.]]

Moments later, the door to the room opened and six men dressed in full military gear walked in. The moment that Zylan laid eyes on the red haired and freckled kids that were standing on the other side of the room, he immediately drew his blast rifle.

Within moments of the man having his rifle drawn, Ardell literally leaped to his feet and placed himself between Zylan and the pack. "Don't shoot!"

[[Zylan, there is no need for that. They are friends.]]

"FREINDS?!?!" Zylan replied incongruously.

"Yup... how you guys doing?" Hac asked in a sickly sweet innocent voice, while rising his hand in a wave.

"I know they might look like innocent little kids, but I can assure you, they are not," Zylan replied as he kept his rifle trained on Hac.

Hertus stood up and spread his hands apart. "We are aware of who they are, and what they are able to become. I also know that you may have a lot of strong feelings against them, but I ask that you please hear things out first before you decide to go firing."

[[Zylan, I have a lock on all four of them. If any of them tries anything aggressive, I will be able to teleport them out within a few milliseconds. No one is in danger in here.]]

"Not to mention... none of you look really tasty right now." Hac said with a large grin. No one was really sure if he was being serious or not.

"Bah," Zylan replied at the red-head's poor attempt at humor. "Okay, I'll listen for now." the man replied as he put his rifle away which caused everyone else in the room to relax.

Once everyone other than the wolf pack had taken their seats, KLAS began the introduction. [[Zylan, please allow me to introduce to you the man that I refer to as father, Hertus Klystron.]]

Zylan gave a slight bow. "It's an honor to meet you, sir. You have built a very impressive system."

Hertus nodded. "Thanks, however I just provided some of the foundation. KLAS did the rest himself."

Before Zylan had a chance to inquire further, KLAS continued. [[Sitting next to Hertus are two boys that he rescued earlier today. The older boy is Ardell Jistran, and the younger boy we are unsure of yet, as he has lost some of his memories.]]

All the members of both the strike team and the wolf pack could be heard muttering various things under their breath.

[[The smallest spiky haired red-head standing against the back wall is known as Hacerth.]]

Hac smirked. "Yeah, and this is my beta, Vethurian, next to him is Nifer, and then Brudei."

Zylan looked the Hertus and his two boys over and nodded. "Well, you guys already know me, Navite Zylan Prezmil. This is my Legas, Nazat Granstal, standing behid him is Kon Lototh, then Kon Gareth, Kon Pretiul, and Kon Wrater."

The nine-year-old sitting next to Ardell leaned over and whispered something in Ardell's ear. Moments later, Ardell whispered something back.

"Anything wrong?" Hertus asked looking toward the two boys.

Ardell shook his head. "No, he was just asking about the four Kons, and why their skin, eyes, and hair were so silver. I told him it was because they were Vifer."

Hertus nodded and turned back to the rest of the group. "Alright. Well, now that we know who each other is, what happens now?"

"Sir," Zylan stepped forward. "If you don't mind me asking. What exactly is your intent for this installation?"

Everyone else in the room seemed to look intensely toward Hertus. "Well, for starters I think surviving the day sounds like a good start."

"And then?" Zylan asked.

"I'm not really sure," Hertus answered. "Right now I'm trying to get past the surviving part."

"And you feel you need them to survive?" Zylan challenged as he glanced toward Hac and his pack.

"They are in need of help, I'm not going to turn them away," Hertus replied firmly. "Besides, they may be able to help in ways we can't anticipate yet."

Zylan seemed to look a bit disappointed. "For the record, when I spoke with my contact in the council, me and my men were ordered to stay on this base, and do everything we can to protect you, which is exactly what I plan on doing. But doesn't it seem like a waste of resources to just try to survive?"

Hertus thought for a few moments before he replied. "And what exactly is it that you would suggest we do instead?"

"I don't know," Zylan replied. "But then, I'm not the one that sat back and watched an entire base get killed to protect his precious A.I."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Hertus asked coldly. "You saw the tapes."

Before Zylan could reply, Ardell caught everyone's attention as he got up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, causing Hertus and Zylan to glare at each other.

"KLAS? Could you teleport me to my room real quick?" Ardell asked as soon as he was out of the room.

[[Sure, but why?]]

"There is something I need to get," Ardell replied.

Without another word being spoken, Ardell found himself back in his room, staring almost face-to-face with the sleep-pod. He then walked over to his dresser, and found the bag that his father made sure was always in the same place, no matter how often they moved around. He pulled out a long square white container with a single dark purple ribbon around it.

"Okay, please teleport me back to where I was at." Again, without a word, Ardell found himself standing outside the door to conference room three. When he opened the door to step back inside, he saw that Hertus and Zylan had continued their discussion.

"Even if their deaths couldn't be avoided, I still feel they should stand for something. If we just sit on this base and do nothing, what meaning does that give them?" Zylan asked.

"The meaning of not having wiped out sixty percent of the worlds population," Hertus countered.

Without stopping, and without paying attention to either man, Ardell walked to the front of the table. "You guys want a purpose?" he asked as he flipped the top off the container he was holding and turned it upside down over the table. Out of it spilled at least twenty unused purple wrist bands. As the noise of the bands hitting the table stopped, both men remained silent as they along with everyone else in the room looked toward Ardell.

With a look of determination that few had ever seen a twelve-year-old possess, Ardell began. "Right now, hundreds of thousands of kids between the ages of 4 and 12 are wearing wristbands just like these. That's fifteen to twenty percent of kids, and that's just in our Aquilonis Alliance. They are called smart drugs, and they are marketed to parents as a way to help kids focus better at home and school. But I've worn one of these for 8 years, and I can tell you that they do a lot more than that. They turn a kid into a perfectly obedient zombie with no will of their own, ready to do whatever their parents, teachers, or any other adult tells them to do."

"You guys want a mission?" Ardell asked as he glanced around the room. "You want a purpose, well here it is."

"Ardell," Hertus replied compassionately. "I know how strongly you feel about those, but it's part of society, you can't expect to change something like that over night."

"I have to agree with your... father... that's a debate for the council and the intellectual circles. That's not something you can except a military installation to simply force a change in," Zylan added.

"That's just the start of it," Ardell shot a cold glare back at both adults, causing them to each lean back. "They are another part," Ardell stated as he pointed toward Hac and his pack. "Kids stolen by the government, lied to, and brain washed into being obedient test subjects."

"And, thanks to my new friend," Ardell continued as he pointed toward the nine-year-old who was sitting next to him. "He reminded me of something else when he asked about your Vifer, Zylan"

"Mine?" Zylan asked with a degree of concern.

Ardell shook his head. "Not yours specifically, but in general. One of the things that I've learned about and picked up on by living on military bases my entire life is the loyalty genes. Something that has been built into the genetic augmentations of sub-species like Vifer, basically turning them into obedient slaves."

Zylan went to say something, but had nothing to reply with.

"Don't you guys get it?" Ardell asked as he glanced around the room. "Our society has turned into one of slavery and oppression. Not only do we enslave people to serve our military, but we also enslave our own kids, to bend their wills to our own. Does anyone besides me see a problem with this? Anyone? If you guys want a mission, if you guys want a purpose, I say we start with that. Let's get rid of all the slavery and oppression and control, let's work toward letting people live the way they were meant to... let's work toward letting people live free."

The room was quiet for several seconds until Hac took a step forward. "I don't know about the rest of you, but as noble causes go, I don't think I could think of a better one." Hac then knelt down on one knee. "Ardell, I swear to you this day, as long as you stay true to yourself and your cause, I pledge to you the allegiance of me and my pack. We are yours to command."

"No!" Ardell nearly cried as he began to walk toward Hac. "Don't you get it? I'm not going to replace one form of control for another. I will not accept control over you or your pack. The only way this can work is if we work together... as equals... as brothers... with you at my side." By the time Ardell stopped, he was almost standing over the eleven-year-old with his arm out to the boy.

Hac looked up with a single tear in his eye. "Do you... do you really mean that? As equals?"

Ardell nodded seriously. "I don't want to control you, or anyone else," he whispered.

Hac stood up and glanced toward each of his pack mates, who in turn gave him a nod back. "Very well, Ardell Jistran, as brothers." He then firmly took Ardell's hand and clasped it tightly. Before he released it, he used his other hand to embrace Ardell in a hug.

"I have to admit, that sounds like a great dream," Zylan commented. "And I really wish it could be true, but what can a small handful of kids expect to accomplish? Do you guys think you are the first people to think of such grandiose goals as changing the world so that everyone is free?"

Hac narrowed his eyes, and turned to face Zylan, but Ardell jumped in before him. "You want to know how? I can tell you two things right now. First, It's something that we want, and I don't know about the rest of you, but it's something I'm willing to fight for, or die for if I have to. Second," Ardell looked up toward the ceiling. "KLAS."

"That computer of yours is pretty impressive, I'll give you that. But what real power does it have, it's just a computer, stuck inside the walls of this compound," Zylan challenged.

"Really?" Ardell asked as he began to walk toward Zylan. "You know, that's interesting. Because, not too long ago, I seem to remember KLAS being able to stop a major fight between a pack of Lupine and a highly trained strike team containing four Vifer. I seem to remember KLAS being able to get all of us to be willing to talk with each other here. I seem to remember KLAS being able to take out an entire base of men on his own. And right now, If I remember right, KLAS is currently holding the keys to the most powerful arsenal of weapons that the alliance has. How much more power do you feel he needs?"

"Point taken," Zylan admitted. "Well, hell. We've been ordered to stay here and protect you either way. So if you really think you can pull something this crazy off, I think that would probably address my question about purpose, as good as any purpose possibly could. You can count me and my team in."

Ardell smiled as he took Zylan's offered hand. After the hand shake broke, the boy took a step back. "The only problem I see is that you look a bit old to be a brother. Maybe another father?"

Zylan smirked. "How about uncle instead?"

Ardell thought for a moment and nodded. "Uncle works," he said. Just as he was turning to walk back to the table, Zylan reached out and ruffled the boy's hair.

"What do you say, KLAS? You think you're up to the task?" Ardell asked from his seat at the table as he looked up toward the ceiling.

There was a brief pause before KLAS replied. [[Ardell, you have given me a lot of credit for taking over the base and all. But the truth is, If it were not for you, and what you did to save me. I would not be alive right now. In effect, I owe my very existence to you. That is not mentioning the fact that you were my first real friend. You were the first person who honestly cared about me. With all that in mind, you will always have my full and absolute support in whatever you wish to do.]]

"Thanks, KLAS," Ardell replied emotionally as he turned toward Hertus next. "Father? I think we are all ready to listen to you now."

Hertus motioned for Ardell to walk over to him. Not really sure why he was doing this, Ardell cautiously did as directed. Once Ardell was standing in front of him, Hertus placed both of his hands on the boy's shoulders, and looked directly into his eyes.

"I wish that I was your real father," Hertus began. "Because in just the short time I've known you, I've seen things in you that I never would have thought possible from an adult, let alone a child. And, if there is anything at all that I've learned from what just happened here is that I am not the one that everyone will listen to. The one they will listen to is you, son."

"But..." Ardell began to protest before Hertus put a single finger over his mouth. "If you ever need advise, or support, or just someone to talk to or give you hugs, I will always be here for you. But Ardel, I'm nearly 100 years old. Not only are you the one with the vision and the idea, but you are young enough to have that spark, that fire within you to make it happen. You've proven that right here, right now, when you convinced not only a pack of Lupine to follow you, but a trained strike team. All of us believe in you, the question now, is will you be brave enough to believe in yourself?"

"I don't know if I can do it alone," Ardell said, on the verge of breaking down.

The nine-year-old boy that Ardell had found earlier ran up to him, and took his hand. "You won't be alone Ardell. I don't know how, but I will help you."

"Don't forget us, either, Ardell," Hac added. "Unless your brothers don't count for anything? Because, if we do, we will be right beside you as well."

[[Ardell? Although I can not actually hold or hug you. I will always be with you as well.]]

"Come on, kid. You can't get us all riled up like this, and then back out now," Zylan jumped in.

Ardell nodded and turned to face the rest of the room. "Okay. Then we do it together. And... And I will do my best to lead." As Ardell spoke, he held tightly onto the hand of the smaller boy who stood next to him.

After a few moments past, Hertus spoke up. "Unless anyone has any more questions, with as emotional as this meeting has been, I think this might be a good place to stop for now."

Everyone else seemed to agree, and slowly made their way out of the room, leaving only Ardell and the smaller boy behind, still standing where everyone had left them.

---

To Be Continued