Memories Part 2: Spreading The Hope

Mikey here,

What have my brothers got themselves into this time? Things ain't looking too good; Saint Peter has informed me, Davie and one of my new friends Pablito that we're gonna be busy. Too much is happening too fast this time; I really don't think anybody is ready for what it looks like will be happening. I know I'm not! Hold on to your butts; this ride is gonna be rough!

 

Missoula, Montana: Five minutes later.

Cory and Adam appeared in front of the residence. Off to their left, Justy's boyfriend Dean appeared with Kelly by his side. It took less than a second to appraise the situation. Cory took one look at the destruction around him; not only were Clint and Ian laying prone on the ground, but the adults of the group that they were supposed to be protecting were also lying all around the area. Cory glanced over towards the SUV sitting in the driveway; the sickening sight in front of him pushed him over the edge. "FUCK!"

"Ark; connect me to Marc!" Cory ordered.

<You are connected, Crafter.>

Cory didn't give Marc a chance to say anything. "Marc, you have critical incomings, NOW! If you can't handle it, find someone who can, immediately."

"Dude, we'll be ready. How many?" Marc replied.

"It looks like ..." Cory started to reply, pausing when a bone-chilling Eagle war cry echoed out of the house and across the plains. Cory continued his response with a pale face. "It looks like more than any of us want to think about."

"Gotcha bro;" Marc replied softly. With a determined tone he added "Whatever you got, send them our way. We'll be ready one way or the other."

"Thanks." Cory whispered. "Ark, get all of these injured people to the AI hospital now, please."

 

Charleston, SC; Cadet Training Center:

Corporal Will Jackson addressed the combined senior class of the State Police Training Center and the Special Training Units. "Okay, Cadets, we have a situation here; as of now, you are members of the Clan Short of Vulcan's Security Division. Go get your riot gear and as much ammo as you can carry. Those of you with SWAT gear report to Riker. Snipers report to Officer Roberts. Now MOVE! Riker, Roberts, front and center. You two are in charge; Roberts, you have command, here is your communicator. Riker you're number 2, here is yours. When you arrive on site, deploy the cadets. You will be on the eastern perimeter. Secure the area, and don't let anyone pass unless they are cleared by Clan Short."

The cadets reentered the assembly area while still putting on their gear. Will took out his communicator when everyone was assembled. Before flipping it open he once again addressed the assembled officers. "You will be in a combat situation as soon as you arrive. Move to the house as best you can and prevent the bad guys from getting reinforcements in. Good luck." He flipped the communicator open, "Ark, deploy."

In the blink of an eye Will was standing in an empty gymnasium. "Ark I need to be at CIC."

 

It took a split second for Austin to appraise the situation as he and Timmy appeared in the bedroom in the house. He recognized some of the faces in front of him as boys he'd seen testifying at the trial the Clan had been monitoring.

There was a man in the room holding a shotgun in the process of turning it on a group of boys lying on the floor to the left of the bed. One of the boys was trying to sit up after being thrown on top of four others. On the other side of the bed, a boy was just settling to the floor after being hit with a blast from the shotgun. Off to the left of the man, Matty was laying against the wall after being thrown at it.

"Now where was I?" the man sneered; unaware of the danger which had just appeared in exactly the area he was turning towards.

"About to die, you son of a snake." Timmy growled in Seminole as he raised his arm. [Max power Red]

[I figured you'd say that Timmy. He's too dangerous to try anything else.]

Before Austin could intervene, a red burst of energy erupted from Timmy's arm, vaporizing the man and his weapon.

[No more full power shots for a while, Timmy; I don't want to start having to use energy from you.]

[Gotcha, Red.]

Timmy started asking Austin to handle things, in Seminole as he looked around the room trying to find Matty.

Austin nodded as he rushed over to the one kid he knew the name of for sure. "Sammy? I'm Austin Short, Clan Short of Vulcan. We need to get you guys to our hospital."

 

Officer Roberts deployed his men as quickly as possible. He had the snipers take up positions on a slight rise; within seconds, they were engaged with the enemy. Roberts realized that this was a full scale battle; he flipped open his communicator, "Riker, get a squad in position at the shed and secure it for cover. Make it so, Now!" Just then, the man standing beside Roberts crumbled as a phaser hit him. Roberts hit the dirt and checked the man, it was obvious that the phaser was not set on stun. He flipped the communicator, "Shoot to kill, I repeat, shoot to kill!" At about that time a group of about eight attackers came around the corner of the house. They opened fire and three more cadets were down before fire was returned and all eight black uniformed men were down.

Riker was the first to reach them. Soon eight more officers were armed with Phasers. To Roberts' total surprise, a party of six heavily armed men beamed down right behind where Riker was standing. Roberts hit his radio mic "Snipers open fire!" The state-of-the-art high power rifles opened fire and three of the six had their heads literally explode as more than one round hit simultaneously. Two of the remainder dropped and took aim on Riker's group who were just starting to react. Phasers fired; once the snipers were reloaded they fired again and it was over. Riker and one officer were still standing; everyone else was gone. Riker and the other man took cover next to the house and then Riker flipped his communicator, "Roberts, what in the name of God is happening here?"

"I don't know any more than you do. I'm sending you some more men. Can you see inside the house?"

"Got a glimpse of some kids beaming out. Look out behind you; more beaming in."

Roberts hit the dirt and rolled, just as a phaser blasted the ground where he had been standing. He returned fire and managed to vaporize two of the bad guys before he rolled behind a pile of firewood. He heard the impact of sniper bullets on the wood pile and heard several screams of the wounded. He radioed for backup and for a squad to reinforce Riker.

He then opened the communicator, "Roberts to Jackson, Will, are you there?"

"Ted, what's the situation?"

"All hell has broken loose. These guys are beaming in here as fast as we take them out. What the Hell is going on? Casualties are heavy. We have a good twenty dead and lord knows how many wounded. Can you guys do something to jam their transporters?"

"We'll see what we can do. Help is on the way." Will disconnected. "I hope," he thought to himself.

 

Sammy looked up at Austin in shock, tears running down his face. "I couldn't save them. You came, but they're...they're..." After a pause, Sammy whimpered "Help Yuri, Ronnie and Matty ... please?" His questions were cut off as Timmy emitted an ear-splitting screech announcing in Eagle to the world that war was declared. "What in the..."

Austin nodded over towards Timmy, who was telepathically getting instructions from Austin in splinting Matty's arm. "That's my little brother Timmy; he's speaking in Seminole." Austin began replying, as he reached out and began stemming the flow of blood from Sammy's arm.

Sammy suddenly pushed Austin away and managed to stagger to the other side of the bed in as much of a run as he could in his condition. "Oh God Ronnie!" Sammy muttered as he ripped off his shirt and pressed it to the boy's wounds.

Austin quickly returned to Sammy's side and reapplied pressure to the wound on Sammy's arm.

"Don't worry about me; help them!" Sammy exclaimed.

"We are, just a second Sammy." Austin said as he paused. "Ark; I've got the blood stopped on Sammy and Timmy's got Matty fixed up. Get the rest of the injured to the hospital and we'll join them as soon as I explain what's going on to the rest of these guys."

"Brian's outside and he's hurt." Sammy interjected, obviously expecting the worst from the tone of his voice.

"Ark; don't forget the boy named Brian who is outside with head injuries." Austin added quickly.

<As you wish Austin> Ark replied as Yuri and Ronnie disappeared from the room. Outside the house, Brian suddenly vanished from where he landed.

Austin reacted quickly, catching Sammy as Ronnie vanished from under him. "What the hell?" Sammy asked, obviously confused.

Austin tapped his ear. "Sub-Vocal communications device." he replied.

Before Austin could continue, Matty crawled onto Sammy's lap and wrapped his arms around Sammy. "Sammy; Timmy's mad. He only speaks Indian if he's weally mad! Did you see what him an' Wed did to the bad guy?"

"Hey Matty! You think you can help Timmy make sure everyone is okay?" Austin asked softly.

"Okay Unca Austin!" Matty replied as he gave Sammy a quick hug and then scrambled to join Timmy.

"There are others." Sammy announced as he looked at Austin. "Peter, Nikolai; everyone come on out, it's okay."

One of the little ones that came out of hiding immediately crawled into Sammy's lap and asked softly "Wheres Daddy?"

Sammy sobbed, unable to express his worst fear.

"Where's Daddy, Sammy?" the little guy asked again. Sammy broke into tears, causing the boy to ask "Why are you crying Sammy?"

"Dad...Daddy's..." Sammy sobbed before being interrupted by Austin.

"Hold on a sec and let me finish explaining." Austin said quickly. He suddenly got a shocked look on his face and shook his head. "Look, my Dad's outside right now and all of the injured people including your dad are at the hospital. I'm a telepath, so I know what's going on; your Dad is still alive and is in the best hands in the Universe right now. Nobody was killed by these bastards, despite their best attempts. I'll fill you in more when this is over, but now that everyone is listening, I can give you the quick version."

"He's alive." Sammy whispered as the tears he had been holding back broke free.

All of the young ones swarmed over Sammy trying to console him as Austin replied "Yes, they're all alive."

After a pause, Sammy looked up and asked "They're alive?"

"Don't cry anymore; please?" one of the littler ones in Sammy's lap asked.

"I'll try not to." Sammy replied through his tears. He looked up at Austin and said "I thought..."

"I know," Austin replied, "and I'm sorry I didn't catch it sooner but so much is going on right now."

"Chris, Derek; that means Samantha is alive too!" Sammy said.

"Yeah, we heard."

Austin nodded. "Look; I'll fill you in more when this is over, but now that everyone is listening I can give you the quick version, okay?"

Just then a stream of bullets came through the window; all ricocheting off to the side before hitting any of their intended targets.

Before anyone could comment, Austin explained. "Timmy is shielding all of us right now; no projectiles can hit us." Sammy started to say something, but Austin stopped him. "Don't ask; I'll explain that later too. The Clan rescued Matty while you guys were in Russia; we made sure that him and Wusty were there to meet you when you got home. Clan Short has been trying to watch out for you guys as much as possible since this went public. If we'd known that this was going to happen we would have stopped you before you even got here; but if I read the guy's mind right before Timmy vaporized him, the FCC has been planning this secretly since they lost the case against you. The first we heard of it though was when Clint called in an emergency distress call; then we got out here as fast as we could."

Sammy got a confused look on his face. "Clint and Ian? I don't understand; they're with the FCC, why would they call you?"

Austin shook his head. "Sammy, Clint and Ian are with Clan Short; didn't they tell you when you were attacked?"

Sammy was stunned. "No, they can't be, I could sense it, no you're ....You're wrong."

Austin frowned at the confusion Sammy was obviously experiencing. "Sammy; they are with the Clan and were sent to protect you."

"Oh God; what have I done?" Sammy muttered.

"What happened?" Austin asked softly.

Sammy got a pained expression on his face. "Clint was hit right away but I...Ian was...he was using some type of radio when the attack started. I...I thought...Oh God I think I killed him." Sammy said as he began crying in agony.

Austin leaned down and in a caring voice said "He's not dead Sammy. Some of us were afraid something like that might happen. They were sent in undercover and told not to reveal themselves to you. Seeing what that caused, I'm betting Dad don't let that happen ever again. Don't worry about it Sammy; we'll sort it out later."

Sammy shook his head. "No; I hurt him, I thought..."

Austin put a hand on Sammy's shoulder. "Look, you were trying to protect your family. We'll talk about it more later, but right now I think we better get to the hospital; if any of you guys can help them please do."

Timmy looked over at Austin and stated in Seminole "I am staying to protect my Father."

Austin nodded as he translated for the group. "Timmy says he is staying to protect Dad; the rest of us need to head out. Ark; Timmy's staying. The rest of us need to go to the AI hospital as soon as you have the chance."

<Are you sure it is a good idea for Timmy to stay behind?> Ark replied.

Austin glanced at the stony expression on Timmy's face. "It's a better idea than taking him with us, Ark. I don't think he's really in the mood to deal with the hospital right now."

<That is your call Austin. Whenever you are ready.>

Austin nodded. "Go ahead Ark."

 

Just as Timmy was about to exit the house, there was a loud explosion just outside. He rushed through the door and froze. Just in front of him, Kelly and Dean were laying on the ground with blood seeping out of multiple injuries all over their bodies. Off to his left he heard Cory scream "Adam!" He turned his head and felt sick as he saw Cory leaning over Adam, who was laying in the middle of a pile of someone elses body parts with obvious serious injuries to the back side of his midsection. "Ark; Uncle Adam, Uncle Kelly, and Uncle Dean are hurt really bad!" Timmy exclaimed.

<I will take care of them Timmy.> Ark replied as the three bodies disappeared.

Timmy sat on the step, the implications of what he just saw beginning to hit home. He looked up to see if Cory was coming over to see him, and saw a man swing a bat at Cory's head. Cory blocked it at the last second, but suffered a serious break to his arm in the process.

"LEAVE ... MY ... DADDY ... ALONE!" Timmy screamed as he raised his arm and dropped the man with a yellow blast of energy. He ran to Cory, sobbing. Antonio popped in just as he got there. Timmy buried himself under Cory's good arm as Antonio quickly splinted the damaged one.

"You need to get to the hospital." Antonio stated.

Cory shook his head. "I can't leave these guys here. They need every bit of help they can get. They knew we would come; I don't know how but they set a trap. They were beaming in people faster than we could take care of them. The Lafayette just took out the relay station ..."

Two phaser blasts suddenly split the atmosphere, sending thunder rolling across the hills and plains.

Cory gave a weak smile. "I guess their bases are gone too, now. Thanks for saving me Timmy; I figured you and Austin would already be gone though. Are you okay, Son?"

Timmy shook his head. "I killed one of them, Daddy. I had to or he woulda killed Matty's brothers."

Antonio quickly scanned the body on the ground next to them and signaled to Cory in a way that Timmy couldn't see, that the count was up to two.

Cory nodded as he squeezed Timmy with his good arm. "I know he deserved it, Son; Red would not have let you do it if he didn't. Could you do Daddy a big favor and go with Antonio to make sure Uncle Adam is gonna be okay?"

"You're not gonna die are you Daddy?" Timmy sobbed.

"No way, Munchkin." Cory replied. "Just gonna find someone else to take charge here, then I'll be right there."

"Promise, Daddy?" Timmy asked.

"I promise, Munchkin." Cory replied over the sounds of nearby gunshots. "Ark, get these two to safety at the hospital."

 

There seemed to be a break in the action. Ted Roberts made a check of their situation as they used their phasers to blast fox holes and prepare for the next onslaught. They weren't finished a second too soon; phaser fire swept the area and if they hadn't dug in, it would have caused massive casualties. Then they came. It reminded Ted of the British in the revolutionary war, all in a nice line advancing on the house. The snipers were well placed and were having great success. The troops' body armor wasn't very helpful since the snipers were going strictly for head shots. The SWAT teams were the next to engage, and their automatic weapons took the troops by surprise and finally broke their advance, and they began falling back. Ted was just beginning to feel relieved when Helicopters appeared. He was just about to issue orders to fire on them when the choppers began repeatedly strafing the enemy positions.

Ted yelled into his radio, "The birds are friendlies; do not fire on them!"

 

Cory limped towards the helicopter which was hovering in front of him. Blood was seeping down his left leg from where an attacker managed to get him with a knife. His right arm hung uselessly at his side, the sling Antonio had put on it lost in one of many struggles.

One of the boys who rolled out of the helicopter issued what appeared to be orders to the rest of his group, then headed over towards Cory. As he got closer, Cory could see that he was maybe fourteen years old, armed to the teeth with the hilt of a sword obvious next to his long black hair which was tied into a pony-tail.

"Hey there, you okay?" the boy asked, as they got close enough to speak.

"I'm Cory Short, Patriarch of Clan Short. Which one of you is in charge?" Cory asked, the pain he was feeling evident in his voice.

Adam's eyes widened for a second, and he took a moment to look the kid over. Adam had a lot of respect for this kid, after everything he had been told about him by Ian and Clint. He popped to attention and saluted. "I'm Captain Adam Casey, commanding officer of the U.N.I.T. We are ready to assist in any way sir."

Cory weakly returned the salute. "At ease, Captain." He seemed to think for a second then added "You're the guys Ian and Clint told me about. They recommended that we invite you to become an independent branch of the Clan; you just earned that. I'm in no shape to continue out here on the field; will you accept a commission as the first division of the Clan Short Assault Group?"

Adam was momentarily stunned by the offer, but nodded his head. "It would be my pleasure, Sir. If you could just attach someone to us so that we can get a sit rep, and also to coordinate with everyone else, I would be happy to relieve you of command."

Cory nodded. "You have command, Commander Casey. One second, I'll get a rep here for you." Cory paused then said "Ark, I need JJ here as soon as it is safe to do so."

Almost immediately JJ appeared next to Cory, weapon at the ready. "Stand down JJ." Cory quickly ordered.

JJ looked at Adam then back to Cory. "Are these the guys that just saved our butts?"

Cory nodded. "JJ, this is Commander Adam Casey, he's heading up the new Clan Assault Group. Anything he needs give it to him. Contact CIC immediately and inform them that anything he needs, he gets." Cory then turned to Adam. "Commander, this is our head of security JJ Richardson. If he does not know an answer he can find it for you."

Adam nodded to JJ and extended his hand. After they shook, he looked around, noticing that the fighting was dying down. "Okay, it looks like things are calming down. Are we expecting more attacks?"

JJ nodded. "They haven't stopped yet." He noticed Cory starting to sway next to him. "Mr Short; give Commander Casey your communicator."

Cory complied weakly, passing his communicator to Adam.

As soon as Adam had the communicator in his hand, JJ nodded. "Ark, emergency transport of the Council Crafter to the AI hospital immediately." As soon as Cory disappeared, JJ turned to Adam. "What do you need to know?"

 

Cory took one look around the emergency room and collapsed into a nearby chair with tears streaming down his face. "WHY!" he screamed in agony. "What the hell did WE ever do to deserve THIS?"

Noah turned from the patient's arm he was splinting at the sound of Cory's voice. "SHIT! DANNY! Get over here!!! Cory's bad!"

"NO!" Cory replied. "Don't worry about me; help the rest of these kids!"

"Yeah right." Danny said, as he ran over and began scanning Cory. "Oh my god dude, you're a mess."

"I'm fine; take care of the guys who are really hurt." Cory argued.

"Number fifteen!" Danny turned and shouted. "Take Patriarch Short. Sedate him if he resists." Danny got out as he turned back to look at Cory. "Argue with me Bro, I dare you."

"Oh shit." Noah mumbled. "You sure you guys aren't twins or sumthin?" He got out as the officer that Noah was working on snickered.

Cory hung his head and began sobbing again. "Too many guys have died. I've lost a brother I promised would never get hurt ever again. I don't deserve a doctor."

"Lost a brother?" Danny questioned as he halted the Medbot's advance. "I haven't seen any casualties in close family yet, and everyone has been brought through us, so far."

"Adam didn't make it here?" Cory asked through his sobs before painfully pulling himself into a ball.

"Oh." Danny replied, as he put his arms carefully around Cory. "Ark, could you give me a status report on Adam Short and his team, please?" Danny asked softly. "I'd like Cory Short to be able to hear the report as well." He got out, as Cory looked at him questioningly.

<Certainly Danny. Adam, Kelly and Dean are all in stable condition and will be undergoing their procedures individually. All three are expected to make full recoveries. Would you like a more detailed report?>

"Procedures?" Cory asked, moaning with pain as he extended his leg.

<Yes Cory. After the Medbots assessed their conditions, it was determined that they were in need of assistance beyond your modern medical practice. They are undergoing the procedure to make them Vifer to give them the ability to heal.>

"Nooooooo ....." Cory moaned. "I won't stop it, but I'm taking all the blame for this."

"Stop what?" Danny asked, as he held Cory at arms length. "Ark said they were gonna be fine."

"I broke my promise, Danny." Cory sobbed. "I promised Adam I'd never do nothin to let him get hurt ever again. Now he's gonna live almost forever and it wasn't his choice, it was my fault."

"Are you nuts?" Danny quickly stood up and almost shouted. "It's a frigin war out there, and you DID NOT start it. These people would be dead if it weren't for you. Not recovering, DEAD! Every single one of us, including Adam was involved, not because you dragged us in, but because we chose to be here."

"Excuse me." A small boy in a sling softly said, instantly stopping Danny's rant. "Are you really Cory Short?"

Cory nodded weakly. "Yeah; I'm Cory."

"My dad is alive because of you, and so is the rest of my family." The boy began. "I'm alive because you came when I called and asked for help. He's sayin we'd be dead if you and your family didn't help. If you think it's all your fault, then it is. It's all your fault that we are still here and not dead in our house right now." He continued, raising his voice a bit. "You help kids and people and if anyone should feel responsible, it should be me cause I called ya all but if you hadn't come...if you hadn't" His voice trailed off as he looked toward the floor.

Cory tried to look at the boy talking to him. "I can't see you; my vision is all blurry. Who are you?"

"My name is Sammy" the boy said softly.

Cory winced as pain shot through his body. "Timmy and Austin got you guys out okay? I wish I'd known those bastards planned this; I woulda never let you get close enough to the house to get hurt."

"But they're part of what you do." Sammy said, looking back at Cory. "They wouldn't have come if you didn't show them the way. How can you think that? We wouldn't be alive if you hadn't come and if you hadn't taught them to care! And in case no one ever told ya, no one can see the future, so blaming yourself for not being able to is just stupid! Ah... sorry. I mean... you know..." He said, his face now blushing.

"He's right you know." Noah said quickly, as he continued to wrap the cadet's arm, which now had about four pounds of gauze wrapped around it since he wasn't paying attention.

"That musta been some wound." Sammy giggled, stopping Noah from working any further up the guy's arm.

"Nice job, bonehead. Leave some gauze for the rest of the patients" Danny laughed. He then turned back to Cory. "So, you gonna let us work on you or do I have to have you sedated?"

"Please let em help ya, You gotta get better. You're really needed." Sammy said, as he stepped a little closer and placed his hand on Cory's shoulder.

Cory barely managed to speak; his voice betraying how bad off he really was. "Thank ... you ... Sammy. Danny ... I'm ... feeling ... woozy."

"Blood loss will do that to ya." Danny said as he motioned to the Medbot that was still standing by. "This guy will get you fixed up."

The Medbot picked Cory up, revealing a pool of blood from the wounds he managed to re-open on his leg. "Danny ... take ... care ... of ... Timmy." he managed to whisper before passing out.

"Oh shit, he's bleeding out bad." Sammy said, looking at the shocked expressions on Danny and Marc's faces before turning to follow Cory.

"You shoulda just sedated him dude." Noah said crossing his arms and watching the Medbot carry Cory's limp body to the biobed with Sammy trailing close behind.

"If I had, that little guy wouldn't have put him in his place, and we'd have to do it on our own." Danny replied with a grin. "It was better this way."

"You sayin we wouldn't have gotten our way with him?" Noah asked.

"Yup." Danny laughed and turned toward the cadet who was still watching. "Let me know when the cocoon is finished."

 

ER waiting room:

"What the HELL do these idiots think they're doing?" Jon said in frustration to Teri as he splinted the sprained ankle of one of the Cadets. "If I didn't have some common sense, I'd swear they were trying to kill off the entire Clan."

Teri nodded grimly as she noticed a security officer had arrived and waved him over. "I think it might be a good idea to separate the injured from the ones Marc and them have already seen. Since some of them may be a security risk; do you have any ideas officer?"

Before the officer could reply, Timmy ran up and wrapped his arms around Teri's legs. "Gran'ma; they're tryin to kill Daddy an' all my uncles!"

Teri started to reach down and froze when she saw the serious look on Timmy's face. The fact that his eyes had changed from their normal gray to solid black confirmed her suspicion that this was no statement from a panicked child; it was a proclamation of fact. "Correction; we need to get these kids out of here now." Teri growled.

"On it." The officer replied, as he quickly pulled out his communicator. "Security team to the Emergency waiting room for assistance."

Just then one of the boys that had came in with DJ and Tanner screamed "Scooter!"

Teri spun around to see a man with a splinted leg holding a struggling nine year old with strawberry blond hair, firmly against his chest. "Stop moving brat." the man announced as he pulled a knife from under his shirt and brought it to the boy's neck. "All of you heathens just don't get it, do you? God has tasked us with removing the filthy sinners like you from this earth." he started to turn around, still clutching Scooter against him. "As the Lord's army, we shall prevail! Faggots and those who protect them are the Devil's spawn and shall be removed from this earth."

"And you can go to Hell, bastard!" Teri shouted, as she finally got a clear shot. The man pulled the knife back as he turned his head to see who was yelling at him. A fraction of a second later, the sound of a full strength phaser blast echoed throughout the room leaving a very frightened Scooter sitting in a pile of ash.

"Damn!" The officer hissed, as he drew his weapon and scanned the room. "Nice shot, Director Short!"

Teri quickly looked over where the rest of the attackers were gathered as Parker rushed over to comfort Scooter. "So that's the bullshit excuse that you have used to attack my family?" she shouted. "There's an old saying you assholes might have forgotten; 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'."

Teri turned to the officer and spat "Find some place to put that trash before I decide to follow my first instincts and save the medical team the trouble of having to see them."

"Ye... Yes Ma'am." The officer stuttered in amazement, as four other security officers rushed into the room with weapons drawn. "Separate the hostiles; they need to be held offsite." He stated, pointing toward Teri. "The faster we move them, the sooner she can stop doing our jobs and start doing her own."

"Sir, the brig at this location is in an unusable state." A cadet stated just as another man placed his hand under his shirt, freezing when he found five phasers within inches of his face.

"If you're aiming to leave in a body bag, that's the way to do it. GET YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!" The first officer shouted. "Get Lt. Shannon on the line and find some place to store the trash." He replied, as one of the officers stepped into the hall while opening his communicator. "This'll be contained Director. We just need a moment."

"If one of these kids gets so much as a scratch, you won't need to worry about keeping them anywhere." Teri growled as she turned her phaser towards a man reaching into his pocket. "Go ahead, make my day, you son-of-a-bitch."

"Move these people outside. The Lafayette reports ready to receive and treat hostiles." The officer reported, as he rushed back into the room. "Lt. Shannon had it pre-arranged."

"Notify Captain Simmons that deadly force is encouraged with these animals." Teri informed the officers coldly, as they began to gather the men. "The second they attacked a child, they lost all humanity in my eyes."

"Aye Director Short." the team responded as they rushed to get the attackers out of her sight.

Off to the side of the room, Austin finally recovered from the situation he had just witnessed. He quickly pulled his communicator and hit the emergency alert for Camp Little Eagle. "CLE Cabin One; prepare to deploy to AI Hospital for support. You will be teleported out in two minutes from my mark ..... MARK!" He then switched to subvocal. "Did you hear that, Ark?"

<Yes I did, Austin. Where do you wish them to arrive at?>

"Please place them in the hospital cafeteria." Austin replied. "If you can, use CIC to notify the Lafayette of the coordinates of any injured adult attackers to beam them up, it would be a big help; if Mom sees one sneeze wrong, she'll probably vaporize him."

<I will ensure they are properly handled. Cabin One will arrive in thirty-four seconds.>

Austin helped Nickelback and Bon Jovi round up the injured that had already been seen as everyone who could move freely helped those who couldn't.

As they were leaving the room, Kyle, Levis, Tyler, and Sean appeared just inside the door to the ER.

As Sean and Tyler turned and headed out the door to find out what was going on in the waiting area, Kyle looked around the emergency room and felt his stomach tighten. "How can we save humanity when they do stuff like this?" he asked in a sad voice as he turned to Levis.

"Well then don't; don't save humanity," replied Levis. "I mean, it only takes one person to change the course of human history; just ask Ark. Really, one person; that's it. But if you want to give up, then what if you were that one person we needed? This world is in chaos, Kyle; it needs to be saved from itself. But if we aren't willing to help save it, then what's the point? Why don't we just give up and die?" Levis looked around the waiting room, "You think this is bad? Do you really think this is the worst humanity has ever done? If someone doesn't step up to the plate soon though, then I'm afraid it will be worse, in fact I know that if we aren't willing to save this world now, then there are others that will see it end; taking with it the bad as well as the good."

"I know, Levis; it's just that I'm afraid that we'll be viewed like we view them if we have to resort to killing to save the world. We need to find a better way where no blood is shed; no innocent kids have to die to protect the future." Kyle responded seriously. "I don't want to resort to humanity's past tactics, just to save them."

Levis looked at Kyle, "Then make the world what you want it to be, through whatever way you see best then. It's entirely up to you and your family to save this world. But how do you deal with people that do this kind of evil? You're right that evil begets evil, but then what's the right way to go about it? Were the Founders right when they said to kill anyone, regardless of what they've done, is wrong? Or was that what caused their downfall? Those that consider themselves the light unto the world rarely know the right course of action to take. Do those that practice evil deserve to live? If we let them live does it reflect that we're willing to keep evil in the world or does it reflect our compassion for all life?"

Kyle tilted his head. "Looking at it that way, I'd say that we need to look at the situation and in some form take out those who spread the evil, to reduce those affected by it. The work will never really end, but it can be reduced to a manageable size. I just wish I knew more about the mistakes made in the past, so that I could make sure we don't repeat them."

"But that's the trick, isn't it?" said Levis. "In what way do you remove that evil from society? The mistakes of the past are a tool for learning but only as far as what you already know. Look at the past if you want, but it won't make the choice for you. Only you have the power to do that. Just be ready to do what you need to do when the time comes."

Kyle started to reply, when a familiar form appeared on the floor next to him. Kyle took one look at the shattered head of his friend and screamed "JAMIE!!!" before both he and the injured boy disappeared. Noah skidded to a stop from where he was rushing over to assess the injuries. "What??? ... Where'd they go?"

Levis frowned, "I...I'm not exactly sure...I...he shifted I think, but I really don't know where to."

"Shifted?" Noah asked. "He disappeared with one of my brothers who was injured! Can you find them?"

Levis closed his eyes and transformed back into his energy form and took a deep breath. The aura around Levis began to expand and fill the area around him. "He doesn't have an anchor point, directly, I can feel his pattern, but it's not linked to any object but it feels like he's linked to..." Levis opened his eyes, "Where's Tyler? He's linked to Tyler."

Noah's eyes opened almost as wide as his mouth at the sight before him. "Th...The waiting room. Um... Look in the waiting room." He stammered, as he took two large steps backward; almost tripping on his own feet in the process.

"I'll bring him here then," nodded Levis as he got brighter for a second. Suddenly Tyler appeared a few feet from Levis with a confused look on his face. "Sorry for not warning you Tyler, but I need your help."

Tyler shook his head to clear it. "Okay I guess Levis; where's Kyle?" he replied once he got his bearings.

"That's what I need your help with," said Levis as he closed his eyes again and allowed his aura to expand to touch Tyler. "Someone that was injured badly was teleported in; he shouted 'Jamie' and then both Kyle and the boy disappeared. The only thing he left behind was a pattern that only I can see; the pattern tells me that he shifted dimensional planes, but it doesn't tell me to where he shifted. Kyle didn't set up an anchor point before he left, but he does have a link to you, a very strong link, actually. I'm going to follow that link to find him."

"Crap!" Tyler exclaimed. "If Jamie's hurt, Kyle's gonna be a mess! If he screwed up, please don't say anything right away; he poured his heart out saving those twins and I know it's gonna hit hard."

"The only way that Kyle could have messed up is if he shifted into a dangerous dimension," replied Levis. "I'll keep that in mind though. We'll be back." Levis pulled his aura back into himself and allowed himself to follow the link that Tyler had with Kyle. A few seconds later he found himself standing in the middle of what looked like a decaying jungle. As he looked around he noticed that the jungle wasn't really decaying, but rather restoring itself slowly. "The decay is reversing itself," Levis said to himself as he looked around for Kyle. Kyle was no more then ten feet away kneeling next to Jamie. Levis came up behind him, "Kyle, are you alright?"

Kyle looked over at Levis with tears streaming from his eyes as he carefully ran a finger over Jamie's cheek. "He didn't even have any weapons on him." Kyle shouted through his sobs. "Those bastards tried to kill an unarmed child!"

"I'm sorry, Kyle," Levis said softly, as he transformed back into a solid state. "War doesn't really care who its casualties are, I'm afraid. Many that lose their lives don't deserve to die, while those that caused it are hardly ever brought to justice." Levis looked Jamie over, "Did you mean to bring him here?"

"Kinda." Kyle whispered. "When I saw his head, the only thing I could think about was he needed to have it undone. I've been in 'Tonio's head enough to know injuries like this ain't got a good chance of bein' fixed. I guess my head took over and brought us here."

"Well, considering what's happening to everything around us, I'd say you've brought us to a dimension where everything's going backwards in time," said Levis. "I'd imagine this is probably one of the best places to take him if you don't know how to heal. Are his injuries doing the same thing as the plants around us?"

"I think so; the bruises on his face look smaller." Kyle replied. "Umm .. can we talk about somethin' while we wait?"

Levis sat down next to Kyle, "If you want to, we can. What's on your mind?"

Kyle put an arm over Levis' shoulder. "I kinda noticed how you reacted when I called you my 'brother' when we were visiting Mikey." Kyle said quietly. "I'm guessing that either it don't mean the same thing to you, or it don't translate right. I know it don't seem like much, the way all of us use it to refer to each other, but I meant it different. I know that you know there are only a few people I really trust. There's Cory, Sean, Ty, Tyne, JJ, Cyna, Danny, Jamie, Jacob .... and you. Anybody on that list, I'll die to protect; the rest of the Clan are like adopted family, but those ten I trust with everything about me. Everyone on that list, I felt a special connection with, the first time I met them, including you. When I promised your Mom I'd look out for you, I meant it with all of my heart. I know we're not related in any way by blood, but in my soul you are a part of me; it might not make sense, but the only brothers I ever really had before we found Colin, are that list of ten. Even if you don't really understand, will you please accept being my brother?"

"I...I really don't know what to say to that," replied Levis as he looked down at his lap. "You're right, brother doesn't mean the same thing to me as it does to you. The word exists in my culture, but it really doesn't have any meaning anymore. Family structures are a little different being that we have parents but nothing else, if that makes any sense. We live with our parents, well rather just one of our parents, for the first twelve years of our lives and then we go off on our own. The only other family we ever really have other then that parent we grew up with is whoever we end up taking as our partner. Everyone else is a friend and nothing more. Your use of the word implies a more personal attachment to the person, as you said you trust your brothers. A trust that you mostly seem to extend to the family that you've chosen for yourself, or that mean something to you. If you really want to count me as a brother, then I'll try my best but it might take me a while to get used to the concept. I mean I understand what you mean by it now, but it'll take some getting use to." Levis looked up at Kyle, "I'll try my best."

Kyle gave Levis a small smile. "That's all I would ever ask of you .. brother." He then sealed it by pulling Levis into a light hug.

Levis looked over at where Jamie lay, "So, just out of curiosity, what made you bring him here? Do you know where we're at?"

Kyle seemed to think for a minute before he replied. "It's kinda like my head's got a map in it of all the different planes. I never noticed it before; I just found it while I was lookin to see what happened. I think it's kinda like a reverse of a normal plane; it started out dead and is working backwards towards it's creation. I saw a couple like this just now when I found that map. This one's the closest to ours. What's weird is, I don't think it's affecting me; I still remember arriving and everything."

"You remember everything because you, like me, can remove yourself from the plane's effects without even thinking about it," said Levis. "And you're right about the plane too. This is one of the planes that already reached the end of its timeline, so it collapsed and then started running in reverse; the plane didn't really have much living in it when it ended anyway. See time runs differently in different planes. Like when we visited Mikey, that plane has no time at all. This one is running in reverse, but yours is the main plane, thus it will always move forward until the end of time. Once time ends, then another plane will emerge and take its place. Once this plane is done going backwards, it will eventually move forward again but with none of the same events that happened the first time. I've never been here, but my mother has, before it collapsed."

"I guess you can tell her how it's progressing next time you see her!" Kyle responded with a small smile. "You know what's weird? My head's not itching here, but I kinda feel warm in the back of my head. Not warm like a fever; warm like it's doing something really fast."

"Hmmm, that might be your head trying its best to adapt to something," Levis said in thought. "I'm not sure exactly what would cause that. It shouldn't be anything bad though." Levis pointed to Jamie, "We can see what effect this plane would be having if you weren't as special as you are. He won't remember being here but his wounds are healing nicely. Reversing time will do that, we just don't want to keep him here for longer then it takes for him to recover."

Kyle looked Jamie over carefully then replied. "You see that nasty gash in his arm? It hasn't started healing yet. It's too new to be something that happened before he went out; I bet if we wait until it's healed we'll be safe to guess his head is okay."

"I suppose that's not a bad idea, but why not just check on him, yourself?" said Levis. "I mean, you can see into his head, so even with him unconscious you should be able to see when everything is working again. If you wanted...you could try and speed up some of the repairs. I could show you how, if you want."

Kyle looked down at Jamie before turning back to Levis. "After the outside of his head looks completely healed, I wouldn't mind trying to speed the rest up; I don't want to mess in his head until it's healed though. Him and his brother spent a lot of time helping me out, and they kinda copied the split storage in my head to help them deal with some of the crap they get when doing scans. Since the way they did it ain't normal, I'm afraid of messing something up if I try to help get it back to normal for him."

"Fair enough," replied Levis. "At some point though, I should teach you how to..." Levis suddenly looked up and stared off into the distance for a moment. As soon as he did, a bright figure came into view and started heading in their direction. Levis sighed, "Great, just what we need."

"Who is that? A friend of yours?" Kyle asked.

"Yes and no," said Levis, as he got to his feet. "Its the FDP, Ferox Dimension Patrol. They're going to want to know what we're doing here. This isn't going to be fun to explain; my assignment isn't registered."

Kyle shook his head. "He's got another thing coming if he thinks I'm leaving here before Jamie's okay."

"He won't put anyone in danger, that's not what I'm worried about... hello officer," Levis said, as the FDP officer got closer. "What can we help you with?"

The FDP officer suddenly took a more solid form, looking to be about sixteen, and dressed in white with a purple and black arm band. He looked over Levis, Kyle, and Jamie for a few seconds before replying, "I'm Lieutenant Xedyan of the FDP, I'm just investigating a disturbance in this area, as I am the patrol for this dimension."

"I'm afraid we're probably the disturbance that you're talking about, Lieutenant," Levis said with a fake smile. "There isn't a problem with us being here, is there?"

Xedyan looked at Levis and frowned, "Aren't you Commander Levis of the Ferox Intelligence Corps?"

Levis looked a little surprised but nodded, "Yes, I am."

"I'm sorry for interrupting you then sir," replied Xedyan. "I'm sure you're on assignment, and can't really talk about it."

"That's correct," Levis said quickly.

"I'm just a little concerned for your companions though sir," Xedyan continued. "One of them is human, and the other one is... well I'm not really sure what, but this realm is in a reverse time flux right now and it might have bad effects on them."

"That's actually why we're here Lieutenant," said Levis. "We're trying to undo damage that was done to the human. There isn't a problem with us being here, is there?"

"Well no sir, not directly," replied Xedyan. "I'll still have to report your visit here to the Ferox Dimension Committee, though."

Kyle came over and in an unusually sweet voice introduced himself. "Hello Sir, I am Kyle Richardson; Founder Council Nitor. Is there anything I may assist you with?"

"Well no, not directly," said Xedyan with a confused look. "Wait, the Founder Council hasn't been active in over sixty thousand years..." He looked back at Levis, "Your assignment can't be to work with the Founders, we were forbidden to help humanity."

"It's more complex than that Lieutenant," Levis said sternly. "To which I have to order you not to file any report of us being here. I can't have my assignment compromised because of this, it would be risking too much."

"For who? Us or them?" Xedyan said, sounding almost offended. "Humanity hurt us every time we've ever tried to help them. I'm sure I don't have to remind you of Greece or Egypt. Or even..."

"Lieutenant, I don't need a history lesson," Levis interrupted. "This isn't the same situation as then, nor does it have the same involvement that those operations had. Xanus herself has sanctioned this assignment, so that should be enough of that..."

"But its not right! How is that fair to us!" Xedyan shouted. "With all due respect sir, Xanus has been asked not to give out these assignments ever again, she's far to trusting of humans and..."

"This assignment is a matter of the Ferox Council, and the Ferox Intelligence Corps and is none of your direct concern," Levis shouted back. "On top of which, you will not file a report of this incident..."

"Th-th-that's it isn't it! Y-y-your assignment isn't on record!" Xedyan stuttered. "I have to report this!"

Kyle squinted his eyes. "I believe you were ordered not to report anything. I am on the same assignment as Levis, and I appreciate the compromise of it even less than he does. I would suggest considering your situation carefully before making threats of disobeying an order."

"And under what authority does a gene stew half breed threaten me?" Xedyan replied darkly. "I won't break laws just to..."

"He acts on my authority!" said a loud echoing voice. Xanus appeared a second later, floating next to Kyle. "And that is quite enough from you Xedyan. I shouldn't have to cross dimensions because of you. You were placed here because of last time, let's not repeat that."

"Yes mother," Xedyan muttered, as he took a step backwards.

"What Levis is assigned to do has more of an effect on our people than you realize," Xanus continued softly. "And Kyle has more authority than you know. I asked him to do something for me, something that he's been doing very well thus far. As such, he is my emissary and holds more authority than Levis does. On top of that, Kyle may be different, but that gives you no right to denounce him just because you don't know what species he is."

Kyle gave a small smile as he turned to Xanus. "It is a pleasure to see you again Xanus. I apologize for you being interrupted; obviously, it has not been disseminated as to how to recognize a Mikyvis**. I do hope my children don't speak of me with others like Xedyan spoke of you."

(** pronounced Mick-eh-vys)

Xedyan glared at Kyle as Xanus turned to face him, "Didn't disrespecting the Ferox Council get you demoted last time, young man?"

"B-b-but I d-didn't mean it that way..." replied Xedyan. "I was simply talking about what you're...I mean who we're..."

"That's what I thought," said Xanus. "Xedyan, it seems that you still need lessons in respect, as well as how to treat other species other than our own. As such, I'm reassigning you; you will now report to Commander Levis. I will find someone else to patrol this dimension."

Xedyan's jaw dropped, "But... that's not fair!"

"Neither is the way you've treated others," replied Xanus. "I don't want to have to cross dimensions to defend you every time you get yourself in trouble. What would you have done if Kyle and Levis were prompted to attack you? You'd probably find yourself floating in the Never-There until the Council came to get you. This is for your own good. Besides, the skills you do have will benefit Levis and Kyle in the long run."

Kyle looked back at Xedyan. "I think that the infractions you made will be kept between those of us here, unless you persist in continuing with your narrow viewpoint. Considering what I know of Levis, I can assure you that the ones that you will be interacting with will not stand for narrow-minded viewpoints. I honestly do not wish to have to attack you; but if you persist in the direction you're going in, it might end up coming to that."

"Be careful of what pedestals you climb, Emissary, I can't reach them all to do what you ask of me," Xedyan said with a frown. "And just because I'm narrow-minded doesn't mean that you need to treat me like a hostile. I can't see me ever liking you, but that doesn't mean I want to start a fight."

"I wasn't treating you as a hostile on purpose." Kyle replied. "I was trying to give you some advice to keep you from finding yourself in a situation which would be uncomfortable at the least. I learned early that if you are in a situation like this, don't draw any impressions about a person; I wait until I'm in a calmer situation before I decide what I think of someone."

"If you say so Emissary," replied Xedyan. "I'll keep my opinions to myself for now."

"Now, that is better," said Xanus. "I will take my leave now. Levis, keep in mind that there is little more our helper can do so what is left to be done is left for you to do."

"I remember," Levis replied with a grin.

"Kyle, good luck," Xanus said softly to Kyle before turning to Xedyan. "And YOU, behave."

"Yes Councilor," mumbled Xedyan.

"Thank you Xanus." Kyle replied, "Even though I get the feeling the fun's just starting!" He then turned to Xedyan and added "Xedyan, all I ask of you is that you make an attempt to express your opinion in a little nicer way. Your experience and outlook might save somebody's life someday; all it takes is them hearing it without feeling challenged. I still goof sometimes, just like I did earlier, talking to you. I'm sorry about that; and I'm not holding your response against you."

As Xanus disappeared Xedyan looked over at Kyle with a blank expression, "Is it possible to talk about something else? I'd rather not continue talking about my flaws, mistakes, and bad choices. I'm not the beloved son or cherished friend, I just exist. If you even knew who I was to those that know me, then you'd understand that more. Let's just please talk about something else. Perhaps we should be more concerned with your young friend that we seem to have forgotten."

Kyle smiled as he glanced over at the cut he was using to gauge Jamie's recovery, then he turned back. "I would really enjoy getting to know more about you. You are right; it's time for us to check to see how his head is healing again."

Kyle then turned to Levis. "Levis, do me a favor please? Next time I let my tongue loose without attaching my brain, can you please slap me upside the head? If I've got it figured right, we should be about two minutes from the impact to his head healing; I'll take a quick peek inside there once that is gone."

Levis grinned, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Why don't you just speed up the healing process?" asked Xedyan. "Even I can do that."

"Kyle's concerned for the structure that the boy has set up in his head," replied Levis. "Jamie's a telepath."

"Okay, but time is just time," said Xedyan. "I mean, you're not doing the healing yourself, you're just reversing time."

Levis nodded, "But what if he goes too far?"

"Oh, right," Xedyan mumbled. "So you're teaching him, then?"

"Slowly, but yes, I'm teaching Kyle what I know," replied Levis. "Although I didn't teach him how to find places like this when he needs them, he did that on his own. Kyle also seems to be able to stand places like this a lot easier than I thought he would."

"Well is a...what did you say you were? A Mikyvis? Is a Mikyvis able to do that kind of stuff?" asked Xedyan.

"Your guess is as good as mine and his," grinned Levis. "Kyle's one of a kind."

Kyle's grin faded slightly. "Yeah; I just hope I don't lose Ty because I'm so 'special'."

"I'm sure that isn't something you have to worry about," replied Levis. "Tyler loves you a lot more than I think you'll ever know. I mean, how else do you think I found you?"

Kyle tilted his head and concentrated for a second. Suddenly the smile returned to his face full force and he had to stifle a giggle. "So THAT is how ya did it? Ty says next time, let him know when you find me! I didn't notice it before; but him and me's got a bond going somethin' like Jake and Xain."

"Well, he's an Empath," Levis said with a grin. "Didn't you know they could do that?"

"I don't even know what I can do!" Kyle giggled. "How am I gonna figure out what HE can do!"

"Oh come on, Empath's are a lot easier to figure out then you are," replied Levis. "Besides, he's blond, I'm sure that makes it even easier."

Kyle giggled as he checked Jamie's progress. "Don't let him hear ya say that; last guy who said that had a stiffy for a month!" He smiled as he saw the blood stained hair start to return to normal. "Seriously; I still haven't figured out how to tell what someone can do."

"Well, if you're ever actually able to do that, then teach me," said Levis. "But I don't have to worry about what Tyler could do to me for comments like that, he can't affect me the same way he can affect you."

"Too bad; it's fun!" Kyle giggled as the wound in Jamie's head closed before his eyes. "Just a second; let me see how the inside looks."

Kyle closed his eyes. A few seconds later, he reopened them. "I've got all of the info he scanned before he was hurt. How do you do the quick healing? His head looks okay to go back whenever we're ready."

"Concentrate on him, much like you just were," Levis said softly. "And then index him, much like you would do to tell someone's future or past. Tyne should have already taught you how to do that. But all you really have to do is look into his past to the point you want to get him to, and then pull him there like you would pull yourself to another dimension. The only thing you might need to adjust is if you just wanted to heal one injury; for that you still index his past, but only concentrate your thoughts on the injury."

"Okay." Kyle replied before concentrating once more. A few seconds later, Jamie's recent injuries began disappearing. A few scratches slowly vanished first, then the healing sped up starting with the most serious ones and ending once Jamie was back to normal. "I like that way better." Kyle stated as he opened his eyes. "He don't lose his memories that way."

"I told you it would make it easier," grinned Levis. "Are we ready to leave then?"

Kyle nodded. "I'll race ya back!" he giggled.

"Do you have any idea how to get back?" asked Levis. "I mean, you got here, but do you know how to tell what plane is your home?"

"Not really." Kyle admitted. "I'm guessin since you found me using Ty I can get home usin' the same way; followin the way back to him. I've got that map in my head now, but I ain't studied it yet."

"Since you didn't set an anchor point, then yes, Tyler is your way back," said Levis. "I'm not sure if you really even need an anchor point from what I've seen of what you can do, but for now just use your link to Tyler to take yourself and Jamie home. I'll follow with Xedyan in a minute."

 

AI Hospital:

"...what about Jamie?" Noah asked as Kyle and Jamie reappeared.

"What about me? What?" Jamie asked in confusion. "Wait a minute! How the heck did I get here!? Why's Jacob askin' if I'm okay? When did you get here Kyle, and why is everyone lookin at me funny?"

Kyle barely gave Jamie time to speak before pulling him into a tight hug.

To the shock of every person with any sort of telepathic ability within his newly extended range, Kyle blasted out with a Kylegram, stronger and louder than any he had ever done before. "Jamie's ALIVE and OKAY!!!!!!!" Kyle then kissed Jamie's forehead. "I'll explain later, angel brother. For now, just understand that something bad happened and I had to do something I've never done before."

"Yeah, like give half of us a heart attack!" Danny yelled from the nearby open doorway through a stifled giggle. "Now, get outta my head, leech, I've got work to do here!"

"Way to go Kyle." Noah said before grabbing Tyler's arm and whispering; "You're gonna explain what just happened, right?"

"Um... Sure, once I figure it out, I guess." Tyler laughed as the group began to break up. As Noah turned to go back to work, Tyler, Kyle, and Jamie went through the ER door towards the waiting room. As they entered the area, a familiar voice drew their attention.

"That's Kyle there." Cory said to the brown-haired kid sitting between him and Sean. "You can blame him for yelling in everybody's head; he's the one with long brown hair."

Kyle looked the boy in the eyes for a second, then smiled. "Sorry, Sammy; I guess I was a little too happy. You can relax; your Dad, Yuri, Brian, and everyone else is alive."

As Sammy stared in shock at Kyle, Tyler shook his head. "You've got some 'splainin to do babe; lets get down to the cafeteria before someone other than me strangles you."

"I'll second that." Sammy replied, still giving Kyle strange looks. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and quickly sprang to his feet. "Hold on Cory! You're not goin anywhere without someone to hold you up!"

All traces of a smile left Kyle's face as he watched Sammy and Sean help Cory to his feet. Sammy was the perfect height, so he took the side with Cory's good arm and helped support Cory's weight. Sean carefully took the other side; wrapping his arm around Cory's waist to stabilize him. "You're not walkin'." Kyle stated as he saw Cory begin to limp towards him. "Ark, please transport Cory's group and my group to the cafeteria."

<As you wish, Kyle.>

 

Headquarters CIC:

"I'm going to the hospital." Jacob stated. "Something's weird here; Jamie was attacked and then I lost contact with him; now Kyle's saying Jamie's okay and Jamie don't remember none of it."

Seth glanced over at Justy, who was burying himself in work to overcome his worry about Dean. "I think that might be best; I'm not gonna allow you to go out on the field after what happened to Jamie."

"We're goin with you." Jed announced. "Ceej just told me he thinks we might be able to help some of the hurt kids."

Jacob nodded. "You're probably right. Ark, could you please take us to join Jamie and Kyle?"

<Yes I can Jacob. Just tell me when.>

"Go ahead Ark."

 

Fresh tears began seeping from Cory's eyes as he took in the sight of the cafeteria. Every few seconds, lightly injured kids streamed through the door with arms full of blankets and pillows; all heading directly to the more injured and working to ensure they were more comfortable. As Sean and Sammy guided him to a nearby seat, Cory froze as a nearby television started emitting warning tones. The room fell silent as an announcer's voice came over the speakers.

"Stand by for an Emergency Bulletin from the Department of Internal Security ...... Stand by for an Emergency Bulletin from the Department of Internal Security ....... The Governor of South Carolina has declared a State of Emergency. As of 1:32 p.m., actions of the religious group known as the Fundamentalist Church of Christ in an unprovoked attack on Clan Short of Vulcan have resulted in the State of South Carolina declaring allegiance to Vulcan. Full support of Clan Short of Vulcan by all State agencies is hereby ordered. By unanimous vote of the House and Senate, as of 1:43 p.m. Vulcan Law has hereby been declared in full force indefinitely. All civilian law enforcement officials and military personnel are to immediately report to the nearest duty station for assignment. Repeating message: ...."