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R'Kau walked casually into his food preparation area. He was proud of how he had combined the most useful elements of the Earth kitchen and the traditional Vulcan af'tum. He permitted himself a touch of startlement at seeing the young redheaded boy sitting on the counter. In theory not only should alarms have gone off when the boy entered his dwelling space, but his own Kolinahr-refined senses should have alerted him already.
Masking the questions in his mind, he asked with assumed human urbaneness, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" The boy giggled.
"I got a mission for ya," he told the Vulcan. "But ya prob'ly need ta make sure I got the right ta give ya one first." He paused, looking intently at R'Kau. "No, you cannot put me in a mind meld, and the nerve pinch won't work on me. But I'm putting some information up front where you can read it by Mind Touch, and it oughta satisfy ya."
R'Kau stepped up to the boy, placed a hand on his forehead, and began the process for a Mind Touch. What he got staggered him: Spectre's real identity, known to nobody outside the VSO, the Vulcan High Council, and her immediate family; the 'unusual characteristic' of Sellik, known only to those he had mind-melded with; and the boy's identity as a Mikyvis and his abilities and present benign intent, coupled with a mandate to keep that information confidential until it was revealed at the proper time.
"This puts a different light on things," R'Kau said. "What is it which I need to do?"
"You need to go to Maine..." the boy began.
Jaycee hopped easily from the late bus into the twilight, and trotted up the driveway. Tall and well built for barely sixteen, he was happy: Junior Varsity practice had gone very well, he had almost no homework, and was looking forward to the weekend.
Disliking either the original French Canadian ("zhahn-cloud") or Anglicized ("gene-clawed") versions of his double-barreled name Jean-Claude, he'd insisted everyone call him by his initials. He just hoped there were no more questions about what had happened Monday – he'd gotten tired of telling people that after Jonas and Harry had taken the two kids they'd found in the bushes home, he and Mickey had called it a night and left for their own homes.
He was surprised not to find his mother in the kitchen cooking as he came in through the back door. "Mom, I'm home!" he called out.
What he heard back, though, was his father's voice from the parlor. "Jean-Claude, come in here, please." The tone sounded like it was something serious, but he didn't sound angry. He dropped his books on the counter, poured himself a glass of apple juice, and headed in for the parlor.
His parents had company – official company from the looks. He steeled himself to tell the story again. But what he saw when he walked in gave him pause: someone clad neck to toes in solid black. Taller than Jaycee and easily as physically fit as he. And he was a Vulcan!
JayCee was at once intrigued and relieved. He knew about the Vulcans what everybody learned in school, of course – and in this case, that meant that whatever their interest was, it would be something logical, at least by their standards, and not yet another round of the same questions. But why were the Vulcans interested in little old Arkham?
He temporized by greeting the Vulcan formally, and was surprised to see him smile in return. "I acknowledge your welcome, Jean-Claude," the Vulcan said. "But be aware that I have trained to work with and among Earth Humans, and I believe we will all be more comfortable using American Human social norms, instead of formal Vulcan ones." The Vulcan gave his name the French pronunciation, but somehow from his throat it did not sound effete, but rang with the heritage of Charlemagne and Napoleon. "I am R'Kau." He nodded his head in a polite mini-bow.
"Mr. R'Kau has proposed something you need to hear about and react to," his father told him.
"I must confess, I do not understand why you are doing this, and for Jean-Claude in particular," his mother added.
"Hmmm," R'Kau answered. "I have noted that senses of appropriateness and obligation do not translate well across cultural gaps even among Humans, to say nothing of between sentient races." The French-Canadian family nodded ruefully; this was hardly news to them. "Perhaps it might be useful to give you some background?"
At their nods, he continued. "Sarek and the Lady Amanda have long been concerned with the Human tendency to fail to properly protect and care for children and young people. I believe this dates back to when the Lady Amanda was herself an orphan. In pursuit of alleviating this problem, they caused Clan Short to be chartered to intervene and bring Vulcan protection to bear where Human protection had fallen short."
"That provision was invoked here in Arkham earlier this week," he went on. "You probably know the story behind that as well as I. The two Templeton boys are under Clan protection down in Florida now. Jonas McConnaghay and Harry Johnson, who acted according to Clan Short standards, are being invited to join the Clan. " He paused and turned to JayCee. "And that brings us to you."
"Huh? How do I come into this?"
"The Clan telepaths' reports indicate that, coming from a different cultural milieu, you figured out how to fit into the prevailing social structure here, all without denying who you are, deep down," R'Kau replied. "That makes you a perfect candidate for the intensive program I was speaking with your parents about when you arrived home."
"I still don't see how Jean-Claude fits in," his mother said.
"As I said earlier," R'Kau responded patiently, "sometimes senses of obligation do not translate well. But there is a Human metaphor that may help to explain how Vulcans feel obliged to act here: have you ever adopted a cat?"
Slowly JayCee's parents began to nod understanding.
The transplanted Franco teen and the Vulcan man walked easily down the sidewalk in the Maine autumn dusk. JayCee's backpack, with a few necessities and changes of clothes, sat on the porch nearby. "I am afraid," R'Kau said, "that I was not completely forthcoming with your parents." JayCee cocked an eyebrow in inquiry. "The program we have in mind for you will indeed take you away from here for merely the weekend, and you will age no more than a weekend's worth during it. But it will actually last substantially longer than that."
He turned away from JayCee and seemingly addressed a hydrangea bush. "You may make yourself visible now," he said in a peremptory manner.
JayCee heard a giggle behind him, and turned around to see a small redheaded boy standing there with a grin on his face. R'Kau turned to face the newcomer with a quirk on his visage that JayCee recognized – his uncle had worn that expression when amused by his antics back when he was a younger kid.
"This youngling," R'Kau explained, "will be our transportation to and from your training. I shall explain more as we travel." The little redhead seemed vastly amused by that.
They vanished. A second later, JayCee's backpack shimmered, and there was a giggle in the air before it too disappeared."
The three of them – JayCee, R'Kau, and the little Mikyvis – popped back into existence in what appeared to be a meadow, green grass studded with various wildflowers, fluffy clouds dotting a blue sky overhead. In the middle distance one could see – strange things, objects JayCee had no name for. Standing there, apparently waiting for them and unsurprised at their abrupt appearance, was a man of apparently Japanese ancestry. But – do you know how, when you see an optical illusion, it will appear to be giving contradictory information, pointing one way at one point and completely differently at another, and your vision refuses to accept it as a single object? This is the way it was with Master Takamura. At the same time as one set of visual data were telling you he was heavily built, another set was saying he likely was very agile, with lightning fast reflexes. As one set said 'great age' another said 'prime of life'. JayCee's mind shied away from trying to focus on him.
The giggly little Mikyvis was suddenly all business, and solemnly executed a deep bow at Takamura, with a hand gesture JayCee didn't recognize, which the Japanese man returned. Takamura then executed the traditional split-finger Vulcan salute to R'Kau, then grasped JayCee's own shoulders in the traditional Voyageur greeting. Surprised and pleased, JayCee returned it.
Takamura then turned to the little Mikyvis. His eyes twinkled with inner mirth. The redheaded boy giggled, and JayCee was surprised to see a human teen in UNIT fatigues where R'Kau had been. Glancing down at himself, he saw he was dressed similarly.
"It is an illusion the youngling has cast," R'Kau's voice said.
"Anyone who can penetrate it will be aware of my right to bring you here for training." Takamura nodded agreement, turned, and led them off.
Dan was crushed. He jumped up and ran for the door, slapped the palm lock, and ran out blindly, stark naked and not caring about it, or even where he went. What Tony had meant, of course, is that Dan deserved better than to be a fuck toy – but that is not how he had phrased it, and with Dan's low self-image, he'd heard what he dreaded to hear. Tony stared after him, shocked.
Daileass sprang into action. He had been monitoring this situation as he did many things that were going on in the Clan. Down the corridors of Camp Bam Bam that outlined Dan's route, doors quietly closed and locked, and other doors opened, imperceptibly yet inexorably channeling Dan's flight in despair and panic towards a definite point. At Daileass's mental summons, the nearest of his clone brothers, Richard, quietly left what he had been doing and moved toward that point to intercept Dan.
Daileass was a child when he was turned into a brain without a body at the orders of General Adams. He was still very much a child, but he was also so much more. On a daily basis he monitored the thousands upon thousands of automated processes that occurred every minute of every day at Camp Bam Bam. This was also true for a majority of the rest of the Clan as well. This included everything from when someone turned a faucet to get some water to when someone flipped a switch to turn a fan or light on and everything else you can imagine. It was just staggering the amount of things that he automatically monitored. On top of that he carried out the communications for most of the clan and kept up with the commands, requests, and discussions at the Vegas compound, Ewa Beach, and the rest of the Clan holdings. Add to this that he was also engaged in his own pursuits. However he had still made time to go through mockups of various scenarios between Tony and Dan so he could help them to help each other.
Down the corridors Dan ran, stark naked, sobbing, tears running down his face, his body heaving from the exertions he had been putting it through over the last 24 hours.
Richard reached the Rendezvous point just behind Dan and grasped a shoulder and brought him to a halt. Even though he was smaller than Dan he easily stopped the older boy. Richard was every bit the twelve year old boy he looked, but his body was mildly enhanced to enable him to deal with supporting and operating a positronic brain. He was tremendously agile and quick, plus fresh. Dan on the other hand was still suffering from two years of manipulation by Jerome and two weeks on the streets with virtually nothing to eat. Also he was not as fresh as Richard, as he had put his body through a plethora of things.
"Dan," Richard said earnestly, "Stop! Get a grip on yourself!"
Now, Dan had been fully erect when Tony's ill-chosen words had trashed his world, and his penis had been flapping as it shrank during his panicked flight. The incongruity of Richard's words hit both of them, and Dan broke into hysterical laughter that quickly turned into tears.
'Let him cry it out,' Daileass said in Richard's mind. He opened a nearby door, which led to a reception room for an unused office, with a soft upholstered love seat and a refrigerator which Daileass' teleportation mechanisms quickly stocked with cold sodas. Richard guided Dan in there, sat him down, and held him while he cried.
Meanwhile, back in the room Tony had inherited from Malinda, he addressed the room around him: "What the heck just happened?"
The air around him, or to be more specific Daileass, answered him. "You told him he didn't deserve what he was getting from you."
Tony was aghast. "But...."
Daileass interrupted. You know what you meant, but HE thought that you meant that he didn't deserve you!"
"But what I meant was...."
"Look, Tony. I know what you meant, and you know what you meant, but what we know isn't important. What is important is what Dan thought you meant and what you are going to do about it. Right?"
"I... Oh fuck! No!" Tony said as his panic and anguish started to take control.
Daileass didn't let Tony finish. "Tony!" he barked in a commanding tone that would have made Adam proud if he had heard it.
"I've got to get to him, make him understand...."
"Tony, as much as you and Dan care about each other, I don't believe either of you really gets where the other one is coming from. I don't think you understand how much Jerome fucked up Dan's head. He has a warped sense of who he is because of it, and it really destroyed his self worth. So here's the thing. We've got a lot of talking to do. Uhm... Well, that is if you are both willing. And... I'd like your permission. Uh... well, if Dan agrees... But that is something... Sorry I am rambling. What I mean is I want to bring you two back together for it. You know? To talk and stuff."
Tony nodded his head, a little unsure of himself. He had made such a mess of things in his life before coming to the UNIT, but he would be damned if he was going to throw away the help being offered. Daileass was relieved to see Tony being unsure, but not defensive and ready to try. He had learned a lot. So Daileass pushed forward.
"That is good to hear. When we get past this I have something I want to ask both of you. It is something that only you two can grant."
Tony was of course intrigued by this last statement, and quickly gave his okay.
Dan, on the other hand was still having a bit of a meltdown. Richard had his work cut out for him....
"He hates me!"
"He does not. Exactly the opposite, if you wanna know. Dan, you're hearing what you think you're going to hear because of how Jerome fucked you up."
"I'm gone from him now! He is not a part of my life anymore!"
"Yeah, but what he did to your body is nothing compared to the fuck-over he gave your mind. That's part of what we gotta talk about."
Dan's initial reaction was to dispute this some more, but everything was catching up to him. He let out a scream of rage and anguish and physically deflated. He leaned against the wall. He'd burnt energy he really could not afford, the aftereffects of his misunderstanding of Tony's outcry had left him depressed, and he was rapidly running out of 'fight' to continue. He grudgingly said, "Well... okay."
The phone rang; Abbie caught it. "Jonas? It's for you."
"Good morning, Jonas. This is Rina. Jed had a dream last night, and the boys feel strongly that you ought to know about it."
"Umm, yeah. His precog. dreams have been, um, the sort of warning we could use more of."
"Well, he says that this time he was looking on as some sort of bureaucrat was berating Kurt, you know, Scott and Marky's uncle that Adam hired to run the new rescuees' facility over in New York State."
"And that's in Northeast's service area, so it's my responsibility. Thanks for the heads up on it. Tell him to jot down anything he can remember from it and stick it in the Clan databases, to my attention, please."
"Sure." They hung up.
They loaded up the cars for the short trip over to Arkham's FCC, on the west edge of town. The group nearly overloaded Josiah's Lincoln and George's SUV: Jonas, Harry, George's three sons, Jacky, Terry, and Trent. For the latter three, refugees from the Free Holy timeline they'd visited over the Saturday everyone was calling 'when All Hell Broke Loose', it was the first time out of their home other than the time in Ewa Beach.
The little twins were unusually quiet and reserved on the trip over, as was Philip (though for him quiet reserve was a bit more normal). Harry noticed; Terry got a pained look on his face and squeezed Trent's hand quite hard.
"What's up, guys?" Harry asked. It was Terry, though, who spoke up. "They're dreading this. Remember they went to that place with the Eccles for years. For them it's like having escaped something terrifying and now having to jump back into it."
"We'll protect them," Jacky said.
"It's a bit more than just 'protect'," Jonas added, to fill in the refugees. "We're going there because Grandfather Sarek dispatched us to last week, to have the telepaths Read whether they were involved in criminal behavior and to pronounce judgment on them if they were." Jacky and Trent's eyes shot wide open.
They arrived at the frame and cinder block church and parked, climbing out of the cars. At a slow pace they determinedly walked up to the door and into the church. Little Drew and Randy were lagging behind; Philip paced himself to them and began to reach protectively for his little brothers.
A haggard man of about sixty was haranguing the congregation, who numbered about forty. He saw them come in; his eyes narrowed and he glanced over to his left, to a man in the front pew. The church members turned and looked back at them, reacting to the man's facial expression.
Several things happened at once. Randy screamed. "You're not welcome here," the preacher shouted. "Now leave." The man he had glanced at. a florid-faced beefy individual in his 40s, stood up and turned. In his hands was a pistol auned at them. Harry had his phaser out as soon as he'd caught a glimpse of the weapon; Jonas and Philip were a split second behind him.
It was, however, Terry who spoke up with defiant anger. "Hold 'em, Ph'lip," he said, referring to the twins. "The concentrated anger from these people..." – it is hard to convey how much scorn he packed into the word 'people' – "...has just about knocked them out."
Philip drew Randy close with his free arm; Drew squeezed tight to him on the other side, being careful not to jostle his gun arm. "You people foster a climate of hate," he snarled at the FCC members, "that our old Pa and Ma bought into. You condemn kids for being kids; you condemn anybody who's different from you. Well, now we have a new father who loves us..." A smile of happiness crossed George's face at hearing that – "...and you would not believe how many brothers who love us we have now. And we've learned what's real; we've seen angels with our own eyes ministering God's love to people who have been hurt by the likes of you." He sensed T'Pol's presence from their mind meld, and strengthened by her, he forged forward. "The Bible you claim to love and honor says, 'Judge not, lest you be judged, for by the measure with which you judge you yourself will be judged.' Vulcan law says to protect the children and celebrate the Other. You chose instead to condemn, and by your own holy writings you stand condemned."
Terry spoke up again. Pointing at various people, he said. "The twins say, She knew of the attack on your home, Jonas, before it happened. They beat their children. They do not, but have neglected o care for them. No parent here has shown his or her children the loving care that is every child's birthright."
"Vulcan law does not apply here," the preacher said forcefully.
"But the Federation law does," Jonas volleyed back. "Clan Short may be chartered by Vulcan, but it is authorized to enforce Federation law by the Safe Haven Act. And acting on that authority," he continued, "I find that you have all joined and continued to remain members of a group that has abused American freedom of religion provisions to wage war on private citizens and on Clan Short and Vulcan. A private group making war is the definition of terrorism. I place you all under arrest for violation of the Safe Haven Act and the Federation charter, specific offenses for each individual to be determined by mind scan."
He touched his commbadge. "Terra Main. 43 to beam up, in custody. Mind scans will be needed."
"Acknowledged," The congregation began to flicker, then vanished.
"I'm sorry if I did something wrong," Terry said. "When the twins felt so much pain, I guess I just kind of got mad for them."
"You did just right," Josiah assured him with a smile.
Dan had finally calmed down enough to let Richard convince him to go talk with Daileass and Tony. Daileass was feeling the pressure. He wasn't an A.I. like Draco or Manu, the 'Ship' that was in control of the vessel that had brought Vincent back to Earth. He was at his core a boy inside an Android's positronic brain with the body of a computer, and he was feeling stressed. These two boys were falling apart and he felt compelled to lead them to a solution before someone he had come to care deeply about was hurt. Daileass teleported Dan to the room that Tony had so recently inherited from Malinda. It had so recently been the scene of great distress for Dan. He had run because deep down inside he could not even see that it was possible for Tony to mean that he did not have to buy his love with sex.
Dan 'knew' that he was not worthy of anyone's love and he had to do whatever he could to get them to keep him around. Part of his mind told him that it was not true, but at his core he was still convinced that his only worth was providing a warm place for someone to stick their cock.
Dan huddled down at the farthest point in the room from Tony, refusing to look at him. Tony felt conflicted. "Dan, I...."
Daileass interrupted before it could go badly. "Hold on a moment," he told Tony. "Well... I..." Daileass could not believe how tongue tied he had become. He ran communications, and just about everything else for the UNIT and the Clan, but he could not talk to two teenagers. Lame was all he could think to himself.
"Okay, please let me finish before you... Well, just let me get it all out. First I need to make a confession to you, and then let you know why I did it." He paused, giving the two a moment to nod their acceptance. "The truth is, I've been monitoring you two, not just your location and what you've been doing, but also your thoughts, ever since you guys got here."
"What?!" Both boys were shocked. Both, of course, let their minds go to exactly the things they were most concerned about someone else knowing. The irony of that fact made Daileass giggle inwardly, though he didn't let on to them.
"You have to remember something." He paused to make sure he had their attention. "I am the executive computer of this base. I am the one charged with keeping its infrastructure and its security running right. This includes knowing what the medical staff needs. That makes monitoring you, and everyone else to one extent or another, my job. The level of monitoring that you guys received is the same, but for each of you it has a different reason for being."
"Isn't that illegal?" Tony not so much asked as threw into Daileass's (metaphorical) face angrily.
"Well, if this was just about anywhere but where it is, and under the circumstances that exist, you would be right. But... Well, we are in Camp Bam Bam. This place has a special status within the Federation which means that it operates under a different set of rules from the rest of the planet. In many ways this place operates under its own rules. We are recognized by the Federation as an extraterritorial extension of Vulcan, but more than that we operate under a Federation charter from the council itself that gives us wider latitude than even a Vulcan embassy."
"This better be good," Tony said darkly, which Daileass chose to ignore. Dan's expression did get his attention though. He was still looking to Tony and expecting him to be his protector and stand up for him. This was good.
"Okay, Tony. You got it. Have I ever screwed either of you over? Don't bother answering, just listen for the time being. You will have plenty of opportunity to speak your mind. The answer is no, and I'm not going to start now. Remember why you are here, Tony. This isn't a vacation. People know you were in trouble but very few know the reason you got in trouble. I know. Adam, Logan, and Jory know. Anyone with the proper security clearance could find out, and any of Logan's clones could find out through our telepathic link if any of them cared too, and before you ask the answer is no. None of them asked. You were brought here to give you a chance to learn from your mistakes and have a chance to grow. You were never a 'bad' person, you were very self centered and used people. You have done a wonderful job learning and changing these things in your life. I really have been impressed with how you have turned things around." Daileass noticed Tony's expression and was pleased that he had buttered him up, so to speak.
"What I want you to do is to think back to the night you realized why people were taking the attitudes toward you that they did at the trial." Daileass paused a moment to give Tony a moment to reflect, then went on. "Remember seeing yourself through their eyes, and not liking what you saw?
This place is packed with boys and girls who have been abused in one way or another. Letting you loose without monitoring among them would have been like setting the fox loose inside the chicken coop with no way to stop him eating the chickens. Not to mention the real possibility that someone could have hurt you for doing the wrong thing, whether it was your intention to to do something wrong or not. Not all of them... Well, not even most of them are, but a good number of the kids here are now in the military. They have lethal skills."
Dan was listening to everything without saying a word, but his eyes never left Tony. His strong feelings for and about Tony were showing plainly on his face.
Tony was many things, both good and bad, like most of humanity. He had one up on most people though, at least when he was confronted, and that was that he was honest about himself. He started and stopped his responses several times as he lapsed back into thought and introspection. He processed what had just been said and came to the obvious conclusion. He let out a sigh as he said, "Yeah. I guess you do have a point. Several even." He paused before continuing in a small and worried voice, "You really did mean what you said. I mean. You know. About turning things around. I mean."
"Yep. You sure have, and I didn't think you would when you first got here to be honest. Okay, let me get to the point. Even though you have made some major improvements, there is still a lot of baggage, and this is why things seem such a mess right now. I like you guys and I wanna help... Both of you."
"Thanks." Tony said as he turned his head from side to side and gave the air around him a small but heartfelt smile since Daileass was obviously not in the room and Tony did not know where look so that he was looking at Daileass.
"Dan... Okay. Uhm... Where to start... When they brought you in you were dying of malnutrition. You were literally starving to death. So, of course, that was enough to have you under 24/7 monitoring. You understand. We don't watch you to get something on you or embarrass you. Lucky for you, you are young and your body is resilient. You have done an impressive job building your body back up." Daileass paused for a moment and would have had a mischievous smirk on his face if he had one before he continued. "I can show you before and after pictures. You are cute in the before even with the malnutrition, but the after pics are just...."
Dan blushed and started to splutter, then looked down and realized that he was still naked. The blush extended to his entire body and he giggled. The tension in the room began to melt away. "Thanks, Daileass. You really do look out for us, but I still feel weird that you have been watching everything we do."
"Well, Dan, I am going to let you and Tony hear in on a secret. I watch everything all the time. The cameras and listening devices on this base run all the time. The only difference for some people is that I actively pay attention to them. I know this is hard for people, but I don't let anyone see something that is private without getting that person's permission unless it is a matter of safety. Do you understand what I am saying, Guys?"
Both the boys nodded their understanding. "Thanks, guys. Richard, why don't you head out, unless Dan wants you to stay."
Everyone turned to look at Dan. "It's okay, Richard, you can leave if you need to go. I'll be all right."
Richard smiled at Dan. "I can stay if you want me to, bro."
Dan smiled at being called bro by Richard. "Thanks... bro. I think maybe we should do this with just the two of us."
Richard smiled and gave Dan a hug. He looked at Tony and gave him a serious look. "You be honest with him. If you don't understand me, just think about it and you will get it. I think you are a good person." With that Richard left.
"Okay, guys," Daileass continued. "Tilden and I shared our scans of you, Dan, and then compared everything with what the M.D's. at the clinic had and spoke with some of the camp shrinks. Now on many levels you have put Jerome behind you, but you still believe some of the shit he conditioned you to believe about yourself."
There was a confused look on Tony's face; Daileass filled him in. "Jerome had Dan believing he was more or less worthless, a throwaway. The one thing he was good for, or so Jerome had him believing, was as a good and willing fuck, a sex toy for Jerome's pleasure. Not that Dan didn't get his enjoys out of it too. You heard most of this in the debriefing in Daddy Joe's office; what you didn't get is how much that warped Dan's thinking – and continues to warp it."
"But he's so much more than that!" Tony exclaimed. "He's an awesome kid, like the little brother I never had." Dan was looking at Tony with both hope and tears in his eyes.
"Hold that thought," Daileass said as he turned his focus to Dan. "Dan, you know that Jerome never loved you? He just lusted after 'Danny'." Dan looked like he had been punched in the solar plexus. "No, don't answer that. I know that you know this, even if you still find it hard to hear. Jerome lusted after the boy approaching puberty. He wanted a toy with a hairless boner that could dry cum. When you grew up into Dan, you weren't what turned him on anymore. So what did he do? He had you recruit Pete to replace you.
The fucked up thing is you needed somebody so badly that you fell for him all the way. You needed him. You loved the way he would fill you up with his dick and that was your only sense of self worth. So when he got Pete he was done with you; he threw you away like trash. You were cast aside and you felt rejected and worthless."
"I'll kill him! I'll cut his fucking nuts off and feed them..." Tony said vehemently.
"It's already been taken care of," Daileass responded in a smirking tone as he cut Tony off. "For what it's worth, the guy before you, Dan, threatened to go to the cops, and Jerome, uh, had him disposed of." Both boys looked shocked at this.
"This is where it should start to come together for you, Tony. I think the original plan for you was to humiliate you and break you out of your egotism, then expose you to people who have been abused and have come out of it to create happy loving relationships. But two things made that plan founder right out of the gate."
"The Clinic needing help?" Tony asked. "What else?"
"Malinda," Daileass replied. Dan, who had perked up, visibly retreated into himself a bit at that, and Tony looked a bit ashen faced.
"So, Tony, you found a girl that was something you never thought you would be lucky enough to find. You learned all sorts of things and began to feel a sense of self worth again. You also began to really think of others and not just yourself. However that didn't turn out quite like you thought it would, did it?"
Tony nodded his head sadly and a tear trickled down his cheek. It looked like he was about to break into sobs for a moment, but he took a deep breath and got himself under control.
"So you learned a very hard but valuable lesson there. The other thing you found was someone who needed you." That hit home, and Tony looked over at Dan with kind eyes, that begged forgiveness. "Dan needed someone to belong to. He needed someone to look up to. He needed someone to care about him and he saw you in that role." Tony started to say something, but Daileass cut him off by continuing. "Well, it is obvious why he was attracted to you. You're definitely the classic Italian Stallion, a stud extraordinaire." Daileass giggled as he watched Tony blush.
"For your part, Tony, you liked him. He was a person you could talk to and he always made you feel good. The fact that he reminded you a bit of Pen added fuel to the fire because you were attracted to him. More importantly you liked the fact that you could make him feel good and smile. You cared about his happiness and him as a person. So of course he fell for you like a ton of bricks."
Tony was startled. "But I didn't want to take advantage of him the way I did Pen; I wanted him for a little brother, not somebody I could just stick my dick into and get my rocks off! God no! He's worth so much more than that."
Dan, who had said effectively nothing up to this point, finally spoke up. "Uhm..." His voice was very low, but in the silence that followed his first sound, it was deafening. "What if I wanted you to?"
Daileass let that echo for a moment, then said, "He loves you, Tony. Not just looks up to as a big brother, but actively desires as a sex partner. I'm not saying you have to play by his rules, but you need to realize – while you stopped using people, Tony, you let yourself substitute a different sort of control: defining how you relate to them into traditional roles. Malinda was going to be your girlfriend and Dan your little brother. Because youassigned them those roles. Now don't take this part the wrong way. I don't mean that you should let them tell you what your relationship is, but don't you think they deserve to have a say in what your relationship is too?"
Tony did not answer Daileass directly. Instead he looked at Dan, who was still sitting on a low stool at the far end of the room about as far away from him as was possible. Dan, of course, was still naked, and his posture was... strange. It managed to communicate the near antithetical messages of being both closed in on himself and yes open. Vulnerability and longing came through as well. He was hanging on whatever Tony might say.
Daileass did not wait to get in his next remark. "Remember why he ran out of here, Tony. We know what you meant by what you said, but he took it that you thought he didn't deserve to have sex with you. We both know that you meant that he deserved better than to be used, but you have to remember how easy it is to hurt him. Now we have to address the fact that he was using you."
"Him? Use me?" Tony was startled.
Daileass gave a little giggle, showing the twelve year old boy he had been before being made into a brain without a body. "Yeah. It was pretty hot too!" Daileass gave a sigh. This was the part that he needed to handle just right. "However, you were in no condition to consent. That presents us with a problem."
"Dan? Come here," Tony said in a gentle, almost calm voice – which did not betray his inner emotions. Dan looked nervous; Tony held out his arms in a gesture halfway between opening arms for a hug and a motioning-towards. He started across the room, hesitantly at first and then pelting into Tony's arms.
"I never meant to hurt you, Dan," Tony said almost brokenly.
"I love you so much," Dan said.
He squirmed on Tony's lap, reminding Tony that he too was naked, and beginning to get aroused. "Um, Dan..." he started to say, embarrassedly.
"Okay guys!" Daileass said taking on a command voice that would make any base commander proud. "This is the part you are going to like the least, but it is something that must be dealt with if we are to move forward. Daniel Matthias Vanderzee, it is my duty as a duly authorized member of Clan Short and a Vulcan certified telepath to bring you to trial. By stimulating Anthony Benedetto DiPuglia, who will henceforth be referred to as the victim, to erection and then placing him inside yourself and bringing him to multiple orgasms while the victim was in no manner able to consent, it is found that you committed rape."
"What?! That's ridiculous!" Tony exclaimed. Dan was wide-eyed and huddled into himself.
Daileass let his voice soften. Both boys needed to know that this was serious, but his objective was not to cause them more distress than was absolutely necessary. "Tony, I realize that it may sound ridiculous on the surface, but let me ask you a question. If two people who do not have a sexual relationship and are not a couple go out to a bar together and one of them gets so drunk that he passes out and the other person has sex with them, is it rape?" Tony nodded his head reluctantly and Dan just began to cry.
"Guys! I understand that there was no intent here. Don't go freaking out on me. Just listen to me for a moment. I am finding that due to the extenuating circumstances and the fact that it resulted in a strange sort of poetic justice that no active sentence is required, but I order you to get your head screwed on straight by whatever means are necessary. I am not kidding either, Dan." Daileass began to giggle while he said the next part. "Of course you may appeal your sentence if you so wish to Logan or Adam, but you should ask Tony what the potential sentences for rape are. Dan, you are worth more than you realize and you must learn to form relationships as equals with people. The Clan has some of the best therapists in the Federation, and I think you would do well to talk to some of them. They can help you a lot, but I think you need to start with an honest heart to heart talk with Tony. You two need to get on the same page in order to move forward."
"I can go along with that," Tony said with a relieved smile. "What I want is for Dan to be happy." Dan was looking up at Tony with a questioning expression on his face.
"Do you?" Daileass challenged him. "Because that's where we're going next."
"Of course I do! I care about him, and how he feels is very important to me."
"Think about it," Daileass threw at him. "What you want is for him to be your little brother, the kid you care about and protect. What he wants, though, is to be your boyfriend, the guy who spreads his buns whenever you're horny. And he hasn't thought through what else being your boyfriend means."
"You're not being fair, Daileass! I'm not...."
Daileass interrupted Tony's disclaimer. "Tony, remember these images?" he asked with Sammy-Reynolds sweetness, as he projected into Tony's mind images he had earlier harvested from it, of Pen pleasuring Tony's erection orally and anally, of the college students from Farmington who had given him blow jobs, of Dan's buttocks in the clinic and then in Tony's room last night. "Yeah, you like girls – maybe more than boys, as you claim. But you need to face facts: give you a chance to get your nuts off with another guy, and you're there, hard and ready. You're bisexual, Tony. What you choose to do with that fact in the future is your business. But be honest with yourself – a willing guy can turn you on."
Tony was startled by this, but as already mentioned, he tried to be honest with himself. This one, though....
Daileass spoke with compassion in his voice: "Tony, if things weren't so pressing, I'd give you some time to digest that. But there's more we gotta work through, and fairly fast." He paused; Tony nodded. "Okay, you want things to work out so that Dan is happy, am I right?"
"Well, sure!"
"And Dan, you want things to work out so that Tony's happy?"
"Well, duh!"
"Well, here it is in a nutshell. Tony, you need to figure out how to accept your own sexuality and be honest with yourself first. Then you need to figure out how you are going to square the idea of a big brother relationship with the fact that Dan wants an active sexual relationship with you. Dan, you need to realize that Tony wants a girlfriend right now, and thinks of you as his little brother. Both of you need to have some very frank discussions about this. I can't tell you what you should do, but now that I have put all the cards on the table and there are no more hidden motives, I believe that you can figure this out for yourselves." Both boys were stunned and just stared at each other.
"And Dan, there's one more thing, one that's important to me. You've been carrying this feeling, maybe not so much since you met Tony, that you are never going to find happiness, right? That what happened to you will stop you from finding a happy future?"
"Uh huh." The reply was very quiet.
"Well, think about this for a moment, Dan. Consider what happened to some of us once General Adams and his cronies got their hands on us. We were changed in ways that make it impossible for us to be truly normal ever again. We felt like there was no way we could ever fit in again. However in the Clan we have found ourselves with many brothers and sisters, and we have made a place for ourselves. But, I have one sister who's convinced herself that what she needs is more than anyone can give. I know you're jealous of her, Dan, but I think you should take a hard look at yourself and see just how alike you two really are. You may find that you can help each other and might even have the same answer to your problems."
Dan's eyes were enormous. He looked at Tony, and snuggled in. Since they were still both naked, the motion of Dan's body against Tony's loins caused his cock to begin engorging, and as Dan noticed, he sprung to full erection. He looked embarrassed at this.
Tony reached out a finger and traced the length of the underside of Dan's cock, which gave him an involuntary shudder. He turned Dan's head so they were looking in each other's eyes. "Dan, I'm not at all upset you're horny for me. What does concern me is to be darn sure that it's your free choice, not something that Jerome's head games make you think you have to do. I played that mind fuck on two people that deserved better, and I'll have to try to make it right with them. Let's have that talk before we decide what to do with these, okay?" he asked, indicating their proud male organs.
What happened next took them both by surprise. There was a mini-fanfare, and Daileass announced, in a 'formal' tone of voice, "Anthony Benedetto DiPuglia, as duly constituted monitoring authority, in the name of Clan Short, I hereby certify that you have completed the terms of rehabilitation that you were sent here to accomplish. You are released, free to go your own way." He dropped the 'formal' tone and added, with a giggle, "And there's a helicopter about to be transported to Arkham, if you wanna hitch a ride. Also, guys, I want you to know that I will be looking out for you however I can."
Ronnie McCullough sat on the slope of the dune, looking out over Lake Michigan. His shoulder-length dirty blond hair blew back in the onshore breeze, above the hoodie he wore half-open over a skintight thermal long-sleeve Tee. Boardies above tube socks and cross-trainers finished his outfit.
It had been a great summer and a pretty good fall, he decided. He'd made a few new solid friends among the 'summer people', he could tell, as well as the usual casual friends everybody got from hanging out together for a season. For some reason he and his 'little brother' Adam could tell unerringly who could be counted on and who was just a casual friend, little more than an acquaintance. He grinned at Adam's invariable reaction to being called 'little brother' – they were only fifteen months apart, and very close. The sense of who could be trusted was strongest when they were hanging together with the same friends, though they both got the feelings about people separately as well.
He'd spent a couple of hours watching them prepare the amusement park for winter. Old Mr. Lederer had said they were going to close the park down 25 years back, and some investors had bought it and revitalized it instead. Ronnie was glad; it made St. Joe a fun place to live, not just another small town on the shore.
After a bit of beachcombing, he'd taken a quick dip. Though he was no Polar Bear, he loved the body shock of five minutes in cold lake water in spring or fall followed by a quick wind sprint along the beach for a shivery air-dry, and dressed before he got overchilled. Even slender as he was, the thrill of it felt good to him.
The beach meant the world to him. Adam understood that; it wasn't quite the same for him, but he knew how Ronnie felt. Adam's thing was nature, and collectibles. He could tell apart things their science teacher couldn't.
Ronnie let his mind wander, and he wondered if....
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted. "Well, fancy meeting you here!" came the baritone voice from behind his right shoulder.
"It's Sunday, Gray; I don't have to be in school," Ronnie responded, with a mix of defensiveness and amusement in his voice.
"And can't I care what happens to you and Adam, Ronnie, even if it isn't something that breaks rules, or at least stretches them out of proportion?" Graham McNae asked affectionately.
"Yeah, I know you care," Ronnie allowed in a debater's-concession tone, but you just don't get it, Gray. I just don't fit the future the schools and the 'rents have laid out for me. It's like I just don't belong here."
"I know, and I did promise you and Adam I'd do what I could to get you some alternatives," Graham said. "But the fact of the matter is, until you're eighteen or rich and mature enough to be emancipated, neither of which you are. You're stuck with the life they give you. Nothing says you can't plan and dream of what you'll do when you come of age, though."
"That's six years of becoming a proper Dutch Reformed Republican with my hair cut short and my opinions cut even shorter!" Ronnie said.
"I know, and if there were a way to get you what you want, I'd be moving Heaven and Earth to get it for you," Graham said. "I didn't get into this job to hammer round kids into square holes, you know."
The image made Ronnie giggle. "C'mon, want a chili dog from Schu's?" Graham asked.
"Two burgers, a dog, and an order of onion rings," Ronnie countered.
"You drive a hard bargain, kid," Graham laughed, wrapped his arm around the boy, and they walked off in search of food.
With Linda's help, Abbie was feeding an enlarged group of kids – not only the fourteen rescued from the Free Holy Republic timeline, but seventeen kids whose parents had been taken into custody at the local FCC and beamed up to Terra Main by Starfleet at Jonas's request. The kids were having a great deal of fun building their own sandwiches out of the cold meats, condiments, and assorted kinds of bread that Abbie had stocked. Off to one side, the twins and Terry were working with five other kids who were a bit more traumatized, as Philip and Josiah provided cuddling as needed. George looked on, proud of his boys and what they were accomplishing.
It was on this scene that Jonas beamed back down from Terra Main, clearly suffering a great deal of annoyance. "What's wrong, Jonas?" Harry asked.
"Five forms each, for 43 detainees," Jonas groused. "A Starfleet Security petty officer that seemed to think the primary purpose of his job was to generate paperwork. I've got writer's cramp from it!"
"For what it's worth to you," George pointed out, "you technically outrank him, since Clan Security that have completed phaser training are lieutenants. You could have told him to fill out the forms himself."
"Now you tell me," Jonas grumped, somewhat mollified by the concept.
There were going to be several more scenes in this chapter, but I've been chronically ill to the extent I haven't been able to produce story copy that's up to my own standards. (The long Tony/Dan/Daileass scenes above, though first drafted by me, are the product of a rewrite by Fibita with help from Roland, mostly for this reason.) So rather than sit on this chapter until I'm up to writing those few scenes, here's what's ready. More will follow when I am up to it. "D"