Origins: Death Knights

Chapter 1

"Cameron! Put your brothers down!" Karen Craft called out with a grin.

"But MOM!!!" Davey, the younger of Cameron's brothers whined. "It's fun when Cammy makes us fly!"

Karen couldn't help but laughing at the antics of the seven year old. "I'm sure it is honey, but how can I give you guys a snack if Cameron has you guys pinned to the ceiling?"

"Snacks?!" Scotty cried out as the nine year old tried to 'swim' his way back down to the floor. Cameron giggled as he slowly let his younger brothers back down to the floor. As soon as they had their feet on solid ground, they both ran over and hugged the older boy hard then ran off after mommy for their snack.

Cameron walked over to the table on the family's porch and sat down looking out over the woods behind their house. Thinking back, he thought about how he found out about the abilities he had. He was only eight when he got into a fight at school with an older boy.

When the boy threw him to the ground and started to hit him, Cameron pushed the boy off him. Normally he wouldn't have been strong enough, but this time not only was Cameron able to push the boy off him, but the boy flew back about ten feet.

When Cameron got to his feet the boy was looking at him strangely. Before Cameron could say anything, the boy turned and ran off. Thankfully for Cameron, the boy never said anything about the fight.

For the next several months, Cameron was trying to recreate what happened, but it wouldn't work. Finally something seemed to snap in his mind, and he figured it out. First, he would start with small things in his room only after locking his door as he did not want anyone to know yet. Then he would move onto bigger and heavier things. By the time he was eleven, he was able to lift up his bed and the dresser at the same time and not be exhausted by it.

Then came the fateful day that his mother found out. It was just after he turned twelve and he was sitting in his room, three feet off the floor playing video games on a TV that was equally floating off the floor. Now most teen or close to teenagers would be devastated if their mother walked into the bedroom and saw them jerking off. Cameron would rather have had her see that than see what he was doing.

Karen had just opened the door to see her son floating off the floor. Her hand was still on the knob and her jaw dropped in shock. What shocked her even more, was that the TV was floating and he was gaming as if though this was an everyday thing.

Cameron looked up at his mother from where he landed on the floor. He just barely set the TV down before he felt the tears start to build behind his eye. "Please mom...please don't hate me..."

Those four words snapped Karen out of her shock. Hate, she could never hate her son. She immediately shook the shock off, rushed over to where her son sat on the floor and pulled him up into a tight hug. "I.. I could never hate you Cam... I just wasn't ready for... for whatever that was." She broke the hug and pushed the boy back so she could look him in the eyes. "When you're ready, why don't you come downstairs and we can talk about it. I promise you, nothing is wrong." She then stepped back and held out her hand... pinky first. It was something that they did when Cameron was younger. Smiling through his tears, Cameron reached forward and hooked pinkies with his mom, they struggled for a moment before they broke apart.

That night, after Davey and Scotty went to bed, Karen and Donald, Cameron's parents, sat down and talked. Don didn't know what was going on, all he knew was that his wife had said that they needed to talk to their eldest son after the younger boys went to bed, and to prepare himself for a shock. At first he thought that maybe Cameron was going to tell them he was gay, which Don didn't really care about, he'd already thought that maybe the boy was.

He knew it was something big when Karen set a cup of coffee in front on him, and a big bowl of ice cream in front of Cameron. Finally, she sat down with a cup of tea and started to talk. "Cam... I haven't told your father what this is about yet, but I need you to know that no matter what, we both love you, and will ALWAYS be here for you. Okay?"

Cam had his eyes focused on the bowl of ice cream in front of him, but he did nod. Don did not like what he was seeing. He'd grown up with an abusive father, and had always sworn to himself that he would never allow his kids to be afraid of him. "Cam, please look at me." when Cam lifted his eyes and met Don's the man's heart broke. He had never seen fear in his sons eyes like that, and the barely restrained tears almost made him start to cry. He pushed himself back from the table and patted his lap. "Come here Cam. You'll never be too old to sit on my lap when you need to."

Slowly, the twelve year old boy got up and walked over to his father. He climbed into his dad's lap and leaned back into his chest. He was still tense but as his father held him tight, he couldn't help but feel the love radiating from him. "Now, can you tell me what's going on?" Don asked softly, as he once again squeezed his son tightly.

He felt his son tighten up again and he waited to see if his son would tell him. Finally after almost a minute of silence, Cam spoke softly. "I'm.. I'm a freak."

Don felt tears falling from his son's eyes and splash on his arms, and his heart kept breaking, although now his curiosity was peeked. "You're not a freak Cammy... why would you think that?"

"Cause... I can.. well I can move things with my mind." Cammy spoke so softly, that at first Don wasn't sure he heard him right. When he looked at his wife, she had a very serious look in her eyes and then nodded. He had heard him right, but it still didn't make sense.

"What do you mean Cam?" Don asked making sure that his voice was soft and loving. No matter what, his son was sharing something very difficult for him to talk about, and Don wasn't going to hurt him in any way.

Instead of getting an answer from Cam, suddenly Don found himself, his son, the chair the were sitting in, the chair his wife was in, the three empty chairs, and the dinning room table, lifting off the floor until everything was hovering about three feet off the ground. Don was so shocked that he almost missed what his son said. "I... can make things move with just my mind... I'm.. I'm a freak!"

"No son.. no you're not. Why don't you put us down, and we can talk about it more." Don felt himself start to lower to the ground and he saw everything else float down as well. When he felt all four legs of the chair touch the floor, he couldn't help it because the tension was so high that it just happened with out him thinking about it. He started to laugh.

He felt Cameron tense up in his lap again and he knew he had to say something fast. "I'm sorry Cammy. It's just you had me worried that you'd killed someone, or did something really bad. This... yeah it's kinda weird, but you know what. It's not a bad thing."

"It's not?!" Cameron asked, and Don could easily hear the hope in his voice.

"Of course not Cammy. I actually think it's really cool."

"Really!" Cameron asked as he spun around on Don's lap, looking deep into his father's eyes looking for the truth in his words.

"Really. Now why don't you go back to your seat and eat your ice cream before it melts even more." Don said with a laugh, and Cameron wrapped his arms around his father and squeezed as tightly as he could. He was so happy that he was drowning his fathers shirt in happy tears.

After almost a minute of tight hugging, Cam finally broke the hug and moved back to his chair. When Don looked at his wife, he saw she was also crying happy tears. The smile on her face let Don know he had dealt with the situation properly. They had always sworn that they would always love their boys no matter what.

Cameron dug into his ice cream and Don took a moment to organize his thoughts before he started to ask his son some questions. "So, do you know how it works?"

"Not really. I mean I want something to move, and really think about it, and it does." Cam seemed much more at ease now, and Don was really glad to see that.

From that point on, his parents never doubted his abilities. As a matter of fact, his parents supported him and did what they could to help him learn how to use them better. They even sat down with the younger boys and explained to them that while there was nothing wrong with their older brother, this wasn't something that they could tell other people about.

A year and a half later, three days after he turned fourteen, Cam was in for a life altering surprise. The first thing that told him something was up was his father's car in the driveway. Normally his father didn't get home till almost six. He walked in the door to his home and called out to his mom like he did everyday. "Hey Mom... I'm home."

His mother walked out of the living room with a strange look on her face, walked over to him and gave him a big hug. The hug wasn't strange, as that’s the way they were always greeted when they got home, but what was different was how long and hard the hug was.

"Whats going on mom? Why's dad home?" Karen broke the hug and decided to be as straight forward with her son as she'd always been.

"Cam, a couple people showed up earlier this afternoon to talk to your father and I, about you... about what you can do." She saw the panic form in his eyes and she quickly rushed on. "It's nothing bad, they just needed to talk to us a bit before they talked to you. Don't worry we'll be there the entire time."

She didn't say anything else, just lead Cameron into the dinning room where he saw two strangers sitting at the table with his father. As soon as they saw him, both the strangers got to their feet. Cam wasn't sure what he was expecting but this certainly wasn't it. He'd thought he'd see a couple men in suits or something, with badges and guns, what he saw was a blond boy slightly younger than he was, and a rather old oriental man.

The blond boy flashed a big smile, took a step forward, and held out his hand. "Hi, my name's Logan Hayes and this is Master Takamura." The boy said as way of introduction. "Why don't we sit down and get this over with. I'm sure you're nervous as hell right now, but let me just say this. After we've explained why we're here, you can make any decision you want, and we'll respect it; okay?"

Cam just nodded and went to sit next to his father, while both Logan and Master Takamura sat back down. "First off," Logan began, "I want you to know, that you're not in any kind of trouble or anything like that. We're here because of the abilities that you've developed. We're here to offer our help, and to ask you're help in helping others."

Seeing that Cameron was confused, Logan decided to take a new tact. 'You're not the only one with mental abilities.' Cameron heard in his head, but knew that the boy hadn't moved his mouth at all.

"How..." Cameron stammered out, totally in shock.

Logan just smiled, "As I said, you're not the only one with mental powers. While yours have manifested mostly in the telekinetic realm, there's also telepathy, which I just showed you, and empathy, the ability of reading, and perhaps effecting someone's feelings. With me so far?"

"You mean... you're like me?" Cam asked still trying to get everything to process.

"Not exactly..." Logan answered with a smile. "But I'm close enough to where the differences really don't matter."

"Okay..." Cameron said starting to feel a bit more comfortable. "Why me?"

"Well that's easy. Your a very powerful Telekinetic... possibly the strongest I've seen before. The amount of control you have so far is astounding. From what you're parents have said, that's mainly because you've practiced with it a lot, and they've been very supportive. You have no idea how lucky you are to have the kinda parents you have."

Cam couldn't help but blush a little at this, but his response really touched his parents. "Don't I know it. They're the best. But.. ummm.. what did you mean about wanting me to help people? You want me to help them figure out how to use this stuff like I've done?"

"Well that's part of it, and if that's all you really want to do, that's fine. However, there's other things you could do as well." Logan said while watching not only Cameron's reactions, but also that of his parents. When he was sure that he had their attention, he spoke again. "There are a few different options that stand before you right now. The first is that we walk out of here, and you all go back to your lives as if we never met. We're not here to force you into anything. From this point forward, everything will be you're decision, we're just here to give you options. Okay?"

After getting nods from everyone, Logan continued. "Option two would be that you agree to help other kids we find learn to control their abilities. Telekinesis is the most visible of the mental abilities, so it's one of the ones that kids need to learn to control the quickest. You're control is something that is actually rather surprising. I think your family had a lot to do with you being able to learn control so well."

Logan waited while Cameron and his parents digested that option. It was the father that finally made him move on. "And the third option?"

Logan sat forward in his chair with a very serious look on his face. "The third option is this. There are a lot of kids who are different, whether that is because they're gay, effeminate, nerds, geeks, or they have mental abilities. Some of them, their parents are convinced they are demon possessed... and well.. their lives are not very nice. One kid we just rescued last week, was being used by his parents to help them rob banks, and the like. There are forty nine kids that I know of that have been beaten to death because people found out about what they can do. Basically, the third option is to help us rescue the kids we find that have mental abilities and need to get out of where they are."

The Craft family sat there stunned at what Logan had just told them. It was Don who was first able to find his words. "You're telling us... there are kids being hurt and even... killed.. because they can do what Cameron can do?"

"Yes sir, I am." Logan said seriously. "Master Takamura and I have rescued over a hundred kids so far that have some sort of mental abilities. And we've only been working on this for a little over a year. What I am asking is this. We don't have anyone that is a strong telekinetic yet... well except for Master Takamura, and myself. You would be a valuable addition to our group, but I won't sugar coat anything for you, it wouldn't be fair. What I'm asking, is for you to join us, to help rescue kids. This WILL put you in danger, you could get hurt, or even killed. We will do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen, but we're asking you to join us while we go into people's homes, into religious 'camps' and anywhere else that we find a kid in danger and rescue them."

Logan really didn't pull any punches with what he said, and he knew that he had shocked the family just by the looks on their faces. Cameron had gone kinda pale, and so had his mother. Don looked upset, and he was the first one that could respond in anyway. "Can't you go to the police or someone else. I mean there has to be a way to help these kids without... without putting people in danger."

Logan eyed the man and then sighed. "Look at it this way. You're a member of the military, Navy Shore Patrol, correct?" Then man simply nodded. "What do you think would happen if the government, or even worse, the military found out about there being kids that can do the sorts of things Cameron can do?"

The man visibly shivered. "I've been worried about that very thing with Cameron." Don left the rest unsaid, but Logan could tell by what was going through his mind, that he really had given it considerable thought, and had vowed to not let it happen.

"So, now you understand why we need to do the rescues ourselves. Cameron, you'd be the first of a group put together that's job would be to rescue the kids we find. I know you're worried about knowing what to do and things like that, but before you would be put into any situation that could get you hurt, we'd make sure you had the best training we could give you."

"But... but what about school, and you know.. my parents and brothers. I don't really want to leave them..." Cameron stammered,concerned about having to leave his family.

"We wouldn't ask you to leave your family Cameron. Our plan would be a short time for training, and then when something came up, you might be gone for a bit. But we'd never ask you to give up your family for this." Logan stated emphatically. "As a matter of fact, no matter which you decide, you're family will be taken care of."

"What do you mean by that?" Karen asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Well that's easy. No matter what Cameron chooses, you all have proven yourself to be caring, loving people, who deserve better in you're lives than you've gotten." Logan looked over at Don then continued. "Tomorrow morning, you will be getting a phone call from Rook Enterprises offering you a job as a security consultant. The pay will be about three times what you make now, and you will work entirely from home. Before you think anything inappropriate, this is no matter what you as a family decide about our offer for Cameron."

Don was shocked and could hardly speak. "How.. what... I don't understand."

For the first time since Cameron had been in the room, Master Takamura spoke up. "It is simply one of the companies that I own. It is the least that I can do for someone who does what they are supposed to do as parents."

Don couldn't do more than nod, so Cameron jumped in. "So how long will I be gone for the training?" No one missed the way he asked the question. He had made up his mind to go through with this, now Logan had to wait and see what, if anything, his parents would say or do.

Karen was the first to react, her eyes met Cameron's, and for a few tense moments, neither said anything; at least nothing verbally. Finally she sat back, then looked at Logan. "Please understand, it's not that I don't trust you, but. Well, how do we know what you're saying is true? You're asking us to let our son go away with you for... well who knows how long." Her voice faded out as Logan began to nod.

"Believe me ma'am, I completely understand your concern. Let me ask this. Do you trust what your son says?" She didn't hesitate as she nodded, so Logan spoke up again. "One of the things that your son will learn very quickly, is how to 'pull someone into his mind.' It is there in his mind, that most of his training will happen. It is there that someone with the abilities that he has, cannot be lied to. He would 'smell' the deception. If you will allow me, I will take a few moments to teach him how to do it, then he can bring us all into his mind where he will be able to tell the truth of our words."

Before his mother could answer, Cameron spoke up. "What do I need to do?" When both Karen and Don nodded their approval, Logan took over again.

"All you need to do is relax." The next thing that Cameron knew, he was standing in field of white nothingness. In front of him stood Logan, and he had to fight back his panic.

"Where... where are we?" Cameron asked with a bit of fear in his voice while looking around for.. well... anything.

"This is what we call the 'Mental Scape'. I can make it look like anything I want it to, because you're mind is within mine right now. Time does not pass here like it does in the Physical Realm. Here, whatever I want, is what is."

Cameron was looking around in awe. "And I can do this too?"

Logan had to laugh a bit. "Not yet, but by the time we leave here, you will be able to. But first, I have to explain something else to you. There is another level to the abilities you have. Right now, we are calling people who have this ability Next Generation Humans, or N-Gen for short. When they first started to show up, it was something that could kill the person; because a human mind isn't ready for it yet. However, we've figured out how to help someone make the cross over with out it being a life threatening thing. You, well you're on the verge of going N-Gen right now, though you may never find the trigger for it."

"Are these N-Gens more powerful or something?" Cameron asked slightly concerned.

"Very much so." Logan confirmed. "Right now, you really only have access to Telekinesis, however, an N-Gen has access to all three. If you allow me to push you into being an N-Gen, then you will have to learn to use the other two, not to mention, that your Telekinesis will be vastly improved."

"Okay, so what do I have to do?" Cameron asked with a lopsided grin.

 


 

Karen watched nervously for many moments as Logan and her son Cameron sat there not moving. She had no idea what was going on, and it was very hard on her motherly instincts to not get involved. Even though she had no idea how to, she knew she needed to trust her son and more so, trust this stranger. She only had to wait for maybe a minute, before first Logan then her son started to stir. She sat back in her chair stunned as Cameron opened his eyes. His normal pale green eyes were now glowing a bright blue color that almost seemed to dance with power. "Oh wow..." Cameron said almost to himself. "I... I can feel the power inside me...."

His voice trailed off as the glow in his eyes seemed to grow in intensity. Slowly he lifted his arms from his side, and as his arms rose so did everything else in the room. If it wasn't nailed down, everything rose till it hovered about a foot off the ground. What Master Takamura, and Logan knew that no one else did, was that everything in the house, included the two cars in the garage had also risen.

With a sheepish smile, Cameron lowered his arms slowly till everything was back as it should be. "Sorry"

Logan smiled. "Trust me, I know what it feels like. Your skins crawling, and you just want to 'do' something, with all that power coursing through you. Don't worry, it gets easier rather quickly to control it." Logan then looked over at his parents. "While I had Cameron in my mental scape, I fully explained to him what the training would entail. What he can expect to do if you all agree and allow him to join us. So the question is this, would you like Cameron to pull us all into his mind, so that he can verify the truth of what we tell you, or shall we do it out here?"

Ken looked over at his wife then back to Logan. "To be honest, both of us have full faith in Cameron making the right decision. He may only be fourteen, but he is a very mature young man, who I am proud to call my son."

Cameron couldn't help the tears that fell from his eyes, or the huge grin that lit up his face at his fathers words. When he looked at his mother, she nodded and Cameron couldn't help it, he jumped to his feet, ran around the table and hugged both of them hard.

Even Logan had tears in his eyes, and as Cameron moved back to sit down, Karen looked over to Logan. "Do you know how long he'll be gone?"

Logan could easily tell that she was worried about missing her son, and how his brothers would feel about him being gone for a long period of time. This of course made him grin. "I ask that you not question how this is possible. While I cannot get into what the training will entail, I can tell you this." Logan fell silent and then started to mumble to himself. "Lets see, that'll take about four months, and roughly six months for that. The hand to hand combat training will be about a year, but we can add the weapons training to that. So all in all about three to three and a half years." Then he looked Karen right in the eyes and saw the dread there, then, allowing himself to grin he spoke louder. "If he decides to go with us today, he should be home by breakfast tomorrow morning. However, I'd suggest you keep him home from, school as he will be very tired." Not a word was said as the family tried to wrap their minds around what Logan had just said. "And if there is something really pressing he needs to do, I could arrange that he comes back yesterday instead." Logan just couldn't help himself.

Don couldn't help himself as he stuttered, "How.. how is that possible?!"

Takamura looked up and met Don's eyes with a very serious look. "Please do not ask... Temporal mechanics will have given me such a headache."

It took a moment, but then when Logan couldn't hold back his laughter, everyone else caught the joke and started laughing, all except for Takamura. "I do not understand why you are laughing Logan. It will have given me a headache...Tomorrow or some such." Takamura said finally letting a small smile play on his lips.

Takamura then looked to Logan. "How about you take young Cameron here up to his room, so he can pack a few things. There are a few details I still wish to sort out with his parents." Logan nodded, rose from his chair, and followed Cameron up to his bedroom.

After the two boys left, Takamura looked at the parents and smiled softly.

"Your love for your sons is unconditional. That is as it should be, but unfortunately, in short supply these days. What I need to discuss with you is an offer that will require much from you and your family. It will however, bring you much in return."

Don simply nodded his head. "I'm intrigued. What are asking of us."

"Simply put, what I am asking is two fold. First, I want it clear that your position as a security consultant with Rook Enterprises is just what it seems, but can be more as well. Are you willing to take in children that are not as lucky as Cameron, and your other children who need a stable home?"

Upstairs, as the two boys entered Cameron's room, he turned, looked at Logan and after a moments hesitation, spoke. "So, you told me that I'm going to be trained in how to use my abilities, but... well... can you tell me what to expect?"

Logan smiled sadly, while shaking his head. "No I can't. To be blunt, the training is meant to exercise your mind more than your body, but knowing what is coming before hand will not help as much. Know what I mean?"

 


 

The year was the hardest thing Cameron ever had to face. Every night before he went to bed in this natural hell that Logan had dumped him off in, he would pull out the only thing he brought from home. A picture of his family, taken about two weeks before he left. Some nights he would cry and others he would smile, but every night he looked at that picture he made a promise that he would make it through the next day no matter what Logan threw at him.

When they had left his home, Logan had explained to him about how it was that he would spend a lot of time training, yet he wouldn't age, and when he returned it would only be the next morning. Had he not been inside Logan's mind he might have questioned it, but he felt the truth in the boy's words, and after six months of training, and he was still physically the same as when he left, he knew Logan spoke the truth. Obviously, he had gained in muscle mass, and had lost the little bit of a belly he had, but he hadn't grown any, which was the big indication to him.

The one thing that affected Cameron the most was when Logan had left him. They had just arrived on this weird world, where there was nothing around but wilderness. Then Logan explained to him what was going to happen. He was going to be left there to fend for himself. He would have to learn how to survive with nothing but his own abilities.

Cameron started to protest, but then Logan hit him with a low blow that made the boy stop in his tracks and think. "Cameron," Logan had said with complete seriousness. "While you will be the first of a new brand of warrior, you are not the first person I have trained. Trust me on that. But what I want you to really think about is this, when you complete this training, you will be fighting for kids who are like you. You will be fighting to save those who are being treated worse then you can even imagine. But now think about this. What if one of the ones you need to fight for were to be Davey, or Scotty, your little brothers. What are you willing to go through, to be able to help them? What hell are you willing to endure to know that if anything were to happen to either of those two, you could not only handle it, but you would be the best of the best and able to get them back." Cameron reached into his pocket and felt the picture. His eyes fell to the ground as the tears started to stream down his face. He could only whisper one heart felt word... "anything." When he looked back up his eyes were glowing blue as he embraced the power with in him. "I would do anything."

Logan gave a half a smirk and turned to leave. As he walked away, he gave Cameron one final comment. "Keep that fire in your soul; you'll need it." Then he was gone.

So many times Cameron wanted to give up, so many time he wanted to quit and go home. Leave this hell and go back to the safety of his mom and dad, but in the back of his mind, Logan's words were always there. He'd thrown up the first time he ate bugs, but after starring at the picture of his family, and more so at his brothers, he forced himself on.

He almost fainted the first time he heard someone else's voice in his head. He had no idea who this person was, or where they were; but it had been months since he had heard someone else's voice. He finally had someone else to talk to, and he relished it.

They both knew the rules, no names, so he never even knew the kids name. In his mind, the boy was Richard. Named so after a series of books he loved. At night, they would spend hours talking to each other, sharing what they had learned, and how survive. Many times Logan would 'test' them, and more and more frequently, they would have to help each other out with the tests.

Several times, Richard would have the answer to Cameron's test, even though the other boy didn't realize it. Both boys would often comment about how much they hated Logan, but that was only half in jest. He was ruthless in his tests, but he always explained to them after wards what they should have gotten out of it. Many times it was nothing more than learning not to just think outside of the box, but how to get rid of the 'box' totally.

It took both Cameron and Richard a while to really understand it, but slowly both boys started to realize that Logan was fundamentally changing how they thought. The first realization of that fact was when Cameron ran across one of the local wild life critters. He called them 'bugs', cause that's what it looked like, well except for the fact that it was the size of a small SUV. He'd only ran across one of them before, and he'd ran like hell. Of course, the thing almost caught him but Cameron was able to jump up into one of the huge trees. He wasn't ready for how fast the thing was, but the tree was at least fifty feet around, and the thing couldn't climb. Cameron had gotten real good at climbing trees, and learning how to go from tree to tree by the intertwined branches, thankfully he wasn't afraid of heights, cause he was a good hundred and fifty feet in the air.

After that, Cameron figured out how to sharpen stakes using rocks. Then he taught himself how to throw them. He had almost convinced himself that the spears he made were his only real means of defense, but Logan changed that. Several times Logan made it clear, that he could only do certain tasks using his mental abilities. Cameron laughed hard when he realized that a lot of what Logan was doing was exactly what he saw Yoda made Luke Skywalker do in the Star Wars movies.

But, the next time he met a 'bug' he didn't run, he didn't use his spear, he didn't even use a weapon at all. First he used the Empathy that Logan had taught him to make the 'bug' scared, which slowed it down just enough for Cameron to grab a downed tree with his mind, and when the 'Bug" opened it's mouth to roar, he launched the small tree right down it's huge throat. Cameron ate very well for the next few weeks.

His some what easy time, was due to another person who was going through the training with them. This kid was older, and was also an Eagle Scout. He had taught them many survival tricks, and Cameron was sure that it was his help that enabled him to survive.

Cameron became very worried when suddenly Richard wasn't there any more. He called to Logan and asked him what happened to his friend. All Logan would tell him is that his friend, Richard, failed the tests. It took several days, but finally Cameron was able to make Logan tell him if Richard was alive or not. Logan assured him that his friend was alive, but had to be pulled from the testing. That bit of knowledge helped him slightly, but he was alone again, not even the Eagle Scout was answering his calls.

He knew he had to push on though. He'd found a small cave that he called home. On the wall, he would make a mark on it every time the sun rose, with a rock he found, that was like chalk. It was the only way he had to mark the passing of the days. He'd also make small marks about important things that happened.

Then came the day that he saw Logan again. It was exactly one year since he'd been dumped here. He had been sitting up in a tree and looking at the picture of his family, when he heard Logan's voice in his head. 'Cameron, it's time to move you to the next phase. You have past the tests, and now it's time for you to learn how to embrace your destiny.'

The next thing Cameron knew, he was standing outside a rather large building cut out of the forest. Standing in front of him, was Logan and another boy who looked to be very close in age to Cameron, or maybe a bit younger.

All three boys were smiling, as Logan took a step forward and opened his arms to Cameron. Cameron may have been slightly older than Logan, but at the moment, it having been so long since he'd seen anyone else, he couldn't help himself; with tears of joy falling down his dirty face, Cameron fell into the hug and held on for dear life.

When he finally broke the hug, he stepped back and saw the third boy step forward, extending his hand. Cameron looked the boy up and down and something stirred in his mind. He knew he'd never met this boy before, but as he took in the boy's very dark, ebony skin, short spiky hair, and deep brown eyes, Cameron thought he knew this boy. As Cameron took the boy's hand, he heard a familiar voice inside his head. 'It's nice to finally meet you in the flesh.'

"RICHARD?!?!" Before anyone else could say anything, Cameron pulled the boy into a hug and squeezed tightly. "I never thought I would see you again!"

Richard pulled back from the hug and held his friend at arms lengths. Projecting into Cameron's mind, he spoke soothingly. 'I wasn't cut out to be a Knight, but Logan found another job for me. Before I forget though, around here we don't talk out loud, it's all mental.'

Still grinning, Cameron nodded his head in understanding. It fit with the way Logan did things. The point of this training was to get someone used to using their mental abilities. So it made sense that they would be forced to talk telepathically instead of using their mouths.

Not being able to help himself, Cameron turned to Logan and spoke mentally to the leader of his group. 'So, what's the plan now Master Yoda?'

Logan, not being one to let something like this go, sent back in his best Yoda impersonation. 'Hmmmm... Kick your ass, I do. Your real training, about to begin it is."

 


 

And kick his ass Logan did. The first day back, Logan allowed Cameron to rest, and to get to know Richard better. The funny thing is, the boy's name was Richard, and that's what he liked to be called. Not Rich, or Richey, but Richard.

Cameron had taken a very long shower, and just reveled in the hot water. Thankfully, where he was in the wilderness, he didn't have to worry about fighting winter, but there were times where he would have really liked hot water, or even warm water, to clean himself off with.

When he got done cleaning up, and dressed in the sweat suit that Logan had given him, he went off to the room they said he was going to share with Richard. As he opened the door, he was surprised to see Richard sitting there with an acoustic guitar in his hand, playing a song that Cameron actually knew. At first, Cameron was unsure if Richard should be singing out loud, but then he remembered Logan's rule. It wasn't to prevent someone from talking, it was to exercise the mind more. The way Richard was singingmade Cameron really think about the words of the song, and was amazed at how much it spoke to what they were doing here.

So close, no matter how far Couldn't be much more from the heart Forever trusting who we are and nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way Life is ours, we live it our way All these words I don't just say and nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you Every day for us something new Open mind for a different view and nothing else matters

never cared for what they do never cared for what they know but I know

So close, no matter how far Couldn't be much more from the heart Forever trusting who we are and nothing else matters

never cared for what they do never cared for what they know but I know

Never opened myself this way Life is ours, we live it our way All these words I don't just say

Trust I seek and I find in you Every day for us, something new Open mind for a different view and nothing else matters

never cared for what they say never cared for games they play never cared for what they do never cared for what they know and I know

So close, no matter how far Couldn't be much more from the heart Forever trusting who we are No, nothing else matters

(Mettalica

Nothing Else Matters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUbPlhXRcWY&feature=BFa&list=PL5EBB0C1B7948214A&lf=mh_lolz

I would very much recommend people to listen to the song.)

'Damn, that is so true.' Cameron thought to Richard, and the boy turned around with a shy smile on his face.

'Yeah it is. To be honest, it's whats helped get me through to where I'm.' Richard said as he set the guitar down, and turned to face Cameron.

'Speaking of which. You said you failed the training, but Logan found a job for you. What is it?' He asked as he walked over, sat down on his bed, then laid down on it. For a moment, all he could do is sigh. It had been so long since he slept on something soft.

'Well, to be honest, it took me a while to really understand what Logan had in mind for me, but once I did understand, I realized I didn't want to do anything else. What he has in mind is something that means so much to me. I can't really imagine being able to do anything else.' Richard had almost a wondrous look on his face. Cameron couldn't help but sit up and look at his friend, waiting to hear what it was that would make him talk in such a way.

After a few moments of silence, Richard began speaking, as if in a trance. 'When Logan explained to me what a Knight was, and what they would be doing, I thought that's what I wanted. But the training... I just couldn't handle it.'

Cameron saw the boy shiver, and could easily sympathize. He'd been there several times, wondering if he really had what it took to survive. 'You know, I really wondered what the point of that training was.' Richard said with a far away look in his eyes. 'I mean when Logan found me, he asked if I wanted to help other kids like me from having to go through what I did. He explained that I would be trained to go in there and rescue other kids.' Richard slowly shook his head, then met Cameron's eyes. 'Do you know what that did for me? Me, Richard Ames, a throw away kid, living on the streets of Los Angeles, being able to help other kids. I couldn't believe it was possible. But then came this blond kid... younger than I am, and he was spouting off all this fantastic shit about what I could do to help others. I wanted it so bad, what he was selling, I wanted so bad.'

Richard barked out a laugh, both mentally and out loud, before he continued. 'I would have sold my soul to the devil at that point, if it meant getting out of the hell I was living in. But he didn't want my soul. What he wanted, was for me to use what I knew, what I went through, and use that to help others. When I agreed, and hell at that point, if he'd ask me to become a sex slave for him, I would have. But, when I agreed, he told me that he was gonna set me loose in some strange place, to see if I could survive.'

Taking a deep breath, Richard again looked far away. 'At that point, I'd lived for almost two years on the streets, trying to stay away from the gangs, and digging through trash cans for food. Hell I figured I could survive just about anything he threw at me. Boy was I wrong.'

'When Logan brought me back, I was so damned sick I didn't know which way was up. But Logan was there, it took almost a week before I was able to get up and walk around, but through it all, Logan was there. Hell, he wiped my ass for me when I shit all over the place.' Cameron laughed out loud at that. He'd never seen a black boy blush before, but when Richard said that, he blushed deeply.

'When I was able to move around on my own, Logan sat down and explained things to me. He explained what I was training for, what you made it through, and then, even though it took him a while, he finally made me realize why he was doing what he did with the training.'

'There's only a few real things that the training was for, the training you've had so far anyways. The main thing was to break down the way you thought, the way your mind operates, and re-shape it to something that is not constrained by what others feel is right, or what others want from you.'

'It's just like the song says...never cared for what they say; never cared for games they play; never cared for what they do; never cared for what they know; and I know.' Richard looked Cameron in the eyes and the older boy couldn't help but see almost a feverishness in those eyes. It almost scared him at how fanatical he seemed to be about this.

'But it's so much more than just that. All through life, we're told what to think, how to think, who to be friends with, what we should do, how we should do it. Indoctrination. That's what life is all about. At least that is what life used to be for us. Now we have something different. Now we're being taught to think. Not think the way THEY want us to think, but to think the way we're MEANT to be able to think. God gave us brains, He gave us the ability to think, to reason, to figure things out. But He made one mistake. He made it easier for our minds to accept falsehood as fact. Call it what you will, the Devil's influence, or what ever. It doesn't matter why it's there, it's just important that it's there.' Richard paused to take a breath and run his hand through his hair.

'I know I'm sounding crazy, but you're the first person I've really tried to explain all this too. It's almost as if life is like a prison. Most people don't even realize there in it, but that doesn't really matter. Accept it or not, we're all born into this prison called society... It tells us who we are, and what we should do. What Logan has done, is taught us how to escape that prison. To learn to think for ourselves, to be reliant on ourselves, and most importantly, to KNOW that there is a prison. I might not be a Knight, like you are, but in many ways, I almost think the job I have been given is just as important. Logan calls us 'handlers', but it means so much more than that.'

Richard leaned forward in his seat, reached across and took both of Cameron's hands. 'My job, if you accept, is to be your partner, to make sure you have EVERYTHING you need. I'm not just talking about information, or material things, but also making sure that you stay centered. The things you'll be doing are going to weigh on your mind, on your soul. You're going to be killing people, you're going to be rescuing kids from all types of bad situations. My job is going to be, making sure it doesn't make your heart hard. To make sure you keep in mind WHY you're fighting, WHY you're doing the things you will have to do. Personally, I can't think of any job that I would want any more than that.'

All Cameron could do is sit back and utter one word out loud. "Wow..."

Richard took a few moments before he regained his composure, then, to change the topic, he looked over to Cameron. 'So, now you know I was a street kid... what about you? What's your story?'

Cameron couldn't hide the smile that came to his face. He started talking as he was searching through his dirty clothes. 'Actually, to be honest, I got a great family. I got awesome parents and two bratty little brothers that I love to death!'

He pulled out the worn picture of his family, and handed it to Richard. The thirteen year old boy took the picture and looked longingly at the five happy faces staring back at him. He couldn't help the tears that started to drip down his face as he saw what a family should be. What he had always wished for.

Richard felt the bed move next to him, and an arm wrap itself around his shoulders, and pull him into a hug. 'I know enough to know that I can't lie to you in here with out you knowing it. When this is all done, I want you to come home with me. You're already my brother, and I know my parents would love you the same way they love us.' Cameron reached over, took Richard's chin, and made the boy look into his eyes. 'Trust me on this. When we leave here, you're going home... not to my home, but to your home as well.'

Cameron took the picture from Richard's hand, and held it out so that Richard was looking at it again. 'You see the youngest one? His name's Davey, and he's seven. He's only been my brother for about two years. Mom and Dad adopted him, and from day one, he's been my bratty little brother, and I wouldn't trade him for anything.'

Cameron made Richard look at him again, then pulled him into a tight hug. 'Lets get this training over with, and then I can introduce you to your new mom and dad.'

 


 

Logan looked over at Karen and Don who both had tears in their eyes. He had been relaying the conversation so they could hear what the boys were saying. He saw them share a momentary look and then they both looked at Logan. Karen spoke for both of them, even though Logan knew that Don wanted to say more than she would. "He's right you know. Richard already has a family, he just doesn't know it. But I have a question."

Logan nodded for her to continue and after taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she continued. "We're learning the things we are to help kids like Richard right?" Logan only nodded his response. He could have looked into her thoughts to see where she was going with this, but he wanted to respect people's minds unless he had a reason to be in there.

"And I am assuming Richard's story is not the worse one you have heard, and we will hear?" She continued, her eyes now focused back on the screen where her sons were hugging.

"Not by far." Logan said quietly.

"This Clan that you have told us about, Clan Short. They're nothing but a group of kids who will get together and help kids like Richard and those worse off?" Logan so wanted to take offense to the 'nothing but' comment, but instead simply nodded, letting Karen work through whatever it was that was going on in her mind.

"This company of Mr. Takamura's, Rook Enterprises, it's set up to aid the Clan when the time comes?"

"That and much more." Logan said now somewhat baffled as to where she was going with this.

He got even more puzzled when she didn't speak for many moments, but finally she turned towards Logan and he saw in her eye's the true meaning of mother. The righteous rage that he saw behind her eyes was the same he saw behind his mother's own eyes, what seemed a long time ago, in a helicopter over Montana.

"You worry about training my boys (she empathized the plural) so they can rescue the kids that need it the most. We'll start working on making sure everything is in place for them when they need it the most. I hope your prepared for what is going to happen."

He met her fiery eyes with his own. "Preparations have been being made for a VERY long time. Whatever you can do to help, we'll make sure you have what you need. There are no limits, there is no ceiling, there is nothing to hold you back. If you can figure out how to do it, we'll make sure you have what it takes. Does that work for you?"

Karen searched the eyes of the young boy in front of her for several long moments before she responded. "Then get my boys through this training, and get ready for some surprises."

 


 

That night, Logan joined them for dinner, so he could explain the next phase of the training. 'Okay guys, things are about to get interesting. But first, I feel there are a few things you need to know. I am not sure how much you guys have figured out, but I am going to lay a few things on the table for you. Everything I am about to tell you, is under the highest level of classification that we have.'

Logan waited until both boys nodded their understanding of the situation. 'I would assume both of you have figured out that time travel is not only possible, but something that will be highly employed to complete the training that both of you will undergo. As you may have guessed, I'm from the future, but don't bother asking how far, or whats going to happen... I ain't gonna tell you.' Logan couldn't help but give a wry grin as he sent that last part.

'Now, Richard, what you don't know is that when that I pulled you for this training it is about a year before the time I pulled Cameron. The reason I am telling you this, is because the people you will be meeting may be from all different times. Although, I will tell you we're only talking about a six year period, and none of them are from the future.' Logan paused to see if he lost either boy, and he was thankful that he hadn't.

'Good, I haven't freaked you guys out too badly yet, or made your brains melt down. That means I can actually give you some of the information on exactly what I'm setting up. First off, the organization is called the Knights. There are four levels within the Knights. There's the Squires, who are the everyday operatives of the group. They don't get into much fighting, but they can if needed. Mostly they are the ones that find the kids that have mental abilities, and then find out more about them. Their job is to see if they are being treated well, and if needed, will make contact and help teach them how to control and harness their abilities.

The second group are the Knights. These are the most visible section of our organization, hence why the name for them, is the same as the name for everything. They are the ones that the Squires will call in if they need help, if they find someone that needs to be rescued with a minimal amount of force.

As of this point, both of you are Knights. You have both passed the tests to be a Knight. Cameron, you as an Operative, and Richard, you as a Handler. Nothing can take that away from you. We could leave here, and go right to the training that a Knight Operative and a Knight Handler would get, and you guys could go right to work.'

When Logan was silent for several seconds, Cameron spoke up softly. 'And what are the other two levels. Because I will say this right now, I don't do anything half way. Not when it comes to the lives of those that could be my brothers.' Neither Richard nor Logan could doubt the sincerity in his words.

'Okay, the next level after the Knights is what we're calling the Paladins. Paladins form groups of five person teams that we're calling a 'force'. These groups are meant to go in and get kids who are in pretty bad situations. They are almost always put in harms way, when they take the field. The level above the Paladins are the Death Knights. These are the best of the best. They have the most advances tech and weapons, and ALWAYS have to fight their way in to rescue someone. These are single operatives who will almost never work with another Death Knight. They're gonna be sent into places that the Paladins can't get in. Make no mistake, the Death Knights will be the most highly trained people we can make, because they will NEED to be. They will be called on to do the impossible.'

Logan let that sink in for a moment but before he continue, Cameron, who had his eyes cast downward as Logan spoke, looked up with a fierceness in his eyes that Logan had hoped to see there. 'What do I have to do to be a Death Knight?'

'The training is the easy part.' Logan met Cameron's eyes to see if the boy would break his gaze. 'It's surviving that's going to make you into a Death Knight. If BOTH of you accept, I will take you to a special place that I have set up for training Death Knights. There you will be trained in how to survive and how to fight. But I will warn you now, if you thought the place you just came from was hard to survive in, the place I will take you for Death Knight training will make that look like a year spent in Disney World.'

Logan stood up and turned to walk out of the room. 'You guys take some time to think. There is nothing that says you have to make the decision right now.'

What Logan didn't see, but still knew was happening, was Cameron's look to Richard who only barely hesitated before nodding. 'We don't need time to think, we're going all the way.'

Logan paused but didn't turn around. 'Then be ready to go at dawn.'

An hour before dawn, Cameron was shaking Richard awake. They both showered quickly, got dressed, and went to meet Logan. They didn't get further than the hallway before they saw Logan moving down the hallway towards them with the same old man that brought both Cameron and Richard there the first time.

"It is good that you are ready." The old man said.

"This is the last chance you guys have to back out. No-one will ever know, and personally I would never hold it against you. What you have done already is enough to secure your spots in the Knights."

"Logan, you said you picked both of us because neither one of us will quit. You knew when you brought it up that we would go for broke, just as you know that we won't back down." Cameron said with steely determination as he held Logan's eyes. Logan's face slowly broke into a smile before he nodded, turned and started walking out of the building. The next thing they knew, the world was slowly changing around them as they followed Logan and Master Takamura.

 


 

Suddenly, they found themselves in a truly alien landscape. The sky had a purple tint to it and their were two suns and two moons in the sky as the suns dimmed. They found themselves walking along the top of a cliff in the rain and the cliff seemed to be three to four hundred feet tall and an ocean stretched out below. At the bottom of the cliff, the ocean waves crashed into the wall. Richard had lived near an ocean his entire life, and he had never seen waves like this before. They were huge and powerful. The wind was whipping and drove the huge drops of rain hard into their faces.

As Richard and Cameron looked around, they saw huge trees in an obvious virgin forest, weird looking plants, and some kind of weird forest creature that scurried away when they approached. "Where are we?" Richard breathlessly asked.

"Welcome to the Planet of Archnania. One of my personal favorite worlds." Logan said with a grin on his face. The weather's kinda shitty right now, but if you give it a chance it'll..." As if on cue, the rain stopped and the wind died down. "Well there you go. See, I told you this was a nice place." Logan said with a grin.

"Well if you will all excuse me, I must go back and continue playing human taxi." Master Takamura said, then looked directly at Logan. "You know how to contact me if you wish." He then turned to Richard and Cameron. "Know that we have faith in your abilities, and never loose the faith you have in yourselves. You are about to be tested like you never have before. Keep your mind strong, and your heart pure, and I know you will make it through."

He turned, walked off, and soon disappeared. Logan grinned, turned around and called over his shoulder. "Come on, we got a bit of a hike ahead of us." when Cameron and Richard caught up to Logan he began speaking. "Now, there's a few things I should warn you about this planet. First off, while I haven't found any plant life yet that likes the taste of meat, oh and yes, some of these plants eat, and some of them can be a bit ornery at times. They won't bother you if you leave them alone. Well... most won't. But.. well a word of warning. I know on Earth it's common to piss on a tree if you have to go. I would advise against it. The last fellow that did that. Well the tree reached out and smacked him for it."

Both boys looked at Logan weirdly, but they could both see that he was being serious, of course what happened next really made them twitch. Suddenly one of the trees that lined the path they were walked, 'stepped' out in front of them and called out in a very slow deep voice. "Logan... my friend. It is good to see you again."

"Dalton!" Logan cried out with glee. He ran up to the tree and hugged it around the base. "It is good to hear your voice again. How have you been my friend?"

"The winds are growing and the ground swells a lot. It is just as you said it would be." The tree... Dalton... said. Cameron and Richard were still standing there with their jaws on the ground. "Is there something wrong with your companions Logan. It appears as if they have never seen a tree talk before."

Logan laughed as he looked back at Cameron and Richard, then back to his tree friend. "Remember Dalton, I told you about the way the trees are where I come from? They probably have never even considered a tree being able to talk before, let alone be able to move."

"Ahhh yes. I remember now. You have told me of the deficiencies of your home. I still think you should just stay here, or let us come to live with you."

"Perhaps in the future my friend. However, for now, I must escort my friends to the Ancient. The time that we have been preparing for is here. These two are just the first of many that will be coming. As has been agreed, they will know how to act in your land." Logan said as he patted the side of the huge tree.

"Of that we have no worry. If they are friends and trusted companions of you, then they will always be welcome in our lands." Dalton said as a branch reached down and seemed to pull Logan closer into the trunk. It took a second for Cameron to realize that the tree was actually hugging Logan. Richard, for his part, was trying to figure out if he was still asleep, dead, or high on some type of fucked up drug.

As soon as the branches moved out of the way, Logan looked back to his friends and grinned. "So... have either of you two re-thought your decision to come here?"

Both boys hesitated, and for a moment, Logan thought that one of them might actually try and back out. Cameron and Richard met each others eyes, and for a few very brief moments, they communicated mind to mind. Logan made sure to give them their privacy, he never wanted it said that he used undue influence on people. Well at least on the people he was family with.

Finally Cameron looked at Logan and sighed. "We've come this far. I mean that's gotta be some of the most fucked up shit I have ever even imagined, but we came here to do something, so if we have to deal with walking and talking trees... so be it. Just... well... please tell me that's the worst of the fucked up shit." Cameron actually pleaded, not knowing how much more his mind could take.

"Oh hell..." Logan said with a laugh. "As the song goes... baby you ain't seen nothing yet. Come on, there's someone I want you to meet." Logan turned and started walking again. The two boys didn't have any choice but to follow, and catch up to Logan. Neither one of them wanted to get lost in this strange place.

When they caught up to Logan, Richard started to pepper him with questions. "What is this place? How'd you make friends with trees?"

"Well, as I said before, the name of the Planet is Archnania. It's a world I discovered when I was younger. Right now, we're on a relatively small island, roughly the size of Great Britain. As far as how I made friends with trees, that is a long.. long story." Logan paused for a second, and took a deep breath of air. "But just look around you. This place is soo peaceful, so tranquil, so... untouched." Logan spread his arms out wide, threw his head back, and spun in place a few times. "GOD I LOVE THIS PLACE!"

Cameron and Richard shared a laugh at seeing Logan's antics. It actually remind both boys, that Logan was actually slightly younger than they were. All three boys were laughing, when they heard a very excited voice coming from behind them. "Look Squert... Is it, could it be... The Logan?!"

They all turned towards the voice, but couldn't see anything. "It must be Damonsy. Who else could it be?!"

Cameron and Richard looked towards Logan who had a grin on his face. In their minds he spoke, 'don't worry, they're harmless.' Logan then took a step forward and spoke loudly. "Come on out guys. You know it's me."

Suddenly, from around a tree, came two deer like creatures, they came running at the group causing both Richard and Cameron to step back some. Logan just stood there and when the deer like critters got close, he went down to his knees and spread his arms wide. Both creatures slowed down and nuzzled him under each arm. After a few moments, they backed off and Logan reached into his backpack and pulled out a big red apple. The two deer like critters started jumping around like little puppies. "Are those what I think they are?!" Squert asked with obvious excitement.

Logan looked over towards his friends, "They don't have apples here, but just like the deer we're used to, they love them. Actually, I think the Darmi like them even more."

Logan cut the apple into quarters, and then handed them to the Darmi. Greedily they ate them down then started begging for more. "You know that you guys can't eat too many at a time; it'll make your tummy hurt."

"Aww... but they are so yummy!" Damonsy said whining.

"Come over later and I will give you more. But for now it is time to go visit The Ancient." Logan said and immediately the two Darmi backed off a bit.

"We would not want to keep someone from The Ancient. We will come to you later if we may." Squert said with a high degree of reverence in his voice, before they both turned and bound off into the trees.

"Well they are interesting." Cameron said as he watched them run off.

"They're cute little kids." Logan said with a grin.

Richard though looked a bit worried. "Who is this Ancient you're talking about."

Logan walked over to the two boys and threw his arms over their shoulders before continuing down the path. "Well you've already learned about the trees that can move around. Well there is one tree here that is well over five thousand years old. He's the defacto leader of the trees on the island because he's the oldest, wisest, and most powerful. He's a VERY good friend of mine, and protects my home."

"You have a home here?" Cameron asked in astonishment.

"Well yeah, I gotta have somewhere to base the training for you guys out of. Besides, with the computers I built here, someone's gotta protect them."

"But I thought you said this place was uninhabited." Richard said.

"It is, but as you've seen, people like you and I know, are not the only things that are smart and can move." They broke into a clearing and both Cameron and Richard stopped dead as they saw the largest tree they had ever seen stretching way up into the air. Cameron, if asked, would guess the tree easily rose close to a thousand feet into the air.

"Holy shit..." Richard breathed out.

"Yeah..." Was all that Cameron could get out.

As they stood there and gawked, trying to take in all of the massive tree at once, they were startled by a very young sounding voice. "Master Logan!"

When the three boys looked, they saw a small sapling, standing maybe five to six foot tall, 'running' towards them. Both Cameron and Richard were surprised. They thought that trees would only be able to move slowly. This one was running faster than either one of the boys could.

"The ancient said you would be here soon. My name's Truvety... I won the honor of being able to show you around!" The young tree said as it came to a skidding stop in front of the group.

"Why thank you Truvety," Logan said with a small bow. "I am sure your teachers choose wisely."

Richard and Cameron both swore they saw the small saplings 'chest' swell with pride before it returned Logan's bow. "If you and your friends would like to follow me, the Ancient has request an audience if you have the time."

"For him, I will always have the time." Logan said as he walked up to the sapling and gently patted the very thin trunk. "Please, show us the way."

"Of course Master Logan. Right this way!" The little tree then turned and started moving towards the huge one, thankfully at a much slower pace. They hadn't gotten more than five feet when the tree started talking. "I was told to make sure you know that all the saplings in Guhtrumites class have been preparing the house for you and those you brought with you. Although, I thought there would be many more than I see here."

"They will be arriving soon. These are just the ones I brought here first." Logan said as they made their way towards the Ancient. Cameron figured they were at least a football field away when they fell under the canopy of branches from the huge tree. They also started to see a sprawling complex sitting at, and actually in the base of the tree.

"This is out-fucking-ragous" Richard said as he looked around. He actually stumbled a bit when he saw about four or five young sapling trees... playing? with a couple of the deer like creatures. He wasn't really sure, but he saw something that they seemed to be throwing around between the group of them, and he definitely heard laughter coming from the group.

"This place is unreal!" He said glancing at Cameron who was just as wonder eyed as he was.

"Yeah this is pretty damned cool!"

As the got to the base of the huge tree, a thunderous voice seemed to erupt from everywhere around them. "Logan! My friend! It has been too many seasons since you last visited! I am glad to see you again!"

Logan stopped, took off his back pack, reached into it and pulled out a bottle of water. He walked up to the base of the tree, knelt and began to speak in a very reverent tone. "My friend, I pray that your roots grow deep, your branches reach the clouds above, and your leaves bear much fruit." When he finished speaking, he opened the bottle, and poured the water out right where the trunk of the tree met the ground.

"You honor me Logan, though you of all people should be the one receiving the honor from me." The tree spoke emotionally.

"Your friendship is all the honor I need." Logan responded with almost as much emotion.

Deep rumbling laughter is all that followed. "You still know how to flatter me, my friend. But please, come inside. We have prepared everything as you have requested. I hope that you are pleased."

"Knowing you, you've not only done as I asked, but did a few other things as well." Logan said as he stood back up with a grin.

"Ahh, you know me too well my friend Logan. Please enter and I will show you what has been done." With a nod from Logan, the doors off to the side opened up, and with Truvety in the lead, the four of them made their way inside.

If Richard and Cameron were captivated with what they saw outside, it was nothing compared to what they were seeing now as they walked in. The walls were all brick and mortar, but the amazing part was what they saw within the walls. "Are these part of The Ancient?" Cameron asked as he ran his hand along a rather large root that was part of the wall.

"Yes it is. The ancient is a part of this complex, not to mention the major protector of everything with in." Logan said as he too was looking around. Everything here is 'hooked' into The Ancient through a very complicated computer system that is actually housed in the base of his 'home roots'.

Neither Cameron or Richard really knew what he meant, but were too overwhelmed to really ask right now. They followed Truvety through many twists and turns till finally the sapling stopped in front of a door. "This is the room that The Ancient said was for you Master Logan." Truvety pushed and the door opened silently. Inside was a large room dominated with computer screens. What was most startling though, was the difference between this room and the rest of the complex that they had seen so far.

Cameron could only equate what he saw so far to a really screwed up Buddhist Temple that he learned about in school one time. Everything was made of stone and wood, and made very plainly and utilitarian. However, when they walked into this room, the room Logan was supposed to use, Cameron figured they would have seen less computers and computer equipment at Star Fleet headquarters. To say it was ultra modern, would have been an understatement.

"Thank you Truvety," Logan said as he looked around with a grin. "This looks like it will do perfectly. Would you mind showing my friends to a room near here?"

The young sapling sort of bowed before responding. "Of course Master Logan, it would be my pleasure."

Logan then turned and looked at the two slightly older boys. "Take a few days to get comfortable and look around. I wouldn't go outside of the clearing with out someone with you, but all those who hang around here will be friendly to you. Just remember, you're a stranger in a strange land. Just keep that in mind. You won't see me much for a few days, but then we'll begin the first part of the training. Okay?"

The two boys nodded and then went off to explore this new and wondrous place.

 


 

Editor's notes:

WOW, that is about all I can say! Roland has created a great new story and I for one am very intrigued at what he has done and is going to do. I don't even know where to start! The characters are awesome, the training has been most unusual and very interesting. Now this new world. I just don't have the words!! I just love what he has started here and can't wait for more.

Thanks Roland!!!! You never cease to amaze me at your creativity and how you get a story rolling.

Your friendly neighborhood editing puppy!

Boxerdude