"Condition Red; Condition Red - this is NOT a drill! All personnel contact AI division HQ for assignment. Condition Red; Condition Red - this is NOT a drill! All personnel contact AI division HQ for assignment. Condition Red; Condition Red - this is NOT a drill! All personnel contact AI division HQ for assignment."
Alec cut the circuit and glanced around the room as everyone scurried to their assigned stations. He was halfway done when the comm terminal in front of him came to life.
"HQ, this is Gabe. Status report!"
"Alec here. AI division is in transit for emergency extraction. Lafayette at red alert; standing by for support as needed. HQ at full lockdown; all personnel present except your group. Incoming call from Patriarch Short now."
"Fill Cory in; we are en route to CIC, ETA five minutes. Report status as ready. Gabe out."
Alec quickly switched to take the incoming call.
"Headquarters, this is Patriarch Short. Patch Doctor Furst into this call - Priority One!"
Alec quickly signaled Marc's communicator as he replied. "This is Alec; I'm on it Cory. HQ reports ready for action."
"Good deal Alec; notify Terra Main I require transporters standing by for emergency transport. Condition Red confirmed."
Just then, Marc came on the line. "Dr. Furst here."
Before anyone could respond, Danny spoke up in the background from Australia. "Marc, what's wrong?"
"Dude, I just finished a call with some prick in Arkansas claiming to be a doctor." Marc said with the stress in his voice showing through the professional tone he was attempting to maintain. "They have a child who was brutally assaulted and plan to make things worse; the bastard practically dared me to attempt to stop him."
"Report, Dr. Furst." Cory responded in an emotionless tone over the circuit.
"Yes sir. Earlier today we received a distressed call from a Mrs. Amee Wiggins regarding her previously missing great grandson, Daniel K. Wiggins, IV of whom authorities recovered in an extremely battered condition. He is in medical custody as his mother; I should say abductor is being held as they dismiss the charges against her claiming it was self defense." Marc paused taking a deep breath. "The woman who had abducted young Daniel when he was merely a toddler attacked him with a knife after learning he was gay. It is reported that out of self defense she slashed at his arms repeatedly, literally shredding his flesh and then proceeded to cut his shorts off of him and remove um..." Marc sniffled audibly over the connection.
"Alec; Intelligence and Security scramble - NOW!!" Cory announced. "Continue, Doctor."
Marc took a deep breath. "Dixon is in the process of being prepped for a sex change against his will. I have all but ordered them to halt their actions but they are refusing." Marc choked back what very well could have been a sob and continued. "I can help him Cory. They are treating this as if he deserves to be made into a girl, and laughing in my face because they plan to proceed to fix the... um... as they call him, The Little Queer!" He spit out his final words. "Please, we gotta get him out of there."
"Alec, are the twins far enough in their training to work alone?" Cory growled.
Alec paused, then replied. "Yeah, I think so, but ..."
"Inform them to stand by for immediate transport. Marc needs telepaths; he's getting the best. If J.C. has any questions ..."
"Tell him to call me!" Teri growled in the background.
Cory continued. "Marc; take a team, get that kid no matter what. Alec; any support Marc needs give it to him. If that so-called doctor touches that boy, castrate him - and I mean that literally. MOVE!"
"Team assembled and standing by sir." Caleb could be heard reporting to Marc. "We will have him here within the hour." He added.
"Thank you Cory." Marc replied to his communicator through an obvious sniffle. "I'll inform you when this operation is complete. Marc out."
Alec closed the connection and turned to the twins. "Prepare for transport guys; link up with Justy and we'll monitor you through him and send help if you need it. Be careful, okay?"
Jamie and Jacob nodded as they quickly prepared to depart. "No problem bro." they chorused as they strapped phasers on their waists. Just as Jamie opened his communicator to call for transport, Nyo led the group of boys who were in the pool through the side doorway into CIC.
Everything seemed to slip into slow motion as Gabe came running through the outside entry with his group hot on his heels. Neither Nyo nor Gabe was really paying attention; before they realized what was happening they crashed into each other and fell sliding to the floor. Tyne and Rusty had been right behind their respective leaders; they managed to grab on to each other as they tripped over Nyo and Gabe, redirecting their fall just enough to keep from landing on the first two boys.
Dmitry, Dominic, and Stepan just barely managed to skid to a stop and avoid joining the pile. They were still teetering when Johnny saw Dominic and screamed 'Dommynick!' as he pounced his new friend. The unexpected pounce was all it took to knock Dominic to the floor, taking Dmitry and Stepan down with him.
The rest of the rugrats except for Matty quickly joined the pile while giggling madly. Matty rushed over to Rusty, still holding his new puppy securely. "Wusty; you okay? I'm gonna be mad if dey huwt you."
"I'm fine lil' buddy; this cutie over here caught me." Rusty giggled from the edge of the pile. "Come on in and join the fun!"
Matty set his puppy down and slid through the tangle of arms and legs to cuddle into Rusty's arms. His puppy clambered over the pile and perched himself on Tyne's chest, happily licking his face.
Tyne laid there in shock. "Could someone please tell me what this is on my chest licking my face? Please tell me it's not getting ready to eat me!"
Matty giggled at Tyne. "You'we silly! That's my puppy Wusty; he ain't gonna eat you, he likes you! He's just kissin you."
"I'm confused then, if this is Wusty then who's holding you?" Tyne managed to say between licks.
Rusty joined Matty's giggles as he added "Actually, I'm Rusty; Matty is still recovering from what was done to him and has a little trouble with the letter 'r'. The pup is 'Wusty', no pronunciation error there. Just scratch him gently behind the ears dude; you'll have a friend for life."
Tyne slowly extended a hand towards the puppy, ready to pull it back at the first sign of trouble. He was shocked when the puppy collapsed on his chest contentedly as soon as he started scratching; occasionally stretching to lick the bottom of Tyne's chin.
While Tyne was getting acquainted with Wusty, the rest of the boys managed to untangle themselves and regain their feet. Dominic giggled at the sight on the floor as he shifted Johnny around to a comfortable position on his back. "Tyne, you DO realize that the Clan is at Red Alert don't you? I don't think now is the time to be making furry friends!"
"Give him a break." Nyo giggled. "It's not every day you get to learn about Canis lupus familiaris."
Matty looked at Nyo curiously. "He's nodda cana .. whatevew you said! He's a PUPPY!!"
The rest of the room, which had just recovered from laughing at the sight of the entry of the boys, fell into laughter once again. Stepan giggled as he commented "Now that's got to be a first; you just got put in your place by a little kid!"
Alec and Justy joined the group as Jamie and Jacob beamed out. Justy knelt down and petted the puppy on Tyne's chest. "Where'd you get the pup at Matty? He asked.
"Patches gave 'im to me!" Matty replied proudly.
Seeing the look on Justy's face, Rusty quickly added "You shoulda seen it; she picked Wusty up and put him on Matty's lap as we were loading up to get back here!"
Justy raised both eyebrows. "Whoa! You must be really special Matty; she wouldn't even let the rest of us know she had any puppies, yet she gave him to you! That's awesome!" Justy went to move the puppy off of Tyne's chest so that he could get up, but changed his mind after the pup made it clear that any attempt to move him would result in a very sore hand. "Umm, Tyne? I think you're gonna have to hold the pup while we help you up."
Alec pointed towards the couch. "Grab a seat there guys; I'll fill you in on what we know."
Alec stifled a giggle at how everyone ended up arranged on the couch. Tyne was at the left end of the couch, with Rusty forced against his side. Matty was perched on the junction of their legs; happily sitting on both laps and petting Wusty, who had claimed Tyne's other leg. Dmitry was happily perched on Dominic's lap, while Stepan claimed his spot on Nyo's lap. The rest of the youngest boys filled in on laps wherever they could while being able to pet a nearby Phasenmorph. Gabe joined Trav and their boys off to the side to listen.
Davey:
This is so weird. Yesterday morning we had to sit through our old parents going over what we were supposed to say to the judge over and over while we were trying to eat breakfast. Our step-dad had made sure we were 'obedient' the night before in his usual way; both of us still had sore butt holes from the bastard using his thing to make us walk what he called 'God's path'. What hurts is that nobody believed us when we tried to tell the psycho guys what he was doing; they insisted that we were doing something called 'transferal' and that Uncle Mike had actually done all that stuff.
Yeah, I know Uncle Mike didn't really do that. I know a lot of things now; things like he didn't abandon us, that everything our old mom told us was a lie, that the stuff they taught at church was a lie. I really don't know what to believe about everything before today; Jimmy and I talked about it today and we think we have the best answer. The twins told us how bad our memories had been messed with, so we're not going to trust any of them anymore. We're gonna start our lives with today; when I think about Uncle Mike there are lots of things I really don't know if they are real or stuff that was put in our heads. It kinda hurts some, but it hurts more not knowing if it really happened or was something that got messed up when they screwed with our heads. Jamie and Jacob fixed our memories of when we stayed with Uncle Mike, but they couldn't erase all of the stuff put in our heads after he left. Jamie said it was because if they did, it woulda took so much out that we'd be stuck back at three and four years old. If we think about it we know the truth, but if we don't sometimes the bad stuff sneaks in.
Poppa Trav told me I need to write that all down so that he can give it to Uncle Mike. He says it'll help Uncle Mike understand stuff. When we talked this morning he asked us if we would want to live with Uncle Mike. That's when we found out about the memory screwups; at first I was scared 'cuz I thought about the stuff he was supposed to have done, then I thought about it and realized what happened. I still love Uncle Mike, but we'd keep getting scared of things that didn't really happen if we stayed with him. Uncle Mike, when you read this, remember Jimmy and I still love you. We still want to see you, and maybe someday we can build up enough good memories to block out the screwed up stuff. Poppa says it can happen and that he'll help us; he says he thinks it will be good for us to get to where we can visit with you without getting scared. He said that you are always gonna be our Uncle, and that he wants you to become our favorite Uncle again someday.
I know; you want to know what's happening. I wanted you to see my letter to Uncle Mike first. If Jamie, Jacob, and Dmitry hadn't just saved us I wouldn't believe what I'm seeing. Pop is standing next to us with one of those phaser thingies in his hand right now. I guess this 'red alert' stuff must be pretty serious; Jamie and Jacob grabbed a bunch of stuff before they left. When we woke up this morning there were a couple of new guys here; they have those funny animals on their arms just like Dmitry and Dominic have. One of them, I think I heard them call him Tyne, has some really weird purple eyes. Little Matty is sitting with him and Rusty; that puppy Matty brought in is bouncing around between Tyne, Matty, and Rusty.
Uncle Alec is telling the guys who were not here about the 'red alert'. He just got to the part about the kid's thing being cut off and what the doctors want to do. Wow, that Nyo guy is getting mad! I think he'd go to where the twins went if Stepan and Robbie were not sitting on his lap. Pop's not happy either. Why do adults have to be so mean? Pop just told Nyo that he could relax; he says that the guys who are going to be there will take care of the doctor and save the kid. When Pop said where they were taking the kid, Dmitry told Nyo that the kid would be okay. I guess that these guys have a hospital that fixes kids after adults mess them up.
You should see this place though! There are computer screens and tables all over the place! Some of the screens have a bunch of wiggly lines all over them; some of the others have what looks like maps on them, and a couple have a red screen with the Clan symbol on it like what is on our shirts. You know, I think they were orange earlier. I wonder if they change the color to match the alert they are calling? There are tables all over the place, and couches in a circle in the middle of the room. This room is huge; it's as big as the cafeteria at my old school, maybe even bigger! One of the walls has a bunch of pictures on it; Poppa says that they are pictures of all of my new family. There has to be a couple of hundred pictures up there; I hope I don't have to remember them all! Later today we get to put our pictures up there too; I guess that means that they really want us.
I think I'm going to like having Pop and Poppa. It was weird at first hearing that we would have big kids as parents. The adults don't talk to them like kids though; actually the adults have not treated anyone like kids are supposed to be treated yet. It was nice last night though; I didn't worry about them doing stuff to us since they are not adults. I think I slept better than I've ever slept. I'm glad we don't have a mom anymore though; I don't trust moms after what ours did to us. I've still got Jimmy and he's safe now; that's all I care about. Just a minute; Pop wants us to do something.
Okay, I'm back. Pop took us to one of the computers. He had us put our hand on a screen then look into a little box. A gold necklace came out of a slot for each of us; he put them on us then gave us a hug. He says that now we are 'registered' in the computer. He then had us stand back and a couple of seconds later he gave us some cards. Poppa says they are 'Clan ID' cards, and that they identify us so that we have something called 'diplomatic immunity'. I guess I better see if we can find a place to talk to Pop and Poppa to see what this all means. I'm going to go; Grandma Helen wants me and Jimmy to help her with some cookies.
CIC:
Gabe watched as Helen escorted his sons to the kitchen. As soon as they were through the doorway, he turned and strode purposely to the uniform closet. When he emerged a minute later, CIC fell silent. Instead of his previous casual clothing, Gabe was now garbed in his Clan Dress Uniform. The uniform consisted of a black hooded robe, with the Clan crest on the left breast with a twin gold bar underneath to signify his rank. Gabe walked totally erect with an expressionless face towards the main communications console.
Gabe adjusted the console and a few seconds later a young lieutenant came on the screen. "Federation Security Headquarters, Lieutenant Crose. How may I direct your call?"
"Lieutenant Crose, I am Gabriel Michaels, acting head of Security of Clan Short of the family of Sarek of the house of Surak of the planet Vulcan. I require communication with the Terran head of security immediately."
Gabe watched patiently as the Lieutenant began to reply. Suddenly her face went white as she double-checked her display and realized where the call was coming from. "It will take a minute Sir; I must interrupt a meeting with Admiral Morrow."
"Relay this call into the Admiral's office Lieutenant. Admiral Morrow is cleared for this transmission."
"As you wish Sir." Lieutenant Crose replied, obviously shaken.
A few seconds later, the screen flickered. "Admiral Morrow's office; Captain Anderson. How may I be of assistance Mr. Michaels?"
Gabe nodded. "Captain Anderson. A formal protocol for internal security alert status notification to the federation has not been established. It is logical to inform you that our security has been heightened to maximum and possible militant actions could result. Please be informed our security team will soon be performing a forceful recovery following guidelines issued according to Vulcan Diplomatic laws. At this time we do not require assistance beyond that being provided by the Lafayette. Be informed that a radical group with interplanetary connections has performed actions which required multiple extractions of youth in the last twenty-four Terran hours. Any attempts at retribution by said group will be considered a declaration of war against Clan Short directly and the planet Vulcan by inference, and will be dealt with accordingly."
Captain Anderson stood there speechless. Admiral Morrow slid into view and asked "Mr. Michaels; did I just hear you correctly? May I ask why such an extreme response?"
"Certainly Admiral. The policies and actions of this group result in violation of 37.725 percent of the provisions of the Safe Haven Act. Due to their infiltration of Terran and other planetary governments it would be impractical for them to be dealt with through normal Federation procedures. In addition we have reason to believe that they have infiltrated Federation ranks and as such any actions performed by the Federation will have inherent security vulnerabilities."
A fleeting look of surprise crossed the Admiral's face before he stood up straight. "Mr. Michaels; please inform Patriarch Short that the resources of Starfleet are at his disposal. If I may, I would like to request that any information you locate regarding personnel which are members of this organization be directed to my office for personal action to nullify their effect on your operations."
"I concur with the logic of your request Admiral and will ensure appropriate action will be taken. Patriarch Short will be informed of your offer. Good day Admiral, good day Captain."
Gabe closed the conversation and turned to Justy. "Justin, I require you to make an immediate report to Grandfather Sarek."
Justy was already half way to the closet when he replied "I'm on it Gabe!"
A minute later Justy came back out in a similar robe to Gabe's; the only difference between his robe and Gabe's was the addition of the Sarek family crest above the Clan crest. Justy approached the console and changed a few settings. "Vulcan Embassy, M'torok."
Justy replied in a flat voice. "I am Justin of the family of Sarek of the house of Surak. I require the advice of Grandfather Sarek."
M'torok nodded. "Acknowledged Justin. I will transfer you."
The screen shifted to Sarek sitting at his desk. "You requested my advice Grandson?"
"Yes Grandfather. A situation has developed with an organization known on Terra as the 'FCC'. This group has instigated policies and performed actions which violate 37.725 percent of the Federation Safe Haven Act. Due to this organization's infiltration of governmental and federation offices Gabriel has declared it a Clan matter and has claimed sole jurisdiction. The logical response of the FCC to the recent extractions we performed is some method of retribution according to their previous actions. We have determined that this agency is an interplanetary threat and Gabriel has expressed his opinion to Admiral Morrow that such retribution would be considered an act of war."
Sarek crossed his hands in front of him as he considered Justy's statement. After three minutes, he gave his reply. "I infer from your description of this organization that diplomatic means would fail. Under Vulcan law suitable retribution for attacks on a Vulcan Clan fall under the Terran definition of 'War'. I shall inform the Federation Council that this has become a family matter and shall be handled accordingly. This situation will require modifications to my original plan for suitable transportation; I shall explore more suitable options immediately. Gabriel has formed logical conclusions based on available data."
"Acknowledged Grandfather." Justy replied. "May we proceed to prepare for the expected retribution?"
"That would be logical. Proceed."
Justy nodded and the connection closed. He turned to Alec and Gabe. "I think phaser training needs to be stepped up; if it fits in their hand they need to know how to use one. When Cory checks in I'll fill him in; anything else let's just do it."
Alec looked at Gabe then replied "I agree Jus; we need to get ready. Gabe, you're senior officer here; you taking charge?"
Gabe nodded. "Yep; you guys get your areas up to speed. I'm gonna figure out how we can cover our butts. If you need anything let me know, okay?"
Justy and Alec both nodded as they rushed to opposite sides of the room to start preparations. Gabe walked over to where Nyo and the rest of his group were sitting. "I hate to say this guys, but things are gonna get rough pretty soon. Nyo; those necklaces I gave my boys are something new we've set up. They have a specially encrypted tracking device in them using Vulcan technology. Do you guys have any way to track them without using Federation equipment?"
"Federation equipment is inadequate for tracking anything to begin with," replied Nyo. "Give me just a second. Ark have you been listening?"
Nyo heard Ark's reply over his sub-vocal connection.
"We can track any of your people that are wearing your tracking devices. Anyone that later has a Phasenmorph will be tracked by default and wouldn't need a tracking device," Nyo said to Gabe.
Gabe nodded. "That would be a great help; but how can we communicate with Ark if you guys are not here?"
"There isn't a way that your computers could be set up to communicate with Ark," said Nyo. "No computer that you guys have can support the right frequency. I could use one of our handhelds and if you give me a permanent place to put it I'll integrate it with one of your consoles. I'll have to tweak the interface though so you know what it says and later we will come up with something more permanent. However, if you ask Ark a question about technology it will inform me before even thinking about answering your question. There are certain types of tech that you guys can't have. Anything else you want to ask it to help you with is fair game."
Gabe relaxed some. "Thanks Nyo; that will work. You do realize you're taking all of the fun out of it though! How much access will Ark have to our internal systems? Does it understand Vulcan tech?"
"If Ark wanted to it could access all of your internal systems right now with or without your permission," replied Nyo. "It archives ALL human history so it has the right to do so from its point of view. And as to Vulcan tech if it wanted to interface with your systems it wouldn't have a problem understanding anything. Hell it could probably speak Vulcan better then you guys could and it can write Vulcan software if it really wanted to; even if it's an inferior programming language."
Gabe slipped into Vulcan as he replied. "It would be illogical to deny access to an entity designed to chronicle humanity. The logical action shall be to activate a suitable interface to provide full access to all available information provided by our interplanetary interface. Such access will provide Ark with the data required to verify our actions are in accordance with the directives of our family structure."
Nyo nodded, "That's fine, Ark'll be happy with that. Oh and no big deal or anything but just so you know though the rest of my guys don't know Vulcan yet; which now Ark will have to translate for them so they understand. And if I didn't know Vulcan I would have just thrown a language I know you don't know back at you just to get my point across. I never said I could speak Vulcan, I said Ark could."
Gabe blushed. "Sorry guys; I'm just used to all of us here knowing multiple languages. I just kinda slip into Vulcan when I'm thinking logically. Basically what I said was that it would be illogical not to let Ark have full access to everything we have access to since Ark is responsible for archiving everything we do anyways. Nyo, you might want to get with Xain to get the full list of languages we all know; that way none of your guys get left out of a conversation."
"That's okay," Tyne said from the other side of the couch. "I'm sure we'll learn it sooner or later. I'll have to finish grasping English first though; you guys still use a few words that I don't have matches for in my language."
"Ark will make sure that all of my guys learn what they need to know later," said Nyo. "We didn't have time before to teach anyone else any other languages. I know most of what all of you can speak, at least all that's documented anyway."
"Cool!" exclaimed Dmitry. "I wanna learn Vulcan!"
"Yeah then he'll be embarrassing people in more then the three languages he already knows," mumbled Dominic.
"I know a forth one," Dmitry said with an evil grin as he started wiggling around on Dominic's lap.
Dominic's eyes got really big, "Stop that!"
Xain had joined the group after hearing his name mentioned. "Tyne, I understand your confusion with segments of the English language. Especially difficult is the Mississippi variation spoken by my brother Thomas. I believe you posses all the required information to understand our full library of languages from your previous inspection of my brother's memories. You will find that not only the oral and written skills are present, but also the associations to assure understanding of the words. I believe this will help your understanding of the natural spoken languages present here immensely. Is it possible for you to present that information to Ark for the enlightenment of your brothers?"
"The next time I'm in the Interactive Integration Module I'll pass it along," replied Tyne. "But having the information and understanding its actual meaning are two different things for me. Ark would probably understand everything that's in my head as far as language goes; it probably already knows it. But there isn't a translation for words like 'Dude' in Founder so I can't wrap my head around it's meaning regardless of whatever I know; it doesn't help that you guys don't even know its actual meaning you just use it in reference to something. It just loses its meaning on me if that makes any sense."
"I understand. I had the same difficulty at first with Eagle." Xain replied. "It is especially bad with a southern drawl when used by Thomas."
"Back when I was younger we didn't have a problem with multiple languages, there was only one," said Tyne. "It'll take time to get use to this."
"If ya don't understand something Tyne you can try asking either of those cute boys sitting with you," giggled Dmitry. "They might know how to explain the meaning they are using for certain words."
"Here we go with that word again," sighed Dominic. "Cute."
Rusty giggled. "I ain't cute! Dmitry, Dominic, Nyo, Stepan; y'all are cute. Now Tyne here is beyond cute, awesome don't even touch how good he looks!"
Matty twisted around. "Uh huh! Tyne is pwetty!"
Tyne turned a deep red and tried to hide behind the puppy in his lap, "Dominic, your partner needs to keep words like that to himself."
"Yeah tell him that," grinned Dominic. "He causes waves of destru..."
Dmitry wiggled around on Dominic's lap again causing Dominic to stop talking completely.
Rusty giggled as he wrapped an arm around Tyne and whispered in his ear "You ARE really cute Tyne!" To seal his statement, he shifted his head and gave Tyne a quick kiss on the nearest seriously blushing cheek.
Travis had been watching the events and walked up behind Gabe, putting his arms around Gabe's waist. "What's up babe; besides Dominic that is? Dmitry is worse than Timmy!"
Gabe giggled. "Chill babe; save it for the shower! We're just ironing out a few details that will make things easier for them and us."
An evil smile began to creep across Dmitry's face after this comment. Dominic instantly noticed, "NO! Don't even think there! I mean don't go about it! I mean...just quit while you're ahead DT!"
"Aren't you glad I'm the quiet one?" Stepan whispered into Nyo's ear.
Nyo grinned, "More then you'll ever know."
"It's been a long time since anyone has said something like that to me, thank you," Tyne said to Rusty as he reached a darker shade of red but then he whispered. "Beurt te arye pariter, neque vendo iourryself brevis."
Rusty smiled. "I don't know what you just said," he whispered back, "but it sounded sweet. You think you can teach me to talk like that?"
"I umm...yeah I can teach you Founder," Tyne replied quietly. "I-I-I said you...I can't believe I'm saying this...I said you are too and to not sell yourself short."
Rusty blushed. "Aww ... thanks. ummm, you don't.. I mean ... well ... I kinda ... ummm ... like you and ... well ... umm ... you ain't gotta ... do you have a boyfriend?"
Tyne looked down at the puppy in his lap with a sad expression and thought for a moment. Then in a voice just loud enough for Rusty to hear he replied, "No one's asked me that in a long time. Once...I had a Socius, which I suppose the closest thing you have to describe it would be 'permanent bonded companion'. His name was Cyna, he was a Ciryaftery, a Crafter, and he had a kind soul; he was taken from me when we were thirteen. He was slain and I was left to mourn his death and hold onto the cold memories that I still had. I never took another Socius after that, which upset my father to no end; I would just talk to my lost Socius refusing to let go. Normally I would say that yes I do have a boyfriend in the sense in which you are asking, but Cyna is lost to me and he told me that I can't hold onto nothing forever...and he's right. So in that sense...no I don't have a boyfriend." Tyne looked back up at Rusty, "I'm solum, I'm alone."
Sensing the emotions of the moment, Matty picked up his puppy and shifted to the far side of Tyne's lap to give Rusty room. He lifted Tyne's arm and placed it around him while snuggling into Tyne's chest. Rusty lifted Tyne's chin and looked into his pain-filled eyes. "You don't have to let him go; you just need to make room for someone else to share your heart with him. If you'll let me I would be honored to share your heart with him. He must have been special to deserve you; I would never want to see someone take that away from you."
"Cyna would probably like it better that way. He had a lot of patience when it came to me actually," Tyne replied with a soft smile. "I've kinda got a stubborn streak in me." Tyne paused for a moment then in an even softer voice he added, "I'll have to let you meet him though, I need his approval."
Rusty cuddled under Tyne's free arm and leaned his face to place a quick kiss on Tyne's lips. "I can't wait to meet him. I hope he approves of me; I bet between the two of us we can help with that stubborn streak you have."
Dominic smiled as he watched Tyne blush again, "They sure do move fast around here."
"Yeah any faster and they'd be..." Dmitry started to say.
"What did I just say a few minutes ago!" interrupted Dominic.
"You're no fun!" grinned Dmitry.
Nyo gave Tyne a confused look, "Umm Tyne how are you going to have him meet Cyna?"
"Core memory module 572," replied Tyne.
Nyo's eyes got really big, "He's stored in Ark?! That means he's been there for over sixty thousand years!"
"He chose to stay there," said Tyne. "He knew I'd wake up again."
"Wow, he's OLD!" Matty giggled. He then became serious. "Tyne, you pwomise to take cawe of big Wusty fow me when I go back to my mommy?"
"Incumbo mei vita itaque mei veneratio e promitto Te," Tyne said seriously before remembering that Matty didn't know Founder. He then repeated it in English, "On my life and my honor I promise you."
Matty cuddled back into Tyne's side. "Thank you."
Gabe smiled as he watched the hopefully new couple relax. "Now that's the greatest thing I've seen all day." He was about to turn back to talk to Nyo when he heard Dmitry.
"So which one do ya think is cuter?" Dmitry whispered. "The red head is definitely cute, but Tyne's eyes might make them about even."
Gabe giggled. 'Hey Dmitry; those are your brothers that you are talking about! I'm sure they'd help hold you so that your partner can spank you for having roving eyes with family!"
"What ever happened to 'incest is best'?" Dmitry asked with a giggle. "Spanking sounds kinda kinky, but I have a boyfriend already Gabe and it sounds like you have more in mind then even I could think of."
"Oh God," said Dominic as he hid his face. "I'll give you a ten for effort Gabe."
Gabe thought for a second then spoke seriously. "Dominic; I'm not trying to intrude on your relationship, but would you mind if I was to share some history with Dmitry so he can see where I was coming from with that?"
"Okay," Dominic said carefully. "Go ahead."
Gabe turned to Nyo. "Nyo; you've said Ark is listening. How much of the Clan member's history is readily available; and if I asked about a certain record could it pass the info to Dmitry?"
"Yeah Ark's records are detailed enough it could probably tell you how many times you're farted in the last twelve years of your life," grinned Nyo. "But it can only verbally relay information to Dmitry."
Gabe giggled. "A full data dump would be funny; but I think Dmitry wants to sleep tonight! Would Ark be able to sort out the important events in Travis' and my relationship to show Dmitry how faithfulness and support can bring a couple through even the worst times? If Dominic wants to hear what Dmitry is hearing I don't mind."
Dmitry frowned and then whispered something to Dominic in Russian. Dominic looked almost upset at what Dmitry had said but before he could say anything Dmitry got up, gave Gabe a very cold glare, and then walked right out of the room.
"Dominic, what's going on?" Nyo asked carefully.
"Gabe you're the only person I think DT's ever said anything mean about other then a very dead doctor," whispered Dominic as he got up from the couch. "Not very much upsets him but you just made him feel lower then dirt by saying that. That makes him feel that he's somehow been unfaithful or unsupportive and coming from someone that he trusts it hurts. I'll be back in a few minutes."
As Dominic started towards the door Stepan spoke up, "Dominic, what did Dmitry say?"
Dominic shook his head as he continued out the door, "I won't repeat it. If you want to know ask Ark."
Dominic was still in the doorway when Travis growled loud enough for everyone, including Dominic, to hear. "Gabriel Mark Michaels. I hereby relieve you of duty until such time as it is agreed you are fit for service by all Clan members present. That is the most insensitive and stupid thing you have ever done; not only to Dmitry and Dominic but to me as well. You are confined to the Rec Room until such time as all injured parties are present; at that time a Clan meeting will be held to discuss your screw up. Plan on sitting a while; Dmitry ain't the only one pissed off." He then turned to Nyo. "You guys are Clan now too and have equal voice in the meeting. I would really like it for you to join us when the time comes, brothers."
"Okay," replied Nyo as he watched Stepan silently have a conversation with Ark.
A few seconds later Stepan sighed and turned his attention to Travis, "Thank you Travis, we would be honored."
Nyo gave Stepan a questioning look as if saying, "Well?"
"I'm with Dominic, I won't repeat it," Stepan said. "Although I didn't even know Dmitry knew that word."
"Maybe it's best that I not know then," mumbled Nyo quietly.
"You guys have more drama then the Founder Council on a new year review," giggled Tyne.
"Just wait; you ain't met Timmy and Ricky yet!" Rusty giggled.
"No shit!" Travis replied. "I'm gonna go try to explain to my sons what's about to happen; do you mind filling these guys in Rusty?"
"I got your back bro; your Mom might be able to help ya." Rusty said with a smile.
"Fors fortiscum Te," Tyne said to Travis. "Luck be with you."
"Thanks big bro; I think I'll need it." Travis replied as he turned to head to the kitchen and his sons. As he was walking away, Alec and Justy came over.
"Tyne?" Alec asked. "Would you have any problems with filling in as Head of Security? You're more qualified than anyone else here right now."
"Umm, yeah I suppose I could if you want me to," Tyne said in shock. "I'm not very familiar with your protocols though."
"Neither are they." Rusty giggled. "Just wing it; if Aaron can sound convincing anyone can!"
Justy shook his head. "Be glad you've got your attack munchkin there Rusty; otherwise you'd be going swimming! You do have a point about Airhead though!"
Matty did a fair imitation of a dog growling before breaking into giggles. Wusty 'yipped' before reaching up and giving Matty, Rusty, and Tyne all a sloppy kiss.
"You sure he doesn't want to eat us?" Tyne asked between licks. "I swear he's trying to digest us!"
"Relax cutie; that's just his way of showing he likes us since none of us speak dog ... yet." Rusty replied with a giggle just before he became Wusty's next victim.
Tyne smiled, "Somehow when you say 'yet' it scares me."
Travis came to a sudden stop as soon as he entered the kitchen. Despite his mood, a smile crept across his face at the sight before him. Helen was obviously in the midst of teaching 'how to be a kid 101'; both boys had a few random spots of flour on them and chocolate rings around their mouths. The small smiles on their faces as they intently spooned cookie dough onto a pair of cookie sheets showed that they were actually beginning to enjoy themselves.
Travis snuck around the edge of the kitchen to give his Mom a hug, and was just about to Helen when Jimmy caught sight of him and said in a terrified voice "Poppa! We're sorry Poppa; we didn't mean to get dirty! Please don't hit us!"
Travis suddenly was overcome with flashbacks of his previous father. The tone of Jimmy's voice, the look of terror is his eyes, and the words which had escaped from Travis's mouth on many an occasion all triggered him to relive all that he had been suppressing. "You are not in trouble angel ..." Travis managed to say in a pained voice before collapsing on the floor in tears.
Helen dropped to her knees and looked into Travis's eyes. "Oh Heaven help me!" she muttered as she saw the look in Travis's eyes; a sheer terror which she had not seen since the first day Travis had entered her life. "Davey, Jimmy; I need you guys to be really calm. Your Poppa needs some help; he's having a memory flashback I think. Davey, go find your Pop and tell him we need him here right now. Jimmy, go get Xain; he might be able to help too. Both of you come right back; the best thing you can do for your Poppa is be here giving him hugs."
Both boys nodded and tore out of the kitchen like their butts were on fire. Within a minute, both were back with not only the requested people, but half of the Clan members present too.
Matty squeezed his way through the crowd, Wusty hot on his tail. Wusty ran ahead and sniffed Travis's hand; after a second he turned his head and whimpered at Matty. Matty got a puzzled look on his face for a minute; then suddenly ran forward, grabbed both Jimmy and Davey's hands, and announced "Twav needs cuddles!" as he pulled both boys with him.
The boys gingerly touched Travis's arm as they proceeded to kneel beside him. Travis looked up for a second; a spark of recognition crossed his face and he pulled both boys tightly against his chest.
Matty smiled in satisfaction then turned to where Gabe was standing there looking lost. The smile suddenly vanished as Matty growled "Don't huwt him;" the tone of his voice making it quite clear that Gabe would not like the consequences.
Gabe looked at Matty in shock, then realization dawned on his face. He moved towards Travis as he replied softly "I won't now little one; somehow I forgot what I used to do whenever this happened. I won't forget again; I guess I thought all of it was behind us. Thank you Matty." Gabe knelt down and embraced Trav and the boys as one. He whispered the lines he had said more times than he cared to admit. "Trav, baby, c'mon. You didn't do nothing wrong cutie; I still love you no matter what. Don't let him beat you baby, you are better than him. Remember what Dad told you? It don't matter what he says and does to you; you are a great person who is loved by a lot of people, me especially." Gabe fell silent as he showed his love physically instead of verbally, silent tears rolling down his face.
Forty-five minutes later:
Almost everyone was gathered in the Rec room; the seriousness of what was about to happen apparent in the lack of the boy's normal banter. Xain entered with Dmitry and Dominic at his side, stopping just inside the doorway. "Dmitry, Dominic; as the injured individuals you have the right to be positioned directly in front of Gabriel adjacent to Travis and his sons. Experience has proven that this location is most beneficial to the resolution of grievances; however the choice to assume that location is entirely yours."
"Is this really needed," Dmitry said softly. "Just because there's a problem between me and one other clan member does that really mean that we have to call a meeting over it?"
Alec had just joined them and motioned to Xain to let him reply. "Dmitry, I think I can explain it better than Xain for once. This method was set up when the Clan started growing as a way to help all of us learn. It's not really to put Gabe on trial; it's more of a way for everyone to learn from each other's mistakes. The first time it was really used Cory and Sean had a fight in the wrong place at the wrong time. All of us learned from their mistake by watching them as they worked out the problem. The same thing will happen here between Travis and Gabe; Travis was hurt too by what Gabe did. You have the chance to teach the rest of us what it does to someone when assumptions are made. It's your choice to participate and how much you say; but anything you do decide to say will not be held against you by anyone."
"But how serious you take something like this and it's relevance to others depends on your point of view," Dmitry said carefully. "Sure I was hurt by what was said but then there isn't any way that Gabe could have known how me and Dominic's relationship is structured. What I consider normal for me and Dom is probably not what any of you consider normal for each other. It's like dealing with someone from another planet where traditions and customs are different; while common courtesy is suggested what someone sees as common isn't always the same."
"And you say I'm the smart one," muttered Dominic.
Alec smiled. "That is exactly why we do it this way, Dmitry. Even if you don't want to participate directly, I would feel honored if you would repeat what you just said to everyone; considering the fact that Cory has made arrangements that will probably mean contact with other planets it would be a good thing for everyone to think about."
"You mean you guys haven't covered dealing with other cultures before?" said Dominic. "That's a rather large oversight don't you think?"
Dmitry poked Dominic in the side and added, "And he means that in the best possible way."
"Oh sorry," said Dominic. "I just expected a Vulcan Clan to already know what DT just said. Aren't Vulcans well known for going out of their way to understand others?"
"We're still learning Dominic." Alec replied with a smile. "You might say it's a crash course. In a way it helps though; we deal with everyone like they are one of us instead of the 'proper' protocols that adults use. Xain is working with us and teaching us what he was taught in his Vulcan courses; but there are still holes in that training since he never completed it."
"Right, we can cover diplomacy later though. The reason that I was upset by what Gabe said to me wasn't because he neglected to observe cultural differences," said Dmitry. "What upset me was that although he meant well he said something that made me feel like I was neglecting the person I love. What he didn't realize though was that we already have certain things in our relationship well covered. I'll admit that we need help with some things when we finally get to them but what he addressed is something that me and Dom already talked about. It hurt my feelings more though to think that I would have given the impression to others that I was hurting Dom by my actions when I know that I wasn't. But even if I wasn't giving that impression it's still my relationship with Dom not his and if he really thought it was a problem then he should have caught me alone and asked about it rather then making an assumption."
"I agree Dmitry." Alec replied. "I would be upset in your position too. Do you think that Jimmy and Davey understand why not to do things like that though? What you just said is what I hope comes out of this; that everyone here learns to ask first before jumping to conclusions and doing something which hurts another's feelings. Also asking someone before divulging personal information; that one set Travis off big time."
"Well has anyone explained the situation to Jimmy or Davey?" asked Dominic. "They won't even begin to understand any of this if they don't understand the reasons behind it."
Alec nodded. "Travis was going to; but he had a meltdown just before he had a chance to do it. Gabe explained it instead once Travis had recovered some and went off with Helen for some private mother-son time. By the time Gabe was done explaining it, the boys seemed anxious to see how it works."
"Okay then what's missing?" said Dominic. "I suppose everyone has their own version of what's right and wrong - me, Dmitry, and Stepan found that out first hand - but don't you think that something like this is self explanatory? Regardless of what others see as right and wrong everyone has things that they would rather keep to themselves. For example me and Dmitry keep most things about our relationship to ourselves. But to avoid a sense of loss to the person or persons involved they would rather divulge their own secrets themselves or be asked by someone that they trust first if it's okay for them to tell others."
Xain raised his eyebrows then added his opinion. "Dominic, your logic is sound. The greater purpose of the tribunal is not punishment; it is a presentation of the thought processes and primitive emotional responses of both sides of the altercation to educate the present Clan members on logical recourse to prevent a reoccurrence not only within the Clan but while dealing with persons not of our family."
"Xain's right," said Nyo. "You're right too though Dominic, but look around. Everyone in this room is still pretty young and they're still learning. Not everyone will come to the same conclusion as you have because maybe they've never come across something like this before or never have had someone care enough about them to let them know that something like what happened isn't proper. But by them sharing with each other what they know and what they learn about their own mistakes it not only works for the benefit of the Clan but later might benefit entire societies because they know how not to act; which can avoid misunderstandings."
"I suppose that makes sense," said Dominic.
Dmitry giggled, "Yeah you just know already because..."
"I love you too DT," Dominic said before Dmitry could finish. Dmitry grinned and pulled Dominic into a tight hug.
"Note to self, if I want to shut Dmitry up just have Dominic tell him that he loves him," whispered Tyne.
"I was thinking the same thing, cutie." Rusty giggled back. "Can we go find a seat? It's been almost an hour since we cuddled last and I'm going into withdrawals."
Tyne smiled as he started to turn a deep red, "Okay, we can find somewhere to sit and fix that problem, can't have you going into withdrawals."
Alec heard just enough to turn serious. "Rusty? Did I just hear withdrawals? When is the last time you checked your sugar?"
Rusty looked at the time on his communicator. "Oh shit; I needed to do it 30 minutes ago! I'll be right back; you can come if you want Tyne."
Dmitry got an evil grin, "I didn't think that could be done on command."
"Yeah I need to find other ways to keep you quiet," said Dominic. "Sorry Tyne."
"Really?" said Dmitry allowing the grin to turn into a full evil smile.
"Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut," mumbled Dominic.
"What do you mean by check your sugar?" Tyne asked. "Do you mean blood sugar?"
Rusty saw Tyne's confused look. "Yeah; I'll explain it to ya on the way to get my tester. Dominic; try making him blush! It works for Sean!" Rusty took Tyne's hand in his and headed towards the door to head out to Teri's house.
"My mind doesn't work like his but I'll try," replied Dominic.
"Comments about his constant tent pole always work!" Rusty giggled over his shoulder as him and Tyne headed outside.
Dmitry blushed and shouted after them, "Hey! No fair!"
Rusty squeezed Dominic's hand as they started across the grass to Teri's place. "Thanks for joining me. Did they have diabetes before you went to sleep?"
"Diabetes?" said Tyne. "I'm not familiar with it, so probably not. What is it?"
"Pretty much it means my body can't process sugar right. I have to take insulin because my body don't make enough. Ark might be able to explain it better though; I know 'Tonio can explain it better than me."
"Oh wow," replied Tyne. "Is there a cure for it or is it something that you have to keep on top of for the rest of your life?"
Ark told Tyne through the sub-vocal.
"Oh just a second," said Tyne. "Go ahead Ark, I'd like that."
"Did you say coma or death without insulin?!" Tyne said frantically. "What re-sequence would fix it?"
"Get me that info on my handheld. I want to know everything you have on that Ark, pros, cons, all of it," Tyne said as he turned all of his attention back to Rusty. "Rusty how far are we going? I don't want something to happen to you if we have to go too far."
"Just over there." Rusty replied. "Aunt Teri keeps a test kit there for me for when I visit. As long as I don't miss a shot I'm usually okay; I just need to be really careful if I'm really active and I still need to watch what I eat and drink a lot."
<Tyne, Teri is not at home at the moment. The Clan doctor is available though, will that be sufficient?>
"Not home? Yes, of course the Clan doctor will do, please just get us there!" replied Tyne.
Before Rusty could even try to calm Tyne down, he found himself still in Tyne's arms standing in front of a very shocked Doc Austin.
"What in the ... HOW did you do that!!!?" Doc exclaimed.
Rusty giggled. "I think Tyne's kinda worried 'cuz I'm a little late checking my sugar. Oh, Tyne, this is Doc Austin; he's Gabe's dad. Doc this is Tyne; besides being cute he's a friend of the Double D's."
Tyne blushed a little but was too worried about Rusty to worry about anything else, "It's nice to meet you doctor, could you please perform the necessary test and administer the insulin before anything happens to him."
Doc Austin glanced into Tyne's eyes to see if his hunch was right. Once he recovered from the fact that they were purple, he realized his suspicions were quite possibly true. "I've got a better idea; why don't you do it with me telling you how and what to do if the readings are off. Maybe that way I won't have to worry about having the shit scared out of me every four hours!"
"That'll take more time," said Tyne. "If you can promise me that teaching me what to do won't put Rusty in any danger then I'll agree, if you can't then it'll have to wait."
Doc Austin smiled. "Considering the current situation and the fact that Helen is in the kitchen over there I'm willing to bet that he's well within safe limits. If he'd missed a shot I'd be worried; but knowing that imp in your arms, he would have said so when you sprang out of the floor. He'll be safe; and this way you'll be able to take part in keeping him that way."
Tyne relaxed a little but didn't set Rusty down, "That would be great then doctor. Oh and from what I've heard about this Clan I can't see how you wouldn't be used to kids just springing out of the floor or the air or anywhere else."
Doc guided the boys over to a nearby chair. "Ahhh, a budding smart-alec. You must be shooting for a position in Security or Intelligence! Have you ever used a tricorder?" Doc asked as he handed a tricorder to Tyne.
"I'm not shooting for it, I already am in security; I'm Head of Security for the Ark Compound," grinned Tyne. "And no I don't know how to use a tricorder; I can't say I know what a tricorder is to be honest."
"You're holding one cutie!" Rusty whispered in Tyne's ear before taking an experimental light nibble on the earlobe.
"Oh," said Tyne as he sighed contently. "What is it used for?"
Doc shook his head as he replied "It scans the subject's body and gives you a status report. The one you need to be concerned about is blood sugar; obviously Rusty's heart rate is going to be elevated with you nearby. If you want to find out if anything else is elevated use your hands; the tricorder won't tell you that. Watch closely and I'll show you how to access the features you'll need."
Tyne blushed but then replied, "I hope you mean the features of the tricorder doctor; I think between myself and Rusty we can figure out the non-tricorder functions."
"Uh huh!!!" Rusty inserted as he nodded his head rapidly.
"I'm sure you can." Doc chuckled. "Here's what you need to do; I'll give you notes on the normal readings for Rusty." He then ran through the test and had Tyne repeat it to make sure he understood.
"You know back in the time of the Founders we didn't need devices like this," said Tyne. "Okay, so now that I have these readings what do they mean exactly?"
"What you need to look at is the serum glucose level. It is expressed as millimoles per liter, abbreviated mmol/l. Normally you want to see readings of between 4 to 7 mmol/l before meals. About 90 minutes after a meal it needs to be less than 10 mmol/l and at bedtime you want it to be between 7 to 10 mmol/l. Anything less than 4 mmol/l and he is at risk for hypoglycemia and needs a glucose tablet; at 20 mmol/l he has diabetic acidosis and you need to follow the tricorder's instructions exactly for giving him extra insulin."
Tyne nodded and then stared of into space for a second before replying, "Okay, I've got that memorized now. Just had to run that through the past part of my mind a few hundred times first. Thank you for being exact, what's next?"
"Are you possibly a long-lost brother to Kyle? He likes pulling memorizing stunts too." Doc chuckled. "I'll show you how to use the hypo with saline solution; Rusty can keep to his normal shot schedule since his reading was normal for this time of the day. Rusty is able to administer the doses himself; but I'm sure he'll let you 'help' since there are some recommended areas it is more comfortable if someone else does it." Doc then proceeded to run Tyne through the paces of using a hypo and warned him about the possible effects of making common errors.
"Thank you for your help doctor," Tyne said when Doc Austin was finished. Tyne then turned back to Rusty, "Are you okay now?"
Rusty gave Tyne a sweet smile then kissed him briefly on the lips. "I'm just fine as long as you're watching over me. I guess we better go see how the rest of the guys are doing though."
Tyne smiled, "You want to walk or spring out of the ground again?"
Rusty giggled. "Let's pop up right in the middle of all of them; that was fun! Thanks Doc; I know cutie here can help me now!"
Doc Austin shook his head. "Take care guys; if you need anything or have any questions let me know. Tyne, it was nice meeting you; I'll probably see you around."
"Will do, thanks again doctor," said Tyne as he picked Rusty up again. "Okay Rusty, hang on."
Ark said to Tyne over the sub-vocal.
"What's your point Ark?" Tyne replied with a grin. "Teleport us please."
Ark said and suddenly both boys vanished.
Notes:
Information on blood sugar levels provided by http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/diabetesbloodsugar.htm
© Copyright 1998-2006 NetDoctor.co.uk - All rights reserved
NetDoctor.co.uk is a registered trademark