This story contains homoerotic situations and descriptions. It also contains violence. The violence, and sexual material, for that matter, are not gratuitous. They are part of the story. If this is illegal where you reside, or you are not of legal age, read no further! Otherwise, enjoy. All work remains the property of the owner, and is printed on this web site, and its authorized mirrors/affiliates by permission of the author. Any other printing, distribution, etc. is prohibited.
My thanks to Ed for his time & effort in editing! It is greatly appreciated.
I would also like to thank my sister for her love and support. Justin's family is modeled on her and her children, who I can't wait to see this Christmas (in North Carolina)! The in-jokein my family is that the only time my sister and I get together is at someone's funeral. My sister and her son Tyler (who was one at the time) flew out for my mom's funeral. Six months later, my sister flew out alone for my dad's funeral. I haven't seen my nephew in two years, and I have yet to meet my beautiful niece (who is now one). In thinking of the shape of this chapter, I decided to introduce some family, and after talking to my sister, decided to use her and her family as a template. I don't want to be misleading here, Justin's family in this chapter are only based on my sister and her family. They are not exact matches! This is a work of fiction, and I do not want anyone to assume the worst.
This is dedicated to April, Charlie, Tyler, and Kalianne. My heart and love to my family. I can't wait to see them...this time on a happy occasion!
The Wreckers - Chapter 5 - The Road to Hell...
For some reason, the elevator ride made Justin's head swim. For a moment, he felt disoriented, but the world quickly slid back into shape. Maybe it was just the close confines of the elevator which doubled as a closet. It was crammed with 6 people in it. He could feel the excitement of the two behind him, Jason and Curtis. Next to them stood an unidentified enlisted man, obviously a guard. Henry Sells' powerful frame filled the elevator on Justin's right, while Alan Mills stood at his left.
"...the three of you are the only unassigned graduates we have left to deploy. Major Mills will provide relay support for messages to the command center, but he will be too far away to provide close support. For the duration of the mission, you, Lieutenant Ackeman, will have immediate command authority. The Parkers will provide close support and will be under your command."
'Damn, then we can't order him to..' began a mind voice from behind.
'Enough, you two, don't make me call you down in public,' broke in Henry.
As the elevator reached the top, a disguised farm house, the door opened and five of them got out. As the guard made to follow, Henry ordered him back in. When the guard tried to protest he had orders from Colonel Burns, Henry pulled rank and ordered the guard back in.
They walked out of the house, past the young couple posing as farmers, man and wife. Outside, an electric vehicle waited. Gesturing to Alan Mills, Henry broadcast his thoughts, 'Alan, you drive. I believe you know the way to Virginia Beach.'
As the five men piled into the vehicle (Alan and Henry in the front, Justin ended up scrunched between the twins, who had lascivious smiles on their faces. As soon as they were all in, Alan started the electric motor and drove the vehicle down the driveway and onto the main road. "No funny business back there, kids!" he shouted out as they hit the road. Since the twins had each chosen that moment to brush their knees against Justin's, he received murderous glares from two sets of identical eyes, while Justin obliviously stared at the back of Henry's head.
'Um, Henry?' Justin's thoughts snaked into the sudden quiet. When Henry turned around to look Justin in the eyes, he continued, 'I'm really sorry about what happened that day in the training room.'
Noticing the tears in his eyes, and having been briefed by Barry Kiles about the crush that Justin had been developing, he responded kindly, 'Jaz, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you were able to undo it, and at the chain of events that it set off. Ever since that happened, the brass really started to believe that we can make a difference if we were used right. Instead of having people who didn't know anything about what we can do issue orders, they decided to let me do it. You've been doing fine, and I'm just glad I've got you to watch over those two kids. This mission wouldn't work without you.'
"Speaking of which..." began Jason.
'Mind only, the vehicle is bugged and I don't want all the details known,' responded Henry.
'Ok, then. How about you tell me what our mission is, sir?' Justin thought back, still trying to sort out what Henry might think of him, and hoping for the best.
'Very well, we have two hours in this beast before we reach our destination. Once we're there, you three will be dropped off, and proceed on to your destination. I'm going to warn you now, this mission will not be easy, and we've already lost one person. Captain Corcoran died about one week ago, and we found his body four days ago. You are being assigned to finish his mission.
'Ever since the Event, communications have been going to hell. Most satcom no longer works, and many frequencies no longer work as well. This means that much of the communication has to be by landwire or by low power, low frequency radio or microwave. Therefore, the government has been setting up relay towers throughout the country. These relay towers are cheaper and more power efficient than trying to re-build the cable networks. In fact, we have only had to use them in remote areas that did not get a good fiber-optic backbone before the Event, or where that backbone was destroyed.
'These facilities are all over the backwoods areas, especially throughout the southern and western states. In West Virginia, we have several running through some fairly remote areas. In the last 2 months, 3 of the 6 in one area were destroyed by domestic terrorists.
'Command Authority believes that these were backwoods militia operations. There is a strong anti-federal sentiment in the area. Has been since the 1800's. It's grown more vocal and violent over the last year. Command requested a Psionic to go in and try to uncover the leadership of these groups, but they somehow found him out. Last week, they killed him.'
The vehicle suddenly swerved around a large pothole and Alan Mills grumbled under his breath about the conditions of the road. "Only the government has vehicles now, so road repair isn't a priority, Major," was Henry Sells' only verbal comment.
'Now, Captain Corcoran was a veteran of the anti-terrorist campaigns of the last few years, and one of the first Psionics to go through the program. He was a good mentalist, and pretty good in the area of Elementals. He was found tied and gagged, with a bullet through the back of his head.'
For once the twins were totally silent. Their eyes reflected the sense of horror about hearing the death of someone they had known, albeit briefly. They were even more scared when they realized that they would be going into the same place, on the same mission.
'Sir, um, Henry, why us?' Curtis thought for them both.
'It's not really you two that are the primary agents here. We don't expect you to do most of the work, just provide good back up for Jaz here. Together, the two of you are the best mentalists we have, with damn good range. You will act as a relay to Alan, and he to command. That way, if reinforcements are needed, we can know fast, without going through official channels. I also believe that the two of you will be able to monitor Jaz and prevent him from getting into too much trouble.
'As for you, Jaz, I don't think you've forgotten that you have family in West Virginia, do you?'
'April,' was the stunned thought. As the twins looked at him curiously, he explained,'My sister, April. And her kids - Tyler, Kali, and little Justin.' A great big smile lit up Justin's face with the name of the last, a smile like the twins had never seen him wear before.
'Exactly,' continued Henry. 'They live in a town near 2 of the relay stations that were destroyed. Now, Curtis, Jason, you will each be assigned to command a crew that will be re-building the two stations in the area. Jaz, you have been given a temporary field promotion to full Lieutenant, and assigned as commander of two squads detailed to provide security during the reconstruction process.'
'Me, command a security detachment?' asked a startled Justin.
As Alan snorted from the driver's seat, Henry gave Justin a weird look. 'Stop trying to be modest, Jaz. You were in the Gulf War, you have seen combat. I read 4 citations for bravery during the riots in Phoenix. Four times you handled very bad situations with a minimal loss of life, and no break in security. For the past year, you've been a watch lieutenant at one of the largest power production facilities in the nation, and have handled things very well there. Security is something you can do in your sleep, even without your new abilities.'
'However, the other part of your duties is what worries me. We need to find out who the leaders of these terrorist groups are, and eliminate them. The people in these backwoods are so tight, there's no way we could insert anyone into them unknown. We tried once and failed. So, we're going to try a different ploy. Your sister is married to a local, with 3 kids there. You've visited there a couple of times. You may not be a local, but you're as close to it as we will find.'
'But,' protested Justin,'they know I'm gay. Plus, I'll be in uniform, what makes you think I'll be able to find anything out?'
'I'm sure they won't say anything to you, Jaz,' explained a patient Henry, 'but they most likely will think of certain things around you. If you keep your mind open, and probe them gently, you can most certainly pick up on their thoughts without them knowing. Once you know who the leaders are, you contact one of the twins, they contact Alan, and Alan leads in a kill team.'
"Kill Team!" exclaimed the twins aloud.
'Yes, a kill team, and no verbalization!' Henry almost shouted. 'Ever since the Event, Command Authority has extended military justice to all terrorists, foreign or domestic. That means that if an officer of the Rank O-3 or higher, which Justin is now, finds someone guilty of terrorism, he can have them executed. In fact, not having them executed could result in a death sentence against the officer.'
The briefing continued for another hour. They learned they would be taking a coal-fired train to West Virginia. Their teams would be on the train by the time they got there. They would get to know their men on the trip, and hopefully Justin would be able to work out a good security program. There were also conventional weapons waiting for them, sidearms, at the train station. No one mentioned or asked where Alan would be stationed. But they knew it would be within range of the twins' call.
After an hour went by, Henry had wrapped up the briefing, and answered all the questions (mostly from Justin about terrain layouts, weaponry, fire support, experience of the troops he would command, etc.). The rest of the ride was made in near silence. As had happened before when he sat between them, Justin could hear the private thoughts the twins sent back and forth on their 'twin channel' as they called it. So far, Justin was the only one who could hear them, and he usually tried to tune it out since they usually talked about him when he was this close.
This time, they had something else on their mind (to Justin, it almost felt like they were two parts of one mind, not separate at all). 'I don't like this,' Jason mind-whispered to Curtis.
'Me neither,' responded his brother. 'Man, we're only 18! What makes them think that we can handle this?'
'We can handle the work crews, no problem, bro. It's the terrorist thing. I'm scared about them hurting Jaz and us not being able to do anything. I mean, what if we can't hear him mind-call for help?'
'Yeah, bro,' Curtis responded thoughtfully. 'Besides, what if his sis is involved? Could he do anything to her?'
'No,' Justin answered, on their private channel, finally letting them know that he could hear it (although he didn't want them to know it was only when he sat between them.)
Both of them jumped so hard, they nearly ripped the seat belts out of the bulkhead. At the questioning looks from the two men in front, the twins blurted in unison, "He goosed me!" As the two in front turned back around, shaking their heads, the twins switched back into their once private channel.
'How, how long have you heard me?' they thought, again in unison.
'Long enough to know that if you two ever get my pants down, I'm not going to be able to move for a year!'
'Um, that's one year for each of us, stud,' Jason thought, as both of their faces grew a very bright red.
'Don't worry too much, guys. I'll handle the security end of things, and if April is involved, I'll figure some way to handle that too. I want you guys to stay safe though. I've lost too many friends over the last ten years, I don't want to lose you either,' Justin commented again on their private channel.
'But, how will we know what to do? We don't know shit about construction or electronics,' Jason asked, almost whined.
'Easy. When we get there, probe the minds of the men under you. You will probably get enough info from them to handle things. As for the others, well, I'm not going to be able to reach you on this private mode. Anything we send will be in open mode unless you are nearby.
'That means that if there is anyone with our abilities who hasn't been trained, they might hear us. With my luck, and believe me on this, it could happen, it'd be a young kid who doesn't even know he's gay, much less psionic. He might go to his pa and talk about these strange voices, and unlucky us, his pa believes the kid. Maybe thinks it's God's way of warning him of the evil federalists. Next thing we know, I, or you, are dead. So, when we communicate, we'll use certain code phrases. -Code Green- means that I'm in trouble and need our security forces. You grab whatever men you can and head for me. -Code Blue- means that the trouble is too big to handle, and you call Alan and get his help. -Code Red- means that trouble is bad and immediate. Recall all troops, get Alan and bug out as fast as possible. No arguing on that one. Red means I'm all but dead and there's no hope of rescuing me. I can stand to die, I couldn't stand it if you two also died. Understood?'
Surprised at the firmness of his command, and at the concern for them, the twins could do nothing but acknowledge their assent.
The rest of the journey was made in silence. Justin, dealing with several issues at once, decided to try his mental technique of dealing with multiple problems. He'd been doing this since he was a teenager. He divided his mind into four tracks. Track 1 he used to deal with the problem of his job assignment, and how he would arrange the security forces. Track 2, he thought about his sister and her family. How would he approach her? What story would he give her about how he got to be here? Track 3 dealt with the twins, and how he could help them fit in with this assignment. Track 4 dealt with Henry, and his attraction to the man. For a while, his brain hummed along, thinking, analyzing, but not coming up with any answers.
At last they reached the edges of Virginia City. Henry verbally gave Alan directions to the train yard. The marine guards at the gate inspected their identification, the baggage in the back, and the undersides of the vehicle. After their inspection, they saluted Henry and opened the gates. Alan drove the vehicle through the yard until they reached a train with 15 cars. The coal-fired train was belching smoke and steam, obviously getting ready to move out. Two of the cars were passenger cars. The others were various types of cargo cars, full of vehicles, and the construction equipment for building the stations.
In front of the second vehicle, five men stood, waiting for them. They were all officers, with one slightly ahead of the others. As Alan brought the vehicle to a stop, and all five of the vehicle's occupants got out, the waiting officers snapped off a salute to Henry.
Returning the salute, Henry said, "At ease, gentlemen."
"Sir, security detachment Bravo Papa 32 is ready for deployment, as are construction units Charlie Alpha 3 and Charlie Alpha 4," volunteered the lead officer, who from the single bar and US Marines tag on his uniform, was a Marine Lieutenant (probably 1st Lieutenant).
"Good, Lieutenant..." Henry responded, leaving room for the man to supply his name.
"1st Lieutenant Michael Sneffer, sir! Executive Officer of Bravo Papa 32!" the man nearly shouted. "Behind me are 2nd Lieutenants Caster, Bowman, Collins, and Ensigns Ringman and Pastor. Caster and Bowman are US Marines, Collins, Ringman, and Pastor are Army Corps of Engineers and Navy Seabees."
"Good, gentlemen, let me introduce you to your respective commanding officers. The two gentlemen standing near the rear are 1st Lieutenants Jason and Curtis Parker, US Army. They will command Charlie Alpha 3 and 4 respectively. On my right is Lieutenant Justin Ackeman, US Navy. He will command Bravo Papa 32 and the overall mission. All of you end up reporting directly to him."
"Sir," intoned Sneffer, "are you sure about this? From the little that I was able to see of Mr. Ackeman's service record, he was enlisted until recently. Can he handle a command of this responsibility?"
"Son," Henry responded in a voice cold enough to frost the air (and Justin prayed Henry didn't let his elemental abilities do that!), "Lieutenant Ackeman has more experience when it comes to dealing with domestic terrorist activity than you could dream of. For the past year, he has commanded the security detachment at the nation's largest power production facility. He's perfectly suited for this job. As for the other two, they are both experts in construction and electronics. They will cut weeks off this job.
"I don't know who your last commanding officer was, son, but he obviously did not enforce discipline. I don't need to remind you that we are at WAR here. Any insubordination, and Lt. Ackeman can and will have you shot for insubordination. Is that clear?"
All five men snapped to attention and nearly shouted, "Yes, SIR!"
"Good. Mr. Ackeman, they are all yours. You may carry out your mission," Henry said to Justin, returning Justin's salute as he stepped back into the vehicle. Then, more privately, he wafted his thoughts out to the trio, 'Jaz, take care of them. Boys, take care of him. I want all three of you back.'
A pair of enlisted men, unnoticed by the officers, had already taken the baggage out of the vehicle and put it into the respective officer's quarters in the train. Seeing the back empty, Alan started the vehicle and prepared to drive away, his thoughts also reaching out 'Keep in touch, you two, and keep your head down, Jaz.' Then the vehicle took off, taking Henry and Alan with it.
As the vehicle sped out of view, Justin turned back to the five officers now under his command. They were relaxing, and Sneffer had his head tilted back, like someone had passed gas in front of him. Before the man could say a word, Justin pulled his own arms behind his back, grasping the left wrist with the right. Then, he started pacing in front of them. "Did anyone here say 'At ease'? I don't think so."
All five snapped to attention, as did the twins, even though they stood on the opposite side of the five. Justin thought rapidly about the problem, and how to gain control over this officer and his cohorts. Thinking back to his first, and best, commanding officer, Justin decided on a path to follow.
"Gentlemen," he began in a low voice, not designed to carry, "I do not appreciate your actions in front of the Colonel, or the men on the train who could probably hear you. I want to be very clear here. What I do not appreciate is the fact that you said it front of others. I am pleased that you did express your doubts.
"I am in command of this mission. When I give an order, it will be obeyed. Failure to do so immediately will result in punishment according to military law. However, if you have concerns, issues, or even doubts about my orders, I expect to hear it from you...in private. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Sir," was all that the chastised officers said.
As they responded, Justin sent a thought to the twins, 'Probe the construction people's minds while they are off-kilter. They will probably blame any headache on me chewing them out.'
As the two followed his direction, he laid out his plans for the train trip to West Virginia. Due to several stops along the way, they would take almost 24 hours to get to their destination. Once the train was under way (Yeah, a Navy term, but that was the way he thought), he would have a staff meeting with all Officers and NCO personnel (NCO is non-commissioned officers - sergeant, etc.). After that he would perform an inspection of all troops, and spend some time getting to know them. Finally, in the morning about an hour before their arrival, he would have another staff meeting with his officers to go over his final plans.
Once he, and the twins, were done, he directed Lt. Sneffer to lead them on to the train. When he entered the second car, someone yelled "Attention on Deck" and everyone snapped to attention. The car was full of senior NCO personnel. It appeared the junior enlisted personnel were all in the first car. As he met the eyes of the men in the car, Justin realized that his officer corps may be young, but it appeared he had some good veterans in the NCO department.
Sneffer led him past the men, towards some cabins in the rear. He could hear snippets of thought, and picked up the nickname for Sneffer. It was "Sniffer". From what he overheard, he gathered it was from the officer's habit of sniffing whenever in the company of enlisted men. Not at all a friendly nickname, or an endearing habit.
After Lt. Sneffer opened the door to the aftmost cabin, Justin got a pleasant surprise. It was fairly large, a bunk and desk in the aft end, a conference table with 6 chairs near the front. It looked big enough to hold a meeting in, which Justin decided he would do.
"Staff meeting will be in here, Lieutenant, 30 minutes following departure. Have the Master at Arms break out sidearms to all officers. Make sure he brings me 4 magazines. I don't like having less. Also, I want all troops to keep their weapons nearby during the trip. Once everyone's armed, inform the train master that we can get underway."
Once again, Lt. Sneffer's nose went into the air as he said, "Certainly, sir, if that is your orders. But, are you aware that Department of Transportation policies require all passengers aboard trains be unarmed? Security is the responsibility of the Transit Authority."
"Yes, Mr. Sneffer, I am aware of that policy. It specifically refers to travel by civilians, and soldiers transiting from duty station to duty station. It does not pertain to this situation, as you should well know. Federal Regulation 12643-A/Paragraph 3C states 'In transit to or from hostile areas, all military personnel shall maintain arms and readiness for combat operations'. That regulation supersedes Transit regulations." Now, Justin's voice grew as cold as Henry's had been, "Outside I invited you, and your fellow officers, to feel free to question my orders in private. Next time you avail yourself of that privilege, I expect you to use it wisely, before I decide you are trying to undermine my authority. Carry out my orders, Mr. Sniffer. You are dismissed."
As the chastised officer left his quarters, shutting the door behind him, Justin turned to look around his cabin again. His two bags rested on the bunk, and he walked over and moved them to the floor. He wouldn't be unpacking much on this short trip. Between the bunk and the small desk was a small safe, apparently locked. After testing that it was locked, and not wanting to try out the combination lock, he put his hand on the lever and reached out with his mind, moving the tumblers into place. Once that was done, he opened the safe and started removing the documents inside.
While he piled them on the desk, he moved to sit down in the desk's chair. He had piled the safe's contents into two piles, both about 6 inches high. The first pile yielded a copy of his orders, and the master plans for the construction of the two relay towers. Following that were government pay vouchers for local supplies not included in the train, including vouchers for the hiring of local workers as needed. Next were inventories of vehicles and supplies embarked on the train. They also contained abbreviated personnel files of his officers. The second pile held similar records for the enlisted personnel.
The first record he opened was that of Sneffer. A quick scan told him all he needed to know. The man was an unmitigated ass. Ivy League schools, attended the basic and advanced schools, but had spent the time since then working for the brass. No field experience. The other junior officers were a little better. Most looked to have attended the right military courses for their work (construction or security), but had no field experience. The senior enlisted staff proved to be the best of the lot. Most were experienced field personnel, veterans of numerous engagements. As he was moving onto the junior enlisted, there was a knock on the door.
At his "Enter", the door opened and one of his senior enlisted men stepped inside, walked towards Justin's desk, stopped a few feet away and snapped to attention.
"Master Sergeant Reeves, isn't it?" Justin asked.
"Yes, sir," the Marine responded, unslinging the gun belt around his right shoulder, removing the 9mm in the holster, and handing it over, butt first to Justin.
Deciding to let the enlisted man know that Justin did know a few things, Justin took the weapon, pulled the slide back and inspected the chamber (carefully pointing the weapon towards the outside bulkhead). After making sure the chamber was empty, and noting that there was not a magazine in the weapon, he moved it over a clear spot on his desk and began field stripping it.
Not his best time in stripping a weapon, but decent. Once he checked all the parts were there (remembering an embarrassing incident where a senior gunner's mate had handed him a weapon on board ship that did NOT have all the parts), he reassembled the weapon. Fairly satisfied with his performance, he nodded towards the sergeant and motioned for the weapons belt to be handed over.
When the man handed the weapon belt, and the two ammo pouches over, Justin reached out with his mind to hear the man's thoughts. He picked up 'Embarrassing, but at least the swabbie knows a little about weapons. We might not be dead meat after all.' This was accompanied by an image of Lt. Sneffer just taking the weapons belt from the sergeant without even looking at the gun.
"Sergeant," Justin said aloud, "I expect every man under my command to know hwo to field strip every personal weapon we have in our inventory. This includes the officers, starting with me. You will test every soldier here, regardless of assignment, to ensure basic familiarity with the M-16, 9mm pistol, shotgun, and grenade launcher. I further expect everyone, officer and enlisted, assigned to the security detail to be able to operate the light and heavy machine guns in our inventory. This also goes for the other heavy weapons. You will bring one of each type of personal weapon to the staff meeting following departure. After the meeting, you will test each person there, starting with me. Any who fail will have passed by the time we reach our destination. Following the personnel inspection later today, you will test the officers and NCOs of the security detachment on the heavy weapons. Again, any who fail will be instructed until they pass. Any who do not pass by the time we reach our destination, will not leave the train. Is that clear?"
With a smile on his face, the veteran marine sounded off with an "Aye, Aye, Sir!"
Returning the smile, Justin dismissed the man and returned to his review of the personnel files and other paperwork. He stopped long enough to load a magazine into the weapon, re-holster the gun, and put the weapon belt on. As he read through the last of the files, he finally relaxed enough, and felt the wheels in his head start to churn out some answers. The last batch of papers gave detailed reports on the destruction of the facilities a few weeks ago, and reports on their now deceased security and maintenance personnel. Wheels turned other wheels, and answers started to turn up for his other mission as well. He was startled to realize that the train was now moving, and as he looked out one of the windows, he realized it was moving for some time (he couldn't see the town anymore).
Before he could wonder how much time had passed, a knock was sounded on his door. After his "Enter", Lt. Sneffer walked in, followed by all of the officers. Motioning the men to the table, he mentally ordered the twins to remain standing by the desk. He quickly put the paperwork back in the safe and re-locked it (pointedly ignoring the weird look from Sneffer, explained by the 'How'd he open it?' thought he picked up from the man).
Once the officers were seated, and the enlisted men had filled the rest of the room, Justin turned away from his desk and faced the men (they were all men - the military reforms allowing women into combat situations were months dead). He casually noticed that each of the senior enlisted men had a different weapon with them. "Men, I don't have to tell you that this will not be an easy assignment. These stations were originally built 6 months ago, and had been operating since that time. Despite a strong security detachment, and decent watchfulness by staff, they were destroyed by domestic terrorists.
"Now, we have been given the assignment of re-building them. Normally, we would have had a few weeks to get used to each other, and learn to work together as a team. We do not have that luxury now. As you saw, I have reviewed all of your service records. Overall, I am well pleased. However, there are several areas we will be working on before and immediately after our arrival.
"The purpose of this staff meeting is for me to inform you of my expectations of you and your men. Following this meeting, I will conduct an inspection of our men. Tomorrow morning, prior to our arriving at our destination, you will report back to me on the readiness of your units, and of this company as a whole."
With that, Justin launched into detailed instructions for the unit commanders. He covered everything from latrines to watch schedules. By the time he was done, nearly everyone in the room looked glassy eyed, even those who had been dutifully taking notes. The entire time he had been talking, and listening whenever someone (usually the enlisted men) asked questions or made suggestions, he had also been carrying on a mental conversation with the twins. He had them scan all of the enlisted men to garner some of their experience when the topic brought memories to the front. By the end of the meeting, they had both received a decent education in construction as well as combat.
"Well, gents, I do believe that is all I have for now. I believe, oh sorry, almost forgot," Justin said when everything else was done. At the first part of his sentence, the Master Sergeant's eyebrows had shot up, then a smirk formed at the last part. Satisfied at tweaking the veteran's nose, Justin continued.
"As evidenced by the previous destruction of these stations, we are likely to see action. Once the bullets start to fly, I expect every one of our men, whether on a construction or security crew, to be able to defend themselves. That includes everyone here. Prior to disembarking this train, every man will prove that he can successfully field strip all personal weapons in our inventory. Master Sergeant Reeves will conduct the testing on the officer and senior enlisted. The rest of the senior enlisted will test all troops in their units. Sergeant, you will begin with me."
Another half hour passed while all the officers were handed weapons and tested. Justin and the twins passed (after all, they could 'see' the thoughts of the sergeant which practically guided them through each step). Most of the other officers passed, although two failed on one of the weapons. Lt. Sneffer managed to get the M16 stripped adequately, but totally flubbed putting it back together. He also failed on every other type of weapon. Dismissing everyone but the embarrassed Lieutenant, he decided to have one last conversation with the man.
"As I suspected, Mr. Sneffer, you are totally unprepared for this mission," he started.
"Sir, this is INAPPROPRIATE," Sneffer all but shouted. "How DARE you, a jumped up grunt, try to EMBARRASS me this way!"
"ENOUGH!" Justin shouted. "SIT DOWN!"
As the man slumped back into a chair, Justin leaned over the table, barely keeping himself in check. "You WILL listen to ME, Mister. It is obvious that you are here as a political flunky to keep an eye on things. I assume you were briefed on the special unit that the Parkers and I are a part of, and that you were assigned to report on our activities?"
Sneffer's face becoming ashen white was more than enough proof for Justin. "Don't worry, we aren't going to use our abilities to turn you into a vegetable. You're close enough to one as it is, so anything would probably be an improvement. I don't care what the hell you report back to your piss-ant superiors. There is one thing I do care about here, the mission I have been assigned. I will not allow you to endanger that mission. Is that understood?"
Again, Sneffer's face was pale, but this time he managed to nod, barely.
"Good. Every day, until I say otherwise, you will report to Master Sergeant Reeves. He will give you basic instructions that will hopefully keep you, and our men, alive. You will not issue any order until and unless I or Master Sergeant Reeves has reviewed it, is that understood?"
Despite a face flushed suddenly with outrage, Sneffer nodded.
"I will have you understand one last thing, Mister Sneffer. During my first tour with the Navy, I saw puffed up, self-important officers like you get men killed. So long as I wear this uniform, and hold the rank that I do, I will not allow that to happen in my command. If you endanger my men, you will not live out that day, and there is nothing you or anyone around here can do to stop me."
Sitting down across from the shaken officer, Justin decided to put some honey into the bitter tea he had made the man drink. "Look, I believe that you are a good man doing your best to protect our country in your own way. I do respect that. Once you understand just how different things can be in the field, you will be an asset to any unit you are a part of. When I talk about protecting my men, that includes you. When I talk about not allowing unskilled and inexperienced people to put my men in danger, that includes anyone, including the Parkers. If either of them had failed the tests, or proven inadequate, they would be getting the same speech, except a little worse. Learn from Master Sergeant Reeves. He knows his job well. If you can prove yourself to him, and to me, these restrictions on you will be gladly lifted. I want a good executive officer, and I expect you to be that as soon as you can. You may leave."
Now looking totally confused, Sneffer got up from the chair and left the room. Letting out a deep sigh, Justin leaned back in the chair and prayed that he had not made a lifelong enemy. Or at least that his life was longer than his lifelong enemy's.
The rest of the journey passed in relative peace. Every time Justin saw Lt. Sneffer, the man was standing next to Sergeant Reeves. The twins were immersed deep in conversation with their respective executive officers. When the trainmaster signaled back that they were about 2 hours from their final destination, Justin called his officers back for a final staff meeting (for the first time since the first staff meeting, Sneffer appeared without the sergeant at his side).
This staff meeting dealt with logistics of unloading the train (to be done almost exclusively by his own personnel), setting up a camp site at the first relay station, and preparing for starting construction. Summer was now ending, and they had a very tight schedule before the first snows fell. As their meeting ended, the officers dispersed, to get the troops ready for departure. Justin also prepared himself for the unloading cycle, and with a thought, flash fired the remaining contents of the safe (he'd already put the vouchers and other materials he'd need into his bags).
He stayed in the cabin, until the first of the vehicles was unloaded. Most were electric vehicles, but the larger trucks which hauled the heavy equipment and supplies, were hybrids. They burned corn fuel, or methanol, in charged battery cells. Extremely fuel efficient, they still burned fuel. Justin carried his own bags off the train, and threw them in the back of an electric humvee. Then, he sat in the passenger seat, observing his troops going through this evolution. This train station, unlike the one in Virginia City, was dead center in the middle of town. Within an hour, most of the town's population had shown up to watch from the other side of a barricade made up of several men from the security unit.
After a while, the corporal in charge of the security detail came up to Justin's vehicle, saluted, and said, "Sir, the mayor of the town is at the barricades and wants to speak to the officer-in-charge. Should I let him through?"
Justin let himself wait a few seconds, appearing to think about it. Once enough time had passed, he nodded and said, "Send the politician in, son, but escort him here and make sure he believes that you'll shoot him if he steps one foot out of line."
The kid snapped off a salute, an "Aye, Aye Sir!", and trotted back to the barricade line. He grabbed the man who must be the mayor by the arm, pulled him through, and escorted him to Justin. Even when they reached the vehicle, the kid kept his hand wrapped around the Mayor's arm, and held his M16 ready in the other hand.
The Mayor was obviously intimidated. A balding man, he looked like he had lost a great deal of weight in the last year, and his eyes had a slightly haunted look that gave Justin a much better idea of events in the area. Deciding to go easier on the man, he waved the corporal back a bit, and was pleased when the young man took a few steps back, but stayed on the edge of the Mayor's sight.
The older man seemed to lift his sagging shoulders up a little and regain some color to his face. His eyes darting to the side, where the corporal stood, glaring at him, ruined the air of confidence the man tried to project. However, he still drew in a deep breath and reached out his hand towards the silent Justin.
"Pleased to meet you, Captain," he began, the words coming out faster and faster as he continued. "Welcome to Colton! It's good to see proud Armed Forces here to re-build the stations! Such a tragic loss. Let me assure you that I, and every loyal American here, is proud to have you!"
Simply sitting there, foot resting on the dashboard, arms crossed, Justin let the man run himself out, ignoring the man's ingorance of Navy rankings. He reached out with his mind, but found nothing beyond the man's vacuous and predictable words. 'Strange,' he thought to himself. When the man finished, hand still reaching out for a handshake that Justin was not going to give, Justin just sat there staring at him. After a few minutes, the man's hand returned to his side, and sweat beaded out all over his body.
Justin let him stew for another few minutes before speaking. "Mister Mayor, of course every loyal American here is glad to see us. It's not them that concerns the United States. It is the disloyal ones who blew the original stations up that concerns us. I will have you understand me. My job here is to rebuild two relay stations, 60 miles apart, that are of vital interest to the United States. I will see them rebuilt, and I will see them protected.
"If you know who was responsible for those first attacks, or of anyone planning any future attacks, you will report them to me. Failure to do so will not be good for you or any resident of this town, is that understood?" While he had been speaking, he probed the surface of the man's mind, hoping he'd see a face or two as he spoke of the attacks. Nothing showed though.
While the man nodded, and tried to express his sincere loyalty, Justin became concerned. He was certain he should have detected something, but he never did. After he had the corporal lead the man out, he sat in the vehicle, lost in thought.
Within a few hours of their arrival, they were ready to move out. The next few hours were tense as they moved out to the site of the nearest relay station. After that, another few hours was taken up in preparing a camp, and unloading the necessary supplies from the vehicles. As night approached, the camp was set up, patrols and watches set, and Justin retired to his command tent, worried about what was to come.
Miles, and several hills away, lamps burned, providing light to a small house settled back away from the nearest roadway. Inside, 3 children slept in one room, while their parents sat outside, listening to a small radio that received the nightly broadcast. A woman, in her early 30's, listened while watching her husband's face. The scraggly red beard jutting out from his face, along with the long, reddish brown hair, completed the look of a stereotypical country red-neck. She wondered why she had married the man, so different from the types of men she had grown up with in California.
It was at moments like this that she regretted ever marrying the man. But when he was with the kids, or late at night sometimes, his eyes changed and she saw again the man she had fallen in love with. For his part, he could feel her looking at him again, and wondered what she was thinking once again.
Ten years of marriage had not brought him any closer to understanding her. She was so different than any other girl he had ever met. The only time he'd been out of these woods was to visit her family in Arizona that one time. The rest of his life had been spent in the woods around this area, his home.
He had met her at a party, and had been instantly captivated by her. Her western accent, the way she dressed, her long, blond hair. She was well built, strong, but not fat. Her blond hair framed a beautiful face, and her smile could light a fire. It was too bad that her strange, city ways never let her really fit in with his family. At least they were raising their kids right. 'Yup,' he thought, 'thanks to the kids, we are still together.'
After the radio broadcast was over, the two of them finished their silent musings about each other and went to bed. After lying there for a while, she got up the nerve to ask a question, "Charlie, hon, you gonna try to get a job working on the government job?"
"Huh?" he answered, still half asleep. "Why would I do that? You know I don't like those cocksuckers."
Holding back her dislike of the word, she asked again, "Hon, I know you don't like 'em, but they got vouchers, and other stuff. We can use those for the kids. Get them good clothes or something, maybe even one of those solar cells to charge the batteries? You know little Tyler could even use it on some of those tools you are teaching him to use..."
When he didn't flat out say no, or yell at her, she knew she had hit the right button. Finally, he grunted, rolling over to face her, running his hand along the side of her body. He said out loud, "Okay, April. I'll do it for Tyler. Besides, if I can charge the power tools, everyone will be paying me to fix their things."
Smiling, April leaned in to give him a kiss, taking the cues from his touching, and in her best seduction voice said, "Oh, baby, what did I ever do to deserve a man like you?"
The next morning arrived all too soon for Justin Ackeman, Lieutenant, US Navy. As he met with his senior staff, he reviewed their manpower needs. It would be a few hours before the locals showed up. While most of the crew he needed were within his own ranks, there were some jobs that he would need local help for. These were his biggest security concern since any of them might be a part of the domestic terrorist movement.
Which was why he decided that they would all be interviewed by the Parker twins and himself. It was entirely possible that they could find all the information they needed from probing them without their knowledge. In fact, he believed that he might be able to wrap things up pretty easy if one or two of them knew enough. He'd reached that decision on the train, and ran it by the twins, who both agreed with him. If they could bust up the terrorist group, then finish the construction, they could be out of there in a couple of months if not sooner.
He detailed Lt. Sneffer to gather the locals gathering at the gate for work, and organize them for interviewing. After a brief preliminary interview for name, address (some just general locations), and construction experience, the list was taken into the command tent. Justin looked over the list, and ordered them for interviews. He recognized three of them, and indicated that they would be the last he saw that day.
While the construction crews began to get organized for the re-building effort, and the security forces drilled and organized into scouting parties to learn the local environment, Justin and the twins began their interviews. While Justin questioned the men (and a couple of women), the twins probed their minds. Many were normal, and appeared little different than any other people. But there a few that yielded nothing beyond the surface thoughts they verbalized. It was odd, and a cause of concern for the three. They carefully marked those people down, and decided to hire them, but for jobs which would not result in security breaches. Finally, they came to the last three names on the list.
Outside, three men waited for their turn. They had already been here for hours, and were worried. It was weird, but all three of them were related. Two were brothers, the other their cousin. Since many of the people in the area were related to each other, this wasn't too unusual, but they felt like they had been singled out for some reason. All three were very experienced in construction. Before last year, they had run their own business together doing carpentry. Finally, the lieutenant who had been calling people in to the interviews called one of their names.
"Charlie Williams, you are next!" he called, in the clipped tones of another damn Yankee.
Shrugging at his brother and cousin, Charlie followed the officer into the tent, beard jutting out as he set his jaw, trying to figure out what he might say, or what he might be asked.
In the tent, two young kids with officer bars on their collars sat at a table. They were so pretty he decided they were candy asses, like his brother-in-law. Hell, since he'd met the guy, he'd developed a sense for those people, and used it to keep his distance from them. Remembering his comment to April about working for cocksuckers, he gritted his teeth and decided that it was worth it for his kid. The third officer was standing with his back to Charlie, which started to piss him off. Nevertheless, he sat in the chair indicated by one of the two candy asses, and waited for the third officer to turn around.
Justin could hear his brother-in-law's thoughts for the first time. He was surprised at the feeling of love towards the kids, and the buried love of his sister. At least the man really did love her. It almost made it worth the crap he'd had to put up with in dealing with the man. It also made him decide to not change his features, like he had originally thought to do. He kept himself looking mostly like he had the last time they had met. He also decided to take a nicer approach than he had originally thought.
"Well, Charlie," Justin began, back still facing towards his brother-in-law, "Two years ago I told ya I could get you a good job." He turned around, sensing the surprise from Charlie, "Think you might want to take it this time? I promise you won't have to move to Phoenix."
The look on the man's face was priceless. His mouth hung open, and his eyes were wide in shock. The twins discreetly stood up and left the tent, barely holding their laughter in. 'Family reunions look fun,' was their final thought to Justin as they left.
Walking around the table, Justin held out his hand to his brother-in-law, as Charlie stood up to shake it. "Justin! I, uh, I thought you were dead!"
Holding back the thought of 'or is that you wish I was dead?' Justin merely smiled, clapping Charlie on the shoulder while the man pumped his hand. "Naw, you know me. Bad luck to fall into a raging river, good luck to get out again with only a few broken bones and a gold nugget."
Chuckling politely, Charlie looked at Justin. He didn't like the faggot, but at least the guy was decent. He'd never made a move on him, and had even sent them money sometimes. He worried about the guy around his sons, but he'd never done anything suspicious when he visited. He was shocked that the military had let him back in, and decided to ask. "I thought they kicked you out once cause you're, uh, uh,..."
"Gay?" Justin supplied as he sat on the edge of the table. "Yeah, well, when the riots hit Phoenix, they didn't care who I slept with, as long as they didn't see me do it. After things settled down, I got a job doing security at the new power plant. Couple months ago, I got offered a commission and was transferred back East. I've been trying to reach you and April, and when this spot came open, I grabbed it."
"Not bad, not bad," Charlie commented, sitting back down in the chair. "April's gonna be shocked to shit to see ya. Not a day goes by when she doesn't talk about ya."
"I can't wait to see her, Charlie. But I won't be able to get away for a few days. Do you think you might be able to do me a favor?"
"Depends on what it is."
"I think you can do this. I'd like to give Ape-face (his nickname for April as a kid) a surprise. Don't let her know I'm here, please. As soon as I get a chance to get away for a day, I'll drive you home from work and give her a big surprise."
"That's fine, Jus," Charlie answered immediately. "So, do I get a job? How about my brother Darren and Jarod? I take it you recognized their names too?"
"Of course, Charlie. I saved the last three carpenter spots for you three. I remember the work you guys did last time I was out here. Damn Fine! One more thing, please don't spread it around what you know of me? Please? It won't lose me my job, but it could cause some unrest with the troops. I'd prefer not to have to deal with that."
"Sure, sure, no problem," Charlie agreed quickly.
With that, the two men left the tent, which was getting warm with the mid-day approaching. Outside, the twins were chatting with Darren and Jarod. As Charlie and Justin approached they greeted Charlie and Justin.
"We think they'll all do fine, sir," Jason Parker told Justin out loud, while thinking 'We need to talk' to him at the same time.
"Good, good. Curtis, why don't you take them to meet the foreman? We can get them started with some of the furnishings that will be installed when the main building goes up," Justin ordered, while taking Jason by the arm and leading him back to the tent.
Once inside, he tuned himself to the twins' private channel, and thought, 'I know. I sensed it from Charlie. I could get background stuff whenever he talked about April or the kids, but anything else was blank.'
'Yeah, and so were the two relatives. Both of them as blank as the 3 others we found. This is weird. That should not be happening,' Jason replied.
'I think we may be on to something here. Remember my concern about our thoughts being intercepted by a rogue kid? We might have something like that happening here. These people don't like gays, but they'll use us when it suits them. If it's a local, he might be, make that most likely is, closeted. Doesn't even admit to himself he's gay. I think I'm gonna have to take a good look around, and since my brother-in-law is involved, starting there sounds good.'
'Dammit, Jaz!' Jason sent strongly, 'I heard that man's thoughts about you. He only tolerates you because of your sister. That is not enough protection.'
Turning the room to a freezing temperature with just a thought, Justin reminded Jason he wasn't defenseless. 'Jason, I think the reason they got Corcoran is that he didn't know what he was up against. He wasn't ready. I will be. I'm gonna assume that whoever is blanking these people has some idea of what can be done, and I'll be ready as if it was you or Henry. No one at the center was able to beat me, do you think some untrained kid in these backwoods will?'
'I only hope you don't end up eating those words, Jaz, I only hope.'
As the humvee pulled within sight of the small house, Justin couldn't help himself from asking again, "You sure no one's told her yet?"
Slightly exasperated, and nervous at the man's driving, Charlie answered, "YES. Dammit, you know she's always bragging about how I sweet talk the bosses and then bring them over for April's beef brisket! She was just wondering why it took two whole weeks this time!"
Thinking 'it took two weeks because of the security breaches, and these damn blank spots we keep finding in y'all's heads', Justin only said, "My sister's cooking. Uggh. I still can't believe she's not burning macaroni and cheese."
"Married life agrees with her. You spoiled her with your cooking when y'all were littles."
'Dammit,' Justin thought. 'I'm startin' to get an accent again.'
As the humvee pulled up in front of the house, 3 little faces popped out of the doorway, totally awed by the vehicle. They hadn't seen one in almost a year. The tallest of the three saw his daddy get out of the passenger side and started running towards him as fast as his 10 year old legs could carry him. The next oldest, the daughter, ran back inside yelling "MOMMY!", while the youngest boy just stood there, eyes wide, holding a huge cat.
Holding his arms in the air, yelling "Tyler!", Charlie met his son and lifted him high in the air. As Justin came around the corner of the vehicle, Tyler stopped to stare. When Justin removed his cap, his face lit up and he screamed "UNCA JUSTY!" and jumped from his father to his uncle.
The moment he had been dreading had come for Justin. Here was his oldest nephew, the closest thing he'd ever have to a child of his own. Would the kid recognize him? Would he remember Unca Justy? When he removed his cap, and Tyler screamed his name and jumped, the tears started to flow. He couldn't believe it. Tyler remembered! He fell to the ground, more from the flood of emotions he was feeling, than from the weight of the 10 year old (big as he was!)
Another voice screamed "OH MY GOD!" from the doorway, and another weight crashed into him just as he sat up. "JUSTIN!" was all his sister screamed as she wrapped her arms around him, almost forgetting her daughter still wrapped around her neck.
It took forever, and many reminders that Charlie was only doing what Justin asked when he didn't tell her, for April to calm down. With Kali and little Justin in each arm, and Tyler dragging him forward by holding onto his fatigues, Justin was led into his sister's home. Charlie followed behind, with April giving him a hug like the one she had given her brother..smothering.
When they had gotten inside, and were sitting down (Justin on the couch with the two younger kids in his lap, Tyler sitting next to him, April on the other side of Tyler, and Charlie sitting in his recliner), Justin told April the same basic story he had told Charlie. With one added thing. "I told you in our last phone conversation, April, I love you. If there's any way, come hell or high water, I'd find a way to see you, and these kids again."
Still crying, April said, almost unintelligibly, "Then why'd you take a whole YEAR!"
"You know as well as I do, luv, the military has a a mind of its own."
For the next few hours, they talked and talked of everything that had happened to her family over the last year. He shared what little he knew of their remaining family...most hadn't made it past the riots, since they were in poor health. They cried together over lost family, and friends. And Justin cried even harder over things he couldn't share. The same blank spots in Charlie and the others, was in his sister. He'd have to investigate her, and might have to take action that would hurt her. He felt his heart torn in two. The only good thing was that the kids seemed to be clean.
The rest of the night was bittersweet. He had arranged to spend the whole evening with his family, and most of the next day (which he'd designated as an off day for the construction crews). The meal was as good as he'd learned to expect from his sister (boy, she cooked better than he ever did!). As the evening wound down, and the kids were put to bed (excited about the little things he had found to give them..rank insignia, etc.), Charlie opened a cabinet with some liquor and poured some drinks.
"Still like Rum?" he asked Justin as he poured a rum and coke.
"Of course. Make it light though, I haven't had a drink in a couple of months."
Laughing, April punched her brother in the arm, "What, my drunk ass bro is becoming a teetotaller? Who's this guy sitting here? I seem to remember you as being the one that would sneak a couple of cases on board ship before a long cruise!"
Blushing, and finally relaxing with his family, Justin said, "Yeah, but someone told them my tricks and it didn't work this time."
"Too bad, bud," Charlie replied as he turned around, three drinks in hand. He walked over and gave one to Justin, one to April. "Since it's your first in a while, enjoy!"
Raising his glass to his lips, Justin noticed curiously that Charlie's mind was blank again. Shrugging it off, he was getting tired after all, he raised his glass in a toast, "To Family. I haven't felt this safe and at home in ages!" Glasses clinked and they all drank.
About a half hour later, talk was winding down and Justin had a warm, glowing feeling. Being here with his sister drove thoughts of his mission, and the horrors of the past year out of his mind. He felt, he felt warm again. Warm inside. He'd cut himself off from emotion for so long that feeling them this strong again was like ten drinks. After a few moments, he realized that it really did feel like ten drinks! The room was spinning slightly, and he was having trouble focusing on Charlie or April. His sister was sitting there, next to him, a totally blank look on her face. She hadn't said anything in a little while. Charlie was sitting on the edge of his chair, staring at Justin intently.
While Justin tried to re-focus, Charlie got up and said "Looks like it's workin'" into a small black box that had been sitting next to the chair. The world started spinning and Justin drifted off into a black void.
Like he had after his accident during training, Justin floated in a dark void. Weightless, without memory, he just floated. Days, Weeks, Hours, Minutes, had no meaning. He just floated. After a while, he began to forget his name, or even who he was. Then the needles started.
At least they felt like needles. Little things prickling his skin. Wakening nerves, trying to get inside him. When he drew on the edge of memory, they stopped, letting him drift back into the forgetful void. Then they started again.
It seemed like the cycle had been repeated time and again. Gradually, self-awareness returned. But it returned cautiously, walled away from the rest of him. Slowly it grew and began to fill him within the void. The needles started again, but found nothing like before. They continued until whatever caused them felt awareness returning, then retreated. But the awareness didn't float back into the void. Instead it seeped into the walled off sense of self, until he remembered his name, Justin. Time and again this was repeated until Justin was whole again, held behind this protective wall.
For the longest time, he wailed within the confines of the walls he had set up. April, was she part of this? Did she betray him knowingly? Or was she a pawn? Obviously Charlie had drugged him, and there was indeed a psionic helping them. A psionic creating the needles trying to capture him in a net, to use him. From the safety of his walls, he watched with his mind as the mental needles were applied, trying to siphon knowledge from him.
He felt how they flowed from the person controlling them. Tracked them back to their source, and analyzed a way to attack the source. But he couldn't do this from the void, he had to reconnect with this body, but just as he walled off the needles, he was walled off from his body by some unseen force. As soon as he made a move, the strange psionic would know, and would be able to block him.
Throwing thoughts of his sister and her family to the bottom of his being, Justin waited and watched. Waited and watched for some opening. Suddenly, the invisible barrier holding him in the void was gone. With a flicker of thought, he leaped from the void, and felt himself back in his body.
"GET HER!" someone shouted. The sounds of boots scuffling and a woman's scream resounded in a small room. The air moved as bodies rushed by the table where he lay. His head pounded like he had a massive hangover, but he couldn't feel the presence of the other psionic in the room. Deciding action was better than just lying there, Justin opened his eyes and sat up just as the same voice shouted, "Drug the Fed before he wakes up!"
Justin opened his eyes to find himself in a small room. Straps that had once held him to the table dangled off of it. Five men were there. Three held his sister, her face covered in blood, nose smashed. One, the source of the voice, held a bloody fist cocked back like he was about to hit her again. The fifth had a needle in hand and was moving towards Justin.
With a thought, Justin used a wall of air to imprison the man with the needle. Bloody Fist turned and looked like he was about to leap at Justin when flames burst from every pore of his body. His dying scream was cut short as his head exploded. The three men holding April froze, and Justin could see a dark stream appear down one of their pants. Using Air again, he walled the three up, pushed them back from his sister, against the wall of the corridor outside.
As he stood up from the table and moved to his sister (who had collapsed on the floor), a groan and slight movement from the floor on the other side of the table caught his attention. As the stench of burnt flesh filled the room, and his sister vomited, he looked at a prone figure lying on the floor, and realized that this man was the psionic. Quickly, he wrapped a shield around the man's thoughts, blocking his abilities. His momentary distraction allowed two of the three men in the corridor to break free of his ephemeral hold and they disappeared down the corridor. The third man was crying now, his pants soaked in his own urine.
The man with the needle was still held against the far wall of the room, a look of shock and fear mingled onto his face. With another quick thought, Justin sent both of them into unconsciousness. Checking his shield on the psionic, satisfied it would hold, Justin went to his sister.
"April, April," he whispered hoarsely. She stirred from the heap she had collapsed in, crying.
"Just, oh my god. You're alive! I thought they were going to kill you! Please, please, you have to believe I didn't want this to happen!" Pointing to the figure on the floor, she continued, almost frantic, "He showed up a while ago. Started talking all this stuff about how evil things were getting. How we needed to stand up for ourselves. Charlie, he, he dragged me to a meeting."
The last had to be picked out amidst a bunch of stuttering, and through the stuffiness of her broken nose. Concentrating briefly, he let healing energy flow over her, healing the nose, wiping away the bruises, the cramping in her stomach where she had been punched. "It's ok, April. Big brother's here now."
Eyes wide in shock, looking around the room, shying away from the burnt corpse, she started shaking again and pulled back from him a little. "How, how did YOU do this? How do you look so young?" was half shouted, half strangled in her throat.
"Whoa, sis. Take it easy. It's a side effect of the, the thing that happened last year. It changed some of us, gave us the ability to do things we couldn't before. I'm still the same brother you grew up with, just now I can do more about the bad things. Trust me." He realized he must have reverted to the younger image that he now thought of as 'him'.
"Is, is that why he was able to do the things he did?" she asked, pointing to the man still lying unconscious on the floor. "At these meetings, he did something. Something that made us all believe him, every word. Then, when he wanted something, we'd like, like, be pushed back into a little hole while we did whatever he wanted."
Her voice grew more and more frantic as she continued speaking. Justin tried to calm her down by rubbing her shoulder a bit, and helping her to her feet. "Some of us could probably do stuff like that, but it's against the law to do it for personal gain. People like me, we work for the government, to help people, to help you from people like him. You know me, sis. I've always believed in doing right before all else. Think about how often I did what's right, over what's convenient. How much trouble did that get me into? How many jobs did I lose, how many raises?"
He could literally see, and feel, the fear wash away from her. She stood on her own, and smiled at her brother, "I know you, Just. You wouldn't be doing bad things, you're here to help. I know that."
"The question is, to help whom?" came a new voice, from the figure lying prone on the floor.
Justin spun around, fire appearing in his hands as he prepared to incinerate any threat. The strange psionic had rolled over onto his back and was half sitting. When Justin saw the man's face, he was so shocked the flames disappeared and he almost lost his hold on the shield around the man. Remembering his friends, and the troops with them, he shouted mentally, 'JASON, CURTIS, THE PSIONIC! IT'S CORCORAN! HE'S ALIVE! HE'S THE ONE BEHIND IT!'
Laughing, Corcoran pulled himself to his feet. "Even shielded I could hear that shout. My, my, you are strong. You must be that guy they found in Phoenix. Heard about you. Heard you burnt that bastard Sells to a crisp, then healed him. I guess Charlie here wasn't so lucky. Too bad you didn't heal him, I'm sure your sister won't appreciate you killing your... her husband."
Shock again swept over Justin, as he remembered seeing the man's face before he had burnt him. Seen it, but not recognized the man. Behind him, he could hear his sister vomiting again. His shock rolled over him again, and he realized he had made a mistake.
A major mistake.
Corcoran struck from behind the shield with his mind, breaking free. His thoughts focused into a lance, struck deep at Justin's mind. Justin screamed, going to his knees as his head felt like it was going to split apart. Scrambling for a coherent thought, he pushed the mental lance away, shaping a curved mirror where it was hitting him. Corcoran shrieked as his own lance turned and bit deep into his own mind, and he fell to his knees.
The two stayed like that for what seemed like ages. While April wept, hand reaching out towards the charred corpse, then pulling back before touching it. The two men stared at each other, panting for breath. "Why?" Justin asked verbally, "Why did you do it?"
"Why?!" came out from Corcoran, incredulously. "You of all people can ask that? I know from your sister's mind what you went through in the military when your shipmates found out you were gay. I know what you went through in college. I know how bad her husband's distrust of you around their kids hurt. Do you deny that?
"Do you think they were the only people who felt that way? Hell no. Those bastards in charge now. They hate us. If they couldn't USE us, they'd be happier KILLING us! I know it! I was on the Presidential Security detail before they sent me out here. I did something they thought no one would. I scanned those bastards! I heard those nasty little secrets in the back of their heads!
"They DID IT! THEY caused the explosion which destroyed the world. THEY ordered the device detonated. They only thought it would affect the oil in that ONE country. They didn't know it would be this widespread, but now that it is, they are HAPPY! They are in control now. There won't be any more elections. The country you are fighting for is dead, it just doesn't know it yet!"
Justin reeled under these accusations. His mind spun with the implications. But he couldn't trust this man. He couldn't. But he couldn't find the truth unless they shared thoughts, and that would let the man have an advantage he couldn't afford. Suddenly another thought occurred, why hadn't the twins responded? They should have heard him!
"Your friends can't help you, you know," Corcoran said, trying to leverage himself to his feet, his skin glowing with a shield to protect from an elemental attack, just as Justin's was. "We timed an attack on your camp as soon as you were drugged. I finished them myself before coming here. You shouldn't have brought them, they weren't ready to stand up to me."
Justin's head swam again at that thought, and a sudden desire to be at the camp, to see the twins overwhelmed him. The room seemed to spin, and suddenly he was at the camp.
It was a wreck. Small fires burned over what had been tents. Justin realized he had teleported! Something that no one had been able to do, until now. He climbed to his feet and started searching. There were bodies everywhere, but he staggered around the camp looking at each one, turning them over to see their faces while he shouted, "Curtis! Jason!"
He found Sneffer, his chest full of holes, pistol still in hand. From the bodies in front of him, it looked like the insufferable snob had made a good accounting of himself. Lying next to him, like they had been back to back was Master Sergeant Reeves, shotgun in hand, and bodies piled in front of him as well. More bodies of his men, some obviously had been fighting, many looking like they had been killed in their sleep. Finally he found the two he was searching for.
They were lying next to each other, wearing pants and their olive green t-shirts like he was so used to seeing them. Bouncing around, having fun in the Center. Teasing him, flirting with him. Except now, they each had a single bullet hole in their head. As he stared into their dead eyes, his emotions welled up like they had with his sister's family. He loved them! He loved them both. He just hadn't let himself feel it, afraid to lose that love as soon as he admitted it.
Now it was too late. For the final time that day, that night, his world shattered around him. He howled with all his being at the cruel fates that led him down this road. He raged against himself, that he had led himself down this road. He howled at the unfairness of it, him alive, who didn't deserve life, didn't enjoy it, live it to the fullest. He lived while these two, these two, were dead.
"Neat trick, but still not good enough," said that voice behind him. Justin turned and looked through tear stained eyes at the figure of Corcoran approaching him. Something being carried over his shoulder. There were about 15 men behind him, all armed, all aiming their weapons at Justin. Corcoran threw his burden down at Justin's feet. Knowing what he would see, Justin still looked down at the body of his sister, her neck obviously broken.
"So, here we are, pretty boy," Corcoran taunted. "Your pretty little lover boys are dead, your sister and her husband are dead. If I don't return to where my men have their kids, your only living relations will be dead. Could you stand to see little Justin decapitated?"
His throat raw, emotions boiling, eyes soaking in the bodies of these three he loved, Justin saw where this was heading, and hoarsely whispered, "Is this the part where you tell me how I'm going to help you or they die?"
"Of course, dear boy!" Corcoran laughed. "Can't you tell I'm now the evil fairy bitch right out of a Hollywood movie?"
Corcoran lowered his voice, and for some reason Justin realized that all humor was gone now. "You interrupted my plans, Mr. Ackeman. I wasn't ready to directly oppose the fools that think of themselves as our government. I've found, and have been training several promising youngsters who share our abilities. But, while I'm training, I can't be organizing my revolution. You change that.
"I know you love your nephews and your niece. Your reactions, that I read from your sister before she died, prove that beyond a doubt. I'm not going to ask you to join me. I doubt that you wouldn't take the first chance to stab me in the back. Hell, I doubt you'd wait for the first good chance. Instead, I want you to train the youngsters. Don't try to subvert them, just teach them to use their abilities. For one year. After one year, I'll return your sister's children to you, and let you leave with them. I won't even make you promise to leave me alone. Don't you think that's fair?"
"No," Justin said quietly.
"NO?" Corcoran gasped. "You really want me to have those poor kids killed? Very well. In ten seconds, I will send a message to the person holding them, and they will die."
10
Justin's mind spun through everything that had happened, looking at every little bit.
9
He'd teleported! Something he had THOUGHT he couldn't do!
8
April's dead.
7
Jason's dead.
6
Curtis is dead.
5
I killed Charlie.
4
All I have to do is WANT something to happen
3
and it happens.
2
They're wrong, it's not psionics. It's something else. I don't know what, but it all depends on me WANTING IT TO HAPPEN.
"1 - Are you sure you don't want to save them? Do you really think you can take me in a duel?"
"They're dead."
"So are you," Justin whispered, and the camp spun around him, until he was dizzy. His eyes cleared, and he collapsed onto his sister's lap, sitting next to him on the couch. Surprised, Charlie almost dropped the three drinks.
"Justin," his sister whispered, running her hands through his short hair. "Is something wrong?"
to be continued...