The Watchers 16

The Watchers

The title of this chapter foretells of people, who have been apart, getting back to together. I guess you can image who ... but there is more than one reunion ... one good and one, not so good ...

Like any author, I have relied on past experiences to draw from while writing this story. It is entirely a work of fiction. There is a mixture of personality traits of people I have known, but in no way does any character truly reflect any one real life person. This story does involve graphic descriptions of sex between two gay teenage boys. If that offends you, then you should not read it. Any similarity to any real person is purely coincidence. Your feedback and comments are welcome. Feel free to email me at Jevic@direcway.com

Chapter Sixteen

"Reunions"

"This can't be happening!" Bahar screamed out.

"Excuse me, Madam," said one of the officers. She whirled around and looked him coldly in the eye. He gulped hard, paused a moment, then regained his composure and continued with confidence. "I think I have a solution."

"Well ... what is it?" she snapped.

"We might not be able to maneuver, but our weapons systems are completely intact. Firing at the 'Cyclopean' would be easy."

"They would detect us powering up our weapons," interrupted another officer.

"Not if we used the same weapon they used. Quantum torpedoes do not require initial power up time. They can be turned on and fired immediately."

"But we have no way to aim ..." the other officer started.

"It would be a simple matter to install a small self-contained guidance module. It won't take more than two minutes."

"But I strongly ..." The officer was vaporized in an instant! Bahar lowered her pistol and looked back at the other officer.

"You may continue ... without interruption," she said coldly.

"Once we disable their ship, we can concentrate on our own repairs. I have looked over the damage reports and find that we can restore basic power to our engines in under five minutes. Light jump capability can be restored in less than ten, but we would have to use the life support system power unit to replace the Quantum Core the engines currently get their power from. It would be a simple matter of rerouting the power from life support."

"Well that's real nice, but how do you intend for us to breathe?" said Bahar hotly.

"There's back up life support for essential areas of the ship, including the bridge. I'm afraid we would lose about three quarters of the crew if we take this route, but I see no other alternative."

"What's your name?"

"I'm Pierson, Madam."

"I like the way you think, Pierson." Bahar looked around the bridge. "Looks like we got a new captain. You will follow his orders to the letter. Captain Pierson, I'll be in my quarters." Bahar turned and left the bridge.

Captain Pierson wasted no time in ordering the guidance module installed on the Quantum torpedo. Then he quickly ordered repairs to be made to the engines. Rerouting the power from life support would be the last thing he would do, but he knew that they would have to act fast before the Watchers boarded the ship. It would be simple to just raise their defense grid, but that would set off alarms on the 'Cyclopean'. He needed time.

"Communications! Open a frequency to the 'Cyclopean'." The officer punched in the command then nodded back at his new Captain. "This is Captain Pierson calling the 'Cyclopean'."

"Go ahead, Captain. This is Commander Joel."

"Commander, your Quantum torpedo caused a great deal of damage to my ship, including our life support systems. We're under emergency lock down and are struggling to repair life support. Please stand by. We may need to abandon ship."

"Certainly, Captain. Keep us informed as to your progress, but be warned. No tricks! I will not hesitate to fire again."

"Thank you, Commander," the captain said. He immediately looked at the communications officer and indicated for him to end the transmission. The officer punched in the code and nodded back at Captain Pierson.

The captain quickly checked with the weapons officer. The guidance module had been installed and the weapon was ready to fire. The captain suddenly realized he needed a target.

"Surveillance! Pull up a schematic of that ship and find the most vulnerable spot. I'd like to totally destroy it, but I'll settle for disabling it." The surveillance officer studied his screen intently and then looked up at his new Captain.

"Got it, sir."

"Well, out with it man," said the captain.

"There is an exhaust port located right next to their engineering section. It leads directly to the Graviton engines. If we can get a torpedo to go down that port, it would cause a chain reaction explosion that would eventually end up blowing up the ship." Captain Pierson smiled and turned to the weapons officer.

"Can you hit that port?"

"I can try, sir," was his reply.

"Wrong answer," said the captain. He calmly pulled his Quantum Pulsar Pistol from his holster and vaporized the officer. "Who is the best weapons officer on board?" he asked the startled bridge crew.

"You just vaporized him, sir," a junior officer said. The captain whirled around and faced the young man. He slowly raised his pistol, but before he could aim it, the young officer spoke again. "Of course, since he's not here anymore, the best weapons officer is me." The captain slowly lowered the pistol and smiled slightly.

"Get the torpedo in that port and you're my new first officer." The young man smiled and sat down at the weapons console.

"I'm ready when you are, sir," he said to the captain.

"Let me communicate with them again. That will distract their bridge crew. They won't expect an attack while we're communicating."

"Good idea, sir. Just nod at me when you want me to fire," said the young man. The captain turned to the communications officer and indicated for him to establish communication again.

"This is Captain Pierson to the 'Cyclopean'."

"Commander Joel here, Captain. What can I do for you?"

"Commander, thank you for not blasting us again," the captain started and then nodded slightly at his new weapons officer. "We have just about made repairs to our life support systems and expect them to be stabilized shortly." The captain droned on about the repairs as the weapons officer fired the torpedo. He skillfully used the joystick at his station to guide the torpedo toward its target. "And Commander, I think you should be more careful in your underestimations of the enemy."

"What do you mean by that, Captain?" Joel asked hotly. The transmission was suddenly cut off.

* * * * *

The giant cargo ship 'Cyclopean' loomed over Bahar's ship, easily out sizing it by at least ten fold. As Joel questioned Captain Pierson's sudden remark, he felt a shudder below his feet. It increased quickly to a violent shake.

"We've been hit!" screamed Brandon. He looked intently at his screen and finally looked up at Joel. His face had turned ashen. "It's bad, Joel." Everyone on the bridge looked intently at Brandon as he prepared to give the bad news. Joel nodded for him to continue. "Somehow, they hit the Gravaton Drive. It wasn't powered up, but the explosion was close to main engineering where the Quantum Core is. The explosion caused a fracture in the main core, which will break down and explode. That explosion will destroy the ship."

"How long?" Joel asked. Brandon looked back at his screen for a moment and then looked back up.

"Ten minutes, fifteen at most."

"Oh my God," said Joel as he slumped back into his command chair. The silence on the bridge was deafening.

"What about the 'Deliverance'?" screamed Shane. Joel looked up quickly.

"YES!" he screamed out. Joel quickly accessed the ship's intercom system. "This is Commander Joel. Everyone proceed immediately to the cargo area and board the 'Deliverance'. This is an emergency. This is not a drill. This ship will explode in less than fifteen minutes. Everyone on board get to the 'Deliverance' immediately!" He looked back up at everyone on the bridge. "Let's get outta here!"

* * * * *

Docta blinked his eyes and looked at me bewildered. I was unconsciously holding my breath for his answer. Realization of what I just asked hit him like a runaway locomotive and he widened his eyes.

"Tell me the truth," I whispered, urging him to give me an answer. Docta sat back on the couch and sighed deeply. He paused there a moment, then sat up and turned to face me. A single tear dropped down his left cheek.

"I'm actually your half brother," he said softly. "We share the same mother, but not the same father." I felt my emotion rise within me as tears filled my eyes.

"I-I can't believe this," I stammered. "We're brothers."

"Believe it, Cameron," he said as he slowly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. I buried my face in my brother's chest, my emotion flowing freely, wetting his shirt in the process. My mind played the funeral scene back and this time I looked intently at the infant ... at me. I felt Docta tighten his hug as my sobbing continued. My mind was completely numb.

"You knew all along?" I whispered in his ear.

"I knew when I first met you, Cameron." I slowly started to get control of my emotions and leaned back to look my brother in the eye.

"You knew about me when ... when my mother and father ... when our mother and father ... when they died?"

"Cameron, I was eight years old. I knew, but I didn't understand. They told me that you were too young and were going to be living with relatives on our Earth colony. I came to live with relatives here in Kutal." It was slowly starting to sink in ... just what had happened and why. But now I was hungry to know more, especially about my birth parents.

"Docta, I want to know my mother and father. Can I read your memories again? I know they'll be your memories, but I never got the chance to know them. I don't even know what they look like." He looked at me intently for a moment, then gently reached into a small bag he was carrying and pulled out a small object that he kept hidden from me.

"Cameron, right now I don't think it would be a good idea for you to read my mind. It's just not the right time. Too much has happened. I'm still getting used to the fact that you're here with me. Your presence has brought back a flood of memories." He dropped his eyes for a moment, fingering the object he kept hidden from me. I respected his moment to think. When he looked back up at me, he smiled slightly and continued. "I want you to know who your parents were Cameron. They were wonderful people." He reached out to me with his hands holding the object. He opened his hands and there in his palms was a picture. I took in a quick breath of air as the tears flowed again with the realization that I was about to, for the very first time, see the faces of the people who gave me life.

* * * * *

Shane scrambled into the transport tube with Brandon, Scott and Jevic and started toward the cargo bay. Joel, Paulik and the other bridge officers crowded into another tube. People all over the 'Cyclopean' quickly made their way to the cargo bay and the 'Deliverance.' The boys reached the cargo bay first and ran toward the ship.

"Shane!" shouted Joel. Shane stopped and looked back at Joel. "Get all the systems up and running. I'll be there in a minute." Shane nodded and waved back.

"Come on guys! Let's get 'Deliverance' ready to roll," Shane said. The boys took off toward the ship. Once on the bridge, Shane took charge. "Brandon, get the defense systems on line. Scott, get the weapons warmed up. Jevic, scan the 'Cyclopean' for life forms. We might have to use the transport portal to get them aboard." All the boys moved to their stations and started bringing the systems on line. Shane powered up the Gravaton Drive and then started the process of powering up the Quantum Power Core. The drive would be on line in seconds, but the core would take several minutes to reach its operational power level. Joel ran on to the bridge and after catching his breath, called for a status report.

"Gravaton Drive on line and the core's powering up," called out Shane.

"All defense systems up and available," called out Brandon.

"All weapons powered up and ready," called out Scott.

"I'm detecting a dozen people on E deck, Section 3. They don't seem to be moving. Otherwise, it looks like everybody else is on board," reported Jevic.

"Great!" Joel quickly turned to an officer at his side. "Have the Talon prisoners brought over by portal transport. Send them directly to the holding facility." The officer nodded and moved quickly. Then Joel turned back to his bridge crew. "Jevic, scan engineering and see how much longer we have." Jevic nodded, scanned his screen and then looked back at Joel.

"We've got to go, right now!"

"Open cargo bay doors," Joel directed. Shane entered the command in his console, but nothing happened. He entered the command again and still nothing happened.

"They won't respond! The doors won't open!" yelled Shane.

"Scott!" yelled Joel.

"I'm already on it! HOLD ON!" Scott fired a Quantum torpedo directly at the cargo bay doors. Brandon saw what was happening and immediately brought the defense grid on line. The explosion flashed brightly. Debris flew everywhere, but the defense grid protected the 'Deliverance.'

"Get us outta here, Shane!" called out Joel. Shane entered the command and engaged the Gravaton Drive. The 'Deliverance' slipped quickly through the hole in the side of the giant 'Cyclopean.' Shane powered up the drive even more and moved the ship to a safe distance. They watched in awe as the 'Cyclopean' suddenly burst into a huge fireball only to be snuffed out quickly by the vacuum of space.

"Incoming!" yelled Jevic. The 'Deliverance' suddenly shuddered and lurched horribly to one side.

"Defense grid holding!" yelled Brandon hanging on to his console to keep from falling to the floor.

"I'm locked and loaded! Gimme a target!" yelled Scott. Jevic quickly scanned the area and located Barhar's ship. He sent the coordinates to Scott. "Got 'em! Thanks, Jevic. Joel, I'm ready to fire," said Scott.

"Don't destroy it, just try to disable it if you can," directed Joel. Scott nodded.

"They're powering up for a light jump," said Jevic.

"Fire now, Scott. Get 'em before they make the jump," directed Joel. Scott pushed the fire button and the Quantum Torpedo rocketed out of the front of the 'Deliverance' on its way to Bahar's ship. Jevic watched his screen intently as the torpedo approached its target. It exploded on impact, but their defense grid prevented any damage.

"I'm reading a decrease in their defense grid. Another hit will do some real damage," said Jevic. Scott quickly fired another Quantum torpedo at Bahar's ship. "They've returned fire!" yelled Jevic. Brandon adjusted the defense grid, but the impact of the torpedo caused the 'Deliverance' to shudder violently. "Their grid's down! Quick Scott, fire again!" Scott fired another Quantum torpedo, but just before arriving with its deadly cargo, Bahar's ship made the light jump.

"Damn! They got away!" called out Jevic. He turned to face Joel. "They made the light jump just before the torpedo hit."

"Quick Shane, enter the coordinates for Kelmar and make the light jump," directed Joel.

"Coordinates already entered, but the core's not on line yet."

"Damn it!" cursed Joel. "The minute the core is up, make the jump Shane. Don't wait to ask me, just do it."

"Yes sir," Shane said.

"Commander," an officer said. Joel turned to the approaching man. "We got all the prisoners transferred safely, but I'm afraid we have a problem." Joel sat down in the commander's chair on the bridge. Paulik entered and walked over to Joel. Joel urged the officer to continue his report. "We didn't realize that one of the detention unit doors had been destroyed. One of our prisoners escaped. In all the confusion, he made it to the transport portal and left the ship. I checked the log and found he transported directly to Bahar's ship just prior to their light jump."

"Who was the prisoner?" asked Paulik.

"It was Kibbeth, sir."

* * * * *

My parents told me beginning at a very early age that I was adopted. In my early years I often imagined that my birth parents were famous movie stars or rich beyond imagination. I never once considered that I was the result of a death, or rape, or worse, incest. Those thoughts just did not enter my young mind. As far as I was concerned, my mom and dad were my parents, period. Sure, somebody else gave me life, but my mom and dad chose to love me. That makes a big difference. I often retorted my young friends' nasty comments about being adopted with what became my standard response to the callous comments of my peers ... I was planned, were you? The thought of searching for my birth parents never really entered my mind. I guess it was something that I really didn't want to deal with; after all, I had two wonderful parents that loved me. I want to point out that I use the term "birth parents" instead of "real parents" because my mom and dad are my real parents. The two parents that gave me life ... well, that's what they did ... they just gave me life. The two people that I call mom and dad chose to take me into their family and love me as their own. That speaks volumes of their commitment to loving me and my love for them was and is unwavering. But ... yeah, there always seems to be a "but" ... now I was faced with the realization that my birth parents had been brutally murdered ... and that I had a brother. Gazing upon the faces of the man and woman that had given me life, I felt confused. I could not understand why anyone would want to cause them harm. It just didn't make sense. And it continued to not make sense, because now it seems the same people want to harm me.

My mom and dad raised me to always, always, do the right thing no matter what the consequences. And I often suffered because I did what they told me to do. I would often come to the rescue of kids being tormented by other kids. God how mean kids can be, especially toward kids that are different. Yeah, I got pushed, knocked down, and even punched a couple of times because I stood up for those that couldn't stand up for themselves. But ya know what? It was the right thing to do and it felt good. I always felt good about myself for standing up to bullies and mean people. Here's this little scrawny kid standing up to much older kids and most often getting the brunt of the hate. I kept asking myself where all this hate comes from. As I grew older, I realized that the hate started at home. A perfect example of that is Brandon. He was basically a good kid, but his home life pushed him to do things he wouldn't ordinarily do.

The picture of my birth parents Docta had given me consumed me with wonder. Suddenly, my mind was swept with an avalanche of questions. I looked intently at the picture and was hit with a revelation. I had my mother's eyes! I also had my father's hair. Gee, thanks dad! But the one thing that I had inherited from my birth parents, I could not see in the picture. The powers that I was just beginning to experience could not been seen in the photograph. I wondered what my mother had thought about her powers as she was growing up. How did she handle the responsibility and the ultimate notoriety from people that just could not understand?

Looking up at Docta, I suddenly realized that we shared the same eyes ... the eyes that we both got from our mother. He was smiling at me and seemed to know all the feelings that were washing over me.

"Cameron, are you OK?" he asked softly. I looked into his eyes and was lost in the thought that I had looked into those very same eyes every time I looked in the mirror. I suddenly realized that quite a few moments had passed since he spoke.

"I'm fine, Docta. It's just a lot to try to understand right now." He grinned in agreement. "Tell me why, Docta. Tell me why I have all these powers. Tell me why these people want me dead. Please Docta, tell me why. Tell me what I'm supposed to do." Docta sighed deeply and sat back on the couch.

"You have no idea how many times I have asked myself those same questions, Cameron."

"Do you have the same powers that I do?" I asked.

"No, I don't. I have some unique powers, but nowhere near what you possess. My father was a Watcher. Your father was a human. The difference in the mixture of the DNA resulted in different powers. I received the normal inherited gambit of powers, while you ... well, you received DNA from a Watcher and from a human. No one could even guess what was going to happen. I think that not knowing caused you to be placed with a human family."

"Paulik?" I asked softly.

"Yes, he had a lot to do with your placement, as did Bahar. But the ultimate choice was up to Paulik. He made sure that no one, not even Bahar, knew where you were placed. He did that to protect you, Cameron."

"He treats me just like his son."

"That's because he feels like you are. He feels responsible for your well being. Your father and our mother were very close to Paulik and Bahar. Their deaths hurt Paulik very much. He's your godfather you know?"

"I never knew, but there's so much I don't know."

"In time, brother, you will learn about it all. Right now, I smell the meal I fixed for us getting cold in the kitchen."

"Let's eat!"

"Excellent idea. I'm starving."

We sat around the kitchen table and ate in silence. My mind was still attempting to take in all the information. I thought about Paulik and all the comments he had made about my parents. Thinking about Paulik made me think about Jevic. I missed him so much. It seemed that a month has passed since we had seen each other.

"You miss him, don't you?" Docta's comment caught me off guard and I struggled to answer him. "One of my powers is being able to sense someone's feelings; their emotions. And right now I'm sensing that you are missing someone terribly."

"Your powers don't deceive you, Docta. I do miss him. I miss him so much that it hurts. I've been so alone. Finding you and then really finding you has been a blessing, but I still miss Jevic."

"Then you should go to him."

"I wish I could."

"You can, Cameron. You have the power within you. Let me ask you a question? How many Watchers can mind travel?"

"I don't know."

"Five percent. That's it. Just five percent. How many Watchers can make a parallel physical connection?"

"You know about that?"

"Yes. I've made it a point to learn everything I could about you. Now, how many can make a parallel physical connection?"

"I don't know."

"One. You. That's it. How many Watchers can destroy an isolation chamber?"

"I don't know," I answered again.

"One. Only one. And that's you, Cameron. All you have to do is concentrate. Didn't you learn anything from Elvin?"

"You ... you know about Elvin?" I asked, astonished.

"Of course I do. Elvin taught powers on Kelmar before being transferred to Earth. He taught me everything I know."

"It's a small world, isn't it?"

"No, it's a small universe, Cameron. You can mind travel to Jevic anytime you want to. Use your, what do you call your power, your tingling?" I nodded. "Let it carry you. Just concentrate and you'll be in his arms before you know what happened."

"I-I want to see Jevic, but I don't want to leave you. Can I take you with me?"

"Yes. I'd like that. I would like to see Paulik and Joel again. And, I look forward to meeting Jevic."

"Lets go then!" I said excitedly as I stood up. Docta came over to me and wrapped me in his strong arms. As he hugged me tightly I could feel the love between us.

"Concentrate on your love for Jevic, not on your love for me. Concentrate on Jevic and we will go to him. You've been taught to concentrate on a face, but I want you to concentrate on your love for him and his love for you. Do that, use your tingling and we will make it. You can do it, Cameron. I know you can." I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and concentrated on Jevic. I first pictured him in my mind. My tingling rose on its own. I directed it in and around my vision of Jevic. Then I poured all the energy of my love into my tingling. The darkness welcomed us and the weightless feeling came quickly. Before I knew what happened, I began to hear voices. I opened my eyes and looked around. We had made it to the bridge of the 'Deliverance.' I looked up at Docta and smiled. He smiled back. We stood quietly in a back corner and watched.

"The Quantum Core's on line! I'm making the light jump," announced Shane as he engaged the Quantum Drive. The view from the front facing view port showed the surrounding stars suddenly become streaks of light as the 'Deliverance' made the light jump. Everyone was riveted to their stations. Shane directed the ship expertly into its course for Kelmar. Brandon recalibrated the defense grid. Scott recharged the weapons and Jevic did a long range scan. Joel sat in the Commander's chair with Paulik at his side. They were quietly discussing the ramifications of Kibbeth's escape.

"At least you won't have to plan my rescue," I said loudly. The low murmur of talk among the bridge crew quieted while everybody turned around to look. I stood beside Docta grinning like the cat that just ate the Canary.

"CAMERON!" yelled Jevic as he started toward me. It had been so long since I had seen him that his sight almost took my breath away. I started toward him and we met half way, embracing tightly. Tears of joy fell from my eyes as I held my love for what seemed like the very first time. "Oh, Cameron, I missed you so much," he whispered into my ear. Through my tears I could see my friends coming toward us. They all had grins on the faces. One by one, they joined our embrace. Docta remained in the corner, quietly watching and smiling. Joel and Paulik walked over to our little group hug grinning from ear to ear. I saw them both out of the corner of my eye. I slowly released my grip on Jevic. As I did, I gently pushed him back to arm's length so I could look him in his beautiful green eyes.

"I've missed you too, Jevic. I love you so much," I said. I kissed him softly on the lips and hugged him again. Then I turned to Joel and Paulik. "There's someone here you need to see," I said to Paulik. He raised an eyebrow and looked back in the corner to see Docta. Paulik gazed at him for a moment.

"Docta?" Paulik said quietly. "Docta!" he said again with the realization that the man he was addressing was indeed Docta. Paulik started toward him with Joel right behind. Docta grinned at them and embraced them both warmly. While they had their reunion, I turned back to my friends.

"Brandon," I said. He looked at me with tears in his eyes. I pulled him into tight hug. "I missed you Brandon." He couldn't say anything, but his warm embrace said enough. I turned to Scott. He was beaming. "I take it you two have been taking care of each other through all this?" He just grinned and hugged me.

"We've both missed you, Cameron. It's been quite an adventure." There was one person left that needed my attention. Shane stood at the edge of the group, quietly waiting his turn. I released Scott, kissed him on the cheek, and turned toward Shane. I could feel my eyes start to fill with tears. My feelings for Shane ran deep. And I really couldn't explain it if I had to. I just felt very close to him and right now I needed to hold him. I opened my arms and he filled them with a strong embrace. I pulled him closer to me and held him tightly.

"Cameron, I'm so glad to see you. You've had us all worried." I tightened my hug.

"Thank you, Shane. Thank you. Jevic has been telling me what you've been doing. How you've pulled them all together and took charge. Thank you. You're a very special friend." I slowly released my hug, gave him a kiss on the cheek and then turned to Jevic. His tears of joy were still falling as he stepped over and kissed me passionately on the lips. Then we hugged again.

"Jevic, I want you to meet someone," I said and then turned to my friends. "You guys too." I turned to look at Joel, Paulik and Docta. I took Jevic's hand in my own and walked over to Docta. "Jevic, I'd like you to meet Docta."

"So you're the lucky one," Docta said as he reached out his hand toward Jevic.

"Docta is my brother," I said proudly.

"Y-you're Cameron's brother?" Jevic stammered as his timidly took the offered hand.

"Actually, I'm his half brother. We have the same mom, but different dads."

"I'll explain it all later Jevic," I said.

"Well everyone, this certainly changes our plans a little," Paulik announced to the group. "I think a celebration is in order." Everybody cheered loudly.

"Let's gather in the Captain's salon," directed Joel. We all started toward the corridor when one of the bridge officers called out to Joel. Joel looked back at him.

"In coming message from Bahar's ship, sir." We all stopped in our tracks.

"Acknowledge the transmission." The officer entered a few commands into his console and looked back at Joel and nodded.

"This is Commander Joel of the 'Deliverance'."

"And this is Commander Kibbeth. I'm sending you a little token of my esteem. Enjoy!" The transmission ended abruptly. Jevic bolted toward the surveillance station. Brandon darted toward the defense station. Shane ran to the helm, and Scott manned the weapons console.

"I'm tracking an incoming torpedo ... no, multiple torpedoes ... at least a half dozen!" cried Jevic. I walked calmly to the center of the bridge and looked toward the front view port.

"Defense grid at max!" called out Brandon. Docta grabbed a worried Joel by the arm and nodded toward me.

"Relax. You've got Cameron on board now," Docta said calmly. Joel looked at him incredulously. "It's OK Joel," Docta said in his most reassuring tone. I closed my eyes and brought my tingling up. I immediately sensed the six red-hot objects hurtling toward us.

"Impact in ten seconds!" called out Jevic. My tingling rose swiftly and reached out, surrounding the 'Deliverance' in a protective shield. "Five seconds!" yelled Jevic. I braced myself against the railing and kicked my tingling up a notch. The torpedoes slammed into my tingling's shield and exploded in brilliant flashes of red, orange and white. The 'Deliverance' never wavered, never shook, and continued on its path as if nothing had happened. I released the shield and lowered my tingling. Smiling, I turned toward Joel and Paulik.

"That Kibbeth. I should have kicked his ass when I had the chance," I said grinning. Jevic ran to my side, very concerned.

"Cameron, are you OK?" he asked.

"I'm fine baby."

"Are you weak? Do you need to rest?"

"No, really, I'm fine. The strength of my tingling and my ability to control it have grown to unbelievable levels. Sometimes I even amaze myself."

"Incoming transmission sir," the communications officer said to Joel. Joel nodded back.

"This is Commander Joel of the 'Deliverance'."

"Well, I see you must have a special guest on board, Joel. Tell Cameron that I look forward to seeing him again," said Kibbeth. I immediately stepped over beside Joel.

"There are many things that you will have to regret in your life, Kibbeth," I said.

"Oh really little boy. I didn't know you were so insightful."

"I'm not only insightful, but I'm damn sure that you will regret ever threatening the love of my life, because now you'll have to deal with the wrath of Cameron." I reached my right hand up and snapped my finger. The transmission ended quickly. My tingling rose on its own and I immediately threw out of huge block of distortion toward Kibbeth and Bahar's ship. Everyone watched out the front view port as it zipped through space toward its target. Jevic ran to the long range scanner and watched.

"Three, two, one, impact," he announced. He paused for a moment and then looked up. "Cameron, you just destroyed their defense grid and blew a giant hole in the aft bulkhead. It's strange though. The scanners should have detected a lot of life forms in that area, but there are none. In fact, I've only detected about two-dozen life forms on the entire ship. There should be at least a hundred on board."

"We'll find out soon enough," announced Shane. "We're only thirty minutes from Kelmar. I'm afraid that our celebration will have to wait. We need to make preparations to drop out of the light jump."

"You're right, Shane," said Joel. Then he looked at me, winked, and then looked at Jevic. "But I think we can do without Jevic right now. He has a few personal things to attend to." Jevic's smile lit up the whole room as he walked over to me and took my hand.

"Thank you, Joel. We'll be in our quarters," Jevic said as he pulled me toward the door. Moments later we were ripping our clothes off and jumping into bed.

* * * * *

Copyright © 2003 Stonemark. All rights reserved.

Note from the Author:

So Kibbeth got away! And joined Bahar! That's spells double trouble. In the next chapter, the boys will have to deal with a plot so sinister, it will threaten the very way of life on Kelmar. Plus, life on earth will once again hang in the balance. Chapter 17, titled "We Need a Ship" gives a hint as to what they boys are planning. So come back next week and see!

Once again, my sincerest thanks to my close friends Davin and Cody for their editing and proof reading ... and to Paul for his technical expertise. Without their help, you would not be able to enjoy this story.

I want to invite you to read "The Survivors" by my dear friend Douglas DD. "The Survivors" is a wonderful story that you will enjoy. I encourage you to check it out. I, like everyone else, anxiously await his next chapter.

As usual, each new chapter will be posted by Wednesday, sometimes earlier ... and as always, be sure to email me at Jevic@direcway.com and let me know what you thought of Chapter Sixteen. And hey, ... be careful out there ... play, but play safe!