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Hiya, everybody! This is Galen! I imagine you're wondering how I'm writing this. Kyle says it's better to let them tell it as a story, but I just couldn't resist the chance to say Hi! Uncle D thinks he's being creative, making up a section where I write it direct. Don't disillusion him, huh?
Lots of stuff happened on Tuesday. Cory and Sean's wedding was just a dream come true to be at! (I know, I'm saying that a lot lately, but that's 'cause it's true.) Bet you all wish you could have attended it like I did. That's not rubbing it in, it's realizing how you feel. 'Cause I do. Remember I was one of you guys back when.
I'm going to let Uncle D and Aunt B tell most of it like they usually do, but there's one thing, while we were getting ready for the wedding, that probably I ought to tell. Uncle Kurt and I were sitting around with a bunch of the Clan guys, and we got on the subject of our having read Clan Short stories. You know, like you guys are doing now?
When I told Adam and J.J. about reading about their first make-out session, in Teri's swimming pool the day Adam got rescued, they got all embarrassed, like you'd expect. But J.J.'s no dummy. He picked up on the fact that we knew about it because we'd read about it in the story "Memories." And he's written stories for school, when teachers assigned it – you know how they are. So he came to the logical conclusion that the writers were deciding what we do, as they make up their stories, just like he had when he got assigned to write one.
Then Uncle Kurt told us about Heinlein's characters encountering people that they'd read about as fictional characters, in a story called "The Number of the Beast." And that got some of us kind of unnerved – it's not fun to think you're just somebody's made-up character. I mean, think about it – who wrote you? Doesn't it make you feel kinda creepy to think about that?
Well, Kyle and SamSam were there, and they got this positively impish look on their faces, and started laughing. And we asked what was so funny. Actually, I asked that. I was immediately feeling bad, and embarrassed, that I had. I mean, this is Kyle and SamSam. You know what they're like – you read it, same as me! And it was just me that was asking, and I'm not anybody special.
Well, that got the two of them looking at me funny, turned serious all of a sudden. And then Kyle said he could show me how to use my empathy. In fact, he said, he needed to, because what was just an ability to sense people's feelings where we came from, had turned into full fledged empath powers in the CSU. You know, like Tyler had before he became a Mikyvis.
Well, I was kinda nervous, and I looked at Unk. And he asked Kyle exactly what he was going to do. And Kyle said it was just showing me how to control and use my gift. And Sammy said to him, like Regis and Danny, who I guess are characters in some stories that Mike and Sammy, and Uncle Kurt, all like. Well, Unk thought about that for a minute, and told me he thought I ought to say OK, but he'd back me whatever I decided I wanted to do.
I thought about it and then said to go for it, and all of a sudden it was like the sun came out. I could tell a lot more clearly what people needed and what I needed to do in order to help them. And then SamSam grinned, and he and Kyle showed me how to inspire my authors.
That's the fun part – they think they're making up stories about us, but it's actually us telling them what they gotta write. And that's the answer to the question J.J. had – but we keep it kinda on a 'need to know' basis.
Of course, you guys reading this will think Uncle D is making this up, same as the rest of the story. So no worries there.
Well, I guess I better let Uncle D and Aunt B get to writing their part. So, Seeya! as SamSam would say.
Hugs, Galen
Jude helped Billy Joe into the Auditorium. Both seemed awed by its size and décor. As hundreds of people they didn't know came pouring in, they both felt out of place. Sammy Martin detected their unease, spotted them in the crowd, looked around and located Kurt, and subtly instilled in him the idea to look for Jude. Moving to their seats with his nephews, Kurt turned and scanned the crowd, spotted Jude, and waved, motioning him and Billy Joe over to sit with them.
Scott was preoccupied with plans for the intervention he had spoken up and been assigned to lead, and scarcely noticed the two boys joining them. 'Let's see, there's Galen and me, I know I want at least two dedicated couples, and someone who can relate to his situation. Either Jake or Dylan. Maybe Uri, but I'd rather spare him....'
"We don't belong here," Billy Joe nervously told Jude.
Galen overheard, and spoke up. "Sure you do. This is the place for kids who have been through stuff – like us, like Jude, like you. That's what it's for. The people getting married today, they're the ones who started all this. That's why we're all here: to celebrate with them on their special day, and sort of say Thanks to them for what they gave us. You'll see; relax."
"He's telling the truth," Jude said supportively. "Stop being nervous."
At that point the wedding Processional began, and everyone's eyes turned to the center aisle. "Holy poop! What's that?!" Marky said as four-year-old Pauly started down the aisle carrying the pillow bearing the rings, face scrunched up as he tried to concentrate on doing just the right thing, and accompanied by an enormous young half-grown black mountain lion. Wacko's mouth was slightly open and his ears straight up as he tried to simultaneously be a source of strength and security and also a guard against all dangers of the small boy who was his special charge and bondmate.
"That wasn't in any of the stories!" Scott exclaimed involuntarily. Galen, sensing everyone's nervousness at the sight of the large cat, focused on it, caught a glimpse of Wacko's emotions, and visibly relaxed as he realized who it was. "That's Wacko, from the Unit," he said. "Remember, after we got here, Alec telling us that the Unit joined up with the Clan when Mike and SamSam got attacked? He's one of Fluffy's kittens."
"Oh, yeah, I remember now," Marky replied. "He's..."
"Ginormous!" everyone but Billy Joe finished the classic Marky-ism in unison. Marky grinned impishy.
As Cory and Sean processed down the aisle, Kurt and his boys were smiling broadly, exhilarated to be physically present as their heroes were officially married to each other. As they ascended the steps to the 'stage' area, now decked out to serve as the chancel for the wedding ceremony, the candles on the multitudes of candelabra began lighting, seeming to spontaneously burst into flame, from the ends to the center of each array of candles.
Billy Joe was looking back down the aisle. "Where's the couple?" he asked.
Jude pointed at Cory and Sean. "Them. They're the ones getting married."
"But, but... they're both boys, like us!" Billy Joe seemed scandalized by the idea.
"Yeah, so?" Jude said. "They're the ones who started everything – because they loved each other, and they cared about the folks around them that needed help. They're why we're all here – not just to honor them, but literally, it's because of them that everyone here got saved from what was hurting them."
Billy Joe looked skeptical. Jude noticed. "We need to have that talk afterward – the one with Tommy you were so nervous about having. But chill out for now, and let's watch the wedding. This is something I've looked forward to ever since I thought they were just characters in a story."
Scott for his part was transfixed by the ceremony. Here were the characters he'd looked up to as heroes when he'd read their stories, the boys who lived the life he'd dreamed of, and now he was actually there, in the flesh, sitting in the very auditorium as they pledged their love to each other forever in marriage. There was Mikey, an actual guardian angel for boys like him, standing up with his brothers. There was Tyne, straight out of Ark. There was Aaron, not the celebrity party-goer of his world, but the one who had found a mother's love in Teri and after being rescued by the Safe Haven Act, had set out to use his fame and fortune to help other gay kids. Kyle caught his eye and winked. 'Makes no difference who you are,' he sent by Kylegram, matching the old Disney song running through the back of Scott's mind: 'When you wish upon a star … your dreams come true.'
And he too found himself caught up in the outpouring of love – the love between Sean and Cory, the love poured out from them that had embraced J.J. and Kyle and Tyler and Adam and the twins and then hundreds more, that had moved Sarek to use the power of Vulcan in the service of love and justice – that had caught him and his family up and given them a home and a purpose.
Kurt was enrapt in the whole panoply as well, but for him there was a tinge of regret. He too had been a fan of the stories – but while his boys had become Clan, his task was to provide for them, and he was still at a loss how he could do that here, without his professional certifications. He wanted to be a part of what was changing history before his eyes, as he knew full well from the stories – but as an adult, he was limited to a support role. He shook his head, hugged Marky with one arm, and turned his attention back to the wedding.
As the wedding reception wound down, Tommy gave his newlywed brothers one last hug, whispered to Kelly, and then motioned Jude to bring Billy Joe with him. He led them into the enormous kitchen of the C.I.C. building, and to a round table and chairs at one end. He pulled sodas out of the walk-in refrigerator and tossed bags of potato chips and trail mix onto the table. After settling the Tribe down with a favorite movie (the Disney animation of "A Wrinkle in Time"), Kelly joined them.
"Okay, Billy Joe," Tommy said, "y'all are actin' like y're afeard y'all will get a wallopin'. And that's somethin' Momma Teri won't never be allowin' to happen to any of us. So what happened? You're among friends; nobody's gonna be gettin' down on you 'bout anythin'. Out with it, bro!"
Jude had been keeping a tight hold of Billy Joe's hand; he now gave it an affectionate, supportive squeeze. Billy Joe looked down at it panicky. "It's okay," Jude said. "You'll see." Tommy and Kelly smiled agreement.
"Remember what we'uns was up to in the treehouse when your Uncle Cal caught us?" Billy Joe asked Tommy.
"I sho' do. That's when he fust got the idea to get me away from m'Maw. But she never trusted him. She knew he was worser'n his brother, m'Paw. "
"So, y'all's here with your Maw?"
"No, when Uncle John arrested Sammy and Jeffy's – he's called 'Bastian now – paw, Uncle Cal didn't have any young'uns for his porn. So he killed Maw and made it look like she'd OD'd, so he could get aholdt'a me. But he wanted the twins back, too. He tracked them to Iowa, and almost got away with snatchin' them. But their boyfriends, Benji and Eli, used their TK to stop him, and JJ and Gabe executed him. Kelly brought me over to his Maw and his Aunt Teri, and Teri agreed to be my new Maw."
"What can I say?" blushed Kelly, "He's as cute as a little puppy and I wanted to keep him. But I thought this was gonna be a chance for me to learn about one of my cuddlepuppy's old friends."
"Well, when Tommy stopped coming by the treehouse, and I only saw'm at school, I din't have anyone ta fool around wid. Anyways, one day I was in the treehouse alone thinkin' 'bout him, and umm.... playin' wi– by myself…. I didn't even know that I wasn't alone anymore, till I heard a voice say 'Tommy? You callin' out a boy's name? What're you, a fag or sumpin' ?' I looked up and saw a kid about a year older'n me in the treehouse doorway."
"Uh oh!" murmured Jude under his breath.
"That's what I thought, too," said Billy Joe, catching Jude's remark. "But it wasn't all that bad. Frank – that was his name – was willin' to keep it secret, so long as I sucked him off. At first I didn't wanna, but he kept wavin' his thing in my face, so I finally did it. It wasn't as bad as I feared.
"I thought that was that, but he came by two days later and said, 'Let's go up in the treehouse.' That's when I found out suckin' him off wasn't gonna be a one-time thing."
"Man, that blows!" Jude muttered. "Actually I think it's Billy Joe who was doing the blowing," snickered Kelly. When no one else laughed, and Billy Joe shrunk down and looked as if he wanted to hide under the table, Kelly gasped, "I'm sorry! We make those kind of remarks to each other all the time. We're all gay boys together and no one minds. I didn't mean to embarrass you. Will you please forgive me?"
"That's my Kelly. Most of the time he's tactful and discreet, and the gentlest person ya could ever find. But sometimes, he can find the onliest cow-patty in the whole meadow and step right innit."
"W'sup, bro?" came a voice from directly behind Billy Joe, making him jump up. It was too similar to when Frank discovered him.
"This here's Billy Joe, Alec," Tommy told the newcomer. "We useta hang out. We're catchin' each other up on what's been goin' on. But he's not comf'table tellin' too many people."
"Random Hug!" yelled a little kid, about nine years old, who suddenly appeared on Tommy's lap. After hugging Tommy, he looked at Billy Joe. "You look like you could use a hug, too. May I?"
"I guess," said Billy Joe, uncertainly. The kid jumped into Billy Joe's hesitant embrace.
"Peter, why don't we go find Andy? I'm sure between the two of us, you can get lots more hugs." Alec picked Peter up, and they both disappeared.
Despite their unexplainable departure, Billy Joe felt better. He could finish telling his story now. Up until now, he was fairly sure he would not be able to get through it all.
"So, about three weeks ago, I was doin' some chores in the back yard when Frank comes by and tells me to come up inna the treehouse. He unzips, 'n' whips it out. What we didn't know was that my Paw saw me leave off the chores to go inna the treehouse with Frank, and he come to tan my hide for neglectin' my chores, and found somethin' worse.
"He starts screamin', 'No son of mine is gonna be a godless faggot. The church has a program to "fix" perverts like you.' Alls I could think of was when Paw took Butch to be 'fixed' – you remember Butch, our old coonhound – he weren't never the same since the operation. I promised Paw, 'I'll do anythin' you want. I'll do everythin' the church says. Please don't cut it off!'"
"Come on, Galen. We've got a team to put together and a boy to rescue," said Scott, as he spotted Alec and Andy hugging a boy about Marky's age. The boy finished his hug with Andy and went to join another group.
"There's Ceej. Me 'n' him, we're boyfriends. C'mon, Unk, come meet him," crowed Marky, pulling on Kurt's hand.
"Boyfriends? When did that happen?"
"This mornin' when we went swimmin' in the pool."
The boyfriend in question broke away from the group and gave Marky a hug. "No time to play now. We gotta go talk to my Grandpa. Call you when we get back." He ran back to the group.
One of the other little boys in the group that Ceej was with turned and saw Scott and Galen approaching Alec and Andy. He waved and called out to them, "Have fun in Greece!" Then the people in his group started vanishing. Soon only one young woman was left.
Kurt thought he could use this to start a conversation. "My, people come and go so quickly around here."
Rina was momentarily confused, but quickly recovered. "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."
Marky suddenly got the giggles. "Lions and tigers, and bears. Oh my!" he laughed, pointing at the G-cat girls and the sehlat cub on guard over Joel.
Galen drew Scott aside during the reception. As they walked over to a secluded table, they couldn't help but wave to the guys they knew from "Jigsaw", who in turn wished them good luck in Greece.
"You were always there for me when I needed it, when nobody else but you and Marky, and Unk when he was around, seemed to care," Galen said. Scott wondered at Galen's tone: the usual self-effacing tone was there, but there was a new self-confidence in it. "Um – Kyle and Sammy helped me train my gift, and it's so much more intense over here than it ever was at home." He paused, trying to find the right words. "Uh, Scotty, you're a mass of conflicting emotions right now, and I really need to be there for you. Want to talk about them? Please?"
Scott flushed. "Well, it's, er...."
Galen took pity on him. "Let me see if I can help you sort them, or at least put words around what you're embarrassed to say. Okay?"
"Well... yeah!"
"Okay, first: you've been horny for the kid we're looking to rescue since Austin fed us all Kenny's reading of him. And you're genuinely concerned for him as well, and feeling guilty about being horny. That, um, kind of translates to, you're falling in love with him. or maybe 'at him' would say it better. And you feel like you're leaving Jude in the lurch for having those feelings. Net result: major guilt trip. And you're feeling the responsibility of mounting this extraction, and worried your emotions are going to get in the way. Have I got the most important parts of it right?"
"How'd you see all that?" Scott was incredulous at Galen's insight.
"I told you, Kyle and SamSam turned me into a Tyler-level empath, or at least what Tyler was back in Memories Part One, before he became a Mikyvis. I'm just worried you'll feel like I'm invading your privacy. But you're broadcasting your emotions so strongly, and I owe you so much...."
"It's OK, Gale. I know you care. I just wish I could solve what's bugging me," Scott said worriedly.
"Maybe I can help there. First, you and Jude never really committed, remember? Unk told you not to, back before we came across, and you two talked it over and agreed. Well, that kid that was with him at the wedding – I got a read of his feelings, and Jude's fallen for him. Billy Joe's on the old 'gay is bad' guilt trip, though, so Jude's going to have his hands full there. But my guess is that Jude will be relieved, not upset, to know you've found someone."
"Second, remember what I said when I was reading Kenny, reading Stass? He wants a relationship, and with someone bigger and older than he is, not his little head game of living out a modern version of the ancient Greek loved boy by selling his bottom. His main problem," and Galen giggled as he said it, "is that he thinks he needs a man because of what he's gotten used to having inside him." He glanced impishly but meaningfully at Scott's crotch. "And you're good looking and a heck of a nice guy, as well."
"You mean...?"
"Yeah – 'Mr. Ginormous' there is finally going to be an asset for you, not something to be embarrassed about. And from everything I've read about or seen since we got here about the Clan, that combo of wanting to screw like minks in heat and wanting to protect the other from all possible hurts, taken together, equals what most Clan guys call love." He grinned. "Scotty. I don't know how to break this to you, but... here and now, you're normal!"
And the relieved belly laugh that brought out of Scott was a wonder to behold.
As the wedding reception went on, Scott set about gathering the people he had identified, and briefing them: Jake, Xain, Deacon, Lawrence, Alec, Andy, Galen... and J.J.'s father, Commander John Martin of Starfleet Security. "I realize I don't have any call over you, sir," he said, "but I need an adult to play out a particular role in setting this up. Could I please ask your help?"
"Of course," John replied. "I need to be on call, with everything that's happening, but standing orders are to give the Clan a hand, and even if they weren't, anything I can do to help pull off a rescue, I'll do, on my own time if necessary. All anybody needs to do is ask."
"Thank you, sir," Scott answered.
"That's 'John' to you, young man," John answered. "'Now, what exactly have you got cooked up?"
Grinning, Scott motioned him to where the boys were gathered, and briefed them.
The day that Stass's life changed began like any other. He woke on his pallet, stepped into the kitchen, and poured the single cup that was his lot of the preciously-guarded bitter coffee which he and his brother had loved sharing with their father, and which his brother bought for the home when there was money enough – far too seldom recently. He sipped the coffee, stretched, and walked, naked as always, through the village to the boat which was his only legacy from his father. He reached down and rubbed his loins to cause his penis to enlarge slightly – that seemed to attract clients, he had found.
The tourist season had ended, and there were very few still coming to the island. Even fewer wandered into this little village in Mongonisi at the far southern end of the island. And the kind of tourists he serviced were never very plentiful. Stass was beginning to worry if he would be able to make it through the winter. It had occurred to him more than once that he might be forced to sail to the mainland and seek employment in one of the tavernas (or worse). But whenever those thoughts came, he pushed them out of his head. He was not ready to give up his dreams and admit defeat.
But those thoughts had been coming up more and more often, lately, as days would often go by between clients. Today had been one of those fruitless days. Finally, with little more than an hour of daylight left, Stass started securing the boat for the night, ready to go home and hope for a better day on the morrow.
The man walking down the beach alone did not seem a likely prospect. Slightly younger and more fit than the average client, with hair cut military short and wearing faded shorts and a floral print shirt open over a muscle shirt, he did not give Stass the usual once-over of appraisal. Instead, he looked Stass in the eyes. His gaze went unfocused, as if he were hearing voices in his head, then nodded and walked up to Stass.
Stass began his pitch: "Twenty drachmas, and I will give you a memorable ride."
The man held up his hand. "I will give you 100 drachmas, and perhaps much more," he said, "if you will take me in your boat to the beach on Antipaxos, and remain there with me until tomorrow."
Stass felt a tinge of fear. He had heard of men who abducted boys like himself, who offered themselves for sex. The man's vision went unfocused again.
"I give you my word," the man said, "that no harm will befall you, but only pleasant things." And he made a gesture Stass had not seen since his father died, the small hand motion that promised truth and caring.
Stass was startled by the gesture, and then even more as he realized that although the man spoke with an American accent, he was speaking the pure dialect Greek of Stass's native village. Stass was confused; the man did not seem to desire him, but 100 drachmas and a possible tip was not to be ignored. And the gesture said to him that he had nothing to fear from the man, however strange his behavior seemed.
"I will row you there, and remain with you," Stass said. "Shall I go to the taverna and procure us food for the stay?"
"Food will be provided," the man said.
Thoroughly confused now, Stass began pushing the boat into the water, striking erotic poses between shoves of the boat in an effort to please the man.
"I have the man I need," the man said.
Billy Joe continued telling about his life, "That night after supper, Pastor Eckhardt came by. He told Paw and me about this special Bible camp, Camp Santa Anita, that trains kids not to be faggots no more. He said that if I agreed to go and get trained, I could once again be a useful soldier in God's army. Like I told Paw, I was willing to do anything the Church said, as long as I didn't get my thing cut off, so I says OK."
"Um, I think the camp is what your father was talking about all along," commented Jude. "I don't think he ever meant 'fix' as in neuter."
"I figgered that out, too, but not until it was too late. At the time all I could think about was that my Paw was madder'n I'd ever seen him, and I was in for more than jest a whoopin' somehow," Billy Joe replied. "So there I was agreein' to anything Pastor wanted.
"Pastor gave me some papers to sign. He said they had to keep records that everybody in the camp was there because they agreed to go, and nobody was kidnapped. Paw had to sign papers for the doctors, in case I had an 'accident.' Pastor and Paw complained about all the paperwork, saying how the Federation had no call to go muckin' around in Church business in a free America, and how it was all that 'Vulcan devil' Sarek's fault."
"That 'Vulcan devil' is our gran'paw now. Yours, too, if you want him to be," said Tommy. "It was because of him that Sammy, 'Bastian, and me were saved from Uncle Cal, and because of him that you are here, 'stead of in that Camp place. We've shut down lots of places like that."
"To be honest, he's only a part of the reason," said Jude, thoughtfully. "Another part is Dr. Dan. If it weren't for Sarek and Dr. Dan, Cory and Sean could never have formed Clan Short. And Cory and Sean are the biggest part, the key. Without them, none of us, and I mean all of us," and he swept his arm to indicate everyone in the Dining Room, or perhaps everyone in the entire compound, "none of us would be here. Most of us would be dead, the rest of us would still be in situations where death would be a welcome release. Believe me, I know. I've seen it."
After seeing Marky safely involved with the other eight and nine year olds, Kurt and Rina found a table where some other Clan parents were relaxing and enjoying drinks. Rina introduced him around. He already knew Allen Thompson and Billy Pierce from dinner the night before. Marcus and Doris Teeter were their neighbors. Sylvia Maxwell, Rina's good friend and neighbor, joined them from the next table, where she'd been speaking to a regal-looking older woman and a family that clearly loved and doted on her, despite the fact that they were obviously not her blood relatives.
"I'm a little worried about how I can support my boys. I have no home and no job in this dimension," sighed Kurt. "I don't even have any credentials to get a job, other than the ID card in my wallet from PCS, but the both the Center and the Agency have different names here, and neither has any record of my existence, so as far as anyone knows, it's just a bad forgery."
"You sound a lot like I felt when I first came here. I came to renew my acquaintance with an old friend, and suddenly found myself with two young boys to care for – not as a chore or duty, but as a labor of love – and realized that my then-current apartment was too small, and my job in the Mall was too entry-level. The words acknowledging that had no sooner left my mouth than Allen and Billy walked by and made a phone call on my behalf and I had a new job. A job that paid extremely well, and, more importantly, one that made use of all of my skills and training. And Kayla helped me find a bigger apartment."
"To quote Dorothy, 'I don't think there's anything in that bag for me.' Though, come to think of it, if you could come up with them, a diploma, a testimonial and a medal would probably go a long way in helping me to get a job," Kurt sighed.
"What was it you did in that other world?" asked Sylvia.
When Richard Grayson saw an empty chair open up at the table Aimee and her adopted family were sitting at, he excused himself to Amanda and Sarek. "Not only is this a chance to catch up with an old and dear friend," he thought, "but she still has all of the imperious presence she had when she was a schoolteacher, and her mind is still a steel trap. She's a perfect recruit for the new camps project. Surak knows that we need as many qualified people as possible." And since "qualified" was to be judged by Vulcan standards, little things like mandatory retirement age meant nothing.
It soon became clear that Aimee had her own plans, and of course once she set her mind on something, there was no budging her. But as he sat there, he could not help but pick up snatches of the conversation at the next table. Soon he'd heard enough to get him interested in the one young man. He'd have to ask Jason or one of Chip's boys for his "read" on the young man, but he definitely sounded like someone he wanted to recruit.
"I had to take a cut in pay two years ago, because I had not taken advantage of a management training program offered the year before," Kurt was saying. "They re-evaluated the pay-grade requirements for different positions, and I was dropped a grade. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-education. I've taken classes on my own time and at my own expense when it would help my effectiveness with the kids. But this class was seen at the time as just a stepping-stone to a promotion to the office and management, and it didn't include anything that I hadn't already learned when I originally earned my bachelor's. I just wanted to be there for the kids."
"But didn't Scott tell us last night that for the last few months you'd been pretty much running the entire center?" asked Billy.
"Well, that was an emergency. If the few of us left didn't step up and keep things going, the center would have had to close until new staff was hired. And once closed, places like the center rarely re-open. Besides, it's an exaggeration to say I was running the whole show. In fact, I spent as little time as possible in the office, and as much as I could with the kids. I believe I spent the least time on office-work of any of us "
"So was Scott exaggerating when he said that even the head therapist was asking you about policy decisions?"
"No, but she had not taken any business classes at all in college. During my freshman year, I thought I'd be majoring in business. It wasn't until the part-time job I got my sophomore year – with the company that supplied grounds-keeping crews for several PCS clinics – that I realized I would not be happy unless I was helping those kids. Most of them were just so grateful to have someone to talk with who treated them with respect and affection."
The journey to Antipaxos was strange, Stass felt. Whenever he tried to flirt with the man, to try to arouse him, the man seemed to grow uncomfortable. Instead, he asked Stass to tell him about the ruins on the islet. Stass waxed eloquent on this; it was something he knew and loved. He told of the Phoenician colony, the galley battle with the Turkish pirates, the two statues that had been found in the harbor off the islet. The man seemed far more interested in what Stass was telling him than in Stass's body, and that was confusing to him. Men who engaged the services of boys like him wanted only one thing nowadays; the days when men and boys were joined in body and mind were long gone. Yet this man, who more and more seemed to Stass like a clean-shaven short-haired Zeus, was treating him like a man would treat a boy in the olden days. Inwardly, Stass resolved to make sure that if the man did choose to mount him, he would give him the most pleasure he could.
When they reached Antipaxos, which was of course uninhabited, yet another surprise awaited Stass. For the man motioned him to take the boat to Mesovrika, and land on the beach there. Sometimes other clients would have him stop there, if they finished their business with him early, as Mesovrika was designated for nude bathing, but this would be the first time pulling in when the beach was deserted. Except it wasn't. As he pulled it in to shore, there on the beach were over a dozen naked boys, some swimming, some tossing what appeared to be a discus back and forth, and some pairing off and heading for some measure of privacy, either in the sea, or inland. Ah, thought Stass, the man has brought me here to be part of an orgy. He felt aroused at the idea.
Yet when he beached the boat, all the boys turned and waved to him, but nobody approached him for sex. The man who had hired him walked across the pebbles of the beach to a rocky outcrop and seated himself. He called none of the boys to himself, nor did they seem to take any special notice of his presence.
One of the boys returning from the woods was carrying some greenery – it looked like laurel branches – while his partner began scratching in the earth, he gave the branches to another pair, who started twisting them into wreathes, and then he joined his partner as together they started moving some rocks and sticks into position: they were setting up a race course, for a friendly competition. A sudden shout from one of them brought the man to his feet. An asp was crawling out from beneath the plants. The man slapped right hand to hip, brought his arm up in full extension, and lightning flew from his clenched hand to burn the asp to a crisp.
Stass's eyes went large. He remembered his thought on the boat ride that the man resembled Zeus. His mind reeling, Stass struggled to make sense of what was happening. It was as though he had been transported back to the time when boys frolicked in sexual fun, in the olden days he'd longed for. He remembered his father talking of Greece's past. Euhemerus! he thought – the philosopher who said that the gods of old were idealizations of good men. I have been somehow taken into an enchanted place where modern-day avatars of the gods appear.
The others encouraged him to join in the races, and he made a good showing, winning a few heats and earning a laurel crown. He noticed that woven in with the laurel were small white flowers. He recognized them as snowdrops – a flower that normally bloomed in early spring. But there was a rare variety, native to these Ionian islands, that bloomed in autumn, instead. Legend said that this special variety of snowdrop was the holy herb moly that Hermes gave to Odysseus that allowed him to resist Circe's magic potions, and that this very island was her home, Aeaea. Local legend also said that Circe had three sons by Odysseus, and that the third son, Telegonus, was the ancestor of the Paxonians.
So it seemed appropriate that an avatar of Hermes – the tall slim blond boy with the slightest wisp of straggled whiskers on his chin, who was presiding over the races, could be no one else, and the not-quite-human younger boy who had helped him set up the race course must then be his son, Pan – would give moly to a son of Odysseus. What was odd was that the son of Odysseus chosen to receive the prize was not one of the island champions, but a poor orphan boy from a tiny village.
An infant who had been sleeping until now awoke and began fussing. The Hermes-avatar rushed to her in obvious paternal concern. When he picked her up she settled down. He came back to Stass carrying her. "I want you to meet my daughter, Edovina. Her name means 'the champion of wealth,' and we are all wealthier for having her in our lives." Surely he was announcing himself as Hermes, the father of Tyche, goddess of good fortune, Stass thought. Perhaps they were not merely human avatars after all. Stass fell to his knees.
"Arise, Anastasios Petrides, and greet your new brothers as an equal," a voice called out from above. Some of the younger boys were murmuring a name, it sounded like "Maiki." Maiki was the more intimate shortening of Michalis, the one that young children called their older brothers, or a young woman – or young man – called a lover. Stass had started calling his own brother "Michos" in public, but still occasionally fell into using "Maiki" when they were alone, although his sister-in-law did not approve.
Stass looked up to the place in the sky from where the voice had seemed to come. An angel of Heaven was slowly descending to land on the island. Surely this was Hagios Mikhailos Archangelos – Holy Michael the Archangel, he thought in awe and wonder. And the ancient gods were comfortable and familiar – even intimate – around him!
The prophesy! Stass remembered the old bit of lore he had heard as a child: "When the holy angels appear alongside the ancient gods, then God's judgment and mercy are at hand."
"Is God ready to condemn me, then, as the priests told me?" he asked the angel humbly.
The awkward silence following Jude's words turned into a meditative silence as the boys reflected on the fates of so many who were not as fortunate as them. Each boy took a moment to pray.
Aaron and Adam passed by. Sensing that the most personal part of Billy Joe's story was over, Tommy asked them to get more snacks and drinks and to join them.
When the boys were all settled in, Kelly asked Billy Joe about what it was like in the camp.
"Well, it began with the bus ride to the camp. It took almost three and a half hours. They had us spread out through the bus, so no one was closer than four seats away from anyone else. We were not allowed to talk with the other 'queers,' and were discouraged from talking to the chaperones, unless it was absolutely necessary, so I was alone with my thoughts for most of the ride. Mostly it meant just sitting there remembering the look on my Paw's face. Pure hatred."
Aaron, Adam, and Jude all nodded at that, each reliving his own memories of that look.
"Once we got to the camp, we piled out of the bus, and lined up, and they told us the rules: The first rule was that we were never to be out of sight of one of the 'prayer counselors.' Never. Not even to use the crapper. Especially not to use the crapper. Not at night in bed, either. We slept in a common dorm in the bunkhouse, and the lights were kept on all night long. There were three private rooms at the end for the 'prayer counselors,' with one-way mirrors looking out over the dorm. Three prayer counselors slept there, each taking a watch to make sure we weren't 'up to no good.'
At five o'clock every morning, we were woken up and herded into the chapel for an hour of prayer before we began the day. Then an hour of chores before breakfast. They allowed us one bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, because we hadn't earned anything more. Some of the kids who had been there a while sometimes got a glass of juice or milk, sometimes a piece of fruit. Nobody in my bunkhouse had yet earned the right to have a piece of toast, yet. And meat was only served at the staff table to the elders and prayer counselors.
"After breakfast, it was more chores until lunch. After lunch, there was another hour of chapel time, then more chores until supper, except for the half-hour we each met privately with the one of the prayer counselors or elders.
"My prayer counselor wasn't too bad. He'd read with me from the Bible, and ask me to confess my desires. He even seemed to believe me when I said I was too tuckered out from all the chores to have any desires. Most of the other counselors did not believe it when someone told them this, and would whup him until he described the desires in detail. Joey, who slept in the bunk next to mine, and sat next to me in the mess hall, said that I was lucky because Pete, my prayer counselor was new, and because I was so young, so he didn't expect me to have as many desires as the older boys. His counselor, Elder Wright, didn't believe anyone and always whupped him, even before asking him to confess.
"But Elder Wright wasn't the worst of them. When Pastor Eckhardt was there – he drove up twice a week – he would choose one or two boys to counsel personally. When they came back to finish their chores, the could barely stand up, and they walked funny. Sometimes they couldn't even sit down to dinner. Once after Joey had counseled with Pastor Eckhardt, I noticed while he was in the shower that night, that there was blood in his undershorts. Pastor must have whupped him really bad."
Tommy, Jude, Aaron, Kelly, and Adam passed knowing looks at one another, but silently agreed that educating Billy Joe could wait for a better time. Tommy resolved to make sure that Pastor Eckhardt's case got special attention.
The angel spoke again. "Our Father sent me to you not for judgment, but to show His love and mercy. You are one of His lost lambs, and He wants the best for you. You can have a new life, a better life, if you'll only accept the gift you are being given."
"What must I do to obtain this mercy?" Stass asked in awe.
"For now, just listen to these boys, and learn their stories. It is hoped you will become one of them. But the choice is yours. It will always be your decision to accept or reject the offer. No harm will befall you whichever way you choose."
Stass felt a hand on his shoulder, and immediately felt calmer. The hand belonged to a smiling boy whom he had raced against in the second heat. He remembered that the boy's name was Galen, just like the ancient physician. He certainly made Stass feel better.
"I think St. Mikey was telling us that it's time you really got to know the rest of us, so you can decide whether you want to come with us.
"Guys, gather 'round. Sean's not here to do his historian thing, so each of us will have to tell his own story."
"After supper, there was an hour more of chores," Billy Joe continued, "and then a group Bible study and discussion session, which lasted about three hours, until lights out. The first hour was on that day's passage from one of those daily devotional guides. The second hour was mostly general discussion about how sinful we were before we came to the camp. The third hour we had to confess our desires and pray for God's strength to make it through the night without defiling ourselves or each other. I was usually too tuckered out to have any desires. I fell asleep the moment I hit the cot, and slept through until I was rousted up in the morning."
Aaron looked thoughtful. "You told us how milk, fruit and meat were rewards at breakfast, and almost no one had earned them. Was it the same with the other meals?"
"More or less. We got a sandwich for lunch, but had to earn soup. Supper was a little better, but not much."
"I thought so. Guys, we've heard more than enough for Articles 17.4, and 17.21, and 12.1, both (a) against the 'prayer counselors' and elders, and (b) against Billy Joe's father. But I believe we will find we can add 10.1 (c), lack of privacy, and due to employing the advanced brainwashing techniques of limiting sleep and nutrition, 11.5 (a), and depending on the nature of the "chores" 17.1 (b) Unreasonable Employment, at least both subsections (2) and (3), and possibly even subsection (1). I'd be tempted to invoke the 'deliberate isolation' provisions in 12.2 as well."
"What does all that mean?" asked Billy Joe. Jude put a protective arm around his shoulders, and said, "If I know these guys, it means you won't have to worry about your father or Pastor Eckhardt ever again."
"… but I soon found out that a thirteen-year-old on his own has very few choices in how to keep on living." The boy he had identified as the avatar of Hermes, and whose name was apparently Iacovos, was telling his story.
"This story could be mine," Stass thought as Iacovos, "Jake," continued his tale. Sure, he had the dream this summer of acting out the role of a youth in ancient Hellas taking on a beloved mentor, but each "mentor" only lasted as long as one boat-ride. And the thought that he kept coming back to was the one he had been so careful not to think about. With winter coming on, he would have to find some way to survive. Michalis could not afford to keep feeding him through the winter; he could barely support a wife and baby.
Like Jake, he had known of only one way a thirteen-year-old would be able to survive. It would mean working for a taverneer, doing what Jake was describing that he had to do when working for a "pimp." He had put off the decision as long as he could....
But now, thanks to these boys, and the mysterious angel called "Saint Mikey," Stass actually had something to hope for. Still, there was one thing that bothered him. He had become too used to the activities on the boat-rides to give them up, and yet it could not be the same with another boy. He would miss the filling sensation of a fully-grown adult lover's penetrations.
As he monitored Stass' emotions, Galen felt like he could read his very thoughts. With the fine control that Kyle and Tyler had taught him he almost could. He directed Stass' attention to his cousin Scott. And whispered one word: "Ginormous!"
As Stass unawares followed Galen's impulse and looked appraisingly at the tall, slender, well-built fourteen-year-old, Scott caught his gaze and smiled shyly at him. Stass flashed a smile in return and began walking towards Scott, his tanned body glistening in the moonlight.
Late in the afternoon, with Marky off hanging out with the boys he had read about with his brother and cousin and now knew in real life – and having a great deal of fun with what they didn't know he knew about them – Kurt started becoming concerned about the mission on which his older two nephews had left. He had not heard from them since early in the afternoon. Rina recognized the look. "How do you handle it?" he asked.
"You come to trust in their abilities and judgment. Still, it doesn't get any easier, but you learn to hide it better," said Billy. "Let's go see if Seth can tell you how the mission is going."
"You don't want to make a pest of yourself every time the boys are away on a mission, but if you don't bother Seth at least the first time, everyone will wonder if you really care for the boys," Allen added. "C'mon, Billy and I'll come with you. We're here for support for you, so it won't count against us, but our boys are on the mission, too, and we want to know that they are safe."
When they entered the CIC control room, Seth greeted them with an exaggerated yawn. "I was wondering when you would show up. Scotty reports that the mission was successful. It's late evening over there, in the Eastern Mediterranean. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to brief my relief. I have a dinner date of sorts, tonight." As Seth wheeled his chair out of C.I.C., they thought they could hear someone calling his name. Someone with a British accent.
Editor's Notes: It is really nice to see a new chapter in this wonderful story. It seems like forever since we saw one.
I hope we will get to see more, soon. I love this story.
Galen, you are doing a great job of helping D and B write what is happening. I read "The Number Of the Beast," too. It is one of my favorite Heinlein books. "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" was a favorite of mine too. Mike, or Mycroft, was the first AI that I ever met, and I loved him. Manny tells the story, and he was Mike's first friend.
Give all the kids a hug from me, please.
Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher
Clan Short Archivist's Notes: Yes it is very nice to see another chapter in this story; especially when it helps tie up a few loose ends. Again as is usual in a D&B story it is the depth of the characters which shines through. Keep up the great work.
TSL