Memories Part 2: Spreading The Hope

Shuttlecraft Mississippi:

Cory looked over his shoulder. "Deej, is everyone strapped in?"

DJ looked everyone over one last time. "Yeah Dad; I had to strap Timmy with Austin though; he refused to move."

Cory just shook his head. "I figured he'd do that. Sean, let's hit it."

Sean keyed his microphone. "Lafayette, this is Shuttlecraft Mississippi. Request permission to depart."

"Permission granted, Mississippi. Have a safe trip; Lafayette out."

Sean waited patiently as the shuttle was automatically guided out of the bay. As soon as control was released to him, he guided the shuttlecraft out of the ship's orbit then contacted Communications. "TerraMain, this is Vulcan Diplomatic Shuttlecraft Mississippi. Request immediate Priority One clearance to Sullivan's Island, South Carolina for medical emergency."

"Mississippi this is TerraMain. We were expecting you; airspace has been cleared for your arrival. Priority One clearance is approved. Proceed with landing sequence."

"Acknowledged, TerraMain. Mississippi out."

"Hold on!" Sean announced as he accelerated to the maximum safe re-entry speed and dove toward the Earth's atmosphere.

Tanner giggled. "Gavin, he ain't kiddin'. Last time he did this it was wild!"

As the rest of the boys took turns pointing out features of his new home planet to Gavin, Cory called into headquarters.

"Clan Short Headquarters, this is Justin. How may I help you?"

"Hey Justy; this is Cory. We're on our way in now; is everyone else ready?"

"Dude! They left about twenty minutes ago, they should be there now! Matt took them over in your Mom's shuttle; Doc rode along to give 'Tonio a hand settin' up the bed. Tell that kamikaze boyfriend of yours to watch out when he lands; there's gonna be another shuttle on the beach. Oh, yeah, your Mom has a number in Australia you need to call; the Youth Services Director over there needs you to give some kids a hand. Matt's got the info for you."

"Thanks bro; I'll call ya when we hit ground. Let me know if you need any help while we're up there."

Cory closed the connection, then opened one to Dr. Furst.

"Clan Short A. I. Division Headquarters, this is Thomas. How may I direct your call?"

Cory did a double take. "Tommy?? What are you doing answering? What's this about 'A.I. Headquarters'?"

Tommy smiled. "Hey bro. JJ's been busy while y'all were out playing. Marc is kinda busy, they just finished setting up the portable unit. I've been busy putting the property under the Vulcan flag and arranging to get security set up. I think Danny is available; would he be okay?"

Cory shook his head in wonder. "Yeah, he'd be fine bro. Go ahead and get him."

"One second, Cor." Tommy replied as the screen went 'on hold'. A few seconds later, Danny appeared on the screen.

"Um Cory... Hi Bro!" Danny said with a little hesitation.

"Hey Danny; it sounds like y'all've been having fun! How's it going down there?"

Cory watched as Danny looked around at the equipment that had been moved out of the way to make room for newer equipment and shook his head. "Goin ok? I mean it's getting kinda nuts dow... Hold on a sec." Danny said as he got up and rushed to the door in the background. "Caleb, it's down stairs... No, no, tell Noah he has access to power in the lower lab." he said, getting an inaudible response he seemed to be happy with. "Sorry dude, your crew doesn't mess around." Danny commented as he returned to the terminal.

Cory smiled. "I'm almost afraid to ... SEAN! LOOK OUT FOR THE SATELLITES!!! ... Sorry; as I was saying, I'm almost afraid to ask. IF this bonehead don't kill us trying to get there, we should be down in about twenty minutes."

Danny scowled and looked at his watch. "It's 4:10 pm now. Guess you guys are runnin the time envelope right to it's edge. Looks like we will be ready to receive Austin in about 15 minutes. I have no idea how you timed it that close, but I'm really impressed."

Cory suppressed a giggle as he replied. "Lets just say I'm learning the Vulcan procedures for scheduling. I'll let you get back to work, just make sure the beach is clear about the time we are coming in."

"No prob, I think security has that base covered already. I don't even think insects are able to get on or off the property right now." Danny said with a giggle as Noah stuck his head through the door in the background and waved at Cory on the viewer.

"We need your help Danny." Noah whispered loud enough to be heard by Cory.

"Be right there." Danny said turning back to the viewer. "We'll be ready for you. Just don't forget there is another shuttle on the beach."

"No problem Danny. I'll let you get back to work; if Eli or Benji is there have them meet us to move Austin out. Talk to you shortly."

"You got it. Talk to you soon Cor, tell Sean no more playin chicken with satellites." Danny replied with a giggle.

Cory giggled back. "Will do. Later dude!" and then cut the connection. As soon as the connection was closed, Cory glanced over at Sean.

"Babe, don't look at me; it was your bright idea to tell JJ he was totally in charge while we were gone!" Sean giggled. "You shoulda seen the look on your face though!"

"Yeah, I hear ya'! Just remember not to hit the other shuttle when you land, dufus!" Cory replied with a grin as he gave Sean a one-finger salute.

"Promise?" Sean replied before becoming serious. "Alright guys, make sure you're strapped in, prepare for atmospheric reentry."

Cory quickly scanned his console. "All systems GO for atmospheric reentry Sean. Proceed when ready."

A few minutes later, planetside communications became active. Cory immediately dialed in the settings for the region. "Atlanta Control, this is Patriarch Cory Short onboard Vulcan Diplomatic Shuttlecraft Mississippi. We are en route to Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, United States, on a medical emergency. Require verification of clear airspace from this position."

"Mississippi this is Atlanta Control. You have clear airspace to your destination. Current weather conditions indicate an altitude of 30,000 feet will be the smoothest route. Please notify us once you drop below 20,000 feet on approach so that we may resume international air traffic."

"Acknowledged Control; thank you. We will comply. Mississippi out."

Shortly Cory spotted the North American coastline on the horizon. "Land hoooo!" he giggled.

"Oh God, now he thinks he's a pirate!" Tanner yelled from the back, causing a round of laughter at Cory's expense.

Sean interrupted Cory's reply. "Cor, call in, I'm dropping to 10,000 feet until we get close to South Carolina."

"You're lucky Tanner!" Cory quipped before turning back to the communications board. "Atlanta Control, this is Mississippi. Coming to 10,000 feet and beginning final approach."

"Acknowledged Mississippi. We are resuming air traffic above 20,000 feet at this time. Control out."

Cory switched his display over and pulled up the transponder for Teri's shuttle. A few seconds later, he announced " Sean, I've got a lock on Mom's shuttle. I've just transferred it's coordinates into the navigation console, that should put us right in front of the building."

"Thanks Cor. I'm targeting it now. It looks like we're pretty close - let's let them know we're here. Put a rear view on the screen for the guys in back - this should be good."

A few seconds later, Sean dropped down to almost ocean level and a huge rooster tail appeared behind the shuttlecraft. Sean made one pass past the Furst property, then turned around and headed towards the beach. A minute later, he landed the shuttlecraft and began shutting down the systems. As he finished, he glanced back into the passenger area and began giggling. "Welcome home, Gavin! What's the shocked look for?"

Gavin sat there speechless, still staring at the viewscreen, until Sean came back and placed a hand on the silver-haired youth's shoulder. "Are you okay, buddy?"

Gavin turned his head towards Sean. "Won't you get in trouble for doing that? If a pilot was to come in like that on Rigel, he'd lose his right to fly. That was great to watch, but I don't want to get in trouble."

"Relax bro; nobody's in any trouble. With the way I came in, it was an acceptable way to scrub off some speed. Let's go see what is holding Cory up."

The two boys reached the front just in time to hear Cory say "... Thanks, Zac, patch him through." They stood and watched silently as Cory took the call.

"This is Patriarch Short, how may I assist you Admiral Morrow?"

"Good afternoon Patriarch. I felt obligated to inform you that the Communications Technician who mistakenly denied you access has been suitably disciplined for his failure to follow procedures. I wish to extend full apologies from Starfleet for the incident. As a result of this incident, Ambassador Sarek and myself have been in conference to decide how to prevent a repeat of this violation of Article Eight ,Section 8.01b and 8.02 of the SHA. Within the next 72 hours one of us should be in contact with you to inform you of our decision."

Cory nodded his head. "That will be acceptable, Admiral. I will await the information.

"Cory, just off-the-record, I'm hearing a few rumblings on the grapevine which I don't like the sounds of. I will let you know as soon as I have some facts, but I think you might be in for a fight pretty soon here. If so, you've got my full backing."

Cory allowed a small smile. "Thank you Sir, I hope you are wrong for both of our sakes; but if you're right, someone's gonna find out that it's not a good idea to piss me off. Thanks for the support, I really do appreciate it."

"You've earned it, Cory. I will be in contact in a day or two. Morrow out."

"I'll be waiting for your call, Sir. Short out."

Cory reached over to shut down the console; just as he switched it to standby, he heard Sean snicker. "What's so funny, bro?"

"Nuthin'!" Sean giggled. "It's just that I could swear you was givin' the Admiral a hint not to mess with you!"

Cory returned Sean's giggles. "Naw; he's okay. He knew what I meant; and I'll bet the grapevine is about to get a warning put out on it. Let's get out there before the rest of the guys wear out our welcome!"

The three boys walked out of the shuttle to a surprise. All of the shuttle's passengers except Austin were on their knees repeatedly kissing the beach; even William was doing it! Just as Cory was about to ask what the deal was, Xain looked over his shoulder and announced seriously "We shall be just a moment, Patriarch. We must complete our ritual of appreciation for reaching the ground with all appendages still attached to our bodies, despite our pilot's best attempts to arrive otherwise."

Cory looked at Gavin with a grin. "Good point, Xain!" he replied as he dove to the ground with Gavin following suit.

Sean blushed and shook his head. "I'll get you later, Cor!"

As the onlookers broke out in laughter, Matt cleared his throat. "Okay guys!" he announced. "The sand is happy to see you too, but we have work to do!" Matt couldn't help but laugh as the team giggled and started standing up.

"Cory!" Marc shouted as he worked his way to the front of the onlookers. "We have everything ready. Can I see him?"

Cory looked at Sean and then back at Marc with a smile. "Sure, we gotta make sure he's gonna be okay to move. Sean you wanna handle the group out here?" he asked; giggling when Sean closed his eyes and nodded.

"Handle them? Yeah right." Sean replied with a giggle as Cory led Marc inside.

Sean calmly walked over to Xain. "Bro, you know what?" he asked as he firmly clamped a hand on Xain's shoulder.

Xain tried to move away, but Sean was too quick for him. "You're goin' SWIMMIN'!" Sean announced with a laugh as he picked up Xain and carried him into the surf.

Once his sworn duty was done, Sean walked back up to the group watching. He motioned for Matt, Jerry, and Danny to join him off to the side. Once they were all together, Sean asked "How're we looking, guys? Is everything handled?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Sean, I was starting to get a headache just trying to keep up on everything!" He started to continued when Cory stuck his head out of the shuttlecraft.

"ELI! BENJI! ANTONIO!" Cory yelled. "Get in here NOW! We've got to get Austin moved yesterday, he's shutting down!"

Danny took one look at Jerry, then they both sprinted towards the house. Eli and Benji didn't even bother with running, they literally flew into the shuttle with Antonio right on their heels. The rest of the boys cleared a path just in time, as the cot off of the shuttle's bio-bed came flying out; Timmy and Austin onboard, with Antonio, Cory, and Marc running behind it and Benji and Eli alongside.

Sean tapped Gavin on the shoulder as he ran by, motioning for him to join them. They sprinted into the house through the door being held by Jerry; as soon as they were inside Jerry came in right behind them.

Down in the basement, there was a bustle of activity as everyone rushed to finish clearing the area as Austin and Timmy were quickly moved to the new bio-bed and set in place.

"Cor, you may want to take Timmy for now." Marc said as he rushed to bring the lab's systems online.

Cory reached over and lifted Timmy off of the bed. "C'mon kiddo, you gotta move while the Docs help Austin. You can watch, but you need to stay out of the way."

Jerry rushed toward the bed before realizing Joey was attempting to keep up with him. "Cory, could you take my son too. They can sit up on the Panda unit over there so they can see what's going on without getting run over or anything."

Cory looked down at the eight year old glued to Jerry's side. "Hey there little guy; this is Timmy. You wanna go sit with him and watch?"

Joey looked up at Cory then back at his father. "Oday Dahddee. Dimmee an meesid wib Kebbim."

Cory smiled as he guided the boy over to where Jerry had indicated for them to sit. "What's your name, little guy?"

Joey slowly walked up to the two with a lost expression. "Im Doe-ee." He said more to his feet than to Cory.

Before Cory could say anything, Antonio interjected "Joey, it's okay. Timmy and Cory are good people; they are friends."

"Oday Domeeo." Joey said with a forced grin. "Id Dahddee fissen da boy on da beb?"

Cory placed a hand on Joey's shoulder. "Yes Joey, your daddy is helping fix Austin. You get to watch, ain't that kewl?"

Joey grinned as he walked up to the Panda. "Mah Dahddee fiss aneefin. No bwoked wen he fiss no moe." He said as he looked up at Cory. "Cam yoo hep mee ahp, pweasee?"

Cory smiled as he lifted Joey onto the unit. "That's great to know, Joey!"

Gavin had joined them, and was lifting Timmy up. Timmy saw the confused look on Gavin's face and translated. "He said his Daddy can fix anythin' - it ain't broke no more once he fixes it!" Timmy announced proudly.

Gavin smiled. "Thanks, little one. I still need to get used to the differences in the way you talk."

Just then Jerry broke into the conversation. "Gavin, Cory, We're gonna need you guys to help salvage the parts we need for Austin. Danny is grabbing the unit to remove them from and will show you exactly what we need."

Danny rolled two computers over to the table and motioned to them to join him. "There's a full torso here that is in operational condition." Danny said as he found the unit he was looking for and set it on the same table Joey was assembled on. "You guys have all the tools you need here and the schematics on the computers will walk you through their removal procedures." He added pointing at the screen. "Which one of you guys is the most comfortable doing this?"

Cory looked at Gavin, and saw the shock on his face. "Gavin, if you're comfortable taking the stuff out, I'll work the computer and give you the instructions."

Gavin relaxed. "That'd be fine; I've been taking micro-engineering in school, so removal should be easy."

Danny smiled. "Awesome, start with the regeneration circuit. If they need any other parts, they'll just yell for them. You can do a search on these systems for the schematics you may need," he said as he left to help out with Austin.

Cory brought up the schematics for the regeneration circuit, and was going over them with Gavin before beginning. Gavin suddenly froze, then turned and yelled "Danny! Get over here!"

Danny ran over as Gavin pointed to a spot on the screen. Just as Danny arrived, Cory nodded his head. "I agree Gavin. Good catch."

"What's wrong?" Danny asked as he approached the table.

Cory nodded to Gavin. Gavin smiled an acknowledgment then replied. "We were going over the schematics, and we noticed that the regeneration circuit has one major input to it - the bio-feedback module. If I'm reading this right, that module could be bad too."

Cory added in his thoughts. "From what I see, that module is the only one that could have overdriven the regen circuit. I think they should be replaced as a set to play it safe."

Danny quickly reviewed the schematics in his head. "You might be right; go ahead and grab both of them. You might want to get the fibre interconnect harness for them too; just to play it safe."

As Danny returned to help Antonio, Cory took one more look at the screen. "I'm ready when you are dude, let's hit it!"

 

"Unkah Dahnnee, Dimmy id cowd." Joey shouted, getting Danny's attention.

Danny looked quick and saw Sean looking around to find something to cover his son. He reached under the table Cory and Gavin were working at and pulled out a blanket and tossed it to Sean with a smile as he retreated to give Antonio and Marc a hand.

Sean grabbed the blanket out of midair and walked over to the Panda. "Here ya go, munchkin. This better?" Sean asked as he wrapped Timmy in the blanket.

"Yeah." Timmy replied soberly. "Austin says it hurts bad, Pappa. Make it stop."

Marc overheard Timmy's comment and gave Danny a serious look before staring at the abused body on the table in front of him and clenching his jaw. "He's in pain Danny." Marc said as he looked at Antonio and then back at Danny. "Protocols didn't shut down pain reception." He stared at Austin once more and just muttered, "Get me the communications cable bro, I'm goin in to do it myself."

Danny's eyes opened wide as he took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Alright bro." he said as he grabbed the cable off of a nearby computer cart and began connecting Austin while Marc prepared to make the connection on his own end.

"Just keep on him. I'll put out as many fires in there as I have to until you guys get him stable. Just hurry." Marc said noticing the concerned look on Danny's face. "I'll be okay bro, I promise."

"I'll have someone monitor your life signs just so his brain doesn't force yours to shut down." Danny said as he snapped the cable connector in place.

"Worry about him, I'll be fine. Please just worry about him!" Marc said as he sat in the chair, completed the connection and closed his eyes.

"Stubborn." Danny said to Antonio as they both shrugged their shoulders and went right back to work.

 

Cory and Gavin took one last check to ensure they had everything. Gavin carefully picked up the anti-static box that they had placed the parts in, and joined Cory in walking over to the table where Austin was being worked on.

Danny took a quick look into the box. "Great, you got everything! Set it in the sterilizer, box and all. Keep your hands in with it, give it thirty seconds, then bring it over; we are just about ready."

Gavin nodded his head and went over to comply. Cory looked over Antonio's shoulder at where he was working inside Austin. "Dude, it looks a LOT different in there compared to the one we took these out of. Are you sure that they'll work?"

Danny nodded. "Yes, they'll work. The one you removed the modules from is just an exoskeleton; Austin is online, so he has developed organs similar to what you have. The only real difference between the various models besides size is the programming of their positronic matrix."

Cory nodded and moved out of the way as Gavin returned with the modules. "You're the expert, Danny. Do you know if you'll need anything else?"

"Not yet; we need to get these modules installed to find out if anything else is down. His diagnostics are overloaded with this section being out."

Just then, Antonio pulled out the remains of Austin's original modules. Cory shuddered when he saw that the fibre link for the modules was melted in two.

A couple of minutes later, Antonio pulled out his hands and turned to Danny. "They went in easier than they came out; ready to test them?"

Danny turned to the terminal and entered a couple of commands. His brows furrowed as he watched the display. "Something's not right here. Both modules are online; I can see some output problems, but the warnings I'm getting do not match the module status. I wish we could use the direct interface."

"Direct interface?" Antonio asked.

"Yeah, Marc has the comm port tied up; otherwise I could run diagnostics directly."

Danny glanced at Austin, then suddenly exclaimed "What the hell!!!! What is wrong NOW!!??"

Antonio looked up from the bio-bed monitor. "Holy Smoke!!! He's got warpaint!!"

"Whadda you mean?" Danny asked in a worried tone.

"He's got warpaint; just like Timmy. His skin pigments change to look like warpaint if there is trouble. He must have got that on the ship when the bio-bed used Timmy as a reference."

"I thought that was just painted on Timmy's face." Danny replied. "You mean his SKIN does that?"

"Yep; Timmy can control it; Austin might be able to too."

Just then, both Marc and Austin's bodies convulsed. Marc suddenly paled and his breathing became rapid and shallow. "SEAN!!!! Grab that tricorder and get over here! I need you to monitor Marc!!" Danny yelled in panic.

Sean ran over, turning on the tricorder as he arrived. "I got it, Danny; just fix whatever's wrong, quick!"

Suddenly, Timmy spoke up from the other side of the room. "Daddy!!! Austin says he needs a new-o-train-meter in-her-face. He says hurry."

Danny slapped his forehead. "SHIT! Cory, get me a neurotransmitter interface module NOW!"

Cory and Gavin were already halfway back to the table. "Just give me a hand!" Gavin said as they reached the table. "It's right next to where the regen was at; I remember it from the prints!"

Gavin grumbled as he looked inside. "Shaft this! It'd take too long to pull just that module! Cory, grab a box; I'm pulling the backplane for the left systems interface board - modules and all."

By the time Cory had the box in his hands, Gavin had pulled out a board with six modules on it. He laid in the box, and they hurried back to Danny's side.

"What the hell?" Danny spit out seeing the contents of the box. "Um, you two went a little overboard on that order buddy." He said with a giggle. "Could you at least dismantle that so I can install it?"

Gavin giggled. "I thought you might say that!" he replied as he pulled the tools out of his back pocket. "We might as well replace all of them though since we have them out!"

"Probably not a bad idea dude, but we gotta do it quickly. If Marc did what I think he did, he's in an awful lot of pain right now." Danny said as he watched Gavin go right to work. "Give me a second though, I need to make the incision a little larger."

By the time Danny was ready, Gavin had the first module off and was starting on another. Danny grabbed it and quickly interchanged it with the old one - as fast as he was done with one, Gavin had the next one ready. Just as he made the final connection, Sean spoke up.

"Danny, you might want to hurry! Marc's temp just spiked to 104.7, and his blood pressure is dropping"

Danny nodded to Sean and looked at Marc's body. "Should be functioning now, ball's in your court bro."

Antonio watched the bio-bed's display and suddenly shouted, "Systems are activating, we did it!"

The boys erupted into cheers, high-fiving whoever was nearest. Jerry reached over the table and grabbed Danny's shoulders. "We DID it!! He's gonna be okay!! Thanks for letting me help, Danny!"

Joey got into the excitement and shouted. "ISA BEEN DA AWSIN AHN UNKAH DOO EET!!!"

The entire room hushed and turned to face the two boys who were now wrapped up together in the blanket with ear-to-ear grins.

"Yeah, what he sed!" Timmy shouted as everyone broke out in laughter which instantly returned to cheers and more high fives as both Timmy and Austin's warpaint faded away.

Danny watched and smiled at the outburst, not fully understanding the whole "War Paint" idea before returning to complete closing Austin's incisions.

"Sean, how's Marc doin?" Danny asked as he finished showing Antonio how to pick up where he was leaving off and knelt down next to Sean.

Sean scanned the tricorder's display. "He's starting to stabilize; but he had me worried; the display here was going nuts."

Danny shook his head and looked over Sean's shoulder at the display. "He's run down now. I'm not exactly sure what he did in there but he cut it close."

"Is he gonna be okay dude?" Sean asked with worry. "Some of the readings I saw coulda killed someone."

"He's beginning to stabilize so his systems are recovering. We need for him to attempt to regain consciousness before we can disconnect the uplink and tie him into one of the systems to see if there is any real damage though." He replied now focusing on Marc's lifeless face. "Come on bro... Wake up. Please..."

Cory walked over and placed a hand on each of the boy's shoulder. As the three of them watched Marc, Cory softly spoke. "That was a really brave thing Marc did; kinda stupid in a way, but brave. He risked his life for Austin; I just wish he had taken the time to plan a way out before he jumped in. Danny; Sean and I were told something by one of our Uncles a while back that I think you need to listen to. He said that Sean and I need to watch out for each other; we are each other's safety net, and have to keep the other one from doing stupid stuff. Marc don't have that; nobody is there to say 'stop and think before you do that'. I think you need to be that person for Marc; I can see that of all people you are the one he'll listen to. Marc is a great guy, Danny - please keep him safe if he pulls through this."

Danny put his hand on Cory's and looked up at him with a thoughtful smile. "I don't think I could have stood in the way of this decision." He said as he looked back at Marc's face and wiped the sweat drenched hair from his eyes. "Your brother was right. He told him that he had a soul and couldn't believe that Marc ever doubted it." he said as softly repeated Mikey's words from last night to his brother. "People are born with a soul. Androids earn them as they mature, and yours shines bright Marc." Danny said as his eyes began to tear up a little. "There was no time to plan a way out this time. He made the decision with his heart, not his brain. It would have taken a full deactivation to stop him from doing this for..." he said with a sniffle. "...his son."

Just then Antonio shouted in a panicked voice. "DANNY!!! Help!!! Austin's life signs are getting weak!"

All three jumped and ran to his side. "What happened?" Danny asked as he began going over the bio-bed's display.

"Dunno! Everything looked fine, then just started droppin." Antonio said as Cory wrapped his arm around Antonio's shoulder and Sean used the tricorder to attempt to see what the problem was himself.

Danny sighed out loud and looked at the group. "It's ok guys. This is a good sign. His body is in full control now." he said as he put his fingers under Antonio's chin and raised his frightened wide eyes to meet his own. "You didn't do anything wrong. He is going into low power consumption and accelerating his regeneration like he's supposed to." Danny said with a smile as a weak voice from the head of the table gained all of their attentions.

"Wh... what's wrong? Did it work? Is he ok?" Marc said as he strained to get the words out.

"Thank you God!" Danny said as he closed his eyes and ran to his brother's side. "Austin's gonna be fine." he said with a smile as he began to disconnect the uplink cable from the back of his head. "But if you ever scare me like that again..." he got out before Marc tried to stand.

Danny and Cory both grabbed an arm and helped him to his feet. "I'm ok, just tired." Marc got out with a weak grin before he looked into his brother's eyes. "It worked, that's all that matters right now." he said as he tried to take a step but was only able to raise his foot; the effort it took was too much for his system, causing his eyes to roll back, flutter shut and his body just went limp.

"Gavin, quick! Clear the table. We gotta get Marc on it." Cory shouted as he tightened his grip on Marc.

"On it!" Gavin shouted as he literally swept the parts off into a box in a rush.

Danny and Cory each grabbed a leg and carried him over, gently setting him down. "I gotta get him connected to a terminal. Jerry, grab the cable from Austin and plug it into the terminal."

Joey and Timmy sat and watched as everyone in the room hurried to Marc's aid before Joey broke his silence. "Dahddee..."

Jerry handed the cable to Danny and rushed to his son. "It's okay. Uncle Marc is gonna be fine, he just wore himself out." He said with a forced smile as he turned back toward the group. "He's gonna be fine." he said, watching as Danny brought the terminal online.

"Oday Dahddee." Joey almost whispered hugging Timmy tighter. "Isa fwitenened foa Unkah Mahwk." he said as Timmy nodded and hugged Joey back.

"Everything is fine guys." Danny announced as he scanned the display. "Other than being severely overloaded, his systems are all functioning. He's gonna need to build up some strength before his system will allow him to wake up."

Sean nodded as he scanned Marc with the tricorder. "He's right guys; Marc's readings are just like Austin's - he's repairing himself right now I'd guess. How long does that usually take, Danny?"

Danny concentrated for a second. "If I understand right, Marc should be okay in the morning. He's just got to recover some power and let a few overloaded circuits repair themselves. Austin should .." Danny paused as he glanced over at Austin and found that there were already visible signs of repair. "Austin is supposed to take a few days to recover; I don't believe what I'm seeing, but I think it'll be a lot sooner than that!"

"What do we have to do now?" Jerry asked as he double checked Austin's readings.

"Nothing except check up on them." Danny said moving over to the Panda and checking on Kevin, with two small sets of eyes following his every move from under a blanket. "According to Kevin's cellular regeneration rate, Austin is regenerating nearly 4 times faster with the bio-bed cooperative acceleration. It may be a race to see who wakes up first." Danny said as he stepped down to see matching smiles beneath the tiny gazes beneath the blanket now. "You two wanna go upstairs and play for a while? You look kinda bored."

Both boys nodded their heads so fast Danny was afraid they'd pop off. As they threw off the blanket and held their arms out to be lifted down, Cory giggled. "Hey Gizmo; I think you better find some clothes first!"

"But Daddy!" Timmy pouted.

"No buts, kiddo. You're not at home, so get dressed, then you can go play." Cory said as he lifted his son down; taking time to give him a quick hug before setting him on the floor.

Timmy took Joey's hand. "C'mon Joey! Let's go get me dressed so's we can play!"

"Oday Dimmee. Wee pay dah samb an go simmin?" Joey asked with a wide smile as Jerry lifted Joey up and set him on his feet.

"Joey, why don't you guys just throw on some shorts so you can go play in the water then." Jerry said looking at Cory for his opinion.

Timmy grinned. "YEAH!!! We gotta get Ricky and Unca Kyle and Unca Ty too!"

Sean shook his head with a smile. "You guys can swim only as long as Deej and Tanner can watch you; Dad and me gotta go find Uncle JJ."

"You all head on upstairs." Danny said as he began setting systems to standby. "I'll be right up as soon as I get this all to run on auto."

Antonio looked over at Cory. "Go ahead, I'm going to make sure the bio-bed is set, I'll come up with Danny."

 

Matt met Cory and Sean in the living room. "You guys look stressed; everything okay?"

Cory nodded. "Yeah, it is now. Things got way intense down there for a while."

Matt nodded his head, able to tell from Cory's tone of voice that the topic was not open for discussion. "Okay then. Since JJ has given these guys 'Clan Division' status, do you want Marc to be the head of the division?"

Cory glanced at Sean, then shook his head. "No, it has to be Danny. After what I saw downstairs, Marc would not be happy with a position like mine. Danny can take charge in an emergency - that's what we need."

"That's all I needed to hear." Matt replied as he caught Tommy walking by. "Tommy, grab me a Clan communicator out of the shuttle."

"Gotcha' Matt!" Tommy replied as he sprinted out the door. He returned a couple of minutes later and tossed two blue communicators and one silver communicator to Matt as he ran by. "Y'all gotta bea givin' all of 'dem one!"

Cory chuckled. "Good point!"

Just then, Matt was almost knocked over by Byron and then Antonio as they raced out of the doorway from the basement and rushed towards the stairs leading upstairs.

"Hey you two! Slow down!!!" Matt shouted behind them.

"Can't do it, Dad!" Antonio yelled back. "Cuddle time!"

About a minute later, Danny came up the stairs and saw the meeting going on in the living room. He walked over to the group to see what was going on. "Everything checks out downstairs guys. By the looks of things, both Marc and Austin will be online by morning."

"Sounds great Danny." Matt replied. "By the way, you're gonna need these."

Danny looked at the communicators Matt handed him. "What's the difference between the colors?"

Matt grinned. "The blue ones are for normal Clan members; the silver one is for the division head. You get the silver one, Jerry and Marc get the blue ones."

Danny nodded his head and looked the units over before freezing, blinking his eyes a few times and then giving Matt a dead stare. "You mean Marc gets the silver one, right?"

Cory shook his head and replied formally. "You are mistaken, Daniel. It has been determined that you possess the requisite skills to perform the functions of the Artificial Intelligence Division head. It is only logical that you should receive the proper communications equipment to perform that function adequately."

Danny's eyes opened wide at Cory's response. "Um..." He got out as he looked at the communicators again and then back at Cory. Just then, he raised his eyebrows and with an evil grin replied; "Excuse me Patriarch Short. Might I inquire what information was involved in this determination process?" Danny giggled as he finished throwing Cory's logic in his face.

"Oh shit!" Matt muttered. "Logic war with an android! This should be good."

Cory shot Matt an evil glare, then composed himself to answer. "Both myself and Sean have observed your performance under stressful situations. Your ability to conform to the situation at hand while deducing the most expedient solution to the situation is proper. In addition, you possess the unique capability to reason both as an android and a human."

Sean looked over at Danny. "Your serve, dude!" he giggled.

Danny nodded his head and looked thoughtful for a second. "Understandable sir, may I add the fact that Dr. Furst not only has more experience than I possess in this field, as well as the fact that Dr. Furst would have made the same decisions based on his own programming; programming which I currently have access to."

"NEXT!" Matt chuckled.

Cory took a deep breath. "May I remind you, Daniel, that both in years and practical terms your lifetime experiences are approximately twice those of Marc, assuming his experiences are assimilated into his programming. As for your second indication, if you have access to the same programming as Marc, then that does not reflect for or against my decision."

"Slam dunk!" Sean giggled, enjoying the show.

Danny grinned, knowing he was slowly losing the argument. "Excellent point Patriarch Short, but would the fact that Dr. Furst is already established as director of this facility hold any bearing in your decision?"

"The home team is stretching!" Matt commented, enjoying the show just as much as Sean.

Cory couldn't help but giggle before he replied. "Actually, it has quite a bit of bearing on my decision. It would be illogical for Marc to set aside the work he is performing to take another duty upon himself. In addition, despite his role as Director, Marc has very minimal supervisory experience. Your history before your bio-image includes managerial experience in the restaurant industry; experience which applies to this position as well due to the fast pace and requirements to adjust your response depending on the situation."

"Dude! You sunk his battleship!" Sean laughed, holding his side.

Danny's jaw hit the floor. "You did your homework?"

"He's staggering around the ring, it won't be long now!" Matt chimed in, getting into the play-by-play.

Cory nodded. "The intelligence division consists of telepaths; five minutes after we arrived I had full information on both yourself and Marc from Kyle. In addition, you have proved my determination to be proper in your actions during this conversation. Marc would have accepted my decision, but you were astute enough to question it and verify my reasoning was accurate. You are the first being to actively require verification of a ruling by me; that is an attribute which I value."

"Bottom of the ninth .. tie game .. the crowd screams as he hits a grand slam!" Sean giggled as he sat against the wall, about to collapse in laughter.

"Can I ask one question?" Danny asked Cory with a grin.

"Why not, this is fun!" Cory replied with a giggle.

"When these clowns vote you in for M.V.P. can I come to the ceremony?" Danny asked with an ear to ear grin.

Cory put an arm over Danny's shoulder. "Dude, I'll even let you help write the speech!"

Danny wrapped his arm around Cory's shoulder and squeezed while nodding his head. "Then I only have one thing to say." He said looking at Matt and Sean then back at Cory with a smile. "It will be an Honor to stand at your side, and I will do my best to never let this family down."

Matt couldn't resist one more jab. "Androids and Gentlemen; that's the game!"

Danny laughed. "Ten thousand comedians out of work, and we get stuck with these two!"

Cory giggled. "I couldn't agree more, Bro!"

Danny grinned and looked at his new communicator before looking at the peanut gallery and giggling. "Well then, as the head of Clan Short's AI Division, I think it's time to make my first decision." He said getting concerned looks from Matt and Sean. "We ain't gettin nothing done just standing around and I know Caleb is pacing in the lab waiting to tackle the computer issues he brought up. Shall we get back to work gentlemen?"

Cory reached over and grabbed Sean's ear. "C'mon goofball; we need to figure out where Gavin wandered off to, then take care of a certain rogue 'Head of Security' who has outgrown his boxers."

Sean giggled as he stood up. "I bet he's quaking in his shoes! Next time, I bet you won't just leave JJ in charge with no limits!"

Cory shook his head with an evil grin. "Nope; but if you don't hurry up, I'll leave you in charge instead!"

Sean giggled. "Yeah, right babe! Let's go find our bro."

Danny smiled as the meeting broke up. "While you guys do that, I'm gonna see if Caleb and Noah have tossed the old computers out in the street yet."

Cory pulled Danny into a brotherly hug. As Sean joined in the hug, Cory commented "Don't worry about that! Those two are computer pack rats - I'll bet when we get home they'll have the old ones torn apart and spread out all over their bedroom floor! Welcome to the family Bro, if you need anything at all we're here for ya'."

"Same here." Danny said as the hug broke. Taking his new communicator and clipping it to his belt with a thoughtful smile, he added "I'm gonna go see if I can rescue the lab now."

 

Cory, Sean, and Gavin walked down the steps from the deck towards the beach. "Whadda you think of Earth, Gavin?" Sean asked.

Gavin looked at the two boys on either side of him. "So far I like it. Is everyone like Marc and Danny; they're pretty nice considering you just dropped in on them."

Cory put a hand on Gavin's shoulder. "Honestly, no; Earth is just like anywhere else. There are good people and bad people; I just try to avoid the bad people. If they insist on being a problem, then I'll take steps to take care of them."

Gavin smiled. "Thanks; I guess you're right. What's gonna happen with me now?"

Cory giggled. "Don't worry; you have a new mom, she just don't know it yet. We've got you covered, bro."

Just then, Sean pointed ahead of them on the beach. "Hey! Looks like the kids found a target!"

Cory and Gavin looked to where he was pointing, and saw Joey, Kyle, Ty, Timmy, Ricky, and Tanner in the process of burying DJ in the sand. Cory giggled "Hey Deej! What happened? Kids too much for ya?"

DJ lifted his head. "No way, Dad; this is the latest thing in sunblock!" he responded as the boys around him began giggling.

All three boys just shook their heads. "Have fun guys!" Cory yelled back. "Just leave his head uncovered!"

They turned and went up the side of the house towards the temporary security station. They were about seventy-five yards away when they were spotted by Adam. "Cory!!!! Sean!!!!" Adam yelled, which got JJ's attention. Adam and JJ ran over to where Cory's group was standing, immediately turning the reunion into a big group hug. Gavin didn't have time to move, and found himself somehow in the center of the hug.

After a minute, the boys separated. "Everything go okay with Austin?" JJ asked.

Cory nodded. "He's okay now; things got kinda shaky for a bit."

JJ noticed the tone of Cory's voice and changed the subject. "Hey! You must be Gavin! Whadda you think so far, bro?"

Gavin giggled. "I think I'm going to get squashed between the kids pouncing and all the hugs! I'll tell you one thing, helping these guys with Austin was amazing."

Adam had been studying his brothers, and interrupted. "Welcome to the family, Gavin. I'm Adam, and this nut is JJ. You mind sittin' down with us later and filling us in on what happened? I've got two brothers who are gonna find someplace to take a break whether they like it or not."

Gavin smiled. "Sure, I can do that."

Just then three boys ran over, the youngest launching himself in mid-stride to land in Cory's arms. "Unca' Cory!! You're back! I got me two new brothers!!"

Cory wrapped his arms around the young boy and kissed his forehead. "Hey there Harley! I missed you too. What's this about new brothers? Is there something else that your Daddy forgot to tell me?"

JJ squirmed under Cory's glare. "Umm - sorry Cor; I kinda figured that you was busy with Austin and Gavin an' didn't wanna bug you."

Cory looked over at the two boys standing off to the side. "Hey Joey, how ya' doin'? Who's your friend?"

Joey smiled shyly. "Hi Cory. This is my brother Brad, he used to be my cousin tho. You ain't mad are you?"

Cory smiled. "Naw, I ain't mad. I'm sure JJ did the right thing if you guys are with him. I'd just like to know when stuff happens BEFORE it becomes a surprise." He then turned to Brad. "Hey there Brad, welcome to the family. You having fun?"

"G'day Cory." Brad replied. "Things are alright, I guess, but is it always this bonkers? 'Roo keeps tellin' me it's okay, but I'm startin' to think all'a ya are nutters."

Cory giggled. "It's not always this crazy. Who is 'Roo'?"

Brad placed a hand on Joey's shoulder. "This bouncy bloke. He's like a bloody kangaroo."

Cory giggled. "You know, that kinda fits! Since there is another Joey up at the house, you mind if we use your nickname to tell you apart Joey?"

Joey nodded. "Yeah, Cory; I kinda like it; Brad was my kewlest cousin, now he's my brother; he made it up so I like it."

"Then I guess 'Roo' it is! Brad, where are you from? Your accent sounds familiar." Cory replied.

Brad blushed at 'Roo's complement. "Mate, I'm from Australia, near Sydney actually. That's where the Olympics were held." he finished with pride in his voice.

"Awesome!" Cory replied. "That reminds me, Mom said I needed to call down there. It should be about noon, so I'll call when we get back to the house. If you guys want, Tanner and DJ are watching some of the other kids on the beach. You can join them if it's okay with your parents."

Before the boys even had a chance to get their 'puppy dog eyes' in place, Adam giggled. "Go ahead, guys; just make sure you do whatever Deej and Tanner tell you."

The three boys took off like rockets, afraid that their parents would change their minds. Cory giggled then turned back to JJ. "Seriously bro, please just give me a heads up next time and tell me you'll explain later. That way I'm prepared when I make a call, instead of having Tommy blow my mind."

JJ nodded. "No problem, bro; I see your point." He reached down and grabbed his communicator, which had just started going off.

"Clan Security, Richardson."

"JJ, this is Matt. I'm with Doctor Owens, he needed to make a call. I checked on the boys on the beach on the way over, they are just fine and the Owens residence is secure."

"Acknowledged Matt. Richardson out."

"Barnes out."

JJ put his communicator away, then motioned towards the temporary security office that was set up at the head of the driveway. "C'mon, let's go have a seat and I'll fill y'all in on what ya' missed."

 

JJ had just finished explaining the events that had occurred since Cory's departure when his communicator once again started beeping.

"Clan Security, Richardson."

"Mr. Richardson, this is Ensign Guiles at the Owens driveway. I have two persons claiming to be Jonathan Owens and Mary Owens requesting access to the property without Federation or Vulcan identification."

"Acknowledged, Ensign. Please instruct them to report to the Security Office for positive identification and issuing of identification cards. Richardson out."

"Yes sir. Guiles out."

JJ looked at Cory. "Jerry's parents?" he questioned.

"Could be." Cory responded. "Danny has a communicator; let him know."

JJ nodded and opened his communicator. "Is he on the Silver list or the Blue list Cory?"

"Silver list - he's Division Head." Cory replied.

JJ adjusted the communicator, then pressed the alert key.

"Page here"

"Danny, this is JJ. I have a Jonathan Owens and Mary Owens en route to the Security Office for identification. Are you able to come up and identify them?"

"Oh thank god, we just found out that they were not where they said they would be and we have a few worried kids in here. I'm on my way JJ, Thank you. Page out."

"No problem Danny. We'll be waiting then. Richardson out."

The boys headed outside; just as they were closing the door behind them a dark blue Buick LeSabre pulled into the mouth of the driveway. The occupants had just exited the car when Jerry came running up, yelling "MOM! DAD!" as he crashed into the woman and began hugging her. Right behind him were Noah and Caleb; Danny was bringing up the rear.

JJ walked over to the man. "Mr. Owens, I believe Dr. Owens has confirmed your identity sufficiently. I am JJ Richardson, Head of Security for Clan Short of Vulcan. May I ask that yourself and your wife accompany me into the office so I may issue proper identification to both of you?"

Jerry's father almost choked as he attempted to answer. "I'm sorry son, did you just say Doctor Owens?" He turned to Danny. "Daniel, is this one of your friends?"

"Sorry Mr. Owens, He is the head of security so it's best if you just do as he asks and we can explain the rest." Danny said with a smile at Jerry's father's confused, but amused expression.

"Well then, Lead the way young man." He replied smiling at his wife.

"Hold on a minute." Jerry's mom interjected. "Jerald, exactly what is this about? Daniel, who are these kids and just exactly what is going on here?"

Cory motioned for Danny to wait. He very formally walked over to Mrs. Owens. "Please pardon my intrusion, Mrs. Owens." Cory handed her his identification. "I must introduce myself. I am Patriarch Cory Short of Clan Short of the family of Sarek of the house of Surak of the planet Vulcan. The time it would require to provide a full explanation of the events of the last twenty-four Terran hours would exceed the duration of comfort to remain standing. My Security Director is correct in his statement that it would be preferable to continue with the issuance of identification. Upon completion of that procedure, it would be logical to retire to Mr. Page's domicile for debriefing."

Mr. Owens walked around the car and looked over Cory's Identification. "Cory Short?" He said as he repeated the name to himself. "The same Cory Short with Starfleet? You are the Patriarch of Clan Short? I'll be damned." he said with a smile.

"I'm glad you have an idea who he is, I still just want to know why they're here and why we can't even get on to our own property." Mrs. Owens spat out in disgust.

"Oh Honey, why don't we jus..." Mr. Owens got out before being cut off by Jerry.

"Dad, JJ's waitin on ya." Jerry cut in pointing to the guard shack that had been constructed.

Cory spoke up. "Mrs. Owens, due to both Director Page and Doctor Owens being members of Clan Short, the properties on which their domiciles reside are required to be patrolled by Clan Security."

"THE PROPERTIES ARE WHAT?" Mrs. Owens blasted at Cory causing everyone in the area to freeze. "I don't know who you think you are but my husband is the owner of that property. Do you think we were born yesterday? And what's this DR. OWENS being a member of anything?" She continued to rant.

"Honey." Mr. Owens attempted to get his wife's attention.

"In a minute!" she said hurriedly. "My son is no doctor and not even old enough to join anything..."

"Honey!"

"I said in a minute!" she barked. "He can't join anything without MY permission so you have no clai..."

"HONEY!" Mr. Owens shouted finally freezing his wife but getting a death glare from her for being cut off.

"Let's just get our identifications like they asked and I'm sure they will explain..." He managed to get out before she went off again.

"I'M NOT PLAYING THESE CHILDISH GAMES WITH THESE KIDS!!!" she blasted her husband.

"You don't happen to be programmed with the Vulcan Neck Pinch, would you?" Caleb whispered in Danny's ear causing him to snicker.

"And what do you think is so funny!" she shouted at Danny, who just opened his eyes wide and shook his hands as if to say nothing. "Jon, call the police. I'm done with this."

"The police?" Jon almost laughed out as he noticed Cory opening his communicator. "These people are Starfleet and Vulcan Diplomats. What do you think the police are going to do?" he got out as his wife folded her arms in disgust.

Cory keyed the communicator. "Lieutenant Barnes this is Patriarch Short. Set Security Condition Yellow; your presence is required at the Security Office immediately."

"Acknowledged Patriarch. Setting Condition Yellow. Barnes out."

A second later, everyone heard over the audibles on the communicators. "Security Condition Yellow. Security Condition Yellow. This is not a drill. This is not a drill. All non-essential personnel report to A.I Division Main Building immediately."

Jon's eyes opened wide as he looked at his son and then his wife. "Hun, there is going to be real trouble if you continue this." He got out as he noticed Noah and Caleb leading Jerry back into the house and Danny move closer to JJ; who, along with Adam, Cory, and Sean, had his phaser drawn and at the ready.

"They come in and take claim to our property and our son and you want to play along?" she spat out.

"This is a Diplomatic Clan for Christ sake! If they are here there is a damned good reason for it. Why don't you calm down before you force them to do something you're gonna regret!" Jon said and then took one step back.

Cory switched channels on his communicator. "Patriarch Short to Commander Martin. Priority One Message."

"This is Commander Martin. Proceed Patriarch Short."

"I am presently at Security Condition Yellow. I require yourself as Federation Southeast Regional Security Director and Director Short of Federation Youth Services at my location as expediently as possible. I authorize emergency transport."

"Acknowledged Patriarch Short. We shall depart shortly. Martin out."

Jon looked at Cory with a knowing nod. "They will use force if you keep this up." He said in a hushed tone as he watched two baby eagles fly past, circle the guard shack and perch on the roof.

"Force me to hand over everything we own?" She said in a disgusted tone. "You're going to hand over our son and house just because they are here. There are laws against that kind of behavior."

"Up to you now, I'm sure they aren't here to take anything." Jon said as his eyes met Cory's. "I'm really sorry about this Patriarch."

Cory nodded. "You are not responsible for her responses Mr. Owens."

Matt jogged up to the group, phaser out, and immediately went to JJ and Danny. "Mr. Page; all personnel present and accounted for. What are your orders Mr. Richardson?"

JJ answered without removing his gaze from Mrs. Owens. "Stand by, Mr. Barnes. If Mrs. Owens loses control, immobilize her."

"Immobilize me? You can't be serious. Go ahead and try!" Mary shouted with fire in her voice.

"Mom." A small voice came from behind her.

"Not right now Jerry!" She shouted gruffly waving her hand behind her back to shush her son.

"Mom!" The voice repeated.

"In a minute!" She responded without looking as she scanned the entire group through squinted eyes stopping at Cory. "So I have no choice, just let you waltz in here and take claim to my home and family?"

"Mrs. Owens." Cory replied quickly. "I promise you we aren't taking claim to anything. You don't have all of the details. If you would just give me a moment." He got out as she looked about ready to blow at any moment.

"MOM!" The voice broke in once again, this time all eyes that were on Mrs. Owens were now wide with surprise.

"Jerry! I said wait a..." She managed to get out as she spun around, and froze in shock at the sight before her. "David?" she asked the semi-transparent form in front of her.

"Yes Mom, it's me." Davie replied. "Please Mom, listen to them. They are here to help, nothing more. You can trust them." he said as Mikey appeared next to Cory.

Mary opened her mouth to say something, but simply rolled her eyes back and fainted into her husband's arms, who stood with his mouth hung open.

"David?" Jon asked as his son smiled wide.

"Hi Dad." he replied as he gave Mikey a thumbs up . "It's all gonna be fine." he added with a smile.

As two shimmering columns began to appear behind him, Cory replied. "You have my assurances that I have no intentions of breaking up your home or family. You no longer owe a mortgage on your home; as a matter of fact, the plans which the state has of turning this section of beach into a public recreation area are now null and void. As of 15:30 local time today, you have been listed as the legal conservators of the property; until your death Vulcan recognizes you only. No entity on Earth can touch this property now; eminent domain no longer applies. Jerald is still your son; he has been given the opportunity to not only use the natural skills he has, but to be trained by experts to expand them beyond any training which a school environment could provide."

Jon shook his head and snapped back to listen to what Cory was saying when Davie grinned and pointed to redirect his father's attention. "Um... Yeah... I mean they were planning on taking the property?"

Cory nodded. "The council meeting for the final vote is tomorrow in closed session. They don't know that my Intelligence Division got word of it."

"I'll be damned." Jon replied as he eased his wife to rest on the ground and turned to look at his son once again. "But how did you get involved in this?"

"You would have to ask Cory's older brother for that answer." Davie replied as he saw Jerry running from the house, closely followed by Ricky and Timmy; both displaying full war paint. "Hey Boog!" Davie shouted as he was tackled with a hug.

"Cory's older brother?" Jon asked, still somewhat in shock.

"That'd be me, Jon!" Mikey giggled as he watched Timmy and Ricky slam into Teri. "Hey Cor; don't you think you might be forgetting something? Look behind you."

Cory turned his head. "Oh! Hi Mom, hi John - I didn't hear you beam in." He then noticed the two little urchins shimmying their way into Teri's arms. "Oops! Cancel Condition Yellow, Mr. Barnes."

"I'll explain more next time I can come down, we kinda have to go." Davie said with a shrug as he looked down at his brother. "Don't you have work to do or something?" he added with a giggle as he ruffled Jerry's hair.

"Great." Jerry said as he threw his hands in the air. "Second visit and yur already on my back." he sarcastically barked through a smile.

"Second visit?" Jon asked raising his eye brows.

"Well..." Davie whined as he looked back at his father. "Second that anyone could see me." he finished with a wink.

Mikey grinned. "Yeah, you and I have an appointment at the Pearly Gates, Davie. Since my nephews just shed their 'war paint', I think it's safe to go. Cory, Sean we'll see you at the Battery in a little bit. Jon, talk to Mom and my lil' brothers; they won't lie to you."

"An appointment?" Davie said as he closed his fist and held it out to Mikey to do the same and knock knuckles. "You never said anything about an appointment bro." He added as he rushed to his father and gave him a quick hug. "Talk to you soon Dad. I love you." he added as he turned toward Mikey.

Mikey grinned. "There are some things a Saint has to keep quiet about. Since this went better than I expected, it looks like we'll be on time. You ready?"

"Yup." Davie said with a mischievous grin. "Told you it'd work." Davie snuck in having to dodge a playful poke from Mikey as they faded out getting giggles from their onlookers.

"He's happy." Jon said with an inward smile as he rested his wife's head in his lap, not knowing what to do next.

"Wait! Mikey; what's the Battery!" Sean yelled towards the sky.

Cory shook his head. "Too late bro. Mr. Owens, I'd like you to meet our Mom, Federation Youth Services Director Teri Short. Next to her is JJ and Adam's Pop, Commander John Martin; Commander of Federation Security for the Southeast North American region. I think that between the two of them they can explain things to you and your wife; I know my age is a disadvantage when you hear some of the things you need to know, so it would be better for an adult to tell you. Mom, John, this is Jonathan Owens and his wife Mary. Matt, could you please get someone to help get Mrs. Owens inside and comfortable; preferably someplace quiet so she can talk with Mom?"

"Eli's on his way out, Daddy." Timmy piped up.

"Okay Timmy, thanks." Cory replied.

Matt walked over to Jon. "Mr. Owens, might I suggest we retire to your house? It will be quieter, and when you do come back over here everything will make more sense."

Jon looked down at his wife and back up to Matt. "Sure, I'm guessing this isn't going to be a short discussion." he replied with a confused smile.

Just then Eli ran up. "You called Cor?"

Cory glanced down real quick before responding with a giggle. "Yeah, Eli; I'm glad you remembered your 'pet' BEFORE you came out! Could you help Mr. Owens and Matt get Mrs. Owens over to their house?"

Eli chuckled. "Sure thing; by the way, I'll get you for that 'pet' comment later - when you DON'T expect it!"

Eli turned towards Matt. "Okay Matt, ready when you are!"

Jon looked at the boy who was about to help and raised his eyebrows. "Um... I can probably carry her, there's no need..." he got out just as his wife began to levitate right before his eyes. "Definitely not going to be a short discussion." he added, shaking his head in disbelief.

Teri and John both chuckled. "Might as well order dinner now and put on a really big pot of coffee!" John snickered. "This is nothing, I got some stuff you really are not going to believe!"

Jon stood up and rolled his eyes. "I'll start the coffee then." he said with a chuckle. He walked over to Cory and Sean. "Guys, the Battery is the perfect place to go if you need some time to unwind. If you look close, you can see it; it's the park over there in downtown Charleston just across the harbor from here. It's got a lot of history to it; pirates were hung there, it's played a big part in a couple of wars, and just on the other side is one of the most famous historic districts in the US, Rainbow Row. In fact, there are still cannons there from the Civil War. Mary and I have been over there a few times, you can feel the history and it is quite relaxing."

Cory and Sean both smiled. "Thanks Mr. Owens." Sean replied. "Blondie here's been working too hard; that sounds like just the place we need to go." Sean then turned his head. "Matt, can you get us a car?"

"Sure thing, Sean. You need a driver?"

"No, I'll look up directions on the terminal. Might as well make sure we have the car for a couple of days until Danny picks out one to buy for them here."

"Okay Sean. I'll do it as soon as we get to the house."

Jon smiled at Sean and then his comment sank in. "You can drive?"

Sean nodded. "Both of us have full drivers licenses; but I'm not too sure you can call Cory operating a vehicle 'driving'; I think 'thrill ride' covers it better."

Danny overheard Sean's comment and started to giggle before a little light went off in his head. "Sean?" he called out. Danny trotted to Sean's side as Jon laughed and turned to follow Eli and his wife into the house. "Would that mean that there would be a way for me to get my drivers license back? I have never been allowed to drive in this body."

Cory smiled and replied for Sean. "I can't have a division head with no wheels! Consider it done, bro; I'll handle the details tomorrow. JJ, call for reliefs for you and Adam, let's get inside and see if there is a house left. I need to call Australia anyways, I'll get that out of the way real quick."