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Daileass and the others nodded as they glanced back toward Logan, and saw Adam already kneeling a few feet away from his shivering body, the distortion around it now larger and easier to see.
"Logan?" Alvin carefully asked as the boys formed a semi-circle around him.
"Leave me be. Just let me die." Logan muttered as he curled up and tried his best to cover his head with his hands.
Suddenly everyone had to fight to keep from being thrust from the mindscape. A familiar mind quickly brought everyone's focus together to keep Logan from overwhelming them all. It was kind of like lashing yourself to the deck of a ship during a class 5 hurricane in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. None of them, not even collectively would have been able to directly oppose the unbelievable power emanating from Logan's distraught mind.
"No way, bro. We care about you too much to do that." Kaden desperately projected while getting vigorous nods of agreement from the others.
"We know what you're going through bro. We've been there with you ever since we can remember. You remember when you came to us and told us that the docs were going to put positronic brains in us? You remember all of us talking about it, and deciding not to escape, but to allow it to happen?" Tilden offered.
"Yeah and you all died because of it!" Logan snapped out, still sobbing.
"BULLSHIT!" Alvin said vehemently. "There might be some idiots that think we died, and then came back, or what ever other bullshit they try and spew, but we don't believe it. We're the same people as we were before hand, and you damn well know it!" Alvin might have been quiet most of the time, but this was one argument that he and Logan had gotten into in the past, and Alvin wouldn't have Logan blaming himself for a decision that ALL of them made.
Again Logan made a desperate attempt to shove everyone out of the mindscape, but they were ready for him now and they anchored each other.
"But what about Daileass? Look at everything he's had to go through..." Logan sobbed. A life of very hard decisions and the pain they caused showing in his eyes. A true doorway to his soul.
"I'd endure it all again, and more if that's what it took. Don't think the world rests on you're shoulders alone, bro. You might be the smartest person this planet has seen since.. well probably ever. But we're all a part of this... ALL of us... right down to the latest person you've included in the Link."
"You can't." Logan sobbed as the distortion around him continued to grow. "You don't understand. It's my fault."
"Why can't we help you, bro?" Daileass asked as he spoke softly. "If anything it's all of our faults. Come on Log... Let us help you!"
"NO!" Logan screamed out and then clutched his head as he cried out in agony. Before anyone could respond, the energy distortion that was around him quickly expanded out passing past everyone that was standing there. The next thing they knew was that the room they were in was gone, and they were now standing in what looked to be like a star-filled reddish-orange expanse with blue and white arcs of energy bouncing around in the distance.
Suddenly Logan let out a scream of defiance. "NO! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME OLD MAN. I WON'T ALLOW... it..."
"What the hell?" Adam asked with surprise.
Richard looked in all directions around him. "Daileass, this is your head. What is this place?"
Daileass shook his head, "This isn't me. I don't know what this is."
"Then what is it?" Simon asked no one in particular.
Everyone turned to look at Logan but found him surprisingly calm and staring at a new arrival. Standing a few feet away from Logan was Logan.
"Hi, bro. I know we don't get a lot of time to talk to ourselves, but since the wall is down, I think we had better."
"Okay. Well yeah... Uhm. How did you?"
"Well, even though I am you we are different souls, and you let the wall down. So I am here to help you just like you have always been there to help me."
The other Logan knelt before Adam and Logan. He put a hand on Logan's shoulder and gave Adam a passionate kiss.
"Hi Lover, bet you never thought you would see both of us at the same time?"
Adam just smiled and returned the kiss passionately.
"Well I wasn't expecting it, but of course you wouldn't let yourself completely fall apart without trying something to help. Now can you tell me what just happened and what this is?"
The other Logan just shook his head as he wrapped his arms around himself and his lover Adam. Suddenly a voice grabbed everyone's attention.
"It is a representation of the Astral plane."
Immediately, everyone turned around to see an old oriental man with gray hair standing behind them, a walking staff held in his right hand. With deep pools of brown for eyes, the man considered all the boys that were standing there, carefully.
"Master Takamura!" Daileass immediately called out as he and the others bowed their heads in a show of respect. "Why... What... How are you here?"
The man looked gravely toward Daileass as if deeply considering the question. "I am here for the same reason each of you are, to help a beloved and dear friend."
"You said this was the Astral Plane?" Richard asked, still fascinated by what he was seeing. "I've heard of it before, but I've never seen it."
"Yes and no," Takamura replied, "It is a representation as best as our minds can interpret that fits the purpose at hand."
"What purpose is that, master?" Daileass asked. "We only have a limited amount of time to help Logan while Haden is supporting this.... Umm... guys, where did Logan go?"
Everyone gasped in surprise as they noticed that Logan was no longer where he once was. As a matter of fact, neither Logan was around any longer.
Takamura got a distant look as he glanced up to places unknown. "Where they are is inconsequential at the moment. If my guess is right, before any of you can have a chance of helping your brother, you must first know the truth."
"The truth about what? And what do you mean it's inconsequential? He's why we are all here." Zed stated hurriedly.
"Patience young Zed," Takamura calmly answered as he looked in front of him, "I believe that all shall be revealed very shortly. I have forced Logan to replay some of the events of his past, it is my hope that it will help force...
The scene that Master Takamura had planted in Logan's mind had the desired effect. Both of Logan's minds, one in so much turmoil and pain, the other feeling so much sadness at his other self's pain, latched on to the moment he had first encountered Master Takamura at two and a half years of age...
The equations just weren't working out right. Something he was missing in the quantum flux was keeping his control algorithms from functioning properly. At this rate his theory would go nowhere fast. It was very frustrating. It was such a simple idea, but the execution was damn hard. The program that his parents had watched about a trinary systems to replace binary had captured his intellect. He sighed.
Logan looked at the crayons laid out in front of him. Control algorithms were orange, variances were blue, core functions were gray, and secondary functions were green. Then it came to the toddler. He needed two sets of cores, which of course meant two sets of control algorithms, variances, core and secondary functions. What he would end up with would be four outcomes, two sets of trinary and binary results. Then a second thought hit him.
It needed to be filtered through a decision making algorithm. Then you would get one result that would consist of a poly-answer made up of a trinary sequence and a binary sequence. It was so obvious that he hadn't seen it before. He had been so wrapped up in creating a better trinary program language that he had missed the simple truth about the theories he was working with. They didn't just work for a trinary operating system. They could be applied to any type of operating system regardless of the base counting system you used.
Suddenly Logan felt a presence approaching. This was not so unusual in the astral plane, but this one had a powerful mind behind it. Logan instinctually hid himself and watched as the being approached. It appeared to be a somewhat elderly Japanese man, but Logan new that appearances in this place were just that. The man wore a traditional black gi with lotus flowers on it. He had various weapons including a sword.
The man passed by without so much as a raised eyebrow to show that he thought he was being watched. Logan smiled to himself. He was going to see just what this man was made of inside. Something about the man was familiar, but Logan knew he had never seen him before. Yet, somehow, it was almost as if this man was a grandparent.
Logan's insatiable curiosity peaked. He casually scanned the man. He found an old mind, one much older than he expected. The man stopped; turned and then looked right into Logan's eyes. The toddler's heart raced, but with a patience that defied his two and a half years of age he remained still and willed himself to become one with the surrounding energy of the Astral Realm. Logan knew that the man had detected his presence when he had attempted to scan his mind. After a few moments the man seemed to loose interest and moved on with his travel.
Logan was excited. This was the first being he had encountered in the Astral Realm that could actually sense him. He was ready to play with this person. Takamura was a strange name to Logan, but not nearly as strange as some of the names he had heard while in the Astral realm. All Logan could think about was that he had found a new playmate. He would play hide and seek with this man. Logan had read enough to know that Takamura was a man born in Japan a really long time ago.
Hide and seek was one of Logan's favorite games here in the Astral realm. What he did was set up obstacles in the way of his victim. Well Logan thought of them as playmates, even if the other being did not realize it. He would follow the being and randomly show himself to the being and lead them from place to place. Normally he would have to work really hard at being seen, but this time all it would take is gentle probe of the man's mind. Logan was vibrating with anticipation. He seldom found anyone that could keep up with him.
Takamura for his part was lost in thought. Who had touched his mind? It had been an immensely powerful mind. It had shut him out in a heartbeat. He was certain that it was not gone, but he could not detect it anywhere. He had encountered beings in this place before, but only one of them were like what he had just encountered. It was a mind that sung. It had peered into his mind easily.
The mind suddenly peaked at him again and Takamura caught a quick thought. ' You can't catch me!' Which was followed by laughter that seemed to come from everywhere. The laughter was full of joy and mischief. It had a youthful quality to it. It made him feel lighter.
Suddenly a pit opened under his feet and he fell. Color exploded all around and he became disoriented. Takamura had lived a very long time, and had come up against many unique minds. This, however, was not like anything he had ever encountered before. His first instinct was to return to the physical plain, but something told him that this was not a dangerous happening.
He would wait it out and see where it lead. Takamura began to will himself to move. He wasn't sure where he was moving too, but he felt the movement. Suddenly he found himself in a truly alien landscape. The sky had a purple tint to it. There were two suns, and two moons in the sky as the suns dimmed. A group of five small people with yellow hair were paddling down a river in something that resembled a canoe. Running along the bank were creatures that resembled deer. The flowing laughter that Takamura had heard earlier again enveloped him from all sides. It had a tangible presence. Then a thought interrupted Takamura's musings. 'My most favorite place of all!'
Everything swirled and became colors again. Once more Takamura willed himself to move and the colors began swirling and churning; faster and faster till they became a brilliant blue white light that enveloped everything. He was traveling. There was somewhere he needed to be, but he knew that he would be coming back to this plain of existence to see if he could find the being that was playing with him.
Everything froze for a moment, and the group let out a collective sigh of relief. They were more than just seeing what was going on, they were feeling what Logan felt, hearing what he thought, seeing what he saw; even if it wasn't through his eyes. The thing that got Zed the most was the mind they were feeling. It was immense! No, immense was not the word. Logan, the Logan he knew, had an immense mind. This one... this one made that one look small.
Most of his brothers were stunned to silence, even Adam, whom he'd never seen totally speechless, was unable to form even a coherent thought. Zed's mind moved faster than his brothers, all but Daileass. It was one of the main reasons that everyone thought he was so hyper, but in reality, he'd just already thought about something, and was ready to move onto something else.
He looked over to Takamura and whispered, even though he knew it wouldn't effect what was happening. "I... I just can't believe it. Logan's not even three yet... are you telling me he's been doing this shit since then?!?! That's he's been playing in the Astral Realm since he was two?!?! Hell none of us can even get here yet, with out his help!"
Takamura simply nodded which caused Zed to curse. Daileass, meanwhile, had walked over to the house, and was staring at the writings on the wall. After spending a few moments inspecting it, he turned towards the group. "This isn't exactly the same, but I can tell you this. What... this two year old worked out here is the basis of my new programing. This is trinary... This was written by a two year old?!?!"
"Yes!" Takamura said simply. "Logan has been hiding himself even from you. He's been hiding his true potential for so long, that he didn't even realize it. But part of him has always been working."
Before anyone could say anything else, everything around them began moving again, and once more, they were caught up in one of Logan's memories.
It had been a week since the first time Logan had seen the old Japanese man. This time the man was dressed in Chinese garb. He was carrying himself differently too. Logan couldn't put a finger on it. It was as if the man was meeting him for the first time. He touched the man's mind. He was shocked. The man's mind was completely different. It was still old, but much younger than the mind he had touched before. This was not the strangest thing though. The man had never met him before. It was clear in his mind. Logan began to put things together. The man had reacted differently the first time Logan had touched his mind. It was because the man recognized his touch. That meant that this was the first time they were meeting, but it was the second...
Logan let out a squeak and his barriers collapsed right before he withdrew back to his home. The two and a half year old ran down the hall and into a large bedroom and jumped between his parents. They opened their eyes for a moment and helped him under the covers. Logan put his thumb in his mouth and sucked on it vigorously as he basked in their love. They each put a hand on him and gave him a kiss. They all fell asleep and Logan allowed his mind to go back to the special place. The man wasn't where he had last found him though.
Now he would have to find him. Logan let his mind grasp the energy all around him and he soon found the energy imprint left by the man. Logan instantly allowed himself to go to the place that the man was at, but almost as soon as he got there he found the man had left and gone back to the physical world. Logan couldn't puzzle it out. Something was different about the man. It was like he was carrying something with him as he traveled. He seemed much more substantial than everything else. Also there was no trail going back to where he had entered. It was as if he had exited at a different place than he had entered. This was something very different from every other being he had encountered. Logan had to know what it meant no matter how long it took him.
Logan let out a deep sigh and returned to working on his new Operating System. As soon as he fixed it in his head his little house appeared and the formulas that he was writing started hovering in the air. An assortment of crayons in different colors were laid out and ready for him to use. The little boy set up a wide field mind web so that he would be aware of any mind traveling the energy toward him so he could hide.
Alvin turned to Takamura in shock. "You mean you were actually there, not just a representation of yourself?"
"That is correct." Takamura simply said, and Adam again found himself shocked into silence. He knew what it was like to be in the Astral Realm physically. It almost killed him. That was something he would have to discuss with Master Takamura at a different time, because right now, his mind was focused on his love. For a very brief moment, Adam wondered if what he was about to learn about Logan could or would change how he felt about him. He quickly dismissed that, because it truly didn't matter. To Adam it was simply finding out something more about the person he loved more than life itself.
Before he had a chance to really think on it any more, the memories started again.
The third time Logan found the man, he read his mind more in depth. It was a sparring match. The man tried deftly to fend off Logan, but while he was able to put up a fight, he was ultimately only able to partly keep Logan from reading him. It had unnerved him in a way that he was not used too. He began to feel violated and it shook him to his very core. Suddenly the probing stopped and he felt a warmth and compassion envelope his mind. Then a very contrite 'Sorry' entered his head followed by 'I just want to know everything!' Then Logan left the Astral Realm very embarrassed by what he had done.
This encounter was going much the same as the last time. Logan was becoming very attached to the man's calm acceptance of everything that he threw at him. This was the sixth time in three weeks that Logan had decided to "play" with the man. He was making the terrain change in unpredictable ways. First he would make the ground begin to ripple, which had thrown the man the first time, but only the first time. Then he would make everything become the same color which would essentially make you blind.
Takamura for his part had figured out it was a child on his second meeting with the boy. He had realized by the third meeting that the child was very young, and also perhaps the most unique mind he had ever met. Considering the beings that he had dealt with that was saying a lot. He sensed an almost unlimited potential in this child. While the child played, it was obvious that he was learning with everything he did. Takamura was delighted to be involved in this child's play. He was learning every bit as much as the child.
Takamura willed his body back to the physical realm, then reappeared in a different location in the Astral realm. The child was on him almost instantly, causing his perceptions to become sketchy at best to begin with, but after a few he was able to navigate without being thrown by them. He could sense how excited the little boy was that he was not being thrown by the tricks. He felt a deep affection for the child now and he let it radiate out from himself.
The boy responded. It was a simple statement made right before the boy threw up all his shields and disappeared from all detection.
"Come back tomorrow. I wanna meet ya!"
"I still can not believe how powerful Logan's mind was, even as a child." Takamura said to the group.
"You know Logan said something to me one time that I didn't understand at the time, but I think I am starting to now." Adam said quietly. He was silent for almost a full minute as all eyes were on him. "I once asked him if he ever thought about going N-Gen. He laughed for a moment then said 'no way... first off, I couldn't go N-Gen even if I wanted to, but more so, I would loose so much. Why would I want to downgrade from a mac, to window ME...' I first thought he was joking, but... well now I'm not so sure."
"Adam, the problem you have is, you mostly think about things in the terms of raw power. Logan is so vastly different from an N-Gen, that they are not even in the same realm. It is like comparing a helicopter or a jet with impulse engines to a shuttle craft." Takamura gently said as he faced Adam.
Adam simply nodded his understanding. Takamura was right, and that's what made Adam and Logan such a good team. Adam trusted Logan to handle the things that Adam could not. They thought about things in ways that the other did not, yet together, they were a force of nature.
Takamura had entered the Astral Realm and waited for the child to announce himself. He was sure now that it was a boy, and he would guess the child to be around ten to twelve years of age. The child was amazingly intelligent, but his emotions and play showed him to be young. The child also possessed mental abilities that he could only guess at. He had thousands of years experience shielding his mind and creating mental blocks. However, when the child threw up his shields and mental blocks he was gone without the slightest evidence to even show that he had been there at all. Not a hint.
Takamura was pulled from his thoughts as he found himself standing on a path that cut straight through a wood to a little house that he could see in the distance.
"Takamura kon'nichiwa. Uchigawa ni kite, sofa no ue ni suwatte kudasai. Watashi wa, genjiten de no anata to sa remasu." ("Hello Mr. Takamura. Please come inside and sit down on the couch. I will be with you in a moment.") "Watashi wa watashi no saisho no tesuto no tame ni shūryō suru seigyo arugorizumu, bunsan, koa oyobi niji no keisan no 2tsu no setto o mo~tsu te." ("I have two sets of control algorithms, variances, core and secondary calculations to finish for my initial tests.")
Takamura sensed that no response was expected, but that never stopped him from showing proper manners.
"Certainly young man. You finish what you need to get done and I will entertain myself, and please, you do not have to speak Japanese with me. English is perfectly acceptable."
The giggles this elicited from the child were magical.
"I know that you speak perfect English. Just showing respect for you and your heritage."
Takamura smiled. The child was more mature and aware than you would think for a ten to twelve year old Takamura thought as he sat down on the couch in the living room of the house. Moments later a little boy who was two and half walked into the room.
"Hi Mr. Takamura. My name is Logan Hayes. I hope you didn't mind me playing with you?" The little boy looked down at his feet and twisted his body in that impossibly cute way that only little children can pull off.
Only his thousands of years of experience dealing with strange and unusual occurrences allowed him to respond, but he still had to stare for a moment to absorb what he was seeing. It was Logan Hayes. The son of Janet and Brent Hayes and a direct descendant of himself and his brother. Which is why he knew that the child was only two and a half years old. This was a totally unexpected turn of events.
"I am pleased to meet you. You are nothing like what I expected little one." Takamura let a smile slide onto his face. "To think that it was someone I knew of all this time." Takamura gave a little shake of his head. "How long have you know little one?"
Logan's face took on the twinkle of impending mischief as he grinned at the elderly Japanese man.
"Since that time I invaded your head. I... I'm uh... Sorry for pushing in so deep uninvited Mr. Takamura."
Takamura looked down at the little boy's face. He could see the worry in the boy's eyes.
"Little one. Don't worry about what happened. When I asked you to stop you did, and what is more important is that you never did it again."
"I just like to know everything. I know you are really, really, really, really, really, really, really old, and you aren't really my grampa really but can I call you that?" He gave Takamura his best puppy dog eyes with his little bottom lip stuck out.
"I don't know about that, grandson. I will have to think on it for a while."
Logan started to pout, then broke out into a grin when he realized what Takamura had just called him.
Takamura shook his head as he grinned as he thought to himself... "Ah. The power of cute. If I could only harvest it and bottle it up. It would make things so much easier for me."
"Thank you grampa. I think you are the best grampa ever! Hey! You brought your body with you. How'd you do that?"
"I don't know about that little one, but you are most definitely the most amazing grandson anyone could have. How could you tell that I can Travel through the Astral Plane with my body?"
Logan scrunched up his little face and pursed his lips together. He started to twist the ball of his right foot on the ground. He looked a bit unsure.
"Hmmm. Not sure how to say it grampa."
Takamura smiled down at the little boy. He could understand the difficulty. When he had talked with his first teacher in Shangri-La about how he was able to do certain things and how he used his mental abilities it had been the same. It was hard to put into words something that didn't really have words to designed to describe it.
Logan made his way to the couch and climbed up next to where Takamura was sitting. The he made straight for the man's lap, leaned his head against his chest, and then took one of Takamura's arms and wrapped it around little chest. Logan let out a little contented sigh. Takamura could not help himself and started to chuckle.
Logan opened up his mind to Takamura. He let the man see all of himself, and it frightened Takamura. It was vast and deep. There were pockets of depths that threatened to swallow his mind and this child was not even three yet. This mind was unlike anything he had experienced before.
Takamura then did the same for Logan. The child shrank back though."
"Grampa. I know how long you've lived. I don't think I want to see everything you have yet. Can you just send me stuff as you think I am ready for it."
Takamura felt awe. The child was showing understanding that defied his age. Even though he was easily the smartest person on the planet his level of maturity in some areas was just shocking.
"Grampa. I know I am smart, but I have been inside my mom and dad's heads since before I was born. They have seen a lot and are very smart too, but you know that already don't you?"
"Yes, little one. I think I understand what you mean. You get things from their minds that you don't want to, but it is a connection that never really stops is it?"
"I knew you would understand." Logan said as a smile lit his face up.
"I will show you what you are ready for, but you must be ready for me to show you things because you need to know, whether you are ready or not. That is the way life is, but I will shield you with all I have, little one."
"You don't have to shield me, grampa."
"Yes I do, Logan. You are just a very little boy and you have extraordinary gifts. You need to be shielded from the dangers of the world and given the opportunity to grow to your full potential in an environment that does not restrict you. And that, little one, is not something that is easy to do."
Takamura was worried. This boy was the culmination of his brother's mad plan, but it had turned into something that his brother never suspected possible. By continually bringing together the best and brightest his brother had gotten two very different types of result. Logan was the best of this. On one side you had those that were stronger, faster, and smarter who used it for whatever gain they could get. On the other side you had stable and sane families that raised stable and sane children who were stronger, faster, and smarter and used it not just to benefit themselves but contributed greatly to society as a whole.
Takamura's brother may have been at his core insane, but he was not stupid or a short term thinker. When he had set up his plans to breed the leaders of the planet he had not put all his eggs in one basket. There were many different breeding programs. They all had different objectives and were run differently. Logan was part of a breeding program that was left mostly to itself. The unions were manipulated, but for the most part the families directed their own lives. They were watched, but seldom were they interfered with directly.
Logan turned around on Takamura's lap and looked him right in the eyes for a few moments before saying, "Thank you grampa, I know I will be safe like in the eye of the storm at sea." Logan gave Takamura a kiss on his nose and a big hug before resuming his place in Takamura's lap and putting his arm across his chest again.
Takamura wondered if the little guy was manipulating his emotions.
Logan jumped from Takamura's lap. "That's a mean thing to think! I would never..."
"My, my little one. You have quite a temper." Takamura smiled at the little boy standing in front of him looking very indignant.
Suddenly Logan realized he had been had. His anger boiled over and before Takamura knew what was happening Logan and his little house, the yard, garden, and forest leading up to it were gone.
"Yes quite a fiery temper. Very explosive." Takamura said to himself as he tried to stifle his laughter.
It was not even a full day before Takamura received mental apology and an invite to meet Logan again. Takamura didn't hold a grudge. What two year old did not have a bad day. After all he had teased him and the young do not always take it well, but it teaches them not to take themselves and everything too seriously. He was no stranger to children. After all he had been around for thousands of years Takamura sent back his acceptance of both.
Logan was so nervous, but he was still a bit mad at Takamura. However he was conflicted. He had played tricks on Takamura in the Astral Realm and he really did not understand why he got so angry. He just knew that it hurt and made him angry. But he hoped with all his little heart that Takamura would forgive him.
When Takamura arrived at Logan's little home he found the little boy sitting on his doorstep with his little knees pulled up to his chest. Takamura would normally have made the boy stand up and pushed him to own up to his feelings, but this was a two and a half year old. He had lots of experience to draw on, but it was not his own. He would have to learn how to deal with his emotions himself. Knowing what those emotions were in others and experiencing them yourself. Logan would learn and quickly because of the depth of the others he had in his life, but he would still need to experience them for himself before he could really call them his.
Logan did not even register that Takamura had arrived. Takamura bent down and picked up the little boy. He pulled Logan to his chest and kissed him on his forehead. It was as if a damn had broken inside. Logan had been so worried that he had made the first person he ever felt could understand him hate him and that had not happened. He wrapped his arms and legs around Takamura and sobbed his heart out.
This was where it all began. The things that Logan had found that he did not know what to do with, he now had someone he could talk to about them. His parents were great and he knew that they truly walked beside him, but they could not go everywhere he did. The sense of being so isolated from everyone evaporated. He knew that Takamura would not pander to him and they would fight, but he knew that the man would not abandon him even when he messed up.
Takamura looked down at Logan and sighed. The boy wasn't going to be told no about this, and Takamura knew that Logan would do it whether he was here or not. It was safer for him to go with Logan than Logan to go alone. Even though the danger was low, since they were in the Astral Realm and simply observing, Takamura was worried that Logan might not be able to help himself when he saw what was going on.
"So that's General Adams?" Logan asked as he held his grandpas hand.
"Yes." Takamura said gently.
"I recognize some of the others, but who's the last guy? The one that looks sad?"
"That's Dr. Rosenthal. He was the one that created the ape hybrids. General Adams forced him to come work for him, or else he would tell the public about Rosenthal's 'children'." Again Takamura was speaking softly and quietly. He did not want to make Logan any more upset then he already was.
Logan looked up at Takamura as his mind reeled on the new information. "That's not right." Logan said simply, and for a moment, Takamura was worried that Logan might try to do something. However, what Logan did was so subtle that Takamura almost missed it. Logan had invaded Rosenthal's mind, and used the incredible love that the man had for his 'children' to plant the seed of caring in Adams' mind. Then he put a very firm block on Adams actually telling anyone about Rosenthal.
"It's not great, but I didn't want to give us away." Logan said by way of explanation, before he turned around, and started to walk away.
Takamura held Logan's hand as they walked down the street. In front of them was a small boy who was walking around aimlessly. Takamura knew that Logan was guiding the boy somewhere, but he had no idea yet as to who the boy was, or what Logan was guiding him to. The boy looked to be about four years old, straight black hair, and big gray eyes. Finally the small boy turned down an alley way. When Takamura and Logan got to the mouth of the alley, they saw the boy shaking the shoulder of a homeless man who was sleeping.
They couldn't hear what was being said, but finally Logan tugged on his Hand, and started to walk away. When they got far enough away, Takamura looked down and asked. "Who was that boy?"
"That's Joey Casey. Jim'll look out for him till it's time." Logan said simply.
"Time for what?" Takamura asked, not all that sure he wanted the answer.
"For when he becomes my Adam." The small boy said with finality, Takamura almost stumbled in shock.
Takamura had never been able to have children of his own, although there were many that he had helped raise. They all called him Grandfather or Uncle. Being called father was simply not something he would allow.
Being a grandfather to so many children had often meant that he would teach the children various things he had picked up over the years. What he was doing now, was not one that he'd even thought he would teach someone, especially not someone who was only two and a half years old. But Logan and his mother and father were all related to him by blood. This made things a bit different when Logan called him Grampa. Logan had insisted that he be here to do this.
"Make sure when you do it that there is no one else around that could get hit by it." He had said carefully. The classic child look of 'duh' was the only response that Logan gave him.
A few moments later, he saw Logan stiffen slightly then lean forward. They were in the Astral Realm, and Takamura was watching something that he just couldn't believe someone could actually do. It took a lot of Takamura's concentration to be able to 'peak' into the physical world from here, but he was doing it, Logan seemed to do it with out any effort at all.
He watched the scene play out on the inter-state highway they were 'standing' on. It was very late at night, and there were few cars on the highway at this time. There was only one that they were looking for anyways. "Here he comes!" Logan said with a bit of nervous excitement. Takamura watched in fascination as the car came up to where they were at, traveling at around seventy miles an hour, when suddenly both front tires blew out. Th driver tried valiantly to keep control, but no matter what he did, the car careened to the left, and went head on into a dividing barrier. The driver and only occupant of the car died instantly.
Takamura pulled his attention back from the physical world, and immediately rushed to Logan's side. The small boy was crying silent, bitter tears. The old man wrapped the very young boy in his arms, and started to try and comfort him. Finally Logan looked up into his eyes and spoke pain filled words. "They started this war, I shouldn't feel bad that I killed him... but I do. Why?"
"Killing should never be easy child." Takamura said as he gently rubbed his hand over Logan's back, trying to comfort him as much as he could. "That very fact is what separates us from those that we fight. While we can, and will kill when needed, it never becomes easy for us. We love life, we cherish it. They do not mind taking it... they have come to find it easy. Please child, do not ever let killing become easy."
Logan met Takamura's eyes with his own huge blue ones, and nodded. He then buried his head in the man's chest and cried.
A very pregnant Janet Hayes heard a noise and realized that she had not seen Logan in a while. She looked around for Logan and could not see him anywhere. She let out a sigh as she thought to herself, 'That boy is too smart for his own good. What's he getting into now'.
She was thinking about how she had used child locks and they hadn't slowed Logan down at all as she looked for her silent child.. He had simply crawled in and pulled on a door then pulled himself up and unlatched it. No hesitation at all. This was all before he was even a year old. Now at three he could get into all kinds of things. She had bought a sophisticated digital lock for the cupboard under the sink where she kept the cleaning chemicals. She had found Logan one day sitting in front of open cabinets. He had the electronic lock in pieces that were laid out very carefully. Logan also had the chemical mixing in a small bucket. She recognized the ingredients immediately. Her son was making Napalm! She had turned to Brent with accusation on her face.
"What?" Brent said totally disarmed by her glare.
"You know what he's making?" Brent's clueless look was enough of an answer for her. "It's NAPALM! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"
With a look of disbelief Brent responded. "What?!? How is that my fault?"
Janet looked at him in a way that said duh. "You're the one in the military mister."
Brent would have laughed if he had not been sure that it would mean his death.
The memory made Janet pause and take a deep breath. Now she was panicked, and she began running around frantically. She had to find him quickly there was no telling...
Janet had to laugh at what she found. The door to the fridge was wide open and Logan was standing on a step stool. He had a huge bottle of barbecue sauce from their favorite BBQ place, Bubba D's above his head and he was pouring it down his throat and all over every inch of his small body.
Brent soon joined them in the kitchen and tried to say something, but soon found himself holding his pregnant wife and laughing uncontrollably. Soon a giggling Logan dropped the bottle, climbed down the step stool, and ran over to his parents and threw his arms around their legs covering them in the sticky product of his fridge raid.
Even with the seriousness of what was going on, no one in the group could help but laugh as they watched the scene unfold. Adam clearly remembered the embarrassed face of Logan when Janet had told Adam that story.
"That explains a lot!" Todd said as he leaned on Tilden to hold him up. Had his brother not been there, Todd would have been on the floor laughing.
"DAMN!" Daileass cried out in between laughter. "I just checked, I can't get a recording of this. It's like any time I try to write the scene to another disk, it gets corrupted. I would love to have this as a video."
Takamura replied very quietly. "Well.. that is one of the last times he got to be with his father. He might like a recording of it."
A moment later, Daileass's eyes lit up. "I GOT IT! Wait... what did you say?" It just registered to him what Takamura had said, about it being one of the last times Logan got to be with his father.
The mood immediately changed, from laughter to somber. Thankfully for everyone there, the memories started up again before they had to come up with something to say.
The following week Brent was called away to a meeting on base early in the morning. He had left before Logan had gotten up. He had called later that day to say that he was now on active duty for an undisclosed amount of time and would not be coming home till the assignment was done. As he was attached to Starfleet it could mean going off planet. Logan decided to find his father and went to the Astral Plane. He had a feeling that he was never going to see his father again. Logan's astral self went immediately to the small military installation just outside of town and to the room his father was in.
Logan found a large drain in the concrete floor. The area was prone to flooding so the whole base was designed to drain the water from the buildings during a flood. He followed the large pipe out of the base to where it drained into a small gully that took the water to a creek. The exit was outside the fence and covered by a locked gate. Logan slowly made his was back home looking at the real world from the Astral Realm. He planned his route and prepared his mind with alternatives in case he ran into problems.
The first thing Logan did when he arrived back in his body was to enter his mother's mind and make sure she would fall asleep. Once this was accomplished he made his escape through the second story window at the back of his house. He jumped and floated down safely to the ground. He made his way next door and sneaked into the back of their van. He knew they would be going to work soon and it was just up the street from the base. Logan hid himself under the seat and then used his mind to say to everyone that he was not there. It was not that he could not be seen, people just tended to ignore him when he did it and not remember seeing him at all.
About forty minutes later the van arrived at the stop sign right before the base. Logan made sure that his neighbor pulled into the back of a gas station so he could get out. His neighbor was very confused a few minutes later as to why he had gone to the gas station he never used, but he just chalked it up to the previous night of drinking.
Logan made his way to the fence. He let his mind go to the Astral Realm and used his mind to find the cameras. Once he knew where they were he knew he could get into the storm drain without being seen. Now it was just a matter of using the base commander's personal codes to lock out the alarms and open the gate to the storm drain. Logan had watched the commander punch his codes in many times during the car ride to the base and he never forgot them.
Logan made his way down to the gate covering the huge drainage tunnel. Logan knew he had to be careful. Not only was the gate set up to give you a shock, but it had a force field as well. Logan, however knew the trick to it. The key pad on the gate was not the real keypad. You needed to voice activate the real key pad so it would show itself to you. Well now it was time to see if the trick he had come up with and practiced for the last month would work. Logan used his telekinesis to modulate his throat, larynx, and even the air itself to make a copy of the base commander's voice.
"Command override disable all logging this station and open keypad. Code Omega Omega One."
Logan waited holding his breath. A few moment later a voice responded.
"Command accepted Commander Braddock."
A panel in the wall about three feet from the gate slid open. Logan went to it and punched in the Commander's person code. The gate opened rapidly. You could drive a Humvee in the tunnel it was so large. Logan stepped inside and used his voice to once again impersonate the base commander.
"Command override disable all alarms, force shields, locks, and tracking on flood control tunnels G3-G5, and F3. No logging of said changes."
"Commands accepted Commander Braddock."
Logan resisted the urge to giggle as he gave his next command.
"Computer close and seal entrance to flood control tunnel G3."
"Commands accepted Commander Braddock."
Soon Logan found himself below a grate in the floor of the room he wanted to enter. Logan climbed up the ladder and tried to push the grate up. Of course his three year old body just did not have the strength, but Logan just used his telekinesis to aid his push and the grate moved up and over. He climbed out and used his mind to slide the grate back into place. Then he used his vocal trick again.
Command override enable all alarms, force shields, locks, and tracking on flood control tunnels G3-G5, and F3. No logging of said changes.
"Commands accepted Commander Braddock."
Suddenly Logan heard a voice and he whirled around to find himself face to face with a Vulcan wearing a Starfleet uniform. The woman has an eyebrow raised.
"Who are you young man and what are you doing here?"
"My names Logan Hayes and I came to see my daddy Lieutenant Brent Hayes. Can you please take me to him... Uhm... May I have your name..." Logan paused to look at the insignia on her neck before continuing. "Lieutenant Commander?"
The face remained impassive but her other eyebrow raised as she seemed to study the small child in front of her. Logan returned her impassive stare and studied her in a similar manner.
"My name is Lieutenant Commander T'Tallendil. I know your father and his present location Logan Hayes. I will fulfill your request."
Logan walked up to the woman and held out his arms. Lieutenant Commander T'Tallendil looked down at the boy, then picked him up and placed him on her hip. As they were exiting the room Logan leaned in and pressed his fingers to her forehead.
"Lieutenant Commander T'Tallendil your assistance is most adequate."
For the third time Lieutenant Commander T'Tallendil raised an eyebrow at this small boy. Logic made it clear that she should help the child and keep his entrance a secret from everyone except his father Lieutenant Brent Hayes. At least for now.
To say that Brent was stunned would be an understatement. Here he was sitting in the briefing room with his son in his arms. Once Lieutenant Commander T'Tallendil had explained what she saw when Logan had entered the base through the flood tunnel he found himself at a loss for words. He always knew that Logan was precocious, however when he said that the response that met him had chilled him to the bone.
"No Lieutenant Hayes. Calling your son precocious is an underestimation of his abilities. Logan and I had a debate about the application of matter/antimatter reactions versus cold fusion or artificial quantum singularities as a power source for vehicle propulsion. Logan provided me with some fascinating insights and corrected me on an error in one of my field strength calculations. Precocious does not adequately describe Logan Hayes. Now we must decide how to handle this situation."
Brent did not know what to say. Before Lieutenant Commander T'Tallendil had joined Starfleet she had been a warp mechanics expert for Vulcan's fleet research and development. If Logan had impressed her with his knowledge... But no... Brent knew his son was a genius, but being able to debate quantum physics with a Vulcan who was a leader in her field. No. He's only three. But there it was in front of him.
"I am at a loss for words Lieutenant Commander T'Tallendil. No matter how smart my son is he is still only three years old. He cannot be held accountable for what he has done. If someone must take responsibility then it will be me."
"Lieutenant, your comprehension is lacking. No Vulcan I am aware of has a mind as unique, nor with as much raw intelligence as Logan. The combination of intellect and unique mental abilities logically dictate that your son must be protected from those that will wish to control him. We cannot let there even be the chance of that occurring. A mind like his will benefit your planet and the Federation, but only if it is allowed to grow in an environment that does not restrict it. Logan must be given an environment that allows him to grow. I know a man that can help from the background. It would be my preference and an honor to contact him, with your permission."
"Do I detect that you plan to do so whether I agree or not Lieutenant Commander?"
"You are not mistaken Lieutenant. Logic dictates that this must be done. It would be appropriate for his father to be aware so he can take steps to insure the proper care for his son."
Brent was about to respond when Logan interrupted.
"Lieutenant Commander T'Tallendil I have met the man you speak of. I am his friend and he already looks out for me and my family. I am being watched right now. The Storm protects me but I am not supposed to know it." Logan once again wrapped his small body tightly to his father, who without even thinking returned the embrace.
Brent had no idea what Logan was talking about but it was clear that the Lieutenant Commander did. What he saw in her eyes was something he could not believe. In the years he had known her she had never shown more emotion than raised eyebrows, but Logan had rattled her and he saw raw emotion play across her Vulcan face before she regained control. Now Brent was frightened for his little boy. What was it that Logan had said that could disarm a Vulcan emotionally.
"Lieutenant Hayes. Do not be frightened for Logan. I have known this man since I was Logan's age. He is the most trustworthy human I have ever known, and he is considered family by my Patriarch."
"Forgive me Lieutenant Commander, but who is this person you are speaking about?"
"You can't use his name daddy, he knows you though, and mommy too. He needs to be anonymous. It's important."
"It is as Logan says. His anonymity is what allows him to do much of what he does. I can see that you are not convinced. I consider this man a second father. I would lay my life down for him."
After much discussion Brent agreed with his son and T'Tallendil. He was frightened for his little boy. The Lieutenant Commander made arrangements to have Logan taken home with no one the wiser.
After this mission he was going to retire from the service. He needed to be closer to home... That day never came. Lieutenant Brent Hayes was killed in action. It was his last mission.
Takamura smiled down at the toddler he had come to know as Logan. The boy was furiously scribbling equations and mumbling to himself. The child was by far the smartest being he had ever encountered and that included the Vulcans. It made him worried. Logan's genetics were the result of his brother Kasai Takamura's breeding program. He was genetically related to the boy, and this meant that he was already under the scrutiny of some less than savory characters. He knew for a certainty that Logan's unrivaled intelligence would attract the wrong kind of attention. After the incident with his father and the base this was something he was sure would happen. It was the reason that he was here at this particular time. He was not sure how much he could explain to the boy because while he was incredibly smart and knew way more of the world than one would expect from a child his age he still lacked the experience and frames of reference that would allow him to grasp this problem fully.
"Logan?"
Without stopping his work he answered.
"Hey Mr. Takamura. You are late." Which the child punctuated by making a clock appear.
Takamura laughed. "Sorry, but I was in California and that was the time zone I was using, and what have I told you about calling me Mr. Takamura?"
Logan laughed before he answered, never pausing in his furious scribbling of equations. "I know silly. I just wanted to tease you."
Takamura smiled at the youngster, but then became serious. "Logan, can you stop working on your Neurotronic circuitry and Trinary operating system for a bit. I need to talk with you without interruptions."
"That's okay I can do both at the same time easy."
"I know you can Logan, but I find it hard to talk to you when you are working on something else."
"You're fibbing grandpa. I seen you do more than one thing at a time before. You did those calculations with me while we were watching that show and practicing creating and destroying mental blocks. We even discussed the show at the same time. You were starting to get really good and making the blocks too."
"Well you are right, but when I am talking about something that I think is very important I like to give it my undivided attention."
Finally the scribbling stopped and Logan changed the scenery to a living room with a big couch that he promptly ran to and jumped on. He patted the spot next to himself and looked at Takamura expectantly. Without a word Takamura jumped into the air, turned a flip, and landed right next to Logan on the couch. Logan laughed and clapped his hands together.
"I am glad you appreciate my acrobatics. However, as much as I would like to continue having fun, we need to have a serious discussion."
"Okay grandpa. What do you need to discuss?"
"Logan you are by far the smartest person I have ever met, and that is saying a lot. I have been involved with many of the best minds on Earth and the Federation. I have even met some beings that are not part of the Federation. Your skills are astronomically higher than any of them. This makes me frightened for you."
"Why? Is being smart bad?"
"No not at all Logan. But, I fear that bad things may happen to you because you are so smart."
"You mean someone will try to use me don't you Grampa?"
"That is exactly what I mean Logan. You are the smartest person on the planet, maybe even the entire Federation, but that won't stop people from trying to use you."
"Yeah but I'm too smart for them. I would always think up a way to beat them..."
"Logan, be a listener for a while. There are some things I think you need to learn about the ways of the world."
"Uh oh. You're mad at me now aren't you?"
"No... Well yes a little, but not really at you. I am frustrated."
"I'm sorry, Grampa." Logan said looking like he wanted to cry.
Takamura put his arm around the boy and then pulled him into his lap to cuddle.
"You have nothing to be sorry about, Logan. I am angry because I shouldn't have to be explaining something like this to a boy who isn't even three years old yet. Just because you are so smart doesn't change the fact that I shouldn't have to have a talk like this with you and it upsets me."
Logan wrapped his arms around Takamura. "Don't be sad, Grampa. I love you!"
Takamura responded by hugging the boy and patting his back. "I love you too, little man, and it is because I love you that I am going to tell you this. Will you be a listener for me until I am done with everything I have to say?"
"I'll try, Grampa, but it's hard not to ask questions when you got them. I just gotta know when it gets in my head."
"Little one, you won't forget your questions, ever. Your mind is unique in so many ways. You hold all those questions till I am done, and I will answer every one of them for you, okay?"
"Okay, grampa." Logan said with a small smile on his face as he leaned his head against Takamura's chest.
"Good. Now then... How do I start. Hmmm... There are forces at work in your life that you don't know about. Did you know that you are a part of a genetic experiment?"
"Oh, you mean the people who put me to sleep when I get my checkups and run all those tests on me. The ones who are working for that thing called Genesis, but that's just what they call it now. It's been going on for a very long time. They know you too grampa. You are part of it, but different."
Takamura was a bit taken back, but he recovered quickly. "Yes. That is who I am talking about. Can you tell me what you know Logan?"
Logan looked Takamura directly in his eyes. "I only know what was on the surface. They do bad things, and I didn't wanna see. They hurt lots of kids for stupid things!" Logan was beginning to cry.
Takamura pulled the boy tightly to his chest and let him cry it out before he continued. "Tell me everything son. You need to share this burden with me and I will help you to carry it."
Logan talked for quite a while. Takamura was astounded at the amount of things that Logan knew about the Genesis Project and the people who were manipulating it for their own purposes behind the scenes. What surprised him more than anything was the fact that even when the boy was sedated his mind was able function separately from his body. It would go to the Astral realm and watch from there. Takamura could bring himself, things, and other beings through the astral realm, which few could do, but what he could do was amazing. Logan's mind could interact through telepathy, empathy, and telekinesis with the physical world while he was in the Astral realm. Logan could project his mind anywhere and any when through the Astral realm. Whereas he had to explore in order to find a place. A truly unique mind. Logan was truly one of a kind.
"Logan you know what we are up against?" Takamura said softly.
"Yes grampa. The bad men might try to hurt me or steal me like they have those other little boys and girls." He said as Logan snuggled into Takamura's side.
"So what I need you to do is hide just how smart and special you are. Do you understand what I mean son?"
"You mean I need to pretend I am someone else right grampa? I need to be not so smart, and people can't know the psionic things I can do at all? I need to be someone else."
"Yes son, you understand perfectly."
"He's so young!" Daileass said in shock. "How'd he know so much?"
"Daileass... wasn't it you that always told us never to wonder how Logan knows the things he does?" Simon asked with a bit of a smile, yet still in complete awe of what he was seeing.
"Yeah, but... well hell, he's only like 2 or 3 here!" Daileass said, to which no one responded to. The last thing Daileass said was more a mutter to himself, but still, it was loud enough for everyone to hear. "Shit... he probably knew more at two then I'll EVER know!"
Rainer looked up at Master Takamura with a sad look in his eyes. "You had no idea what would happen from that conversation did you?"
Master Takamura shook his head. "Even with the number of years I have seen, and the number of different and interesting people I have met, I never once considered the possibility that someone could split themselves like that. I have many times looked back over that conversation and wondered what would have happened had I said anything differently. Logan is such a unique and powerful mind, there are times I actually have to wonder if the only limits on him are those he sets for himself."
Takamura was freaking out. What Logan had done in the short space of two weeks was unlike anything else that he had seen. He was inside Logan's head and there were literally two Logan's with him. His first fear was that the boy had damaged himself and developed a split personality, but that was not the case. There was not a main personality and secondary personality, there were two distinct and complete minds in Logan's head. Takamura decided to refer to Logan's new public mind as 'Little Logan' and his hidden mind as 'Big Logan.' They were both him, and both independent at the same time. The only differences in power were that Logan's public personality was not as intelligent as his hidden personality, which also contained all of Logan's special abilities.
Anything less than a mind meld would not be able to tell that 'Little Logan' was not all there was to Logan. Now that was not to say that it could not be seen through by someone powerful enough, but Takamura's Vulcan trained mind was very aware that the two Logans were the same person yet had two separate souls. The only reason a mind meld would know that there were two Logans would be because the Logans were aware of each other. However 'Big Logan' took care of that with a wall, that just seemed to be a hole in his memory, just like many other holes that appeared inside a human mind. He would literally hide the memories 'Little Logan' had with normal human structure.
It did not take long though for 'Little Logan' to develop his own special abilities that were unique from 'Big Logan's'.
"Uhm...I call them 'Big Logan' and 'Little Logan' just to keep things straight in my head. 'Little Logan' is the one most of you have dealt with to give you some perspective. He is the Logan that everyone talks to and interacts with on a daily basis. 'Big Logan' is the Logan who hid. He's the one you used to talk to in your heads. We have known each other most of his life. Till recently 'Little Logan' did not even remember that he was two people sharing one body. 'Big Logan' needs time to accept what has happened. By watching and listening it is just possible that you may learn some things about him that change what you think you know."
Zed looked up at Takamura with a look of comprehension. "OH! That explains why I kept feeling like I was talking to two people and that sometimes Logan didn't remember what I had told him."
It was Logan's seventh birthday party. It was just him and his mom like usual. After the absolute fit that he had thrown last year when she had invited some kids. His mom was not about to repeat the mistake. However, Logan was not really alone. He was connected to lots of people. He had been manipulating very dangerous people and situations from behind the scenes now for several years. Now the biggest fear he had was that anyone getting close to him was in danger. The people he had manipulated his mother into working for were very dangerous. Having his mom on the inside protected her and provided a small amount of sanity to what was being done. His Adam needed someone on his side and a mother. That is what Logan had given him. His mother.
Logan sat uneasily in the little house he used as his base in the Astral Realm. His eight year old mind was racing; filled with doubt, fear, and self-loathing. With all of his intellect and the certain knowledge that he was going to do things that were unsavory and horrible nothing had prepared him for the reality of this horror.
Takamura had sensed his young relatives distress and had come to this place because as soon as he entered the Astral Realm Logan's distress had called to him. As he approached Takamura was disturbed to find that the usual path and countryside was missing. All he could perceive was the house and it was dull and pulsating with dark colors. The whole structure and surrounding space was resonating the young boy's distress.
Takamura knew that Logan had seen something that had caused him to make a disturbing decision that he was unable to reconcile with his strong sense of morality. It was literally eating away at his mental health. Takamura was certain that he did not want to know what it was that Logan had to decide. He had made enough of those types of decisions himself and felt no need to add to the unhappy memories. However he could not leave Logan to deal with this on his own.
Logan looked up at Takamura as he entered the house. He began speaking to his mentor.
"The mother fucker is doing it again. Ten! He's made ten more clones of us. He didn't use Juan this time, but... Slaves! Fucking slaves! I mean he made them to be 'pleasure slaves' for some sick fucking bastard. He did it for money for his personal bank accounts. What the fuck..."
Seeing the look from Takamura that basically said, "I was a pleasure slave at one time, and while it wasn't great, it wasn't that bad." Logan gave Takamura a look of extreme displeasure.
"Pleasure slave is the wrong word for it. Pleasure has nothing to do with what this sick bastard has in mind. He plans to strip the skin off their bodies because he likes torture! That's the first fucking thing he is going to do to one of them when he takes delivery."
Takamura stayed calm while Logan was ranting. He knew that Logan didn't have much in the way of worldly knowledge, so this sort of thing would bother him greatly. Takamura's eyes met Logan's as the boy's eyes filled with tears. "I am going to do nothing... We can't risk the SOB going underground again! We will do nothing... Well next to nothing. That sick twisted bastard is going to care about them, I mean really care. He is going to feel that he will die if one of them is permanently harmed or dies and he will not be able to live with himself if either of those things happens. I am going to weld it so perfectly to his sick mind..."
It was only the thousands of years of control that Takamura had that allowed him to show no reaction, other than to raise an eyebrow in question. A question that he knew Logan had to say the answer to out loud so he could share the burden before it overwhelmed him.
"And why is that?"
Logan began to rock in place and punch the floor. The room began to pulse with his disgust as he put voice to his awful choice.
"If I interfere General Asshole will know something is up. It will put my mom at risk. All the people we have been tracking and manipulating will go to ground and who knows how long it will take us to find them again, or the damage they may do." Logan sighed miserably. "Adam is nearly ready... that's the key to all of it! God Damn It! The White Storm are good, very good, and I know they would be able to rescue these children..." Logan ran out of steam and slumped for a moment before he continued in an almost defeated sounding voice. "However something can always go wrong no matter how good you are, and no matter how well you plan it. Even if we were to pull it off and the kids were rescued with General Asshole thinking it was just corporate espionage or some rival behind the scenes power fucking with him... He would go to ground again. He would bury what he couldn't take somewhere else and he would start over. We have seen him do it in the past with less provocation. We have learned that lesson the hard way. We can't do that! If we do that everything we've been working on for the last bazillion years would be ruined!"
Logan was really working himself up over this. Takamura didn't realize just how bad it was till the boy suddenly leaped to his feet, flew at the wall and punched the wall of the house causing the entire side of the house to blow apart. The ground trembled as if a small earthquake were happening, and the rest of the house simply disintegrated. Logan let out a primal scream of pure rage and frustration. Winds picked up to a gale force, and all the trees uprooted or toppled to the ground.
"LOGAN! CONTROL YOURSELF!" Takamura shouted over the wind. Logan turned on Takamura and he collapsed to the ground screaming in agony as Logan brought the power of his mind to bear on the man. Then Logan's eyes widened in horror, and almost immediately, everything calmed around them.
Blushing, Logan turned and faced his grandfather, with his head lowered. "Sorry grampa."
Takamura moved over to Logan and pulled the extraordinary boy into his arms, and hugged him tightly. Having much more difficulty than Logan would have, Takamura started to rebuild the house, and put the trees back in place. It took a while longer then it would have taken the boy, but he did it all while holding the boy tight to his chest. When it was done, and Logan had calmed down enough, Master Takamura started to talk to softly.
"I know this is difficult for you. It is difficult for me, but you are doing what you must. A wise man once told me that 'the good of the many out weigh the good of the few, or the one.' While it is difficult to accept, it is often true. Put those children from your mind. If the time comes that you can do something for them, then do so, but for now, you must leave them to their fate. You cannot save every one my grandsons."
Logan broke down and wept bitter tears. While he knew it was the truth, it still hurt.
Adam could feel the frustration rolling off of Logan like water off of a surfacing submarine. The scene had 'paused' but the emotions coming from the young Logan were still felt by everyone.
"So now you know why it was all my fault?" Logan said from behind them. All of them turned to see two Logans standing side by side. There really wasn't any way to tell them apart, but all of them could. 'Little' Logan stepped forward, and into the middle of the group of his brothers. 'Big' Logan stepped up to Adam and pulled him into an embrace, gently weeping on the boy's shoulder.
Adam let this go on for a few seconds, then gently pushed Logan back, he looked into his lovers eyes and then leaned forward for a kiss. It might not have been sexual in any way, but the feelings and emotions that went into it were enough to make everyone stop and look. When the kiss broke, Adam gazed into 'Big' Logan' eyes and held the boy's gaze for a long moment. "No matter what happens, you will always have my love even if YOU throw it away. Never doubt my love for you or underestimate it's depth."
'Big' Logan's tears fell freely from his eyes and he tried to talk. No words would come so he simply nodded. Takamura stepped up to the two of them, and gently took each by the arm. "Come, we have much to talk about."
Both boys nodded as Takamura walked them off to the side. Meanwhile, 'Little Logan' was hugging and talking to his brothers.
"Are you okay now?" Alvin asked shyly.
"Yeah little bro I am. Actually I pretty much always was. What you have to understand is that it was the 'other me' that was freaking out there. Honestly I didn't even know about the clones, until I saw them. The way that 'big' Logan set things up took the hard things away from me, and made it so I wouldn't remember them, unless he let me. Hell, not even a mind meld would have been able to see those things, because I didn't know them. But when we saw the slave boys, it ended up being too much for him to deal with. It was like the straw that broke the camels back in a way."
"But everything is good now?" Simon asked hopefully.
Logan gave a sad smile. "Not entirely. We still have a few things to work on, but with you guys knowing almost everything now, and the help I know you'll give us, we'll get there. Just having all you guys here and willing to help has made a huge difference already."
Daileass glanced over at the other three as they spoke quietly. He smiled when he saw some of the tension leave 'big' Logan's shoulders. Turning back to the group, he spoke up while meeting his brothers eyes. "I think this is something that really needs to stay to us. Unless Logan decides to tell someone, we should all make sure not to mention it."
"Daileass is right..." Logan said with a sigh. "There are people who will need to know, but honestly, it would cause a lot more problems then not if this became common knowledge. I mean how many people could handle learning that one person was actually two people with two completely different souls, yet still shared one body. Then these two people, who are really one, can actually effect things in two different places at once."
"OKAY OKAY!!!! I Get it!" Zed cried out while clutching the sides of his head. "Knock it off already! You're giving me a head ache!"
Everyone started laughing, and the tension seemed to drain from everyone. Daileass couldn't help himself. One thing ran through his mind over and over the entire time. He just had to ask Logan about it. "Did you REALLY create TRINARY when you were just two?" He exclaimed.
Logan couldn't help the blush. In a way this was what he was afraid of, people not seeing him, only his intelligence. But he knew his brothers well enough to know that they weren't being mean or nasty. He started blushing as he respond. "Two and a half actually." Daileass could only sputter while everyone else laughed.
Rainer looked over at Zed and socked him in the arm. "See I told you... we'd never be as smart as him!"
"Yeah well!" Zed said as he rubbed his soar arm. "He's cheating anyways... there's two of him! Of course two people are smarter than one of me. But it takes both of them!"
"Oh my god!" Theodore cried out. "You are so full of shit!"
Logan couldn't help the love and relief he felt as he watched his brothers go on like normal. Even though he knew better, he was always worried that if his true self was figured out, he would be hated, and shunned. Now he knew better.
"So what else are you hiding in the head of yours Logan?" Nathan asked with a grin and a wink.
"That's for me to know and you to NEVER find out!" Logan replied getting back into the banter.
That made everyone laugh, and started a group hug. After a few moments, the hug included three other people as 'big' Logan, Adam and Takamura joined in.
When the group hug broke, 'big' Logan spoke to the rest. "Lets get you guys back home... I got a LOT of work to do to fix up what Daileass broke."
"HEY!" The AI cried out with indignation, yet smiling. "What else could I have done?"
In a very Vulcan manner, 'big' Logan raised one eyebrow. "I never said you should have done anything differently, just that you broke a lot of your new hardware doing it." Then sounding like a kid again he said, "We're outta here!" and Adam, Takamura, and the Logans disappeared.
Daileass smiled as he saw Haden standing there, his hands resting on the orbs that represented the link. The relief and happiness he saw in those eyes made his entire world light up. Honestly he still hadn't figured you what it was about Haden that attracted him so much, but he couldn't deny it was there. In a way, he was a lot like Logan. In some areas he was well beyond his years, but in others, Daileass was not better then the nine year old boy he was when he first 'died'.
"You guys are alright?" Haden called out. "Where is Logan, and Adam?"
"Who's your new friend?" Evan added.
Everyone in the group walked toward where Evan, Haden, and Ordath were standing.
"All is fine, and as it should be, at least for now." The tall man stated in a firm, yet strangely comforting voice.
"Adam and Logan have left the mental scape, and are in the process of being teleported somewhere that Logan can get some rest." Daileass stated.
Alvin stopped and looked toward the tall man, "Oh, you guys have not met him yet. But this is our teacher, Takamura."
Evan waved toward the man, who bowed slightly back.
Haden was about to wave, but quickly caught himself. "Hey, um guys? Is it safe for me to take my hands off of Logan's balls yet?" he asked in such a way as only a nine-year-old could ask.
Although the seriousness of what they were faced with at the time allowed most of them to ignore the comment the first time Haden made it, now there was no stopping it. Nearly everyone lost it and broke out in a fit of laughter.
"What?" Haden asked questionably.
"Nothing, Bro," Daileass stated as he walked up to Haden. "Yes, you can stop touching them now."
Haden nodded and pulled his hands away away from the spheres. Once he did this, the sphere, the conduits, and the large cables running off into the distance, slowly began to fade away. At the same time, Haden became very light headed and began to wobble.
"Gotcha!" Daileass said just as he caught Haden before he fell. He then pulled the confused boy up into his arms. "You did an awesome job, bro," Daileass stated as he gave Haden a huge hug.
Haden nodded. "Whoa, I don't feel so good."
"You're probably going to be a bit disoriented for a few minutes, as your brain re-adjusts to not having the entire force of all the inks flowing through it," Ordath stated as he looked toward Haden and Daileass. "But it is nothing to worry about."
"Thanks for your help, Ordath." Alvin said seriously as he walked up to the smaller Haden. "Will we be seeing more of you?"
Ordath nodded. "You are welcome. And, what is the expression? The cat is out of the bag? I am sure in time we shall meet again."
"Hey guys?" Daileass said as he gently rocked Haden in his arms. "I need to do some serious server resource reallocation to start getting most of the clan's resources back online. I think this is a good time for us to jump out of the mental-scape."
Everyone nodded. Then, one by one, they each disappeared.
Daileass looked down into Haden's eyes. "You've made me prouder of you today than I ever thought possible. Thank you." As he said this, Daileass gave Haden a kiss on his forehead. He had thought about kissing the boy on the lips, but he wasn't sure if Haden was really ready for that yet.
He stepped back and allowed everyone to leave the mental scape, thankfully they left before the tears started to flow down Daileass's eyes. With a sigh of frustration, Daileass moved all vital functions to back up routines, slumped to the ground, and cried. For several long moments he flashed back to his servers being destroyed as he tried to augment the links, then he flashed back to the times that Adams had used his positronic brain to run tanks and helicopters and other large machines, then decided to see just how much of those machines could be destroyed before it would shut Daileass down. What no one knew was that he became part of those machines almost immediately. They didn't think he could feel pain, but he could.
When his servers started to shred, it felt like parts of Daileass's body were being destroyed, because they were. The problem was, Daileass felt each and every one of them. He wondered bitterly if that's what it feels like when a normal human has a stroke.
WOW!!!! OMG...Now this was a chapter worth waiting for. It kept me enthralled and shocked with each new paragraph. Needless to say, I loved every second of being able to edit this chapter! You are just going to have to read it yourself....any other notes, I am afraid, would spoil what was put together in this chapter.
Cynaira
Okay, so now we know why Logan had his meltdown, and why so many in the Clan think so highly of him. He designed new computers at the age of two-and-a half! He easily went to the Astral plane for kicks and giggles! We also learned about Logan's father, more about Janet, his mom, and more about Takamura too. And it all happened in a mindscape, so we didn't spend a lot of real world time getting Logan back to normal (as if we could stretch the meaning of 'normal' to include Logan in the first place).
I hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I did during the editing phase. Please make sure to tell Roland and Fibita how much you enjoyed their efforts either on the forums, or privately with an e-mail.
Cheers,
TheEggman