This is a work of fiction – a bit of science fiction and fantasy mixed together in fact.  None of the characters, names or personalities, are based on real people.  Any resemblance to a real person is entirely coincidental and not intentional.  I do live in the Atlanta area and use a lot of places I’ve been in the story. 

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          Sally’s face felt cold and wet; her head was pounding.  She rolled over with a groan, her mind foggy and confused.  She felt awful; bruised and sore all over.  She knew her hair was a mess and she was sure her makeup was a disaster.  As she came to and her mind started working, the memories flooded into her conscious mind.

          Carlo!  Oh no!

          Her eyes squeezed tightly shut as tears started running down her cheeks at the memory of seeing Carlo, trying to fend off the three large men that broke into her home.  Carlo was a strong man, in good shape, and he knew how to take care of himself in a fight, but those men handled him like he was a child.  She saw the look of surprise on his face as his blows didn’t have any effect on his attackers.

          She heard him shout, “Sally run!  Get out of here!”

          She remembered Carlo’s eyes, wide and blank, lifelessly staring at her as his body fell to the floor.  She screamed and tried to make it to the gun she knew Carlo had hidden in their bedroom, but one of the big men grabbed her by her hair and threw her roughly down onto the floor.

          She screamed at them, “What do you want!?  Who are you!?”

          “Shut ‘er up before the neighbors hear her.”

          She tried to cringe away when she saw the man’s big hand pull back to hit her.  She felt a blinding pain and then darkness.

          She looked around the room as her eyes cleared.  The room she was in looked like some kind of basement; bare cement walls and a plain wooden staircase leading up.  There was a low watt light bulb giving off what light there was, but the room was dim.  It was cool and damp, and there was water on most of the floor.   She saw an unconscious man lying not too far away, and she heard a woman’s voice asking her softly, “Hey, are you OK?”

          She looked around and saw a young woman with a little boy wrapped tightly in her arms.  They had both been crying and she looked terrified; the little boy’s face was red and splotchy.   He was awake and staring at her.

          She put her hand to her aching head and groggily asked, “Where are we?”

          “I don’t know.  I think we’re in a house somewhere but I’m not sure.” 

          Sally crawled up into a sitting position.  Her body was stiff and she ached all over.  She was still crying and she couldn’t get the image of Carlo’s lifeless eyes out of her mind.

          “What’s your name?”

          She sniffed and swallowed; her throat was tight but she managed to say, “Sally.  Sally Bisel.”

          “I’m Liz, Sally.  And this is Drew.”

          Liz nodded towards the unconscious man lying near the bottom of the staircase.  “I’m not sure who that man is.  He looks hurt pretty bad.”

          “What do they want with us?”

          “I don’t know.  They threw that man down here yesterday.  He’s still breathing but he hasn’t moved since.  You’ve been here a few hours.  Are you hurt bad?”

          “I don’t think so.”  Sally put her head down in her hands and started crying again.

          “Sally, come over here out of the water.  Move over by me.  We need to get you warm.”

          Sally crawled over and put her back against the wall, her shoulder touching Liz’s.  Liz took her free arm and put it around Sally’s shoulder and started rubbing her hand up and down Sally’s arm, trying to generate some warmth.

          “Do you remember how you got here, Sally?”

          “Some men broke into my house and they killed my boyfriend.  They didn’t say what they wanted.”

          “I’m so sorry, honey.”  Liz pulled her close in comfort and let Sally cry.  Liz kept running her hand up and down Sally’s arm, trying to comfort her and get her blood circulating to warm her up.

          She lost consciousness again for a time.  When she woke up Liz and Drew were both asleep.

          Trying not to wake Liz, she crawled over to the man on the floor.  He looked badly beaten and he had dried blood on his nose and mouth and in his beard.  She was reluctant to try and move him, afraid of hurting him further; as badly beaten as he was he might have broken bones or internal bleeding.  She tried to wake him up but he was unresponsive.

          She crawled back over to Liz and sat quietly, lost in her thoughts and the rampant emotions going through her mind.

**********************

          Over the next few hours the big men who broke into Sally’s house came back and threw another man roughly down the stairs… he was large and muscular and he was beaten nearly to death.

          She heard one of them say, “That’s for old time’s sake, Hank.”   When the men left, Sally crawled over to the man and said, “Here, let me help you.”

          With her help, the man managed to pull himself up and move so that his back was against the wall.  He was wearing a short sleeved shirt over a wife beater and Sally got his outer shirt off and used it to try and clean his face.  She used some of the water on the floor that looked clean.

          “My name’s Sally.”

          “Henry; thanks Sally.”

          One of Henry’s eyes was swollen nearly shut and he had a bad cut on his forehead.  His bottom lip was torn and the blood had clotted up.  He needed stitches.  He was very stoic and hardly reacted to her efforts to clean him up even though she was sure it must hurt horribly.

          “Do you know who these men are?”

          “Yeah… I was forced to work for them for a while, but some friends helped me get away from them.  It’s not the kind of business you can just walk away from.”

          “How much trouble are we in?”

          “You don’t want to know.”

          “Do you know why they have us here?”

          “I have a pretty good guess.  Look Sally, it’s probably better if you don’t know.  For all kinds of reasons.  Trust me on that.”

          They both fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.  Sally was terrified.  Carlo was dead and she had no idea who these men were that took her or what they wanted.   And Henry’s vague answers were just as unsettling.

**********************

          She wasn’t sure how much time passed before she heard footsteps on the floor above and then the door opening at the top of the staircase.  She suddenly felt very afraid; not the normal fear over what had already happened to her, but a fear that chilled her down to her very soul.

          A man came down the steps, followed by two of the men who had brought Sally here.  Her heart nearly stopped as he came down the steps; she was looking right at him but she couldn’t see him.  His features were cloaked in a Darkness that her eyes couldn’t see through.  She had never seen anything like it and it terrified her.  He radiated evil.

          For reasons Sally couldn’t fathom, her thoughts turned to Ken and Brad and all the guys at TGH Securities she used to work for.  She remembered the party, and the song Lane sang to Bryan.  For some reason that thought gave her comfort, and she wished with all her heart that she had a way to get ahold of them. 

          The dark man stood at the bottom of the stairs, and even though no one could see his face directly, they were compelled against their will to turn and face him.  In the midst of the Darkness surrounding him, there were two darker spots, blacker than black, where his eyes should have been. 

          When his gaze passed over Sally and she knew he was looking at her, she nearly threw up.  The terror that filled her was all-encompassing and her body reacted to it.  She was trembling all over and frozen down to her core. 

          He moved over to the unconscious man on the floor.

          His voice, when he spoke, was very deep.  “Greg.”

          The man on the floor twitched slightly and then started to cough.  He moaned in pain as he tried to move.

          “I think my employees were perhaps a bit… overzealous.”

          “Wh-what.. do you want f-from… me?”  Greg’s voice was weak and barely discernible.

          “I want you to tell me everything you know about some friends of yours.  The men who helped you that night.  The night you were going to kill yourself.”

          Greg felt the cold presence of this man.  It was nearly overpowering and he was terrified.  As a defense his mind went back to the warm feeling he remembered that radiated off Ken, Brad, Rick, and Loy that night not so long ago.  This man was the exact opposite; he could feel the cold evil just by being next to him.  Greg remembered talking mind to mind that night and the feeling of openness and love his friends helped him to feel.  The aura of this man tried to smother that feeling just by his presence.

          “W-why don’t y-you just t-take it.  I kn-know you can.”

          “Yes, I could do that Greg.  I could crush your mind easily and take everything I wish to see.  But the idea of you rtelling me, and betraying their trust in you, is much more satisfying.  If you don’t tell me everything I want to know, I will take you back to that place, Greg, to the bottom of that deep dark hole in your mind.  I will re-tie all those knots they loosened inside you and I will tie them so tight your soul will choke… and every second of your life will be a misery.  Then, I will let you live forever, and relish in your cries, begging for death and release.”

          “F-fuck… you a-asshole.”  Even though his voice was weak, the defiance was clear.  I’ll see you soon, Ely.

          With blinding speed, the Master grabbed Greg by his throat and lifted him like a puppet.  Greg’s feet were dangling nearly a foot off the floor; his legs were twitching from the pain.  But as terrified as he was there was a seed of strength inside of him; it wasn’t just a memory… it was something else.  What his friends did for him that night was magic.  It changed him forever, and wasn’t something the Master could remove.

          The Master took Greg back to that dark place.  His anger was overpowering, and Greg’s mortal mind didn’t stand a chance.   Greg cried out in both physical and mental pain.  For a brief moment, Greg was terrified and back in that place; the place he never wanted to be again.  But immediately he felt it; he wasn’t alone.  He felt their hands – Loy, Rick, Ken, and Brad - touching him and holding on to him; lifting him up.  What Greg realized was that the night he met Ken, Brad, Rick, and Loy, they didn’t just throw him a lifeline.  They crawled into that dark place with him and led him out.  They were still there inside of him… the light and warmth they gave off; the unconditional love they showed him… it wasn’t something the Master could take away.  For all his power and all his evil that was something he couldn’t touch.

          The Master felt the burn on his mind and his scream wasn’t in pain; it was in anger and frustration.  How?!

          His hand tightened in his anger and he heard Greg’s neck snap.  His anger flared even more and he tossed Greg’s lifeless body against the concrete wall like a rag doll.  Most of the rest of the bones in his body broke on the impact and his body crumpled to the floor.

          Sally, Liz and Drew all jumped as Greg’s body hit the wall.  Henry just stared, his face blank as Greg’s body slumped to the floor, now lifeless.  The Master stared at Greg’s body for a few seconds before he turned and calmly went back up the steps.

          In the silence that followed, Henry quietly said, “He got off easy.  I don’t think we’ll be so lucky.”

          Liz and Sally held one another and cried.  Drew unexpectedly pulled away from Liz and ran over to Greg’s lifeless body.  He was crying and he put his little hands on Greg like he wanted to help.

          “Mister?  Are you ok?”

          One of the Protectors quickly moved over and grabbed Drew by the arm.  As soon as the man’s hand came in contact with him, Drew heard a voice in his mind…..

          Be still, little one.  I’m with you. 

          They hurt him like my daddy used to hurt me and mommy.  I’m scared!

          I understand.  I am frightened as well.  I need you to listen to me and tell no one that I am communicating with you.  Do you understand?

          Those men – like daddy – they’re bad.

If those men come for you, I can take you before they hurt you.

          What about mommy?

          No little one, I’m sorry but only you.  Your mind is open to me and hers is not.  If I wasn’t a prisoner, like you, I could do much more.  

          I’m not s’posed to talk with strangers.

          That is wise child.  But we have mutual friends, so we are not exactly strangers.  The one you call ‘Iron Man’ and his friend Brad Wilson, are cousins of mine.  We must try to help them find us.  Can you be brave and help me?

          What if they hurt mommy?  And the other nice lady?

          I will be honest little one… the evil men will.  But not right away.  If you help me there is a small chance that we can escape before they hurt anyone else.

          I’ll try.

          Then listen, child, and here is what you must try to do……

**********************

          The big man picked Drew up and dragged him back over to Liz.  “Keep ‘yer brat in line!”

          As soon as the man’s hand left Drew, he stopped hearing the voice, but now he was connected to it and he took comfort in that.  He snuggled back up against Liz and let her put her arm around him.

          “Baby, you need to stay with me.”

          “Ok, mommy.”

**********************

          That morning, Ken and Brad got up at their usual time and did their PT but skipped weight training to save time.  The cookout was going to be at their house later in the day and they needed to do some last minute shopping and cleaning.

          They were both horny when they got back from their run, and as they were getting undressed to shower, Ken was staring at Brad’s amazing body.  He never got tired of looking at Brad’s well-toned and muscled physique.  To him it was even sexier because Brad had to work so much harder at it than Ken did.  True, after the last and final transformation it was easier on Brad and the other Mentalists, but they still had to put in the time and effort, and Ken was happy that Brad made the effort.

          Brad felt Ken’s eyes looking at him, so he bent over and squeezed his butt cheeks together.

          Ken felt his erection go from mostly hard to fully hard when Brad did that.

          Brad had a smile on his handsome face and thought: Gotcha!

          Ken moved over behind his lover and pulled him up and turned him around, bringing their warm bodies together.  They were both still a little sweaty and Brad could smell Ken, and that coupled with his touch, and seeing him hard and excited, put Brad’s own erection into overdrive.

          They hugged one another and started kissing.  No words were needed because they were in each other’s Minds, Hearts and Souls.

          Brad raised one of Ken’s arms and started licking and kissing from his armpit down to his nipple.  Ken let out a groan and with his other hand he squeezed Brad tighter against him.

          Ken groaned in pleasure and thought: Fuck that feels good, B.

          They were both agile enough that Ken lifted Brad’s other arm and started doing the same thing to him.

          The water was hot and steam started filling the bathroom, fogging the mirrors.  They separated, but Ken kept ahold of Brad’s hand, and he pulled them both into the shower and closed the glass door.  They took their time washing each other, running their hands over each other’s bodies, feeling their muscles and enjoying making each other feel good and taking pleasure in each other’s touch.

          They soaped each other up and washed each other’s hair, talking together in their heads and enjoying the intimate emotional time together as their Souls stayed tightly knit.  Before they rinsed off, Ken reached down and started to lift one of Brad’s legs up.  Knowing what he was doing, Brad jumped and wrapped his legs around Ken’s waist.  Ken caught him easily; putting his hands under Brad’s butt cheeks he kneaded them briefly before spreading them apart and entering his lover with his soap slicked dick. 

          He felt Brad’s body tense in pleasure as his arms tightened around Ken’s shoulders.  Ken lifted Brad up and down as he thrust in and out of his lover’s tight warm ass.  They both smiled and pressed their foreheads together, keeping eye contact as they let their physical pleasure match the intensity of their minds and emotions.

          They both shifted their Sight, and saw the color of their eyes change; Brad’s crystal blue eyes ringed with the emerald green of Ken’s, and vice versa; the further evidence of the perfect blend of their bodies,  minds and souls gave them an even greater feeling of connectedness.

          They kept at it for about ten minutes until Ken couldn’t hold back any longer and he started shooting white hot spurts of cum into Brad warm waiting ass.  Brad was barely able to hold off, but it became part of their morning ritual for Brad to delay his orgasm so Ken could take Brad’s cum in his mouth.

          Brad felt the strength course through his body as the DNA in Ken’s semen bonded with his own, fueling the Supernatural connection the two of them shared.  Brad cooled down slightly as he continued to hold onto Ken, caressing him through his orgasm.  As the strength flooded into his body he used his ass muscles to squeeze and stroke Ken’s erection through his orgasm.  Ken closed his eyes, his face a mask of the pleasure he felt from shooting into his lover.  Brad held him tight, moving his arms up from Ken’s heavy shoulders to cradle his head in a loving embrace as Ken rode out the pleasure of his orgasm.

          When he was finished, Ken turned off the water and had Brad sit down on the ledge in the shower.  He took Brad’s hard dick into his mouth and in less than a minute Brad started shooting down his throat, fueling the other side of their bond.  Ken felt his mind opening and expanding as the effect of Brad’s semen made itself felt.  Ken stayed on his knees and pulled Brad against him chest to chest, hugging him tight.  They both buried their faces in the crook of each other’s shoulder and stayed like that for about a minute before they broke apart.

          As they were toweling each other dry, Ken’s phone rang, and as it did Brad’s stomach got a cold knot in it.

          You need to get that, Ken.  It’s important.

          Ken felt Brad’s reaction through their link and he hurried into the bedroom to get his phone.   The caller ID said Bobby Simmons, the owner of Simmons Security to whom they had transferred all their clients when they shut down their own security firm a few months previously.

          “Hey Bobby, this is Ken.  What’s up?”

          “Hey, Ken.”  The tone of Bobby’s voice was flat.  Ken could tell he was holding his emotions in check.

          “What’s wrong?”

          “Ken, I’m not sure how to tell you this.  I know she means a lot to you guys, us too you know.”

          “Has something happened to Sally!?”

          “We aren’t sure yet Ken, but she’s missing.  Her boyfriend Carlo is dead; his neck was snapped clean.  It looks like he was trying to protect her.  They were definitely attacked.”

          “Fuck!  We’ll be right there.”

          “We aren’t sure if she got away or if she was taken, but no one’s heard from her.  There was no note.  I figured you’d want to know right away.”

          “Thanks for the heads up Bobby.  We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

          Brad connected the entire Team and the doc and Albrecht together in a flash.  He scanned everyone on the surface to make sure no one was driving or doing something dangerous; he then created a construct in his mind of the conference room at the lab, and he pulled everyone in.

          As they all appeared everyone was in full mission gear.  As soon as the guys saw the look on Ken’s face they knew something serious was happening.  Once they were all there Brad took them deeper so no time would pass.

          All eyes were on Ken.

          Guys, I just got a call from Bobby Simmons.  Sally is missing and Carlo is dead.

          Ken shared the memory of his phone conversation from a moment before to get everyone up to speed.

          Anger and a little anxiety filled the link.  Fear for Sally’s safety and sadness for Carlo’s death.

          Brad asked:  Doc, didn’t we have Sally’s house warded in case of something like this?

          Yes, Bradford.  I can only surmise that somehow the Enemy has found a way around that; very disconcerting if that is the case.  If that is true I need to check on a number of our friends immediately.

          Alright, doc.  While you do that, the rest of us are going to Sally’s house pronto.   B, can you locate Bobby’s mind?  If so, then you can get a clear enough vision through his eyes to jump over and be an anchor for Dar and the others to push us all there.

          I’ve already found him.

          Ok fellas, let’s all stay linked.  I want us to be ready for anything here, so Lane, Bry and Loy keep the power flowing.

**********************

          Brad hated having to hitch hike onto Bobby’s mind but there were too many police around.  He sent the suggestion and Bobby went into Sally’s backyard behind her shed to get away from prying eyes.    As soon as Bobby was out of sight, Brad appeared in front of him; Bobby’s face was blank and didn’t register anything out of the ordinary.   In another few seconds the entire Team was assembled in Sally’s back yard.  Brad sent Bobby back out in the front with no memory of what just occurred.

          Ken thought: Bill, you and Kev go in and see what you can pick up.  Dar and Pat, you go in as well.  Between the two of you we should get a clear picture of what happened.  The rest of you stay alert and make them blind to our presence here at least for now. 

**********************

          As soon as Bill entered the house his mind started filling with images.  This place felt like Sally; the impressions she left on the house were distinctly her.  Overlying that feeling was a cloud of violence and terror; it was strong because it was so recent.

          They saw the tape outline of where Carlo’s body lay on the living room floor.  To Bill, Carlo’s body was still there; his eyes staring lifelessly up at him.  The realization hit him when he saw the image of Carlo; the Enemy was coming after them through her.

          It only took a minute for Bill’s mind to collect the impressions and his Avatar coalesced them into a visual image of what took place.  He had to filter things down to just what he wanted to see.

          Sally and Carlo were in the living room just before bed.  They were happy and laughing, and starting to fool around.  As they were kissing they heard the front door burst open.  Carlo jumped up off the couch, but before he could even make it around the couch, three large men, Protectors of the Enemy, were on him.

          They were in trench coats as usual, and each wore a pendant clearly visible around their thick necks.  The runes looked familiar and they were pulsing with Dark energy.

          Carlo was a good fighter, and he immediately went on the offensive, trying to quickly incapacitate the three attackers and protect Sally.  Carlo looked surprised when none of his blows had the slightest effect on any of the men.

          He turned, and with a panicked look on his face he shouted, “Sally run!  Get out of here!”

          As soon as the words were out of his mouth, one of the men casually, almost nonchalantly, snapped his neck.  Carlo’s face showed surprise for just a brief second and then his expression went blank as he fell to the floor, dead.

          Sally screamed and tried to make it to the gun she knew Carlo had hidden in their bedroom, but one of the big men grabbed her by her hair and threw her down onto the floor.

          “What do you want!?  Who are you!?”

          “Shut ‘er up before the neighbors hear her.”

          One of the men pulled his arm back to slap her, and she flinched and put up her hands trying to ward off the blow.  His hand hit her hard and he knocked her out.

          One of the men put her over his shoulder and carried her out the front door.

          Bill saw all of this play out like he was standing in the middle of the action with the figures moving around him.  Sadness and anger flared inside him when he saw them snap Carlo’s neck and hit Sally.

          He shared his experience with the Team.  Pat saw the pendants around the necks and through his Avatar he knew they were the reason the wards didn’t trigger danger or protect the house.  The runes on the pendants were similar to their own Avatars; he had never seen anything like them before.  They were far more powerful than an ordinary Rune.  He knew that as long as those men were wearing them they would effectively be invisible to detection or location.  If he could see one of the Pendants in person and not in a Vision he was sure his Avatar would tell him exactly what they were and how they worked.  He was surprised he picked up anything through what Bill was seeing.

          Lane and Bryan were still outside with Ken, Brad, Rick and Loy.  Lane was masking their presence from the local police.  He felt the same emotions as everyone else when Bill shared the vision of what happened to Carlo and Sally’s abduction.  He felt there was something else here they needed to discover.  Just knowing what happened was helpful, but they still had no clue as to how to find Sally; the Enemy had found a way to mask her presence from them as well as their own.

          Brad and Bryan both picked up on the tension Lane was feeling.

          Bryan thought: Lane, what’s up? 

          Brad thought: Are you picking something else up?

          Guys, I’m not sure.  I feel like there’s something else here, but whatever they did to mask themselves is blocking it.

          Ken thought: Bill, are you sure there’s nothing left for you to pick up?

          Nothing pertaining to what happened.  There’s a lot here; this is usually a happy place.  When this is over, I’m coming back and cleansing this place from top to bottom.  Assuming Sally wants to stay here after this.

          They all reconvened in the backyard. 

          Ken thought: Ok Lane, do you have any ideas?  If whatever this is you’re feeling is part of this we need to figure it out.

          Lane’s eyes turned white and he fell to his knees; he had a confused look on his face.

          Bryan was at his side instantly and grabbed ahold of him: Lane!  Bryan wrapped his big arms around Lane protectively, ready to anchor him.  He brought the two of them completely together.

          Gimme a sec.    He grabbed ahold of Bryan and squeezed tightly.  Images started flitting through his Mind incredibly fast.  He went deeper with Bryan trying to slow them down.  It seemed to work and his brain started assimilating the images.  He could feel the Gift at work, adding to his own Avatar, and giving him the information he needed.

          The images stopped and he shook his head to refocus on the here and now; he used Bryan’s solid presence and the feeling of his arms around him, the strength of his body and Soul, to anchor himself back into his body.

          I love you, Bry.  Bryan hugged Lane’s body tightly against his own.

          I told you, Little Buddy, you aren’t going anywhere, at least not without me.  I’ll always be here to hold onto. 

          Lane’s handsome face broke into a hint of a smile:  This is cool as shit.  I’m not sure what’s going to happen but here’s what we need to do.  Brad, you need to open a portal through the Veil.  Can you do that?  There’s something here associated with that and we need an opening, even if it’s only for a second.

          I’ll try, bro.  I’ve never tried that, but I think Ken and I together can do it.

          I’ll need Loy, Darren and Bill to link with me, and Brad you too if you can manage it while you are working on the opening.  Bry, Ken, Pat, Kev and Rick, you all need to be linked and in a circle around us.  Don’t ask me why but that’s what we need to do.

          On top of all that we need some major juice so Bry, Loy and I need to do our thing and get us all charged up.  This needs to be slow and precise, not hard and fast, so let’s form the finest weave we can so the energy will dissipate as slowly as possible.

**********************

          If any normal humans could see the backyard in the Spiritual Realm they would see the giant ghostly image of the Tree of Life, its trunk nearly a quarter mile across, with animal spirits flitting around its branches, some swimming through the air, and the sky above dark and filled with stars.  Lane, Bryan and Loy wove the Power into a fine net and held it ready.

          Lane placed Bryan and the others in an order that seemed right to him, and he arranged the positioning of himself, Brad, Loy, Darren and Bill as well.  Pat saw the Pattern immediately, and the others picked up on it through their connection.  They were each standing at a vector point of the Primary Physical and Mental Avatar runes of their tattoos.  It felt right, and when they were all in position they felt like the last piece of a puzzle snapped into place, revealing the picture that was there but unclear until now.

          Ok Brad, as soon as you open the way it’s going to be like a trigger and everything will start.  You all hang onto your hats and no one break position and run screaming like a little girl, ok?

          Brad and Ken blended into one.  The love and strength of their bond shed a feeling of warmth through the link that made all of them feel whole and content, even in the midst of the circumstances.  They smiled at one another and their hands gripped each other tighter as a show of affection.  Each of the other couples did the same thing; they were all strongest when they were together.  The ten became five and the five became one; a bright ribbon of white power was coursing through all of them.

            Brad started to slip himself and Ken out of our world and through the Veil, but he stopped halfway.  Even though he tried to stop, he slipped through.  The Veil isn’t mean to stay open and Brad was fighting against its nature.  He pulled strength from Ken and the power stored inside of them both, steeled his will and managed to stop halfway through.  The opening was only there for the barest fraction of a second, but it was like a silent explosion as Light burst through and into all of them.

          They all felt their Avatars flare to life and mix, binding together.  Power coursed through them; it felt like the night of their first Awakening when their Nephelem Heritage was brought forth.  The Power ran through all of them in a loop, making them stronger.  Hot wind whipped at their clothing and blew the hair on their heads.  In the middle of them all Lane’s body arced as he became the focal point of the forces channeling through them.  His mind received a very clear image:

          Istariel and his three cousins were all seated back to back, their giant bodies stiff and covered in the grey cowled robes.  Large shackles were around their wrists and ankles.  The chains and shackles were shiny, like polished silver, and covered in Runes.   Istariel had a young boy cradled in his arms, as if he was trying to protect him.  The boy looked directly at Lane, slowly sat up, and raised his arm.   His little fist held a chain and from it dangled a Pendant, like the ones that the Protectors who took Sally wore.  His little voice cried loudly, “Mister Ken!  Mister Brad! Help!”

          Istariel’s voice was loud and strong in Lane’s mind:  You must free us.  When the child holds the Amulet, you will have a small opening.  Be diligent or we will perish.  There are others you know here with us.  One of your friends has already been killed.  I will do all I can to protect the child, but I can do nothing for his mother or the others.  You must act quickly!

          The small opening to the Veil closed and Brad and Ken returned to their bodies.    As soon as it closed, the Power stopped flowing and Lane went down on his knees.  All their eyes went from white back to their normal color.

          As Lane’s vision filled their minds, they were all filled with a new urgency.  Istariel and their Nephelem cousins were imprisoned as well as some of their friends.

          Ken thought: Let’s get back to the lab pronto.

**********************

          They were all still full of Power, and it took little effort from Darren and the other Mentalists to teleport them all back to the lab.

          The doctor and Albrecht were there and anxiously awaiting their return.

          Ken asked them, “So doc, what have you found out?”

          “Your former assistant, Sally Bisel, is not the only one taken.  Henry, the former Protector that Rick and Loy brought to us is missing as well.  Liz Hastings, her son Drew, and Greg Rawlins all appear to be missing.  I have not been able to locate the Keenans yet but I have a bad feeling about them.”

          Brad brought the doctor and Albrecht up to speed with everything that happened at Sally’s house.

          “Oh my.” 

          Brad asked, “Doc, how can they be doing these things?  Imprisoning Nephelem, especially ones as powerful as Istariel?  And those Amulets?  From everything I’ve read, those things have been beyond their ability until now.  What’s changed?”

          “I am afraid, Bradford, that they are getting assistance from something or someone very powerful that wishes them to succeed.   These new developments will require further study and thought as well as a new level of caution on our part.”

          Ken spoke up, “Alright.  We’ll definitely have to be more careful, but in the meantime, B, how do you want to approach this ‘window of opportunity’ Istariel mentioned?  We have no way of knowing when it will be and what will even happen.”

          “I think Lane, Bill, Loy, Darren and I will have to set up shifts around the clock.  We’ll need to work on scrying for Sally’s location.  The doc and Albrecht showed me how to do it… they were protecting us from Taliesin’s efforts to find us that way and they felt we’d need to know how to do it ourselves.”

          “It’s also entirely possible that Lane’s Avatar will latch onto whatever event happens that Istariel is talking about and he’ll have a Dream when it occurs, but we can’t count on that.”

**********************

          Sally woke up to the sound of someone screaming upstairs.  It sounded like woman but it was muffled and she couldn’t be sure.  She heard heavy footsteps and some kind of commotion going on.  She glanced over and saw that Liz and Drew were still asleep.  Henry was wide awake and staring at the door not saying a word.

          The door at the top of the stairs opened and two of the big men came down dragging an older black couple.  The woman was fighting them like a wildcat, kicking and screaming.  The man was missing one of his legs below the knee and was off balance from the way they were pushing him; he was trying to fight them but wasn’t able to.

          The big men were laughing at the woman, taunting them both, “You got more fight than your old man, that’s for sure.  We’ll have fun with you later.”

          Laughing, they shoved the old couple down onto the concrete floor and went back upstairs.

          Even as they turned and were walking up the stairs, Tag grabbed ahold of Olive and asked her, “Baby, are you alright?”

          “I’m not hurt, but I won’t be alright til we’re out of here.”

          Sally was a smart woman.  It only took a few seconds for her brain to identify the old couple.  She had never met them but she was pretty sure she knew who they were. 

          She got up immediately and went over to help them.

          “Here, let me help you.”  She helped Olive get Tag situated against the wall and in a dry spot.

          Once they had Tag in place and Olive by his side, Sally held out her hand, “My name’s Sally.  Are you the Keenans?”

          Olive looked a bit suspicious and asked her, “How do you know our name?”

          “You know my old employers.  I read the file.”

          Tag asked her, “You worked wit the boys?  Rick ‘n Loy and their friends?”

          “I did until a few months ago.  This can’t be a coincidence.”  Sally looked over at Henry, who was staring back at her.  “You know them too, don’t you?  The friends you said helped get you away from these guys upstairs.”

          “Yeah.”

          Sally looked over at Liz and Drew.  “Do you know them too?”

          “Who are you talking about?”

          “The men who used to work at TGH Securities.”  Sally started listing their names and as soon as she mentioned Brad and Ken, Liz said, “I know Brad Wilson and Ken Habersham.  They helped me and Drew get away from my ex-husband last year.”

          “Alright, well at least we know there’s a connection among all of us.  I wonder who the man was they killed yesterday.  I’m sure he knew them too.  The guy in the suit called him Greg and he wanted Greg to tell him something… betray some confidence.  My guess he’s going to want us all to tell him what we know.”

          Olive said, “Well, honey, you know dem boys is special.  You must know all about ‘em, if you worked for ‘em.”

          “What do you mean, ‘special’?  They’re great guys and they ran a top notch security business, but aside from that there’s nothing special about them.  They’re all ex-military, and cute… really cute, and all of them are sweethearts behind all those big muscles, but that’s it.”

          Tag actually chuckled a little and said, “Sugar, you must not know ‘em very well.  Dem boys is something else.  Not sure what they are but it sure ain’t normal.  They pulled me out of a jam and turned my life around.  Gave me my life back so I could get my momma back.”  Tag reached over and squeezed Olive’s hand when he said that.

          Henry spoke up. “If you don’t know about that part of them, there’s a reason.  Most likely they were protecting you to keep something like this from happening.  Something must have gone wrong though, or they finally pissed off the wrong people.  I hope they’re ready.”

          “Ready for what?  What are you all talking about?  What do you mean special?  I don’t understand.”

          “They’s blessed, child.  They gots the Light in ‘em and it shines bright.   I felt it down in my very Soul that day they saved my baby.  You can feel it when you’re around ‘em.  I saw things that day you wouldn’t believe.”

          Sally couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  She loved the guys like goofy younger brothers but there was no way she could see what these people were telling her could be true.  But that man in the suit… she had never felt anything like the fear that gripped her when he came down the stairs.  And the Darkness around him; it was like something out of a horror movie, only it was real.  There was something strange going on and the guys seemed to be in the middle of it.

          Regardless, she realized her best hope lay in trying to contact one of them for help.  With their special forces training in the Navy they would be better equipped to handle her kidnappers; after seeing how those men handled Carlo like he was a child, she knew the police wouldn’t be much good against these guys.

**********************

          Drew was scared… scared like he used to be of his father.  He felt the same thing inside of him when he saw the bad man, only the bad man was worse.  The fear was so bad it made him want to pee in his pants.  He had to try to do what the tall man in the grey robes told him.  He had to get one of those necklaces off of one of the big strong men.

          His little mind was working overtime, trying to figure out how to accomplish this task.  He was barely four years old, but he had been through some very bad things and they had hardened and matured him beyond his normal age.  He learned in dealing with his father that sometimes he had to take chances so he or his mother wouldn’t be hurt more later.  Those were painful memories but he learned his lessons.

          Drew looked up and saw that his mother was asleep.  He quietly disengaged himself from her side and made his way to the small bathroom they were using.  The only one awake right now was the other big man.  He had big muscles like Mr. Brad and Mr. Ken.  He looked tired… not the sleepy tired but the kind of tired from the inside.  He heard the man tell Sally his name was Henry.  Henry was watching him as he made his way to the bathroom, but he didn’t say a word.

          He used to make his daddy mad by stopping up the toilet.  He never did it on purpose; he just liked to flush things down and watch them disappear.  There was a trash can in the bathroom that had some paper towels and wrappers in it.   He turned on the water in the sink to try and make some noise and cover the flushing.  He started putting the paper towels and cardboard wrappings in the toilet.  After a few minutes the water in the toilet bowl started backing up.

          He turned off the faucet and opened the door and went back out to his mommy.  Henry was still looking at him with a thoughtful expression.  As Drew passed close Henry whispered, “Hey kid.  Come here.”

          Drew stopped and moved over but didn’t say anything.  He wasn’t afraid of this big man and went up close to him so they could whisper to one another.

          “What were you doin’ in there?  Don’t do anything that’s going to make these guys mad.  Don’t give them an excuse to hurt you or your mom or any of these other people.  Do you understand me?”

          Ever since that day in the Mall, Drew’s mind had been changed.  Sometimes he could see into people and know what they were thinking.  Usually it was adult thoughts that he didn’t understand, but he could read emotions very well.  He saw into Henry and knew that he had been hurt deeply.

          “I’m sorry, mister.”

          Henry’s forehead crinkled in curiosity and he asked, “About what, kid?”

          “For what you did.  You were bad but not on purpose.”

          Henry’s eyes teared up a bit.  How could this kid know about that?  Something was going on here.

          “What did you do in there?  You can trust me kid.  I’m the only one here who has a chance of helping you.  I promise I’ll keep it a secret.  Just between you and me.”

          Drew could see he was telling the truth and debated telling him about the tall man in the grey robes.

          “I stopped up the potty.”

          “Why’d you do that?”

          “I have to get upstairs.”

          “Why?”

          “I have to get one of the chains from around the bad men’s necks.”

          “The pendants?  Why?   I’ve never seen those before and I don’t know what they do.”

          “They keep Iron Man from finding us.  If I get one, he can find us.”

          Henry’s handsome face was a mask of confusion and he said, “How do you know that?”

          “The tall man told me.  He’s here too but we can’t see him.”

          “Tall man?”

          “Uh huh.  I like him.  He’s friends with Iron Man and Mister Brad.”

          “When you say Iron Man you mean Ken right?”

          “That’s what Mister Brad called him but I know his secret.”

          “Alright kid.  Hey I’ll try to help you get a pendant.  Be ready and I’ll do what I can.  Now go back over to your mom.”

          Drew hesitated for just a second, and then he moved forward and put his little arms around Henry’s thick neck.  Henry’s hands instinctively came up and he put one of his big hands on Drew’s back, giving him a soft pat of comfort.  The unexpected expression of affection got to Henry.  His heart had been walled off for so long because of all that he had been through he rarely let himself feel emotion anymore.  The hug from Drew opened that door he had kept shut just a crack and a little warmth crept back inside.  It felt wonderful; a small piece of light in this dark place.

          Alright Dar, I’ll take over for a bit.

          Ok Brad… man I hope we get something soon.

          Yeah, me too.  Rest up, bud… we all need to be ready the second we get anything.

          10-4.

          Brad took over from Darren, concentrating on the task of scrying for their friends.  It wasn’t difficult but it did take some concentration.  After an hour he started to stiffen up from the tension.

          Ken could see it in his body, and feel it through their connection.  He moved over behind Brad and started to massage his neck and shoulders.  Sure enough his muscles were in knots.

          With the seriousness of the situation neither one of them were in the mood to make out, but Ken did want Brad to relax, especially if he had another hour left on his shift.

          He took off his shirt and took off Brad’s as well, and scooted Brad up some in the chair, squeezing behind him.  He pressed his body against his lover, wanting him to feel the comfort of their skin touching.  He continued to knead Brad’s shoulders and neck.  Brad hung his head forward and said, “Man that feels good Ken, thanks.”

          “Just relax and keep doing what you’re doing, B.  My job right now is to keep you relaxed and ready for whatever’s about to happen.  Just let me know if it gets too distracting and less helpful.”

          “Little chance of that, but ok.  Just keep it up, my upper shoulders are really killing me right now and that feels fantastic.”

          Drew was nuzzled against Liz and fast asleep.  She had to go to the bathroom, and she gingerly began to dislodge his little body from her side.

          Sally was awake and quietly told her, “Here, I’ll hold him ‘til you get back.”

          “Thanks.”

          She made her way to the bathroom and noticed right away that there was some water on the floor and the bowl was full.  She had to go pretty bad, so she made her way over to the steps.  She was unsure of how her request would be met but she took a deep breath and went up far enough to knock on the door.  She backed further down the steps immediately, not wanting to be in arm’s reach when the door opened.

          It only took a second and she heard the door unlock and open.  One of the big men stood menacingly in the doorframe and asked, “What the hell do you want?”

          “The toilet’s broken and I have to go.”

          “Just pee on the floor.”

          “Do you really want the place to start to smell?  You’ll have to deal with it too, and probably clean it up.  Couldn’t you just let us come up quick?”

          He seemed agitated and closed the door.  She could hear him talking but couldn’t make out the words.  A few seconds later the door opened again.  “OK, women first, then the boy and the two men.  Hurry it up.”

          Everyone except Drew was listening intently to the exchange, expecting something bad to come of it.  They were surprised at the easy compliance with Liz’s request.

          Much to Liz’s surprise, Drew went over and stayed beside Henry without being told.  Henry looked at her and said, “I’ll keep an eye on him, don’t worry.”

          The ladies all went and when they were back down and away from the stairs, the man at the top said, “OK, now the men.”

          Tag said, “It would be easier if’n you could carry me.  Once we is up top I can make it on my own.”

          “No problem, old fella. Up and at ’em.”  Henry leaned over and lifted Tag like he was a rag doll.  Even though Henry was no longer mentally controlled by the Enemy, the physical changes they made to him were permanent, and he was incredibly strong and fast.  He didn’t even feel Tag’s weight.

          Henry started up the stairs and looking back at Drew said, “Stay close to me, kid.”  He winked at him, trying to clue him in that this might be the chance they talked about.  Drew looked at him, and with an almost adult look on his young face, he gave a nearly imperceptible nod of recognition.

          Henry was clear and calm inside.  He knew he should be scared or nervous; if he helped the kid get a pendant there was every reason to think he would die in the process.  His life was a wreck, and the knowledge of all the horrible atrocities he committed in service to the Enemy still haunted him.  His time with the Order and talking with Dr. Thomas had helped give him some small solace, and he was learning to cope with the memories.  The nightmares had stopped, at least; well mostly. 

          He saw this situation as a means to atone for his actions.  Maybe that’s why he was so calm; deep down he saw this as a chance to right the huge wrong that he saw his life as.

          As fate would have it, Henry didn’t have to sacrifice himself.  Once they got to the door to the bathroom, Henry set Tag down.   Tag was alright for a second but the blood had rushed to his head from hanging over Henry’s shoulder and as soon as he stood up straight he got dizzy and started to pass out.  He reached to steady himself and the closest person to him happened to be their guard; the Protector Henry knew as Dale Evans.  As Tag’s hand grabbed at Dale, he moved back, willing to let Tag fall and not help him; a cruel sneer covered his face.  Tag’s fingers caught at the chain around Dale’s neck and the clasp came undone from weight of his body.

          The look on Dales face was shock and fear as he saw the Pendant falling to the floor.  With his inhumanly fast reflexes Henry was ready and grabbed the Pendant before Dale could.  Before Dale could cry out one of Henry’s hands was at his throat and the other shoved the Pendant into Drew’s waiting hands.  As soon as the Pendant was in Drew’s hands, his eyes turned white.

**********************

          Brad felt it immediately.  Just like in the Mall of Georgia all those months ago, Drew’s cry was inside his mind:  Mister Ken!  Mister Brad! Help us!

          Brad’s mind reached out and brought the Team into a deep link, a construct of the lab.  Time nearly stopped in the Physical Realm, he took them so far down.

          Everyone was looking at him expectantly.

          Drew just got a pendant!

          Ken took over. Alright guys, just like we planned.  Everybody merge together as couples and then as a group.  Me, Bry, Pat, Kev, and Rick link our Avatars.  B, you and the others do the same.  Kevin, with our backing, will mask us all so whoever else is in the house won’t know we’re talking to Drew.  B you and the others link your Avatars and be ready.

**********************

          Greetings again, Brad Wilson.  Istariel’s voice seemed faint and far away.

          Istariel?  Where are you?

          I am trapped; bound inside a Pendant.  My cousins and I are the reason they are able to mask their presence from you; our essence is what powers their Charms. The four amulets together make a powerful matrix.  The boy now holds the one I am imprisoned in.  His mind is somehow open, and I am able to talk to him when he is in contact with the Pendant or whoever is wearing it.

          Drew?  Can you hear me buddy?

          Mister Brad?

          Yeah bud.  You are such a brave little man!  Ken’s with me and some other friends.  We’re going to get you out of there.

          Brad was gentle as he looked into Drew’s mind and saw everything that had happened.  He saw Greg’s death, and Sally and Liz, and Tag and Olive, and his conversation with Istariel and Henry. 

          Drew, I need you to turn around and touch Henry and the man he’s fighting.  Do it quick, ok? Can you do that for me?

**********************

          Tag was unconscious; his body fell into the bathroom as he lost consciousness so he was out of sight for the moment.  Luckily his head hit the soft floor mat in front of the sink; he would probably have a black eye but nothing more serious.

          Henry had Dale by the throat, squeezing as tightly as he could to keep Dale from crying out or making any noise and alerting the others.  Henry’s face showed the strain, and the cords in his powerful neck and arms were showing as he brought all his formidable strength to bear.  His body was badly bruised and the effort was painful, but he used the pain as a focus and pushed with everything he had.

          He was shocked when he saw Drew’s eyes turn white and as his little hands quickly reached out to touch him and Dale on their legs.

          Dale immediately stopped struggling and Henry felt the presence of all his friends flood inside his mind.  That warm feeling was back just like when Drew gave him a hug.  His eyes were wet from the unexpected emotion.

Brad shattered the shields around Dale’s mind and took control of him.  With their Avatars linked, similar to how the Pendants worked, Kevin was able to completely mask their presence from anyone else in the house as to what was going on.

          Henry heard Brad’s voice in his mind:  It’s ok, Henry, I have him now. 

          Henry wasn’t sure if what he felt was relief or regret.  He had processed through his emotions to get to the point where he was willing to sacrifice himself to try and help Drew and the others.  He was halfway hoping that he would die; it would have been a relief after all he had been through.

          Ken:  Henry, it’s ok, man.  You’re a hero.  Don’t do anything foolish; we need you on the inside to keep them safe until we can get there.    Brad’s in control of Dale now so you can let go.

          Loy, who was the one who freed Henry from the mental shackles that kept him subservient to the Enemy, saw Henry’s thoughts and felt what he was going through.  Henry, this is Loy.  You’re a good man.  I’m sorry you got mixed back up in this, but you’ve come so far.  You know deep down you aren’t responsible for what you did.   By risking yourself to help these strangers you’ve proven what kind of man you truly are.   We can help you be that man, but you have to hang on just a little longer.

          Dale stood up, now under Brad’s control, just as one of the other guards stuck his head out from the kitchen.  Everything looked in order so he went back to what he was doing.

          Brad learned everything he needed to know from Dale’s mind about where the house was and the layout of the place.  He also learned the Master was still in the house.

          To Henry, Drew, and Istariel, Ken thought:  Ok everybody, we’ll be there as soon as we can.  Dale will have no memory of this.  Henry, do what you can to help keep everyone safe. Drew, you‘re awesome little man!  You’ve been really brave and I’m proud of you.    It would be best if you don’t tell the others we’re coming, even your mom.  We need everyone to act the same as you have been so they won’t be suspicious.   Our goal is to get you all out and safe, not to confront unless we have to. 

          Dale turned to Drew and reached down to take the Pendant back and he put it around his neck.   Henry reached down and lightly slapped Tag’s face, waking him up.  He helped him up and Brad waited until everyone had gone to the bathroom and was back down in the basement before he pulled out of Dale’s mind.

**********************

          The anxiety level was high.  At any time the Master could kill another one of their friends, but it was decided that a full on assault of the house was out of the question.  They still didn’t know enough about the Master to risk a direct confrontation, so stealth was their best option all the way around.  But they had to wait until dark to go unnoticed.

          They did some recon on the house and there were hi-tech security cameras at good vantage points all over the property.  They were all careful to mask their auras when they got close to the house and the doctor taught them how to block scrying attempts against them. 

          When they got there, the Escalade that the Master used was not in the driveway, which was a relief.   All of them had a deep desire at least to see their antagonist personally, but at the same time they all knew it was for the best if he wasn’t here.

          Everyone was in full assault gear.  It would help with any stray bullets in case there was actual gunfire.

          The first issue was taking care of the security cameras without alerting anyone inside.  Loy called a few birds that lived in one of the trees in the back yard, and had them perch on top of the cameras.  Seeing through their eyes, he got a clear visual of the empty yard from each camera vantage point.   Then with Pat’s and Darren’s Avatars, they set a static image on each camera.  

          There were full hedges bordering the front and sides of the house, which provided nearly full cover once they were down against the side of the house.  With Ken, Pat, Rick and Bryan all linked with him, Kevin kept up the shield that was masking their powers from detection.  The only thing keeping Darren or the other Mentalists from teleporting into the basement was the lack of a clear visual, which they couldn’t get while the Pendants were masking the minds of the people inside.

          There was a small ventilation duct behind the hedges that led to the basement.  Loy called a few chipmunks that lived in the yard and sent them through the duct and inside the basement. 

          No one noticed the small creatures as they exited the small duct and skittered along the floor and over into the dark area behind the stairs.  The perspective was slightly off because of how small they were but it was enough for Darren to use to jump inside.  He didn’t have a full view of the basement but it didn’t look like there were any Protectors down there at the moment.  He could see Olive and Tag asleep, and he could see the legs of someone else.

          Darren appeared in the shadows.   He gently picked up the chipmunks and teleported them back out into the yard, using Pat’s eyes to see where he was sending them.

          I’m in, guys.  Let me get them ready.

          He took off his headset and pulled back his face covering.    He visually scanned the room and didn’t see any cameras.  He made his way over to Sally, who was asleep.   He gently touched her shoulder to wake her up.

          She jumped slightly and when her eyes opened she saw Darren’s handsome face in front of her.  He had his finger up to his lips to indicate silence.  Her eyes teared up immediately and she threw herself into his arms, squeezing him with desperate strength.  He could feel her body trembling, even through his suit.

          He whispered in her ear, “Hey, beautiful.  Sorry it took us a while to find you, but we’re here.”

          “Darren, oh my God… thank goodness you’re here.  Where’s everybody else?”

          “They’ll be here in just a second.  I need to get you all up and awake.  Can you help me with that?  Everybody needs to be as quiet as possible OK?”

          “OK.”

          “Hey Sally?”

          She looked back at him and saw the look in his eyes.  He said, “I’m so sorry about Carlo.  I know this isn’t the place to talk about it, but I have to say it.”

          She nodded her recognition of his words, but her throat was tight and she wasn’t sure she could speak, so she lowered her head and took a deep breath.  She squeezed his hand in thanks.

          Sally woke up Liz and Drew and Darren got Henry, Olive, and Tag.  When they were all huddled together against the wall Darren told them quietly, “OK, I need you all to stay calm.  Some of you have seen some crazy shit around us and some of you haven’t.  Don’t be alarmed or scared… the rest of the team is going to appear down here.”

          Sally remembered what Olive and Tag had said about her friends, and her curiosity was overpowering her fear and anxiety about this place.

          OK guys, everybody get ready.  I’m your anchor.  Send in the fat asses first.

          Darren was still linked with everyone and they used his eyes and let his Avatar control the jump.  Brad, Lane, Bill and Loy all pushed Ken, Bryan, Kevin, Rick and Patrick through one by one.  Patrick was first, so he could be close to Darren.  Ken was next, and then the rest followed.  As soon as one of them appeared, they moved out of the way and over to where everyone was huddled.

          Sally’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw Darren’s eyes turn white and then Patrick’s big frame appear out of nowhere.  She was confused by what she was seeing; how was this even possible?  She knew these men and had worked with them for years.  How could they have kept something like this a secret all that time?

          Darren was monitoring all their thoughts now that he was with them, to make sure no one would do anything unexpected that might alert the Protectors upstairs.  He read Sally’s confusion amid all her other emotions.  He gave Sally his most disarming smile and a wink and quietly said, “Pretty cool, huh?  I promise we’ll explain all this once you’re safe.”  If she knew he could hear her thoughts it might terrify her even more and he couldn’t stand the thought of her being afraid of him or any of the Team.

          As soon as Drew recognized Brad and Ken he got up and ran to them, wrapping his arms around them.   Ken picked him up and Drew whispered in his ear, “I knew you’d come.”

          Ken was a little teary eyed and he said, “Nothing could have kept me away, Drew.  I’m really proud of you, bud.  You’re a hero little man; we wouldn’t have been able to find you if you weren’t so brave.” 

          The Team formed a protective circle around their friends and knelt down so they could talk quietly.

          Ken said, “I’m sorry it took so long to find you all, and I’m sorry this happened to you.  We’re going to get you out of here, and then I’ll explain more about what’s going on.  Don’t be scared, but we’re getting you out of here the same way we got in.  It’ll seem strange to you, but it’s perfectly safe.  There are two men who will greet you when you appear.  Some of you have met the doctor and Albrecht before.  If you haven’t met them yet you are in for a real treat.  They’ll keep you safe until we get back.”

          “Liz and Drew you’ll go first.  Are you ready?”

          Liz nodded, wide eyed and a little scared but ready to get out of this place and get Drew to safety.

          Drew got a distraught look on his face and said, “Wait!  We can’t leave that man!”

          He pointed to Greg’s body, which one of the guards had dragged into a corner and thrown a tarp over.

          Ken squatted down and said, “Thanks, Drew.  We never leave friends behind.  We’ll get Greg, so don’t worry.”  Drew nodded and moved over and grabbed ahold of Liz’s hand.

          Darren pictured his safe spot in the lab.  He synchronized their Avatars and Liz and Drew disappeared.

          Olive’s hand went over her mouth and she said, “I swear I’ll never git used to seein’ you all do what you do.”

          Tag chuckled and said, “Dem’s my boyz.”

          Ken said, “OK Tag, you and Olive next, then Sally, and then Henry.”

          Henry took a deep breath and said, “Do you want me to stay and help?”

          “No, if everything goes according to plan we’ll be right behind you.  Tonight is about stealth and safety, not retaliation, but thanks for the offer.  You did good tonight, Henry.”  Ken reached out and squeezed Henry’s shoulder in comfort and appreciation.  “You made it possible for Drew to get that Pendant and risked everything to do it.  Don’t be hard on yourself, bud.”

          Henry felt that warmth inside again as another crack in his emotional walls got a little bigger.  His eyes were a little watery and he wasn’t sure he could talk, so he nodded his acceptance of what Ken said.  A few of the other guys all put their hands on his back or shoulders in thanks and comfort.  It hurt but it was a good hurt and he took a deep breath to get himself back under control.

          In another few seconds Sally and Henry were gone; all of them were safe in the Lab with the doctor and Albrecht. 

          Lane and Bryan wrapped Greg’s body more securely in the tarp and found some rope to keep it tightly bound.   When they were done, Darren sent Greg’s body through to the lab. 

          They were all silent a few seconds in respect for their friend who had died at the hands of the Enemy; his only crime was being helped by the Team and being their friend.  They all felt renewed anger at the situation and sadness at the life that was snuffed out just as he was starting to build a new one.

Ok ladies, we need to get those amulets.  Hopefully the doc will know how to free Istariel and the others without hurting them.

          Darren: If we can get a visual on the amulets any one of us can teleport them to us.  They don’t block our powers just our ability to sense them.

          Brad: OK Darren, you and I are going upstairs.  I can hold them long enough for you to get the Pendants.  As far as they’re concerned they’ll still be wearing them.  I’d hate to be in their shoes when their boss gets back, though.

          Without saying anything, Ken and Pat went upstairs with them.   Ken slowly twisted the lock on the door until he forced it open.  Silently they moved into the hallway.  They could hear a TV in the living room and someone talking in the kitchen.

          Ken:  Ok, there are two in the living room and two in the kitchen.  Get ready.

          Brad knelt down at the edge of the kitchen door and slowly eased forward until he could see the two men.    One of them saw him, but as he made eye contact it was too late to react; Brad was in his mind and in control at the speed of thought.  The other one had his back to the door and Brad took control of him as well.  Their Pendants vanished from around their thick necks and appeared in Darren’s hands.

          Two down.

          It took minimal effort to hold the two men once he was in control.  The thought crossed his mind and also Ken’s that not so long ago this wouldn’t have been so easy.  It wasn’t without effort on Brad’s part but he was so much stronger than he used to be, and it was more than doable.  Without the presence of the Enemy Mentalists, the Protectors were easily controllable.

          The two men in the living room didn’t have a chance.  Their backs were to the kitchen while they watched TV on the couch.  Brad grabbed their minds and Darren got their Pendants.

          Brad felt the cold presence of the Master a few seconds before the others. 

          He’s back.

          They heard the car pulling into the driveway.

          Ken: OK everybody let’s evac fast.  We’re on our way back down to the basement and we’ll all go together.

          Lane’s eyes went white, and his mental voice took on that otherworldly quality: We can’t go yet.  There’s something else that has to happen.

          Ken:  Lane, what the fuck are you talking about? We aren’t ready to face him yet.

          Lane:  Remember the skull…

          Brad’s mind made the connection immediately:  Bill!  Oh shit!  He wanted Bill dead because of his Avatar.  Bill can find out who he is!

**********************

          Darren heard Istariel’s voice inside his mind:  Greetings, Darren Wilcox.  Use the Pendants.  Merge your Soul with your Partner and you wear a Pendant.  Have the others do the same.   Kevin Ayers and William Brennan will not need one.  Even He will not be able to sense you.

          Guys, Istariel says we can use the Pendants to keep the Master from knowing we’re here!  Kevin and Bill won’t need one.  He says if the rest of us Merge as couples and the Mentalist wears a Pendant it will mask us.

          Ken: Fuck!

          Brad: We might not get another chance like this for a long time, Ken; if ever.

          Ken:  Ok guys.  B’s right.  But let’s take as little risk as possible.  We know virtually nothing about Him yet other than he’s spiritually and psychically supposed to be a badass.  He might be stronger than us physically too one on one. 

          Bill:  I only need to touch him, boss.  For just a second.  I’m not sure what it’s going to do to me, as powerful as he is.  Kev, if I black out, be ready to grab me.

          Ken: Lane, get ready to give us a burst of power if necessary.

          Lane: Ready, boss.

          Ken: Ok ladies, here’s the plan…..

**********************

          As soon as he got back to the house, he went into the spare bedroom to meditate.  He was having a hard time centering his thoughts.  Something was wrong.  It was a slight itch in the back of his mind, but it was there. 

          Ever since they had destroyed his constructed Amalgam, the source of his extra power for traveling outside of Time, he felt blind.  He could still Travel but the effort was prohibitive.

          He continued to try for nearly an hour before he let out a barely imperceptible grunt of frustration.  He didn’t like to make that sound… it reminded him too much of before.

          He got up and went into the living room.  His servants were alert.  As soon as Dale Evans turned to face him he noticed the absence of the Pendant!  With barely a thought he broke the illusion that Brad had placed in the minds of his servants.  Their Pendants seem to vanish and they all realized they had somehow been tricked.

          “You fools!”  He rushed down the hallway to basement door.  With a casual brush of his arm the door splintered and broke apart.  Once the pieces of the door settled there was silence; no sound from the prisoners he was sure were no longer there.  Anger like he hadn’t felt in nearly a year took ahold of his mind; that night he called all his forces to destroy the Order once and for all and failed.  The night those blasted Nephelem intervened and saved them.

          He moved down the steps with incredible agility.  His servants were behind him; he felt their fear, but their loyalty kept them at his side.

          Dale was the only one brave enough to speak, “Sir, how?  We didn’t hear anything.  We’ve had the Pendants on the entire time just like you said.”

          In anger, the Masters eyes turned black and the four men dropped dead.

          “You really need to quit doing that or you’re going to run out of help.  It wasn’t even their fault.”

          The Master’s head whipped around and he saw Ken and Brad, backed by six other members of the team, standing before him.  He had never seen them before in person, only in his Dreams. 

          None of them knew what to expect when they finally saw the Master in person.  He was a man but even their vision couldn’t penetrate the aura of Darkness around him.  They couldn’t see his face through the smoky cloud of blackness that surrounded him.  The cold evil that radiated off him sent a chill into all of them.

          The dark aura covering him prevented them from seeing the scowl on his face; their physical perfection struck a harsh sense of hatred in him.  They wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for him!  It wasn’t fair that they were so handsome and flawless while he remained so… primitive!  He shoved those thoughts aside; he was totally confident in his ability to defeat them.  Let them do their best and see how they fared.  He would let them play their little game for a few more moments.

          He embraced the cold hatred that ruled his heart to let them feel the aura of his power.

          All the Team felt it immediately.  None of them showed any sign outwardly, but they felt the pressure against their shields.

          Hold tight, fellas.  He’s feeling us out.  Go deeper and fight this off.  We aren’t attacking but we aren’t giving an inch either.  Let him play his game and let’s show him what we’re made of.

          Everyone did as Ken instructed.  All of them held tighter to one another and let their light shine brighter.  In the Spiritual Realm the two powers clashed, Black against the White.  An echo of thunder rolled across the clear night sky as the Physical Realm mirrored the confrontation.

          “So… we finally meet.”  His voice was very deep and he spoke in barely a whisper.  “Where are the rest of you?”

          “Making sure our friends are safe.”

          “I so wished to meet all of you.  Your reputation precedes you.  It’s too bad you weren’t in time to save your friend Greg.  The absence of his life in yours is but one small sting you will feel.  You may have rescued the others but they are not beyond my reach forever.  And there are others in your lives, your past lives, that you don’t even know about.  But I do, and they will also perish; horribly and painfully and not even knowing why.”

          “We’ll see about that.”

          “False bravado from the leader of fools.  You have no idea who or what I am, how can you ever expect or hope to defeat me?  I am beyond any of you.”

          Ken moved forward, nearly within arm’s reach.  The Master wasn’t scared but he was cautious.  Ken’s green eyes stared at him.  Under the Kevlar suit, Ken’s Avatar was glowing brightly.  It filled his words with Conviction.

          “Another one of your Servants said the same thing right before my badass boyfriend kicked his ass.  We didn’t come here to fight you tonight; we came to take back our friends.  But I want you to know we aren’t afraid of you and we are going to take you down.”

          As soon as Ken started moving forward to distract the Master, Bill and Kevin masked by Kevin’s Avatar, moved forward as stealthily as they could.  They were both fully trained Navy Seals and used to moving silently.

          The Masters hearing was exceptional, as was his sense of smell.   But by the time he sensed someone behind him it was too late.  Bill’s hands reached out and grabbed the Master’s face from behind.   Through the smoky cloud, Bill felt the flesh against his fingers.   As soon as their skin touched, Bill’s Avatar exploded with light and color as the knowledge of nearly eighty thousand years flooded into his Mind.  Bill’s body went stiff and Kevin grabbed ahold of him even as the Master tried to spin around, but Ken grabbed one of the Master’s arms with all his strength.

          The Master knew immediately what happened.  His body flexed and shredded his clothing and he howled his anger.  The Black power of his Aura exploded and it nearly overwhelmed them, throwing them back in an explosion of power.   Even though they were ready for his reaction, they barely held on.  Lane reached up and channeled the first thing he heard, sending a burst of Power into all of them.  It was enough for them to gather all together – Darren synchronized his Avatar with the other Mentalists and they all vanished.

          The Master went berserk.  He tore the bodies of his already dead servants apart.  The primitive anger that he always fought to contain took over and he destroyed everything in the house before he got it under control.

**********************

          The doctor and Albrecht were worried.   After Sally and Henry showed up they expected the Team to follow immediately.    It was nearly an hour later before they all appeared together, with Bill nearly unconscious in Kevin’s arms.

          Relief flooded through the doctor and Albrecht both when they saw everyone there and alive.  The doctor knew something significant must have occurred to delay them, and seeing Bill nearly unconscious he immediately guessed what occurred.

          Kevin had Bill wrapped in his big arms, holding onto him tightly.  Their minds and Souls were intertwined, and Kevin was sending all his strength to Bill to cope with what his Avatar was processing.  Bill’s tattoo was glowing so brightly it was visible even through the Kevlar body suit.  Everybody gathered around, all merged and forming a protective circle around Bill and Kevin, lending their strength as well but not intruding on what was happening yet.

          The noise from their arrival alerted Liz, Drew and the others.    Drew came running out of his room yelling, “Mister Brad, Mister Ken!”  He ran up to Ken and wrapped himself around one of Ken’s legs.  Ken reached down and lifted him up, “Hey buddy!  We’re back!” 

          Liz, Sally, Henry, Tag and Olive all came over and grouped around them, relief and concern showing on their faces.

          Sally was crying, and she had a crumpled up tissue in her hand.  Her concern for Bill snapped her out of her own grief and she went over to him.  Now that all of her friends were back, she could feel something about them.  The love the men shared through their bonds, unshielded in the lab, was emanating out and affecting all of the normal humans in the room. 

          Sally and the others could see the glow about the men, and feel the aura of Love; it reached deep down inside her and touched her in a way she had never felt before.  Even what she felt with Carlo paled in comparison to what she felt coming off her friends.   The realization that she really didn’t know these men like she thought made her feel even more alone, especially without Carlo.

She was confused and hurt and didn’t know what to think about what was going on.  The evil she was confronted with in the basement of that house, the men she thought she knew but realized she didn’t, the death of her future husband; it was all spinning in her mind and she didn’t know what to feel or how to act.

          Brad picked up on her thoughts immediately and came over to her. 

          “Come here, hun.”  He reached out and folded her into his arms, hugging her gently.

          “I’m so sorry, Sally.”  She broke down and cried in his arms, sobbing quietly.  Each of the guys came over and put a comforting hand on her and expressed their concern and care for her loss. 

          “We’re still the same guys, you know.  Yes there have been some changes, but there’s no need to feel like were strangers.”

          “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

          This might be rushing things Sally, but I think this will help.  I’m going to share some things with you.  Ken and I go much deeper and you aren’t ready for that yet, but I want you to know how much we love you as a person and as our friend, and how sorry we all are about Carlo.  We’ll do whatever we can to help you get through this and make sure you’re safe.

          Sally didn’t even realize at first that she was hearing Brad’s voice in her mind.  She looked up at him with a confused look on her face, but it quickly turned to wonder as Brad opened up her mind and brought her into a light link with all of the guys.

          She heard all their voices, and more importantly she felt their emotions and their love for her.  She felt their regret over Carlo and how happy they had been for her when she found him.  She felt the almost overwhelming love they felt for one another which sent fresh tears running down her face but this time they weren’t tears of grief.

          One thing I want you to know Sally, beyond anything else, is that you never have to be afraid of us.  We love you like a sister, and we’ll do anything to protect you.  This is all new and strange but don’t be afraid, and if you have any concerns or questions you come to one of us immediately alright?

          All she could do what nod her head in agreement.  Brad hugged her a little tighter and let her out of his arms to give everyone else a chance to express their affection for her.

          By the time she got to Bill he was better but he still looked a little shaken.  Now that she thought about it she had never seen any one of the Team look pale, or sick.  He was sweating and a little pale but he had a smile on his face for her that was genuine and not forced or strained.

          “Bill, what happened to you?  Are you alright?”

          “I’m fine Sally, really.  I kind of got the wind knocked out of me, but I got what I needed.”

          “I’m glad you’re ok.  After Carlo I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to any of you guys.”

          “No worries there girl, we’re here to stay.  Are you gonna be ok?”

          Sally sighed and the tears nearly started again and she said, “I’m not sure.  I think so, but this is all a lot to take in and I still don’t really know what I’m involved in and what’s going on other than Carlo is gone.”

          Ken came over and took her hand and said, “Sally, this isn’t a good time to talk about things.  You need to rest and not worry yourself with this other stuff right now.  We’ll explain what we’re able when you’re feeling better.”

          “Ok Ken, but I’m going to hold you to that mister, and don’t you think for one second I’m going to forget that you said that.”

          Ken pulled his most disarming grin and said, “No ma’am, I won’t forget.”

          “Oh lord, Ken if you were straight that smile would melt any woman’s heart.  But I have your number, so no need to try that with me.”

          Ken chuckled, knowing he rarely ever pulled anything over on her in all the time they worked together.

          Before Ken could continue their banter, the doctor said, “May I have your attention, please?  I need our guests to all return to their rooms for a short time.   I apologize for this but there is some urgent business we need to attend to, and I must see to William.”

          Liz collected Drew, and all of them started moving back towards the guest rooms the doctor had prepared for them.  As they were all moving Ken said loudly so everyone would hear, “I’m sure the doctor said this already but I want you to know that you are safe here.  I know we said it before, but this is one place they can’t come.  We’ll figure all this out, but in the meantime try to rest as best you can.  I’m sorry you had to go through that experience because of us.”

**********************

          As they were moving back to their rooms Ken noticed that Liz motioned for Henry to join her.  He hesitated at first but then went in with her and Drew.

          He heard Brad’s thoughts:  Interesting.  That wouldn’t be a bad thing for the two of them to get together.  They’ve both been through so much shit, they could be a huge help to one another, and Drew could sure use a strong father figure.   That could be just what Henry needs to give him a reason to live.

          Ken had a grin on his face as he thought:  Alright, matchmaker.  Ok guys, first off Bill how are you bud?  You shouldn’t be blocking yourself; what’s the deal?

          Sorry Ken, but I’m still assimilating; my Avatar is working overtime and it’s not finished yet.  I don’t want to expose any of you before it’s finished in case we have another incident like with the skull.  Kev’s monitoring me just to be careful. 

          Pat interjected:  At the rate his Avatar is going, it will be another 42 hours before it’s finished.

          Ken: Alright.  This is still uncharted territory for us… it proves just how powerful that mofo is that it’s taking this long for your Avatar to process things. 

          Brad: Ok, I have an idea on how to speed it up.  I don’t think it would be dangerous to us or to Bill to try. 

          Lane:  I know where you’re goin’, Brad.  I think that would be badass.  We should try it.

          Ken: This is your department, guys.  If you think it’s safe I don’t see any harm in trying.  The more we know and the sooner we know it about the Master the better.

          Bill, Loy and Darren picked up the plan from Brad and Lane.        

          It was the spontaneous ritual Lane had them perform in the back yard of Sally’s house that gave Brad the idea.  They were now all Spiritual beings as much as Physical; they hadn’t explored the metaphysical side of themselves very much, but the ritual proved that together, and probably individually on a smaller scale, they could perform actions outside the normal scope of their Avatars.  For lack of a better explanation, they were all now magical.

          Alright guys, this is going to be similar to what Lane had us do in the back yard of Sally’s house. Lane, Loy, Bill, Darren and I will arrange ourselves in the pattern of our Avatars; Bill needs to be at the center position.  He sent them a mental image of where they should be to be absolutely clear.

          Now,  Ken and you other yahoos form a circle around us.  Each group of five link together first and then we’ll all join as a group.  It’s a little different than we usually do it so no one get your panties in a wad.

          Bill, you take control of synchronizing our Avatars with yours and once we’re all linked together pull from us.  Think of it like adding more CPUs to a computer.

          Once they were all in position, Patrick thought:  Brad, you are spot on as usual.  Now that we’re all in position I can see the Purpose and the connection behind it.  This is going to work.

          Ok guys, let’s do this.  Bill, you ready?

          I was born ready.

          Each group of five merged first.  When each group was fully together Brad coordinated the merge between the two groups; it was like two perfect puzzle pieces snapping seamlessly into place.

          There was a silent explosion of Light around all of them and then they felt Bill’s Avatar expand inside of them, filling their minds with the knowledge it absorbed.

          It still took a few minutes, as they felt and absorbed everything about Him.   None of them knew what to expect and nearly all of them had different reactions to what they saw.  Between them all they ran the gamut of emotions: pity, anger, shock, sadness and more. 

          The Master was the first Man.  As evolution was changing the creatures that lived, the Master was the first primitive humanoid that made the transition from having an animal spirit to a human Soul.  His Soul was raw and powerful when he was born; the first of his kind.  His Soul, new and bright, was a beacon for many spiritual creatures, and he attracted one of the Darkest and most malevolent beings in all creation.  The Darkness disguised itself as a friend and planted thoughts and emotions into Him; he became jealous of his brother, the second Soul to be born.  In a fit of jealous rage, he slew his brother and brought down the wrath of Heaven, cursing Him and all men to follow. 

          Fuck guys, he’s the reason for the Curse the doc talks about.  It all started with Him!

          As a result, the Master was Cursed, destined to live forever, Immortal and unable to be killed.  The Curse on Mankind can never be lifted or broken while he lives… and he can’t die.

          They saw every detail of his life, nearly eighty thousand years of his life.  He didn’t start out evil but he was easily corruptible, and once the Darkness got ahold of him and he accepted it into himself he was lost.  They felt the pain of regret and loss when he saw his brother’s lifeless body lying at his feet, his skull crushed by the rock in his hand.  They also realized that the memory was buried so deep in the Master’s memory it was lost to his conscious mind, intentionally shut away.

          The rest of his life up to the present was one of domination, inflicting pain and suffering on mankind, in some deep seated subconscious need for everyone else to feel the pain that he lives with every moment.  They saw how powerful he was.  Even if he wasn’t protected from Death by the Curse, they might not be able to defeat Him.  He had tens of thousands of years of experience and knowledge and his Soul was truly powerful.

          They were all subdued and daunted by what they found out. 

          Ken:  Guys, I feel it too, but there has to be a way.  If there wasn’t, he wouldn’t have tried to get rid of Bill and Lane.  He was afraid for a reason, and our mission now is to find a way to defeat him once and for all.  There’s a reason for why we’re here and what we’ve become.  Just because we can’t see a clear picture right now we can’t lose our confidence or stray from our mission.  We’ll get the doc and Albrecht up to speed on what we know and figure out how to proceed.

          We have no idea how long it will take us to win.  It might be soon and it might be years.   But we signed on for this with the doc and we’re in it for the long haul, so let’s buck up and kick ass.

          Ken’s Avatar added even more conviction to his words, and they all felt the spark inside them grow and rekindle; none of them felt like hope was lost.  They all leaned on one another inside the link, arm in arm, mind in mind, and Soul in Soul.  They filled one another up and steeled themselves against what they learned and treated it just like any other ongoing mission.  Love, perseverance and teamwork would see them through.  It always had and always would.

**********************

          Ken wanted everyone to take shifts with two of them staying in the lab at all times while Sally and the others were under their protection.  The doctor was pretty sure that the only reason his protection wards weren’t triggered was because of the amulets but he wanted everyone to stay under their protection for another few weeks until he could be sure. 

          The doctor wasn’t exactly sure about how to free Istariel and his cousins; he wanted to be absolutely certain they would come to no harm in the process.  The Nephelem were anxious to be free but deferred to the doctor’s wisdom.  The Team also took turns wearing the amulets, so the Nephelem wouldn’t feel isolated or alone, and also out of friendship and support.  The guys looked forward to their turn so they could talk and get to know their cousins better.

          The Nephelem also learned more about them.  The extra time served to strengthen the alliance between them.

**********************

          That night Ken was in a pensive mood.  Brad was there, present and linked with him so Ken could feel his love and support, but he didn’t intrude any deeper.

          I wanna go for a run, B.  I miss working out this week.

          Sure thing, Ken.  Let’s get changed and head out.  If you want we can try that new park that opened up instead of chancing the roads around here after dark.  They have a track and I can’t imagine many folks would be out this late.

          Good idea.

          Ken?

          Yeah?

          Let’s go get hot and sweaty, come back here and screw like rabbits and then take a shower so we can go to bed and screw like rabbits again.

          Ken got that little kid grin on his face and thought:  I like yer thinkin’, B.  And I know what you’re doing and I appreciate it.  I wanna clear my head a little bit with this run and then we can talk later.  I love you, man.  Thanks for knowing me so well.  Yeah I know that sounds stupid to say the way we are in each other’s heads all the time but it’s still true. 

          Brad moved over and put his arms around Ken’s heavy shoulders and pulled them into a chest to chest hug.  He gave Ken a quick kiss on the lips and looked into his eyes and thought:  That’s what badass boyfriends are for remember?  And there’s nothing stupid about it.  I love being in your head and having you in mine; and our hearts and Souls.

          The weather was starting to cool off some in the evenings but it wasn’t chilly.  They both wore shorts and t-shirts.  They drove over to the park and sure enough the track was empty.  Ken set the pace as usual.

          After five miles Brad thought:  Ok, stud.  I think I’m good but you go ahead and cut loose.  There’s no one here and if anyone shows up I’ll cover. 

          Ken’s gratitude was apparent through their connection.  He took off like a bullet.  He ran for another half an hour.  Brad figured that Ken ran another twenty five miles before he stopped.  He was breathing hard but not gasping and his t-shirt was damp across his broad back and under his arms.  His skin had that light sheen of sweat that made him look incredible sexy.

          Looking at Ken’s handsome face, his amazing body, his stubble covered cheeks, and smelling his unique aroma sent Brad’s libido into overdrive.  On top of the physical attraction, the love Brad felt for Ken permeated every fiber of his being.

          Feel better?

          Hell yeah.  He winked at Brad and thought: In all sorts of ways.  Let’s get home pronto. 

          The drive home only took a few minutes and Ken held Brad’s hand as usual, running his thumb across the back of his hand.

          As soon as they got home, Ken put the house in vault mode and he glanced at the Tree through the curtains.  There was no sign of any activity there either.  He relaxed and headed back to the bedroom.

          As he walked in the door he saw Brad standing in their walk-in closet with his shirt off bent over taking off his shoes.  He watched the muscles in Brad’s arms and shoulders tighten and flex as he grabbed his shoes by the heel and pulled them off.  When Brad straightened up Ken could see the full outline of his erection in his shorts.  There was already a small wet spot clearly visible.

          They made eye contact, blue to green, and Brad opened up all their energy centers.  Blue, Yellow, and Red all blended into a thick white ribbon that flowed between them.  Their eye colors mixed and an incredible warm feeling of contentment filled them both; the perfection they felt when they were One.

          Ken stripped off his shirt in a heartbeat and kicked off his shoes.  He pulled off his socks and when he pulled down his underwear his dick smacked back against his abs with an audible thwack!  Brad came over and put his hands on Ken’s hips and pulled their bodies together, pressing their hard dicks between them.  Ken put his face in the crook of Brad’s thick neck and shoulder and wrapped his arms around his lover.  They stood like that, embracing one another for a minute, enjoying the feel of their big warm bodies and their dicks rubbing against one another.

          After a minute Brad pulled back and took Ken over and onto the bed.  Ken got on his back with his head on a pillow and Brad was pressed against him on his side with one hand propping up his head.  His free hand started roaming all over Ken’s body, caressing him wherever he could reach.  Ken’s eyes closed in pleasure and Brad took his time.  Ken had a lot of pent up energy from whatever was bothering him and Brad wanted to make this last a while – the longer it lasted the more relaxed Ken would be once he reached an orgasm; or two or three.

          Brad altered the flows of energy some, and red tendrils of sexual energy started running off his hands and into Ken’s body wherever he touched.

          Just lay back and go with this, Ken.  I want you to make you feel good.  Don’t reciprocate.

          After a few minutes, Ken’s body was trembling with excitement; his breathing was deep and he was starting to sweat.  His dick was throbbing in tune with his heartbeat and a steady drip of precum was leaking out and pooling onto his stomach.

          Brad started concentrating on just Ken’s dick, using only his finger to run lightly up and down his length and slowly circling the head; every few strokes he would run his fingertip in tiny circles over the nerve bundle just below the head, smearing the precum around.  All the while red energy was soaking into Ken’s erection, taking him to the brink of shooting.  Brad’s finger was moving agonizingly slowly; up and down, up and down, around the head, steadily and gently repeating the motions.

          Involuntarily, Ken spread his big thighs and his abs were contracting as he was unconsciously thrusting his hips up, trying to get more friction against Brad’s finger.

          Brad sat up so he could continue his ministrations, one hand on Ken’s dick and the other one rubbing across his hard chest and nipples.  He kept this up for another twenty minutes.

          Ken’s body was dripping with sweat and his breath was coming in ragged gasps.  His entire body was focused on the intense feeling of his eight hard inches.  He kept up a low guttural moan the entire time.

          “Fuck, B.   I gotta cum, man.  Make me shoot.  Please B, I can’t take this anymore!”

          “Sure you can, Ken.  You’re a stud.   Just ride the pleasure man.”

          Brad knew Ken could hold off a few more minutes at best.  He maneuvered himself down between Ken’s outspread legs.  Ken’s back was arched and his toes were pointed, his whole body was trembling.

          Brad straddled Ken’s stomach, one hand behind him continuing to stroke Ken’s throbbing dick, and his other hand continued to stroke and caress his shoulders, chest, and nipples.  He could see from Ken’s energy flows how close he was to shooting, and once Ken was past the point of no return he sat down on Ken’s erection, letting is slide up into his warm waiting ass.  Ken’s body arched and flexed and he thrust his dick up into his lover as white fire started spewing from the head of his dick.

          “Ohhhhh FucccckkkkkkK!  Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!”

          As soon as his cum went inside Brad’s body, Brad felt strength flood into han, and he clamped down hard on Ken’s erection, milking it with the new strength in his ass muscles.  He waited a few seconds for the initial spurts and then he leaned forward, his hands on Ken’s powerful chest for leverage, and he started moving his ass up and down on Ken’s dick.

          Ken sat up and wrapped his arms around Brad, squeezing him tightly.  His head was in the crux of Brad’s heavy shoulders and neck, his eyes shut tight in pleasure.  Brad could feel Ken’s hot gasping breath against his upper chest.  He wrapped his arms around Ken and continued to squeeze his ass around Ken’s hard dick.  He held and caressed Ken through his orgasm and continued to cuddle and soothe him for minutes.  Finally Ken fell back on the bed, exhausted and covered in sweat.

          “Fuck me, B that was amazing!”

          “That was just round one, stud.  You’re still hard.”

          A huge smile broke across Ken’s face as his chest rose and fell, still out of breath. 

          “Yeah, my badass boyfriend has that effect on me.”  Through their connection he knew what Brad wanted.

          He rolled them over so Brad was on his back and put Brad’s legs up on his shoulders.  His dick never left Brad’s ass the entire time.  He started thrusting slowly at first, making sure to rub Brad’s prostate.   Brad loved having Ken over him like this so he could watch his body and see his handsome face.  They stared into each other’s eyes until Ken picked up the pace and they both shut their eyes in pleasure.  Ken went into overdrive and started pounding his dick into Brad.

          He became ‘that guy’ that Brad wanted him to be, and he continued hammering his dick into his lover for nearly an hour, not holding back or needing to; with Brad’s strength increased Ken didn’t have to worry about hurting him.   Ken sensed Brad’s first orgasm and he nimbly bent over and took Brad’s full length down his throat to push him over the edge.  He swallowed every drop and he felt his mind fully expand as he took his lover’s cum into his body.

          Ken’s eyes raked over Brad’s hot body.  Every muscle was tensed in pleasure and the hair on his chest and abs was matted down with sweat.

          Twenty minutes later Brad had another orgasm with neither one of them touching his dick.  Ken kept thrusting and fifteen minutes later he shot again, and they collapsed together into a big sweaty heap of sexually satisfied muscle.

          The light and power they put off in the Spiritual Realm during all this was like a small sun.  The feelings they had for one another were so strong they were almost overwhelming.  The Runes on the Tree in the backyard glowed brighter while all this was happening, soaking up the power they were putting off.

          They continued to lay in bed, holding one another, basking in the afterglow of their orgasms.  Brad had his head on Ken’s chest and their legs were intertwined.  They cuddled and stroked one another for nearly an hour, quiet and content to rest in one another.

          Brad finally broke the silence.

          So what’s bothering you, Ken.  I think I know but I want you to get it off your chest.

          There was a slight pause while Ken collected his thoughts.

We finally met the Master face to face.  In one way it was good to see he was only a man.  I mean we knew that but to actually see him and grab his arm and feel that he’s flesh and blood is a relief.  But B… fuck he’s powerful.  Even with all of us ready and on the defensive we barely held our own.  He’s had over eighty fucking thousand years to grow powerful.  We’ve had our powers for a little over a year.

          I was pretty sure this is what you were thinking.  Let me point a few things out, Ken.  First, we don’t know how long it will take to defeat him.  There’s no reason to think it will be anytime soon or maybe even years down the road.  That will just give us time to get stronger too.  There are ten of us and one of him; and don’t forget Istariel and his cousins.  And even if we never find his brother and can’t defeat him and say it’s a stalemate… we can neutralize his effect on the world and everybody will still be way better off than they were.

          But if we do manage to find his brother, and that part of the plan works, who’s to say it won’t weaken him considerably once the Curse is Broken?  We just don’t know some of those answers and you taught me we need to focus on what we know and not what we don’t know.   Let’s focus on one step at a time.

          Fuck B.  When you lay it out like that it’s easier to swallow.  Thanks, man.

          You’re smart Ken.  Way smarter than you give yourself credit for.  I didn’t tell you anything you didn’t already know.  You’re our natural leader and you would have worked all this out without me.

          Maybe and maybe not; but I still love you. 

          They made eye contact and Ken got a gleam in his eye as that little kid grin showed up on his handsome face.  And it was worth having you get me off like that to chill me out enough to listen.  Feel free to do that anytime… that was over the top.

          So do you want to lay here and fall asleep or get up and take a shower?

          Let’s just stay here.  You feel too nice against me and I don’t want to move.

          They hugged one another and continued to snuggle and caress each other until they fell asleep.

**********************

          The next few days were quiet and subdued around the lab.  Ken cancelled their training for the rest of the week while they had guests in the lab.  Most of the guys spent a fair amount of time there anyway, aside from whoever’s shift it was to stay there.  They all felt responsible for the Enemy pulling their friends into this conflict and wanted to make things as easy as possible while their lives were uprooted.  Drew loved the attention he got.

          Sally became more withdrawn over time; no one pried into her mind to see if it was only grief or a reaction to her finding out about them.  They were all giving her space out of respect and friendship, but they also were keeping a close eye on her.

          Loy and Rick got in touch with Greg’s ex-wife and most of the friends he had made since he came out.  Greg’s wife didn’t return their phone calls or messages.  He didn’t have any children but his father was in poor health, and they made arrangements to get him to the funeral service.

          Sally, Liz and Drew, Henry, Olive and Tag all wanted to go to the funeral to honor Greg and this fight they found themselves in.  None of them knew him at all but they felt they needed to be there.  Bill, Kevin, Darren and Pat helped them all as far as clothes, either helping with shopping or taking them to their houses or apartments to get what they needed.

          In the short time that Greg had been out and accepted himself he had made some great friends.  He had just found a boyfriend, a really nice man named Lewis who was devastated at the news of Greg’s death.  Greg wasn’t out to his father but he was so wrapped up in the grief over losing his son that he didn’t really pay attention to the fact that nearly thirty large bearded men showed up.  They were all polite and shook his hand and offered their condolences.

          Ken and Brad planned a get together at their house for everyone that wanted to come over after the funeral.  It was a simple get together for friends who wanted to gather and celebrate Greg’s life and their friendship with him.  Greg, after coming out of his shell, was a good man and already started touching a number of people’s lives. 

          The party set up was typical; Brad and Ken got the food, Bryan did the majority of the cooking, Lane took care of the music, and the rest of the guys helped set up, organize, etc.  Lane had scanned the memories of Greg’s boyfriend Lewis and his other friends to see what kind of music Greg liked and made a play list from that.  He didn’t pry any further or deeper than their memories of Greg; it wasn’t something he wanted to do and the idea of invading their privacy without any cause was reprehensible to him or any of the others; and there were always the ever-present layers of what he and Brad called ‘fucked-upness’ that normal humans seem to be inundated with that he didn’t want to look at.

Right after he scanned them he felt his Avatar reacting; something in their memories was causing a reaction.  He let it run its course and the resulting urge was overwhelming.

          Lane:  Hey Bry, I need you for a few minutes.

          Bryan could tell something was up not only through their connection but by Lane’s tone of voice. 

          Bryan:  Ken, can you cover the grill for a few minutes?

          Lane took Bryan’s hand and led him over into a corner of the yard where no one was standing.  He positioned them so their backs were to everyone so when their eyes turned white no one would see.  He created a construct of their living room and took himself and Bryan there.    He took them both very deep for the time differential.

          Lane, what’s wrong?  Even as Bryan asked his question he pulled Lane against him, wrapping his strong arms around his lover and hugging him tightly.

          I’m sorry Bry, I just need to be with you for a minute.  I was looking at the memories everyone had of Greg.  I wanted to make a good playlist for the party.  I barely met him but he was a really good man.  None of those people, with the exception of his father, have known Greg more than a few months but the impact he had on them is amazing.  A light just went out of this world; one the Master snuffed out because of us.

          No, not because of us!  Don’t go there, Little Buddy.  This war started a long time ago, way before we got involved.  We’re here to finish it.   Greg’s meeting with Brad and Ken that night was random, and with Loy and Rick’s help they gave him a second chance at life.  They opened him up and he was happy for the first time in years.  At least he had that.

          But he was killed because he knew us.

          Yeah.  But we’re in a war.  We’ve seen this before, when we were still running missions.  There’s more going on here in your head, Lane, than just what you’re telling me.  Show me what’s going on; this is affecting you more than it should. 

          Even though they were isolated in their own link, the Team and all the guests felt the warmth and power that started to radiate from Lane and Bryan.  It was brief because they were so deeply merged but the guests felt it when it occurred.  Brad had to cover and alter the memory on all of Greg’s friends.  He didn’t bother with Sally or the others after what they already knew.

          Sally got a strained look on her face when she felt it and tears formed in her eyes and she went into the house and into the bathroom and locked the door.

**********************

          Lane’s Avatar was working.  Bryan saw it immediately and he Understood what was happening.  Greg’s death was affecting them, not just the team but all his friends as well, in ways they didn’t realize or couldn’t imagine; it was acting as some type of catalyst for an event.  There was some type of ripple effect going on he didn’t understand.

          There’s a song inside me about this, Bry; for Greg, about his life and the tragedy of his death; his life had meaning for all of us and I need to bring that out.  I want it to be powerful and I want the Enemy to hear it.   I want them to know we honor our dead and we can turn our grief into something to fight them.  We can turn our pain around and remember the love of our friend and his life.  They have to know they can’t use our friends against us without repercussion.  Will you stay with me and help me write it?

          You little shit, why are you even askin’?  Of course.  No matter how long it takes us in here it will only take a second for them; Ken won’t have time to burn anything before I get back to the grill.

          Lane smiled and pulled Bryan closer against him.  A set of drums and his guitar appeared in the construct.  Ok let’s get to work….

**********************

          Greg’s father was withdrawn and sitting by himself.  Lewis and all of Greg’s friends had come by to extend their condolences.

          Brad noticed and moved over to him.  “How are you holding up, Mr. Rawlins?”

          “My son is gone.  A parent shouldn’t outlive their children.  It’s not right.”

          “No sir, it isn’t.  I can’t tell you how sorry I am about Greg.  He was a good man.”

          “We haven’t been as close as I would have liked, but I think I’ve figured it out.  I feel like I failed him.”  He lowered his head and his shoulders started shaking with quiet tears.

          Brad looked into his mind and saw his grief.  He had put everything together in the last hour and realized that Greg was gay.  No one thought he was paying attention, but his mind was still sharp.

          “Sir, you didn’t fail him.  Greg had a lot on his plate these last few years.  He had made some mistakes and decisions that led his life to where it was.  I’m glad we ran into him and were able to help him.  I’m sure that given a little more time he would have told you.  You didn’t fail him, so please don’t blame yourself or Greg.  You can’t second guess either one of you at this point.  Know that he loved you, and you loved him, and cherish that.  The rest doesn’t matter.”

          “I don’t understand how he died.  Who did this to him?  Why weren’t the police involved?  Something doesn’t seem right.”

          “Sir, this is hard to explain.  Greg was a victim in a conflict he knew next to nothing about.”

          “So you either can’t or won’t tell me more.”  It was a statement and not a question.

          “No sir.”

          “I think I’d like to be alone for a few minutes, young man.”

          “Yes sir, I understand.  If you need anything just let me know.”

          Brad left Greg’s father in his own thoughts and grief, and didn’t intrude into his mind.

          The rest of the afternoon was quiet, and after a few hours most of the guests were gone.  The food was great as always, but the mood was sad and reserved.  Just as Bill and Kevin were about to take Mr. Rawlins back to his house, Lane made an announcement, “Hey everybody, could you all gather around for a minute?”

          Everyone had curious looks on their faces.  The guys knew Lane and Bryan had been up to something and wondered what it was.  Sally was there, pale and quiet and by herself, Liz and Henry were together with Drew, and Tag and Olive were sitting by the fire pit. 

          “I wrote a song for Greg that I want to share with everyone.  It bothers me how he died.  He wasn’t guilty of anything other than meeting some of us when he was having a hard time, and our help cost him his life.  I know he was truly happy in these last months and he touched a lot of lives in that short time.  I don’t want that to be forgotten.”

          “Mr. Rawlins, don’t be alarmed at what you are about to see.”

          Lane reached out to the Team and brought everyone into a link.  Guys, you know the drill.  Ten, five, one.  This is going to be heard by the Enemy and especially Him.  I want them to feel this.

          Each couple merged and became one, and then they all went deeper together.  To their human friends they started to glow; in the Spiritual Realm it was like a star was shining in the back yard.

          They felt the warmth and love flowing off of these handsome men and it opened their hearts to feel the way things should be.  Sadly, as beautiful as it was, it caused Sally pain.  She felt like something had been stolen from her.

          Bryan called on the Tree, Loy called on the Spirits of the Animals, and Lane Listened and called down Music from the Heavens.  It was already dusk and the sky over the backyard darkened into a night sky filled with stars, as a ghostly image of the Tree of Life took shape.  In and around the Tree were animal spirits of all shapes and sizes, coming to lend their strength.

          Across the sky, thunder rumbled and echoed, and the darkness was filled with flashes of heat lightning.  The whites of their eyes were echoed in the lightning flashing across the sky.  The Enemy heard and felt it and knew it wasn’t natural; it was the power of The Order strong once again.

          Not wanting to freak anyone out too much, Lane didn’t summon his guitar or Bryan’s drums.  He channeled the Music, altered it to suit his need, and made it come from the sound system in the backyard.

          All their eyes turned white and a hot wind blew their hair.  Lane’s tattoo lit up like fire and so did Brad’s, Loy’s, Bill’s and Darren’s.  They were all acting in concert.  Lane looked to the Heavens and his voice echoed not just through the minds of the Enemy but into the Spiritual Realm as well.

This is love
This is peace
This is the sound of new spring's melody
This is understanding
This is uplifting, lifting life

This is hatred
This is war
This is the sound of a thousand thunder storms
This is confusion
This is heart breaking, breaking life

(CHORUS)
I have climbed mountains
Crossed these canyons of pain
On this journey home

This is joy and this is hope
This is a thread for the torn and broken soul
This is tragic
This is breath-taking, taking life

It's hard to understand it
Here on the other side
But when I listen closely
I can hear the sound of hope

(CHORUS)
I have climbed mountains
Crossed these canyons of pain
On this journey home

Chasing daylight
Holding hope as my pace
On this journey home
On this journey home

To the shadow of the valley's floor
To the darkness my heart fell victim

I kept my head turned to the right
So all this pain might pass me by
And almost missed it

Standing at the grave where death
Would fight to break all hope away
I found direction

(CHORUS)
I've climbed mountains
Crossed these canyons of pain
On this journey home

Moving forward
Letting the pain of our past reveal the way
On this journey home

I'm on this journey home
On this journey home

When he was done everyone had tears in their eyes.  Greg’s struggle, his pain, and his salvation were all written beautifully in the words Lane chose.  Everyone was silent, listening to their own thoughts.

The heat lightning flared again across the sky, and rolling thunder continued to echo. 

Drew was looking up at the lightning and saw it first.  A ball of light was coming down from the sky.

He pointed and said, “Look, mommy!”

It came down and hovered, bobbing gently for a few moments before it grew into the shape of a man.  None of the Team felt any fear or anxiety, so they knew whatever it was wasn’t evil.  They all immediately recognized it for what it was; a human Soul.  A smaller ball of light appeared, zipping playfully around the larger one.  Loy sensed it was an animal Spirit.

Suddenly Greg was standing in their backyard with Ely by his side.

“Thanks Lane, that was truly beautiful.”

They all stared, dumbfounded.  Greg was dead, and he shouldn’t be here.

Bryan immediately cast his thoughts out:  Grandfather?

Uriel: Yes Bryan, I’m here.  There is no need for these humans to see me but I am here.

Drew ran forward and planted himself in front of Ely.  He reached out and tried to pet him but his hand passed right through.  He giggled and kept trying.  Ely kept trying to sniff at his hand.

“Greg?”  Mr. Rawlins voice was barely a whisper.

“Hi dad.  I’m sorry I had to leave you.  I was allowed to come back for just a moment to say goodbye and to give you all a message.  Apparently the man who killed me has broken some kind of rule, or I wouldn’t be here...”

Grandfather, I didn’t think this was allowed?

Only two other times in all of history has this happened. 

Fuck me.

“Son…” Mr. Rawlins broke down and started crying.

“It’s alright, dad.  I’m really here.  Not my body, but me.  I know you know about me now… about me being gay.  You met Lewis, my boyfriend, and my other friends.  They’re great guys, dad.  I wish I had introduced you to all of them before, but I was afraid of disappointing you if I told you the truth about me.”

Through his tears Mr. Rawlins lowered his head and said, “I understand, son, and I’m not disappointed.  I’m sorry I let you down.  I always wanted you to be able to tell me anything.  I just wanted you to be happy.”

“I finally found happiness, dad, when I accepted myself and who I was.  It took my friends here to show me how to do that.  I owe them a lot.”  Greg nodded to Rick and Loy and the rest of the guys when he said that.

“You can’t stay?”

“No, dad, I can’t.  I only have a few minutes.  But I’m glad I got one last chance to see you and tell you I love you.  I want to make sure you’ll be ok.”

“How can I be ok with you gone?  And your mom and your brother?  I shouldn’t be here!  I’m not strong enough to keep going by myself!  I don’t want to…”

“Dad don’t say that!  You have to be strong.  Please don’t be sad.  Mom and Bruce are waiting… we’ll all be waiting for you.  But you have to live out the rest of your life however long that is.  Think of this as a gift.  You know where I am; where mom and Bruce are.  We’ll be waiting for you. We’re all at peace dad… try to take comfort in knowing that.”

Uriel: Greg Rawlins…. There isn’t much time.

Greg turned to Ken and Brad and he said, “The answer to the riddle of the defeating the Master is his brother.  He’s still alive, tied to the Curse, constantly reborn into a new body and has been all these years.  The Master must ask his forgiveness.  If he does that the Curse will be lifted and he will no longer be Protected from Death.  Then you can kill him.  Once he’s dead, you can, if you chose, remove the Curse on Mankind.  That will be up to you though.  That’s the message I was sent to give you.”

The impact of what Greg was telling them was not lost on any of them.  The immensity of what they were and what they had become, and what their Purpose was.  It was daunting.

Uriel: It’s time.  I must take you back now, Greg Rawlins.

“I have to go now, dad.  I love you.  Promise me you’ll be ok?”

Mr. Rawlins had tears running down his cheeks.  “Goodbye, son.  I love you too.  At least I know you’re at peace.  Tell your mother and brother I love them too.”  He reached out to put a hand on Greg’s shoulder but his hand passed through Greg’s spiritual form.

“I wish I could hug you one last time, son.”

“Me too, dad.”

Brad: Guys, that’s one wish we can grant. 

Together they opened up Mr. Rawlins energy centers and separated his Soul from his Body.  A perfect version of his younger self stepped out of his body.  He looked at his hands in surprise as he held them up.  He could see through them.

Brad said, “Some wishes we have control over, Sir.”

Mr. Rawlins pulled his son into a tight embrace.  They stayed that way for a moment until Greg’s form transformed back into a ball of light.  Ely barked once at Drew and he pranced over in front of the Team, his tail wagging, and then he transformed as well and the two of them shot off into the Heavens to go Home.

Mr. Rawlins, when he opened his eyes was back in his body.

“I don’t understand any of this tonight.  This must be a dream, but I hope it’s not.  I want to know I got to hug my son one last time and tell him I love him.  I want to know he heard me.”

Ken said, “It was real, Sir, and he heard you.  It’s hard to explain, but it was real.”

**********************

Bill, Kevin, Pat and Darren got all the other guests back to the Lab.  Sally was quiet and didn’t say a word the entire time.

Loy and Rick got Mr. Rawlins back to his house.  He assured them he would be ok, but both of them planned on checking back the next day to be sure, and over time to help him transfer into some type of assisted living establishment.  Without Greg to help him, he wasn’t going to be able to continue living on his own any longer.

On the drive back to their house Loy was quiet.  He and Rick were together as always but not deeply.

Rick reached over and squeezed Loy’s shoulder in comfort and thought:  I love you, Loy.  More every day, man, if that’s possible.  What’s eatin’ at you? 

Rick could have pried or taken them deeper together but he wanted Loy to take the lead in how they were going to communicate.

I’m thinkin’ about Mr. Rawlins.  This night was hard on him.  Even though what happened was miraculous, he still had to say goodbye to his son all over again.  I know he’s old, but we could cure his physical ailments without any effort, but I’m wondering if we should.  As much as I want to I don’t think we should, and it makes me a little sad.

I know, Loy, I know.  Kevin let out a heavy sigh.  We can do so much shit these days.  Hell if we all got together I’m not even sure we couldn’t make Mr. Rawlins young again.  But what would that accomplish?  He’d live another life without his loved ones, and I wouldn’t want to do that to him.

Lane’s song was amazing.  I forget how talented he is sometimes behind his goofy ass exterior.  What he put into words, and how we all felt it… it was beautiful.

Loy continued:  The doc told us early on that what we were going to become was going to be a burden, but I never thought it would be like this.  I mean I knew as far as the War with the Enemy it would be tough, but I never realized this part of it would be as hard or harder.  We could do so much, but should we, or do we have the right to.  The doc is so much greater than we ever realized – he’s been dealing with this longer than we ever knew or could imagine.  We’ve been at it for less than a year.

I still wouldn’t have it any other way, Loy.  To be with you and our Brothers, like we are, and to do what we’re doing… we know how right it feels.  We’ll grow into the heavy stuff.  No one said it would be easy, but that’s why we have each other.  I couldn’t do this without you man… I wouldn’t want to.  Being with you is what makes me strong.

Loy’s eyes got glassy from his emotional response to Rick’s words.  To make them more impactful, Rick brought them together, Mind, Heart and Soul… and in that brief second while they were driving they spent a small eternity together.

Rick reached over and put his hand under Loy’s shirt and moved his hand up to his chest.  He started kneading Loy’s hard pecs, loving the feel of his hairy chest under his hands.  His dick responded immediately and started getting hard in his shorts.

I can’t wait to get you home.

If you didn’t weigh so much I could get us both there pronto and come back for the car.

Rick laughed and moved his other hand down and started rubbing the clear outline of Loy’s erection in his pants.

Loy gunned the Explorer, anxious to get home so he could get his lover naked and in bed.

**********************

Two hours later after everyone was gone, Ken and Brad had the yard cleaned up and everything back in order.  They both went into the house.  Ken got on the couch first and Brad got in his customary position between Ken’s thighs so he could lean back against him.  Ken wrapped his arms around his lover and hugged him tight.

What a day, B.  I guess this is the new normal for us.

They both chuckled a little at that.

Yeah.  Brad gave a contented sigh as he put his hands over Ken’s forearms that were wrapped around his chest.  Man, I just can’t get over seeing Greg.  You heard what Bryan said; Uriel told him that’s only happened like two times before.  Holy shit, I don’t know what to say to that.  I’m also really worried about Sally.   I haven’t looked into her mind on purpose, but I can tell she’s having a really hard time with all this.

I know, B.  I’m not sure what to do other than give her time.  She’s smart and she’s tough but I don’t like to see her upset or in pain.  Do you want to try and talk to her?

We can tomorrow.  Let’s at least give her a little more time for all this to soak in.

Just them Ken’s stomach let out a loud rumble.

Brad laughed and thought: I don’t believe I just heard that!

Ken felt a little sheepish but he chuckled too and thought: Sorry!  I know we just ate but I can’t help it.  It must be all the adrenaline and excitement.

You know Lane never ceases to amaze me.  That song gave me goose bumps.

And Bry is getting damn good on the drums. 

Yeah he is.

I’m jealous.  My only talent seems to be stomach rumbling and eating.

And being handsome and studly.

Ken smiled and hugged Brad tighter.  I knew there was a reason I loved you.

So do you want to go to Waffle House?

I don’t know… I mean I really do but every time we go there something seems to happen!  I’m ready for a quiet night with you on the couch.

How about I order us a couple of pizzas?

Now we’re talking!

Hey Ken, I wanna try something.  I thought about this the other day.

Oh shit… should I be scared?

Brad laughed and thought: Douche.  Just go with me.

Brad merged them completely and they both felt the warmth and perfection of being together.  They hugged each other tighter and settled into one another.  No matter how often they did that it was still amazing to both of them every time.

Their eyes turned white as their energy centers opened and blended together.  Brad used Ken’s Avatar along with his own; he looked over at his iPhone and the screen lit up.  He tapped out his passcode with his mind and started a browser.  Within a few seconds he had the pizza ordered online directly from Pizza Hut’s system and paid for without touching his phone.

Pretty cool, huh?  Darren’s been doing this with Pat for a while and he mentioned it to me at the lab this week.  By the way, Darren and Pat have been putting in a lot of hours with the doc on getting those new computers designed and built.  We need to do something nice for them … that’s going to be a huge benefit to all of us once they’re up and running.

That is so cool.  We didn’t even have to get up.  Ken smiled and thought: We could get really fat and lazy this way.  And yeah you’re totally right about Darren and Pat.  We definitely need to do something for them.

They both stopped talking and just rested in one another.   One of Ken’s hands moved up and started lightly brushing Brad’s hair back off his forehead.    Brad let out a contented sigh, loving the comforting feel of Ken’s warm strong hand caressing his head.

They were so lost in one another they didn’t realize how much time had passed and the chirp of the alarm system went off about 20 seconds before the doorbell rang.

Ken threw on his t-shirt and went to the front door.  He checked the security monitor first in the kitchen just to be sure it was the delivery person.

As soon as he opened the door he was pretty sure he knew the guy.

“Hey wait a minute… you’re Tony right?”

“Umm yeah, I’m Tony.  Do I know you?”

Ken shouted back over his shoulder, “Hey B!  Come here a sec!”

As soon as Tony saw Brad his face lit up with a smile of recognition.

“Tony!  Damn man it’s great to see you!  So what have you been up to?”  Brad pulled him into a quick hug.

His smile faded and he looked downcast, “Things didn’t go so well for me at the gym.  I haven’t been there in months and I’m trying to make ends meet.  You know how it goes.”

“Wait a minute… what do you mean things didn’t go well at the gym?  When I left there business was booming, mostly because of you.  What happened?”

“About a month or so after you stopped coming these guys started showing up and they kind of took over.  Real assholes, but they know the manager of the leasing company that owns the building.  Long story short I got squeezed out and they took over.”

“Fuck Tony, I’m sorry man.  I know how much you put into that place.”

As soon as Tony mentioned what happened at the gym, alarm bells starting going off with Brad’s intuition.  Normally he wouldn’t intrude, but he had a strong feeling something was wrong with his friend, so he looked into Tony’s mind and sure enough the ‘assholes’ he mentioned looked like Protectors.  They probably targeted the gym because Brad used to work out there before the doctor re-outfitted the lab.

He saw a confrontation between Tony and two of the Protectors, Dave and Brett.  Things got violent and Tony’s arm ended up being in a cast for 8 weeks.  They started pushing steroids to the younger clients.  Brad wondered if they were using the gym as a recruiting farm for potential Protectors.

Ken was picking up on all this from Brad and saw everything.  He was furious at the situation along with Brad and didn’t say anything.

“Well Tony, it was good to see you, man.  Please keep in touch and let me know how things work out, ok?”

“Ok, Brad.  It was good to see you.  I didn’t know you lived in this neighborhood.  I drive by here all the time.  Maybe one night when I get off I can stop by and we can catch up?  I need to head out now… customers are waiting for their pizzas.”

Tony left and Ken took the pizzas into the kitchen.  Before Brad could say or think anything he interjected: We’ll go first thing in the morning, B, and check it out.  Sounds like someone else has suffered because of us.

Thanks, Ken.  Yeah it looks like it.  I think we should talk to the doc and Albrecht about it before we head over.  If the Enemy has taken over the gym we might be able to use it to our advantage.  Regardless, I want to make sure Tony is taken care of.  I want to fix his arm – there’s some damage there that will cause him problems down the road.  And however they forced him out financially I want to figure it out and try to help him get back what's his.

Ken knew Brad felt responsible for what was happening to Tony.

Don’t worry, B, we’ll fix it.  I think for now Tony is off their radar, and we need to be careful not to put him back on.  Hey, B?

Yeah?

Did I ever tell you how hot you are when you get riled up?  Let’s down this pizza and head back to bed.

Brad smiled, realizing what Ken was doing.

As they sat at the kitchen table eating, they kept making eye contact and smiling, enjoying one another’s company and the comfort of the time alone with just the two of them.  Even with everything they were involved in, they were happier than ever with their lives and their relationship.  And once they got back to the bedroom they relished the chance to prove it to one another again… and again… and again….

Ok that’s it for Chapter 16… I hope you enjoyed it! 

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