Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:01:21 -0400
From: X X <thewriter_x@hotmail.com>
Subject: The Brotherhood #20 {X} {MM College & Sci-Fi/Fantasy} [20!?]???????

The following story contains sexually explicit acts between men.  If such
things bother you, annoy you, disturb you, or frighten you, then why the
hell are you here?  Do yourself a favor and leave before you read something
you like and discover that you're actually gay; you might not be able to
deal with the revelation.

I started a yahoo group for TBH a while back.  It's place where you can get
the latest chapters and talk about the story with other readers if you
like.  As thanks to those who are signed up, I'll be keeping the group one
chapter ahead of Nifty.  So while Nifty is up to date with chapter 20,
chapter 21 will be up on the group (within a couple of weeks or so of
updating Nifty, give or take a day or two).  So if you want to keep up just
sign up here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theinnercircletbh/

As always, thanks for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts, good or
bad, on the latest chapter so feel free to write me at: thewriterxx@aol.com


The Brotherhood
Chapter XX
By: X


	I think we stared at each other for a few minutes.  I kept waiting
for Q's stone face to break and for him to tell me he was only kidding, but
that never happened.  He just sat there with his hands interlocked and both
index fingers pressed to his bottom lip.  I finally decided to break the
silence.

	"So explain 'checkmate' to me," I said as I leaned forward and
placed my arms on the desk.

	"Oh, I'm pretty sure you know exactly what it means Jacob."

	"The Brotherhood is planning to take over the world?  That's what
you're trying to tell me?"

	"Yes," he said simply as if I just asked if he liked to golf.

	"Like literally take over the world?" I asked again.  Maybe I was
hoping the answer would change the more I asked the same question.  "Not
like a few states here or there or a continent or two? You're talking about
the whole thing?"  I made circle in the air with my finger to illustrate
what I meant by "the whole thing".

	Of course Q mimicked me by making his own circle in the air except
his finger left a trail of light forming an actual circle.  "The whole
thing, Jacob."

	"But that's crazy!" I shouted and jumped back into my chair.  "You
guys can't just take over the world!"

	"Why is that exactly?"  He had his little cute smirk on his face
that for an instant made me forget about everything and all I wanted to do
was...never mind.

	"Because..."  Okay I'll admit I drew a complete blank.  "Because
you just can't!"

	"Well why didn't you say so?" he laughed.  "I'll make sure to take
that argument to the Council of Brothers and put a stop to the whole
thing."  He got up and moved toward the door as if on an urgent mission.

	"Q!" I protested and even slapped the palm of my hand on the glass
table.  To be honest that surprised even me, but I was trying to be serious
and he was making fun of me.

	He spun on his heels to face me. "This bothers you."

	"No, really, you don't say?" I rolled my eyes.  I was feeling more
confident in expressing my feelings to him.  I wasn't talking to him as a
pledge anymore but as his boyfriend.  Q seemed okay with it and that made
me smile on the inside regardless of the topic at hand.  "How could it not
bother me?  Taking over the world?  I don't even know what that means or
what it entails so forgive me, I'm freaking out a little bit."

	Q walked over and knelt down in front of me.  He took my hands into
his and kissed each one.  It was so tender and genuine that my heart
started to calm down and the loud beating in my ears slowly disappeared.
"Relax, okay?  It's not the end of the world."

	We both sort of looked at each other and then broke out laughing.
I needed that laugh.  I don't know how he does it, and I know I've said it
before, but Q always manages to make me feel safe; like everything is going
to be all right.  He slowly stood up, leaned into me and kissed me deeply.
My hand slipped behind his neck and I held him close to make the kiss last
as long as possible.

	"Better?" he asked.

	I nodded and he kissed me on the forehead before walking back the
desk.

	"I can tell you have questions," he said.

	"Uh, yeah," I laughed.  "But none more important
than...well...why?"

	"Eiyr belongs to the El'odians," he said simply, "and quite frankly
humans have done a piss poor job of taking care of her. They continue to
pump their pollutants into her lands, seas and air.  And, as if that
weren't bad enough, Eiyr is being stripped of her natural resources.
Humans steal all that is good from her and give her nothing but their waste
in return."

      "That's not fair.  We are more aware of the problem than ever.
Global warming, landfills full of plastic bottles, ducks covered in oil -
it's on the news all the time.  People are aware Q; they're trying to fix
it."

      "Who is trying to fix it?  Your leaders?  They have been shown the
evidence and the damage your existence is causing and yet they choose to
turn a blind eye.  Eiyr gives your people life Jacob and they accept it
with open arms.  Yet what do they give her in return?  How do they thank
her?  They ignore her as she dies before them...as she dies at the mercy of
those same hands that so greedily reach out and take all she had to give.
Frankly, humanity cannot be trusted with safeguarding her any longer."

	"Well that's kind of the pot calling the kettle black don't you
think?"

	"I don't understand," Q shook his head, confused.

	"You're saying we can't be trusted," I placed my hand on my chest,
"but you guys caused the freaking extinction of life sixty million years
ago."

	"That was unfortunate."

	"That's putting it mildly!  Did I mention pretty much all life on
earth was wiped out?"

	"I was there, Jacob.  I know what happened.  I also know that when
that Skai fused his energy with the Core he wasn't thinking of causing a
cataclysmic disaster that would affect all of Eiyr.  If there's one thing
our people share it's our love for Eiyr.  It was an accident; a disastrous
one, but an accident nonetheless.  Humans aren't accidently dumping their
crap into the oceans or air.  They do it knowingly, even willingly and
that's unforgiveable in our eyes."

	"You condemn all humans, but what about those of us who are
fighting for change?"

	"Their efforts are commendable, but as we see it they're a small
minority with no real power to affect change in the long run.  We will not
sit and watch human arrogance destroy what we hold dear."

	"Arrogance?  Isn't it more arrogant to think the Nave way is the
only way to fix the problem?"

	"Time will tell."

      "Humans aren't just going to kneel down and surrender at your feet.
If you've seen even one alien invasion movie, you know that.  They'll fight
you forever."

       "Some will, but less and less over time.  The Nave have forever,
Jacob.  Do humans?"

	I threw my hands up in defeat and stared at Q.  "This argument is
pointless, isn't it?  The Nave are going to do this regardless of what I
say."

	"This plan has been in place for a very long time Jacob, but we are
willing to listen to new ideas.  Once you've officially become a brother
you can voice your concern and we will listen."  He walked over to the desk
and placed his hands behind his back.

      He raised his brow.  "Unless this revelation has changed your mind
about joining the Brotherhood?"

	"Of course not," I assured him and I think I was reassuring myself
as well.  "Surprisingly that thought never crossed my mind.  I'm just
trying to get a hold of all this stuff.  It's overwhelming."  I closed my
eyes for a moment and rubbed my temples. "Can I ask you something?  What do
your human brothers think of all this?"

	"The Brotherhood is united in this cause Jacob.  Sure many of our
human bothers had a lot of questions as you do now, but in the end they
stand with their Nave brothers."

	I turned away from Q for a moment to look at the names on the
screen.  "So the Brotherhood springs its plan and then what?"  I pointed at
the screen again.  "In fact, why go thru all this trouble to begin with?
I've seen your power.  Why don't you guys just fly into the White House and
take it over?"

	"Humans are an unpredictable and irrational species.  We want the
transition to go as smoothly as possible.  When the call goes out, we need
to control as many as the world's governments as possible; especially their
weapons.  It only takes one lunatic to press a button and cause a
catastrophe similar to the one that happened all those millions of years
ago.  We will not allow that to happen again."

	"Q, people won't care who can hold out longer.  They will fight
you."

	"Us..."

	"Huh?"

	"People will fight us Jacob. You and I will be on the same side."

	"Okay, us, but you know what I mean.  People are not going to give
up their freedom...  They will fight until 'forever' runs out."

	"They won't have any choice in the matter.  There's going to be a
new world order where our word is law.  Any and all opposition will be put
down quickly and decisively.  Once we secure certain key locations around
the world humans can put up all the resistance they want.  In the end, it
will mean very little."

	"Oh wow..."  I was taken aback by Q's statement.  It wasn't so much
what he said but how he said it that bothered me I think.  It was all so
simplistic to him...so easy.  He was standing there talking about
conquering the world as easily as if he were reading off his grocery list.
Q seemed so cold and detached about the whole thing.  "Will you be herding
people into detention camps too?"

	"You're confusing humans with the Nave, Jacob.  We have no
intentions of recreating the horrors of your past history.  There won't be
any concentration camps or extermination camps or any other camps you can
imagine.  I'm not denying there will be casualties.  We will do whatever it
takes to preserve Eiyr, but we have no desire to purposely cause human
suffering.  Quite the opposite in fact; we are giving humanity a chance to
save itself."

	"How do you plan to do that exactly?"

	"By uniting humanity under the Nave Rule of Law.  There are nearly
200 hundred countries in the world right now. They're divided by different
ideologies...religious, political, social... it doesn't really matter.
People will find any excuse not to get along.  They strive to hate each
other.  Hell, this country claims to be one nation under god with liberty
and justice for all, but you and I know that's not true. There are deep
divisions both socially and politically and that's just naming a couple;
it's no wonder nothing gets done."

	He had me there.  I couldn't really argue against his points
because I actually felt the same way about a lot of his points.

	"For centuries we've watched humanity and quite honestly, we're not
impressed.  Sure you've improved technologically, but instead of moving
forward as a united race, humans keep taking ten steps backwards.  Normally
we wouldn't care what you do to each other, but we won't allow humans to
drag Eiyr down with it."

	A silence fell between us that I actually welcomed.  It gave us a
chance to go back to our respective corners and gather ourselves before the
bell rang for the next round.  Unfortunately, I was running out of
'punches' to throw at him.  I've turned on the news and watched what was
going on in the world only to feel like it was going to
hell-in-a-hand-basket.  Now I'm not complaining.  Regardless of my personal
issues, I had a great life growing up.  Not everyone could say the same
thing.

	Could the Nave really bring about change?

	Q reached out his hand and placed it palm up on the table, his eyes
locked on mine.  Without uttering a single word I knew what his look was
saying to me.  I trusted him this far and he was asking me to trust him
again.

	So I reached over and placed my hand in his to let him know I was
with him always.  One might ask how I could give in so quickly or suddenly
be okay with it.  Truth be told, I wasn't a hundred percent onboard, but I
was willing to follow Q's lead.  The Nave takeover of Earth was going to
happen, one way or the other.  Listening to Q made that overwhelmingly
clear.  So it boiled down to two things.

      One, I trusted Q.

      And two, when the shit hit the fan, I wanted to be on his side.

	"When this goes down what happens to my family and friends?" My
voice caught a bit in my throat as images of my mom and dad raced thru my
mind.  "Will they simply be forgotten?"

	"Of course not Jacob," he replied, his voice so loving and calm.
And if that wasn't enough, he squeezed my hand to reassure me once
again. Leaning over he kissed it before finally letting go.  "We take care
of our own and that means taking care of the families of our human bothers.
Every member of your family will be protected and looked after.  They will
be given paradise.  You will be asked to turn in a list of all your family
and friends you want to live in utopia.  In turn, every member on the list
will be able to pick five people they want to accompany them, and each of
the five will be able to pick four, and each of them will pick three and so
on."

	I suddenly thought how I'd hate to be the guy who only got to bring
one person along.  That would totally suck.

	"What exactly do you mean by utopia?"

	Q smiled.  "They will be relocated to a location agreed upon by the
majority and they will be given a new city to live in. A city built by the
Nave.  They will want for nothing and won't have to worry about things like
disease, famine, poverty or crime.  What we won't do is stop the natural
progression of human life."

	"You mean you won't stop them from dying?"

	"Precisely," Q said.  "We will ensure that from the moment a human
is born in the city he or she lives out a long and healthy life until it
comes to a natural end some eighty or ninety years later."

	I found relief in that.  I felt this weight just left off my
shoulders and I could breathe easier.  I know this sounds incredibility
selfish, but if my 'personal people' were safe and protected, what else
matters?

	"What if people don't want to go to this perfect haven?" I
inquired.

	"The burden of convincing your people to follow you to paradise
falls entirely on you, I'm afraid.  Don't get me wrong, we'll be there with
you so you can show them you haven't cracked and lost your mind, but in the
end you're going to have to make them see the light.  Um, no pun intended."

	We laughed.

	"Believe me the alternative is much worse."

	"What does that mean?"

	"Do you think the Nave are the only ones with designs for Eiyr?"

	"Well when you put it that way, you're pretty much giving away the
punch line. Let me guess, the Skai have plans of their own?"

	"Good guess," he said with a slight nod.  "The Skai view humanity
as a plague on Eiyr that must be eradicated.  I'm pretty sure that's been
their goal for a long time now; they just haven't succeeded.  It's not for
lack of trying, I can assure you of that."

	"Oh god," I winced and covered my eyes for a moment.  "Do I even
want to ask?"

	"Some of the worst catastrophes in human history can be connected
to the Skai," Q continued.  "You've heard of the Black Death of the
mid-14th century, right?"

	Narrowing my eyes, it took a moment for what Q was talking about to
click in my head.  "Oh, you're talking about the Black Plague."

	"Yes.  They created the pandemic and helped it flourish and spread
throughout Europe in hopes that it would wipe out humanity.  It almost
succeeded.  Now fast forward to the mid-20th century and the creation of
the atom bomb; the Skai had a hand its development.  We learned that some
of the key scientists working on the Manhattan Project were in fact working
with the Skai.  Not only that but they also had people working on the
Uranverein, Germany's nuclear project."

	"But the west won the race, if you want to call it that.  They
dropped their bombs and scared the hell out of everyone.  After the war,
the world breathed a collective sigh of relief and took a step back.  I'm
pretty sure the Skai are kicking themselves for that one."

	 "Why?  Because we didn't blow each other off the face of the
planet?"  My voice was ripe with sarcasm.

	"Well that's more of an annoyance, Jacob.  Where they really failed
was in giving humans the knowledge to create weapons of mass destruction.
I can only guess, but back then they must have thought a few bombs dropped
here or there would be enough to ensure the downfall of humankind.  But
today?"  Shaking his head, Q let out a sarcastic laugh.  "If nothing else,
humans are extremely creative when it comes to finding ways of destroying
yourselves.  They've increased the destructive force of their bombs.  They
have enough nuclear weapons to destroy Eiyr ten times over.  The Skai's
shortsightedness has put Eiyr in danger yet again."

	Now Q was the one who looked positively annoyed as hell.

	"Where were the Nave during all this?" I asked abruptly.

	Q looked at me as if I had just accused him of some hideous crime.
"Jacob at the time we had no idea the Skai were meddling in human affairs
to such a degree.  Our network didn't run as deep into the governments of
the world as it does now; especially in the militaries since they were
never really a threat to us."

	"I didn't mean anything by that," I assured him.  I wasn't sure if
I pissed Q off so I just kept the conversation going.  "I'm having a hard
time wrapping my head around all the hate toward us lowly humans."

	For a moment Q just looked at me.  Then a 'might as well' look
crossed his face as if he had been holding back on something and suddenly
figured what was the point?  "Well..." he began to say and raised his brow,
"it's a little more complicated than simply hating humans; at least for the
Skai anyway."

	Gesturing at my face I told Q, "In case you haven't picked up on
it, this is my confused face."

	"You know how we talked about humans looking very much like Nave
and our theory behind it?"  Q waited for me to nod before he continued.
"There's a little more to it than that."

	"Of course there is..."

	"You've seen people on television or online claiming to be psychic,
right?  They want you to call in so that can tell you your future or if
your boyfriend is cheating on you or any other random crap they can conjure
up.  Or the people who claim to have prophetic visions of the future or
they have the power to move things with their minds?  You get where I'm
going with this, right?"

	"Well I know of the kind of people you're talking about, sure, but
I have no clue where you're going with this."

	"That's what I meant, Jacob," he laughed.  "It goes without saying
that 99% of these people are complete scam artist.  Nevertheless, we have
discovered that there are a few...very few...humans out there who actually
do possess these abilities; some more limited than others but they're out
there.  What we learned after further investigation was beyond baffling to
us.  The electrical impulses in the brains of these rare individuals have a
slight Nave signature."

	"What?"  I was shocked to hear him say that.  I fell back into my
chair and just shook my head.  "What does that even mean?"

	"It means it reinforce the theory that in some bizarre way Naveyk
might have paved the way for humans to evolve on Eiyr.  But more
importantly than that, it's believed by many on both sides - and trust me
the debate is far from over - that humans could be on an evolutionary path
to become Nave.  So you can understand why the Skai are trying to eliminate
humanity."

	It was as clear as glass to me now.  "If I were a Skai the last
thing I'd want is to wake up one day to a planet filled with billions of
Nave."

	"Exactly," Q said and pointed at me like I'd just won final
Jeopardy!.  "Even if all these assumptions are dead on, it will take humans
tens of thousands of years to reach such a pinnacle in their evolution;
maybe even hundreds of thousands of years for there's really no way of
knowing.  The Skai are not willing to wait and see."

	"But that's crazy!" I proclaimed, throwing both my hands out at Q.
"You're telling me they're willing to kill us all on the off chance that
five hundred thousand years from we may or may not become Nave?"

	"It's not as crazy as you might want to believe, Jacob," he
countered.  "It's a matter of survival for the Skai."  He paused for the
briefest moment; as if unsure he should say the words that came out of his
mouth next.  "I'll tell you this much, if the Nave had woken up to a world
filled with humans with obsidian skin and white hair - humans who looked
Skai - we'd be the ones plotting your complete annihilation."

	What do I even say to that?

	"Why all the behind the scenes crap?" I asked regarding the Skai.
"Why not just come at us at full force?"

	"Because the Nave wouldn't allow that to happen.  It would have
forced our hand and led both sides into a war neither was prepared to win."

	"See that's what I don't get," I said and stood up to look out the
window for a moment.  I was trying to work out the logic in my head.  I
heard Q move and turned back to face him. "The Skai want to get rid of us
because they fear what we might become, right?"

      Q nodded.

      "And the Nave think we're going to be the Earth's downfall, right?"

      Q nodded again.

      "Yet you'll stop the Skai from destroying us.  Why not just let them
take us out?  It seems like it would solve a lot of your problems."

	"Maybe we believe eradicating six billion people isn't the answer,"
he shrugged.  "Or perhaps it's morbid curiosity and we need to see if our
hypotheses on human evolution are correct.  You can pick whichever one
makes you feel better about what we're doing."

	"Killing us off isn't the answer but controlling us is?"

	"Yes," he said matter-of-factly.  "You want to hear the sad reality
Jacob?  If left to their own devices humans will be lucky to survive
another two centuries.  Shaun has his money on three, but he's in the
minority on this. Two centuries or three, it doesn't matter.  Frankly,
humanity has no chance of reaching its full potential and Eiyr certainly
won't endure unless we take control."

	I turned around and stared out the window at a world I knew would
never be the same to me.  I couldn't help but wonder what the future held
for mankind and what my role would be in this new world the Nave planned to
create.  Do I go along with the plan for world domination and hope to do
some real good in the process or wait to be wiped from existence by the
Skai?  It was a no brainer, I suppose.

	"Do the Nave have a timetable?"  My eyes changed their focus from
the world outside to Q's reflection on the glass as he came up behind me.
"And what's to prevent the Skai from trying to stop you just like you would
stop them?"

	"Come with me," Q said, placing his hand on the small of my back as
he spoke.  He led me to his personal office that was adjacent to his
bedroom and had me stand in front of the computer.  "Remember this?"

	"Yeah I remember it.  I don't know what it means but this is the
computer that's gathering a bunch of material on this ball."  The search
program was still running and cataloging all kinds of information.  "What
are you looking for?"

	"The means to end the deadlock between the Nave and Skai.  You
might be wondering why both sides are holding back and not just going full
force, bat-crazy trying to eliminate the other."

	"The thought had crossed my mind," I admitted.

	"For the same reason the nuclear powers on this planet don't attack
each other.  Mutually assured destruction.  A basic military strategy in
where both sides would completely destroy each other if weapons of mass
destruction were employed.  You see, right now neither side is really sure
who has greater numbers, but it's generally believed we're probably evenly
matched.  That becomes a problem. If we were to go to war, both sides would
lose so many soldiers that in the end even a victory would feel like
defeat.  Whoever was left standing would be so crippled they'd need another
two millennia to rebuild what was lost."

	"Okay, that makes sense," I said and pointed at the screen.  "How
does that help though?"

	"We believed the Eye of Eiyr was destroyed along with Aquaiia.  We
were wrong.  Over the years we discovered text that referred to a mystical
sphere used in some ancient civilizations.  For instance the Egyptians used
this sphere as a means to bless a newly crowned pharaoh, for they believed
it contained the absolute essence of the Sun God Ra.  The ancient Norse
people believed it was the Eye of Odin.  As civilizations fell and others
flourished, we found the sphere touched many cultures until it disappeared
from history some five hundred years ago.

	"We believe it's out there somewhere. If it can survive the
destruction of Aquaiia it can pretty much survive anything humans can do to
it."  After that proclamation he simply walked back into his bedroom and I
followed.

	"I still don't get it."  I was still very confessed.  I'm not going
to lie.  Trying to keep up with a lot of what he was telling made my head
spin.  "How's the Eye going to give the Nave the upper hand?"

	"Right now there are still thousands...tens of thousands of my
brothers sleeping deep within Eiyr and we have no way of reaching out to
them.  We are forced to wait for them to wake up on their own.  With the
power of the Eye, the Nave can reach out and wake all our brothers at the
same time."

	"Which would give you a decisive advantage over the Skai," I added.
"They'd be overwhelmed and you'd be able to eliminate them with little risk
to yourselves."

	Q just nodded.

	"Can the Skai use it to do the same thing?"

	"Yes, unfortunately," he replied and he looked positively bothered
by the thought.  "Thru Juyx we learned they had their own Eye of Eiyr.  The
gods designed it for El'odians not specifically for Nave or Skai so whoever
finds it first will be able to activate its power to wake those that
slumber.  For all we know both Eyes are out there somewhere.  We know for a
fact the Skai are looking for it just as vigorously as we are."

	"Well that complicates things."  I'll admit the thought of the Skai
finding the Eye first made me sick to my stomach.  All I could picture was
them finding it one day and my family and friends being dead the next day.
The Nave plan was looking better and better by the minute.  "Are you guys
close to finding it?"

      There was urgency in my voice that surprised even me.  Q picked up on
it and walked over to me and placed his hands on my waist.  His eyes
softened as he said, "Don't worry Jacob we're doing everything in our power
to locate the Eye."

      "Can't you do just that?  Use your powers to beam the thing to you or
something?"

      "No," he laughed and shook me slightly.  "Unfortunately it doesn't
work that way.  The power of the Eye is dormant because we can't sense its
energy anywhere.  For all we know it could be in some old lady's attic
collecting dust."

      "If you're trying to make me feel better it's not working."

      He kissed me suddenly, deeply, and pulled me into him.  And like
always I was lost in the moment and everything else faded away.  If I
could've made that moment last forever I probably would have; it was easier
than having to face the shit storm that was heading our way.

      Q pulled away but then gave me one last peck before stopping
completely.  "Better now?" he asked, gripping my shoulders slightly.

      "No, but it helped," I said honestly with a meek smile.  "This may be
a very na‹ve question, but is there any chance of peace between the Nave
and Skai?"

      Q rubbed his hands up and down my arms; then walked away.  "I'm
afraid any chance of real peace between us is highly unlikely at the
moment.  The old rivalries are burning as hot as ever and both sides are
still sore over the loss of our princes.  I don't think that open wound
will ever heal.  So just like in old times they attack us and we attack
them."  He stopped for a moment and the turned around to face me.  "Like
the night we stayed at the hotel remember?"

      My brows came together in confusion.

      "The guys at the gas station?  Try and remember."

      "Oh yeah, they had bats and shit." It was coming back to me even
though it was all a bit fuzzy.  "You told me it was a bad dream.  You're
telling me that really happened?"

      "I'm afraid so," Q said.  "I couldn't let you see us fighting so I
put you to sleep.  But that's a classic example of life between our two
people.  Somehow they tracked me down and tried to get payback for
something that happened a couple of months ago.  I ended mopping the floor
with them so they tried to even by..."

      "Setting fire to the house," I interjected and snapped my fingers.
"That was the Skai wasn't it?"

      Q nodded.

      "And what do you mean you put me to sleep?  You can just snap your
fingers and out I go?"

      "Well it's not sleep, per se; it's more like freezing you in a moment
in time.  Messing with the space time continuum is tricky business so we
try not to do it often."

      "Obviously, it always messes shit up when Captain Picard tries it."

      "You're funny..."

      I didn't like that one bit; that loss of control.  I actually
understood why he had to do it but I still wasn't too happy about it.  "So
what were the ones at the mall after you for and why didn't you knock me
out then too?"

      "Because it was time for you to find out the truth," he said
matter-of-factly.  "And honestly I have no idea why they were after me.  I
didn't recognize them so they were probably newborn Skai trying to score
some points with their people.  A foolish endeavor since they were no match
for me.  What a waste."

      "What does that mean?  Did you kill them?"

      "No, no, no," he answered, waving his hands about.  "I probably
killed their pride but they lived to tell about it.  Had I killed them we
might be at war right now.  I was referring to their anonymity.  They knew
who I was because I'm a very well-known Nave so when they got turned into a
Skai any information they have on me gets passed on.  Being newly born
there's no information on them for the Nave to pass on...until now that is.
You see, all newborns have a tremendous advantage because nobody knows
them.  It's best to save that advantage for something important.  If I had
to guess, I'd say the Skai probably weren't too happy with them for blowing
their cover.  I know I would be."

      "So the Skai turn humans as well?  Even though we might end up being
Nave sometime down the line?"

      "Yes, save for those unique individuals that carry within them a hint
of Nave energy.  Until the time humans do evolve, if that's really were
humanity is heading, they're free game."

      "Hmmm."

      "What?"

      "Oh, I just find it funny that those bent on killing or controlling
us all still need humans to grow their ranks."

      "Life is not without its ironies."

      I was going to say something more but there was a knock at the door.
One of the twins stuck his head in for a moment.

      "Oh hey Jacob," he said with a slight head nod.  "How's it going?"

      "Um...fine."  That was weird for me.  I was used to the Brothers
ignoring us as pledges and now they're suddenly all nice and welcoming.  It
was going to be weird getting used to that but I guess it's better than
them yelling at me for something.

      "Cool.  Hey Q, the Council will you see you in twenty minutes if that
works for you."

      "That's fine.  Tell them I'll be there shortly."

      "Done," he said.  "See ya, Jacob."

      "Um...bye."

      Q laughed.

      "What was that all about?" I asked.

      "He doesn't see you as a pledge anymore that's..."

      "No, not that," I interrupted.  "The meeting with the Council."

      "Oh that," he smirked.  "Nothing to worry about.  Remember I told you
I'd have to go before the Council of Brothers so they can ensure I didn't
use my position to protect you in anyway?"

      I simply nodded.

      "And now you know how they'll be able to tell."

      "You're going to merge with them, aren't you?"

      "Yes.  We'll open ourselves up to each other and by sharing our
thoughts, experiences, and feelings they'll be able to see exactly the
motivation behind everything I did.  I'm not too worried about it."

      "Well I'm glad one of us isn't."

      "Relax, this is also the meeting where every house will be discussing
the merits of all their pledges and make the case for them to become
Brothers.  I'd be more worried about that if I were you."

      As if I didn't have enough to worry about!

      He laughed when he saw the look on my face.  "Jacob, calm down, I
don't see any reason why you or any of the other pledges wouldn't make it
in.  Now..."  Taking a step back, he held out his arms out to either side,
and then a swirl of light came up from his feet to his head.  He was now
clad in a white, hooded robe with gold trim.  "How do I look?"

      He looked damn sexy but I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction.
"Like you're about to give sermon."

      "I'll give you a sermon."

      "Promise?"

      "Get out!" he feigned anger and pointed at the door.

      We both left his room laughing and I was feeling a little bit better
about everything.  It was always easiest when things were light and fun
between us.  It's like everything gets put on the back burner and I can
just enjoy the moment.

      I had no idea where I was going.  I was just following Q.

      "While I'm with the council, you should take the opportunity to talk
to your friends about us."

      "What about?"

      "Seriously?"

      "Oh right!" I slapped my forehead like an idiot.  "You mean about us
as in us."

      "Yes," he said and rolled his eyes.  "It would be best if they heard
it from you first."

      "Yeah I suppose.  I don't even know how to bring it up."

      "You'll find a way."

      Before I realized it we were standing in front of the large gold
mirror.  I saw my reflection and for a moment I thought back to when I
pictured it yelling at me to "remember."  I was a bit unsettled.

      "Are you okay?" Q asked.

      "Yeah, I'm fine.  Can I come with you?"

      "I'm afraid not," he answered and turned to face the mirror.  With a
simple wave of his hand the surface began to ripple like the surface of a
pond.  "You're not a Brother just yet.  Now go be with your friends and
don't worry about me.  I'll be fine."

      He kissed me and I held on to him for all it was worth.  Q started
laughing while we were still kissing.

      "Okay I have to go."

      He tried walking away, but I pulled him back to me.

      "Just be careful ok?"

      Again he laughed.  "Jacob, I'm walking in to meet my Brothers not an
execution squad."

      "I know," I said shyly, looking away because I felt a bit foolish.
"Just tell me you'll be careful."

      "I promise.  I'll be careful."

      Kissing me one last time, he stepped thru the glass with my hand
still wrapped in his.  I held on to it as long as I could...until the very
tips of our fingers were all that touched and then they didn't.  I watched
as Q disappeared completely behind the ripples.

      I looked at my empty hand, took a deep breath and I ran in after him.


__________

To reach chapter 21 join: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theinnercircletbh/

So there you have it - the 20th chapter of The Brotherhood, I hope you
liked it.  I will definitely continue the story, no problem, but it really
depends on you guys.  If you enjoyed what you read so far and would like to
read more please drop me an email at thewriterxx@aol.com or post in the
group.

Your Lord and Master,

X