Falls on Deaf Ears - Book 1

The first week of school always seemed long for Eric and Jason, since their age difference put them in different grades, and they had different classes. Walking home from school gave them time together, but they always felt the weight of the homework they had to do when they got there. They couldn't really be together until it was finished. Fridays weren't so bad. This particular Friday, Eric was excited because it was the first weekend of the school year. Some weekend it turned out to be.

Eric was waiting for Jason by the entrance to his school, when a trio of boys approached him. Eric knew these boys were trouble. No matter how hard he tried to avoid them, he seemed to always run into them. They didn't appear very friendly this time either, and as soon as they got to him, they pushed Eric to the ground.

"Get up you little fag!" The leader of the pack spat.

"He's gunna get it this time after what he did the other day! The Teacher might of thought it was an accident, but we know better!" The shorter one recalled.

"Zip it Zack! It couldn't have been worse than what he did to me!" Another voice behind Zack called.

"Jeez, you two! Put a lid on it!"

"Fine, Ed!" Both boys responded in unison.

Ed turned to look at Eric as he scrambled to his feet. "What you gunna do now? Not so tough with the three of us here? Are ya? This time you're outnumbered and ..." Ed was cut off by Jason walking up behind them, "Not any more! It's two on three now. Anyone who messes with Eric messes with me!" Jason scowled as he walked past the bullies to stand at Eric's side, keeping the three in his sight the whole time.

The trio growled inwards. They had run into Jason before and knew he always stood up for the little freak. Undeterred, they balled their fists, and began to attack Eric and Jason. Just inches before the first punch connected with Jason's head, their fist froze in midair. Jason was getting ready to block when he noticed the sudden stop, and turned his attention to Eric.

Eric had his eyes closed hard and was muttering something alien to him, but Jason ignored it. "Hey Eric, you ok?" Jason asked.

"I'm fine." Eric responded as he was opening his eyes.

The school principal who was walking over to the 5 boys noticed the commotion. As she observed the situation, she moved in for a closer look. She would normally punish all 5 students, but thought better of it and changed her mind. She had clearly seen what had happened and Eric had done nothing to provoke the attack. She had gotten to know Eric since he had come to her school, and she knew he wouldn't hurt anyone else intentionally. All of his little 'mishaps' were always in self-defense. When she moved in front of the frozen trio, she studied their expressions, and then turned to Eric and Jason.

"I suppose I'm going to have to find a way to explain this somehow."

"But Miss Sinclair..." Eric began, but was cut off by her holding up her hand.

"Don't bother, I saw what happened, you're both free to go, but unfreeze them if you can. I'd hate to send them home to their parents as lawn ornaments."

Eric looked down at his shoes for a few moments then back up at the principal. "I... can't. I only have so much control. I'm not ready for any advanced stuff. Mom says..." A hand tapping his shoulder cut Eric off.

**Causing trouble again, aren't you, EC? ** Eric's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar presence.

Eric turned his head and frowned. "Hi mom."

Trish shifted her attention to the principal then the bullies who were about to attack him. "Good afternoon Miss. Sinclair. The Tike not causing too much trouble I hope? I suppose I'll have to unfreeze them for you."

"No trouble that is not deserved I warrant. Thank you Mrs. Shannon. Please do." Miss Sinclair spoke as she moved out of the way.

Everyone backed off as Trish closed her eyes. It only took a second for the bullies to unfreeze. Not only did they unfreeze, but also the momentum carried them forward, only to find Eric and Jason had moved. They struggled to regain their balance as the surprise move caused them to continue forward where, tripping over each other, they fell to the ground. Several onlookers had been watching the events and they burst out laughing.

Miss Sinclair was laughing in her thoughts, Eric could hear it, but to her credit she never showed it. She glanced over to the laughing crowd with a look that could kill. Once the laughter stopped, they all went about their business and the principal turned her attention to the bullies who were just beginning to stand up.

"Edward, Zachary, Tyson!" She scolded. "One week in detention for the three of you! Along with that, you each get to do some cleaning! I went easy on you the last few times, but this time, I am giving the janitors the week off! If your parents don't like it, tell them they can join you." Her stare was so strong, the three bullies didn't dare argue with her. They knew when to be quiet. They secretly swore revenge, but it was the last time anyone at school would see Eric.

Trish thanked Miss Sinclair then motioned Eric and Jason to join her on their trip home. As they were walking to her car, Trish couldn't help but smile.

"I'm glad you were able to control yourself this time and only froze them," Trish looked off in the distance as if she were trying to remember something, then looked at Eric, "You didn't hurt anyone like last time." 

"Mom, it just happened. I had my eyes shut so hard, I wasn't aware I had frozen them till I opened my eyes."

Jason started after Eric finished his last sentence, "Trish, I was there watching the whole thing. One moment I saw them charging like raging bulls and in the next moment they just froze inches before their punches were able to connect."

Trish sighed. "I guess I'll have to train Eric some more. Enough of that now though, let's get you two home so you can get your homework done. Jerry and I are going out for dinner tonight. He's acting odd and won't tell me where we are going, but he seems to be excited, so it must be somewhere special."

Eric was looking at his mother as she spoke. When she finished, he turned his attention to Jason who was also looking at him at the same time. They realized at the same moment that his mom was saying that they would get to stay together that evening.

"COOL!!!!!!!!" Both boys chorused excitedly.

The ride home was uneventful. Eric was looking out the window when he noticed something strange in the sky. It looked to him, as though there was something odd just hanging in the sky. At first he was puzzled, and turned his attention to his mother to say something, but no words could form. He then looked back out the window and the object was no longer there. He let out a sigh and tried to pretend he had never seen anything. It wasn't much longer before Trish was parking the car in their driveway.

Jason was about to get out the door when Trish started talking. "Before you go Jason." Trish waited as Eric turned to read his mother's lips, "I want you both to do whatever homework you have, that way you can fully enjoy the weekend once it's all done. I know its Friday and you don't want to do it till Sunday, but please trust me, it's for the best."

Both boys groaned. "But mom..." Eric started to talk, but was interrupted by his mom waving her hand. "Sorry EC, like I said, you'll thank me later for it." Trish made sure it was final when she opened the door to exit her car. She could hear them sigh. "Yes ma'am," Both boys chorused.

It didn't take very long for Eric to complete his homework assignments. All he had was math, some English, a short essay on some history regarding World War 2, and science. Eric always enjoyed every class he attended. He was nearly a straight A student, but lacked some physical activity. His performance was average at best when it came to physical education. It was the only course Eric struggled with, in school.

Eric sighed when he finished the last part of his homework. "Aaahhhhhhhhh!" He stretched his arms and legs as he sat at the desk. "All done!" 

As Eric began putting all his homework away in his backpack, a shadowy figure approached his bedroom door.

"BOOOOOO!!" A loud voice echoed in his room.

"AAAhhhhhhh!!" Eric jumped and turned to the door to see a giggling Jason.

"Dude!" He began as he giggled some more, "You should have seen the look on your face!" 

Eric growled then darted towards his boyfriend. "Time to pay for that Jason!"

Jason was still giggling as Eric reached him and began tickling his sides. Jason suddenly realized the tickle torture had caused him the need to use the bathroom.

"Wait! Hehehehehe! Eric! Hahahahahaha! STOP please! I'm gunna peeeeeeeeeee!" Eric managed to catch the last part as he looked at his torture slave. Once he stopped, Jason calmed down a bit before getting up and headed towards the bathroom in a flash. Eric just shook his head laughing.

"Serves you right for scaring me like that!" He shouted.

Just as Eric finished his last statement, Jason exited the bathroom, dashed towards Eric's bedroom then tackled the surprised boy who was just about to stand up, knocking Eric to the floor.

"Umph!" Eric grunted as he landed then was jumped on by Jason. Jason wanted to return the tickle torture, but thought of something that would catch Eric off guard. Instead of tickling him, Jason planted a deep wet kiss, which lasted several moments. All the racket had attracted unwanted attention as the boys were sharing a moment.

"Ahem!" Jerry and Trish cleared their throats at the same time hoping to get the boys' attention without scaring them.

Jason broke the kiss at the faint sound, and looked at Eric in the eyes. Eric had a clear view of his parents looking at them with their arms crossed. When Jason noticed Eric turning several shades of red, he began to redden as his head tilted to look towards the door.

"Oh! Hi!" An embarrassed Jason spoke up.

"Eric was supposed to be finishing his homework just about..." Jerry was interrupted by Eric's voice, "Daaaaaaaaaaad! It's done!" Eric moaned just as Jason was rolling off him. The obvious tents in their shorts caused them to blush more.

Trish and Jerry looked at each other and chuckled. "I suppose I could let you have your fun, but, we really need to be leaving shortly. It seems my husband has remembered our anniversary and we are going out to dinner. Eric, go wash up and get your things ready. You're having dinner with Jason and his parents." Trish said as she turned her attention to Jerry, "Ready, sexy?"

This caught Jerry off guard to which he blushed some, as the whole night was his idea. "Uhh...honey...they're watching us..." Jerry's voice trailed off as Trish began pressing her lips against Jerry's.

Eric and Jason exchanged looks with each other and made a silly face. "Ewww, get a room you two!"

Trish and Jerry broke the kiss to look over at the boys and stuck their tongue out at them then giggled. The boys just shook their heads.

Once Trish and Jerry made their way down the steps, Jason stood first, and then helped Eric up. "Hold on a sec, lemme get my stuff first." Eric was about to gather his underwear and some other items but Jason stopped him with a squeeze. "Ah, get it later, it's almost dinner time."

"You sure?" Eric asked.

"Positive. You have the key to your house?"

"Yup."

"All right, let's go!"

Both boys walked out of Eric's bedroom to head over to Jason's house. Just as they were coming down the steps, Jerry and Trish were getting ready to leave. As everyone exited the house, Eric gave his parents a hug and said their 'goodbyes' and 'have funs'. Jason just waved them a good bye as he watched Eric's parents get in the car and drive off.

"I love you." Eric whispered into Jason's ear, as he watched his parents drive to their destination.

"What for?" Jason looked back at Eric puzzled.

Eric had a mile wide grin, "Just for you being you."

Jason grinned, "Love you more."

Both boys hugged each other for a while. Once the hug was broken up, they gave each other a kiss then walked towards Jason's house for dinner.

Just as the boys entered Jason's house, Jack was walking towards them as if he was about to head outside. "Ah there you are. We were beginning to wonder when you'll get here! Go wash up, the food's getting cold."

At the mention of food, both boys rushed to the bathroom to wash up. They then joined Jason's parents at the dining room table.

Eric's eyes grew wide at the amount of food in front of him. They had stuffed chicken with stove top stuffing topped with gravy, green beans, scalloped potatoes, garlic bread, and a side of salad. The boys attacked the food once they stacked their plates almost as high as Mt. Everest.

Joyce and Jack just shook their heads as they began to eat slowly, enjoying every bite.

Both boys were about to get their second helpings of food when Joyce spoke up. "You two aren't even going to save room for dessert, are ya? We have triple chocolate fudge cheesecake for later if you're interested."

At the mention of chocolate, both boys froze in midair then looked at each other. Both loved chocolate. They looked at each other, then at Jason's parents. All they could do was to start grinning wider, and then return to their seats. Once Jack and Joyce finally finished eating, Eric and Jason began taking the plates to be put into the dishwasher and helped with cleaning up. This surprised Jack and Joyce, they never really expected them to, but were happy, nonetheless.

Joyce and Jack's ears perked up as Jason began to speak up while they left the dining room. "Hey Eric, I wanna show you something really cool I found on the Internet!" Eric just nodded. Just as Eric was nodding, Jason's parents shouted, "JASON AUSTIN ROSS! Don't you dare! We don't need another poor boy getting addicted with those silly sounds!"

"Moooooooom! Daaaaaaaaaaaad!" Jason whined.

Jack and Joyce just chuckled and shook their heads.

As both boys were done with the cleanup, they headed to Jason's bedroom so he could show Eric what he had discovered.

The computer was already on with the Weebls website displaying on his screen. Eric had seen the website before, but never really paid attention to it. What caught his attention was, he was watching a Lord of the Rings version of the badger jumping jacks. As Eric was watching, Jason turned up the sound so he could listen to the music better, but of course, Jason later told Eric what words were said during the animation. (Go to http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/special+edition/ for more information!)

Eric was in a fit of giggles after the scene finished. Once Eric stopped giggling, he looked at Jason.

"Someday, I'll have that playing on my alarm clock! It'll be a great way to wake up in the morning!" Jason said with a touch of excitement.

Eric just shook his head secretly wishing he could be able to hear without the need for his hearing aid. Jason saw this and hugged him. Once they broke the hug, both boys went downstairs to watch a movie with Jason's parents. It was family night, and both boys had pre-selected a movie to watch. They wanted to see Ice Age as Eric had never seen it before. He didn't think it would interest him, but boy! Was he wrong!

Throughout the movie, everyone was either "making aawwww sounds, or in a fit of giggles". They thoroughly enjoyed the movie and thought it was a good one. They did catch an advertisement for Ice-Age 2: The Meltdown and made a mental note to check it out once it was released.

Joyce left the boys chattering amongst themselves while she went to get dessert ready. Once she walked back in the room, carrying two plates of her cheesecake she had mentioned earlier, the room grew silent as they watched the delicious cake being presented to them. Joyce chuckled then headed into the kitchen, to grab herself and her husband a plate, and then sat down. Everyone ate in near silence. As the boys had their fill, they considered getting some more, but thought better of it. Then Jason asked what the next movie was. They had three movies planned for the night, but Joyce and Jack only managed to watch two of them before going to bed.

Sometime during the final movie, Eric and Jason were cuddling together and falling asleep like they usually did. Jack entered the room, sometime during the middle of the night, to find both boys next to each other sleeping. He chuckled and proceeded to wake them up. As he did, both boys muttered something alien to Jack, but he ignored their comments and shook them some more for extra measure. Eric was rubbing his eyes while Jason was stretching his arm and leg muscles. Eric then followed suit and yawned. He suddenly realized he had forgotten to collect his stuff he needed to bring over from earlier.

"Ah drat, I need to run home and collect my underwear, toothbrush and paste so I can get ready for bed."

"Want me to come with you?" Jason asked.

"Naaa, I'll be fine." Eric said with some tiredness.

"Be careful out there, Eric." Jack cautioned.

"I will."

Several minutes later Eric returned with his bag of clothes and other stuff he had added to it, then headed to Jason's room. When he entered, Jason was already laying in bed with the sheets half covering his bare chest along with the rest of his body. Eric grinned when Jason patted a spot in his bed that was empty. As Eric walked towards the bed, he stripped his clothes, leaving only his boxers, then slipped under the covers next to Jason. Jack walked in and chuckled at the two boys in the same bed and shook his head. After the 'goodnights' and 'I love yous' were said and done, Jack turned off the light and left the boys alone in their room.

Both boys giggled for a few minutes but the giggling became silent, as both were lost in each other's arms and lips. The kiss did not last very long as they were very tired from a long day and fell asleep in each other's arm.

The next morning came all too fast and Jack was the first one awake. He went to check on the boys before he did his normal bathroom routine and returned chuckling at the sight he saw. Eric and Jason were in tangles, it was hard to see whose arm and leg belonged to whom. Jack decided to get the camera to take a picture and wake his wife so she could see the cute sight for herself.

After Jack took a few pictures, he really wanted to wake them up, but decided to let them sleep in a little longer, seeing how they deserved it after yesterday.

An hour and a half later, Eric woke up with something poking his chest and too much pressure being applied against his bladder. Eric giggled at the feeling, which woke Jason from his sleep. He, too, giggled, but the giggling did not last long as they really had to run to the bathroom to pee.

Once both boys were downstairs, they ate their breakfast, did some chores to help clean up after they were done, then took a shower together. Jack and Joyce were going to take the boys on a shopping trip for groceries and a present for Jerry and Trish's upcoming wedding anniversary.

The day went by pretty fast and Eric had to go home once the Rosses pulled into their driveway.

"Hey, I'll catch ya at school Jase." Eric said while closing the car door.

Jason waited for Eric to walk around the car so he could give him a hug and kiss. "I love you, Eric."

"Love you too." Both boys, in sign language, were signing the 'I love you' sign as Eric walked away towards his house.

Once Eric arrived in his house, he saw his mom and dad sitting in the living room reading a book. They looked up to greet their son, "Hi, honey, have fun?" Trish asked first, "Not too much fun, I hope?" Jerry added with a chuckle.

Eric whined, "Daaaad!" He paused for a moment, "But yes we had fun."

"Dinner is almost ready. Go wash up and we'll eat when you get back." Trish said as she closed the book she was reading and stood to stretch.

Eric headed upstairs to wash up, but noticed something was off. His clothes were scattered all over the floor. **Mom must be doing laundry. ** He shrugged, thought nothing of it and headed back downstairs.

Sometime after dinner, everyone went into the living room, after cleaning up and putting the food away, to relax and watch T.V. Shortly after the T.V. was turned on, Eric fell right to sleep. Jerry and Trish chuckled silently after exchanging looks with each other.

It was 10pm when Jerry finally decided to carry Eric upstairs to bed. He knew taking his clothes off would wake him, so he decided to leave them on. At the same moment, he heard the phone ring, but was sure Trish would answer it.

5 minutes later, after Jerry tucked in his son and headed back downstairs to see who called, Trish was already hanging up the phone with a startled look on her face. Jerry grew concerned, "Trish, what's wrong?"

"Someone called..." Trish said softly with tears in her eyes and pausing between words, "about... Matt... some... information... which... we... need to meet with someone about... now."

Jerry's shocked expression was priceless. He wasn't sure whether to believe that person at the end of the phone or not, but it was a lead for them. Trish immediately picked up the phone and dialed the Ross residence to explain what happened and where they were going. Before she hung up, she asked them to watch the house and Eric, but also told Jack he was sleeping.

Moments later, Trish and Jerry headed out the door in a mad rush.

"I thought they'd never leave." A gruff voice came from the kitchen as a figure came out of its hiding spot in the garage followed by another one.

Eric woke up wondering how he got in his own bed, but he had to use the bathroom. After he finished, he walked downstairs to check on his parents, but found two strange men standing in his living room with gas cans in each hand. His eyes grew wide as he read their minds. He darted towards the front door hoping to escape them. The large man dropped the canisters and took off after Eric. He barely managed to get to the door in time to slam it shut and grab Eric by the arm to keep him from running any further. Eric struggled for a few seconds then slammed his fist into the man's crotch. Eric's captive withdrew his hold as he groaned loudly. As painful as it was, he managed to still block Eric's only path of escape, causing him to run up the steps.

"Aahhhh! Hey Rocco! Torch the house! Then meet me upstairs!" The gruff man sneered. "But make it look like a robbery and arson!"

"Sure thing, Buster!" Rocco shot back as he began pouring gasoline and nabbing a few valuable items as he could find.

Once he finished his task, he lit a match and threw it on the floor. Flames erupted swiftly all over the kitchen and dining room. Rocco took his cue to join Buster who was already upstairs looking for Eric.

Eric was giving Buster a hard time as he was very well hidden, but Buster eventually found him hiding in the corner of the closet. Eric tried to dart past Buster, but he instantly grabbed Eric by the back of his shirt before he made his way to the window.

---

Somewhere behind a gas station, same moment -

Jerry guided their SUV slowly into the alley behind the gas station and waited for a few minutes. Trish began to wonder if it was all a lie to get them out of the house, but she still couldn't figure out why. It was the moment when a mothers' intuition takes over as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach.

Trish gasped at a frightening thought, which caused Jerry to stop looking outside and towards his wife, "What's wrong?"

"Head home, NOW!" Trish hollered, "Something bad is going to happen! I've had my suspicions, but it seems they wanted us out of the house and for what?"

Jerry appeared to be in deep thought then his eyes lit up, "You can't mean..."

"...They want Eric!" Trish finished.

"Shit!" Jerry exclaimed as he turned the Tahoe around and slammed on the gas. They were a good 40-minute drive away and hoped they wouldn't be too late.

Just as Rocco reached the top of the stairs, he spotted Buster holding a struggling Eric in his arms. "Let me go!" Eric shouted.

"Silence you lil shit!" Buster spat. "Or I'll silence you!"

Eric had no idea what the gruff man said to him, but Rocco spoke up as he noticed the hearing aid Eric was wearing. "Jeez Bus, he's deaf for cryin' out loud!"

"SO?!" Buster nearly shouted.

"Never mind, unless you want to face Sid's wrath for hurting him any further."

Buster just grunted at the mention of Sid. "Like he really knows what's happening here!"

"Ah, but he will. You'll see." Rocco was shaking his head after he spoke.

"HELP!" Eric shouted at the top of his lungs. "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

"Yellin' for help ain't gonna help ya! Everyone's sleeping!" Rocco said, after making sure Eric was watching him.

Just as Rocco finished his statement, he heard someone else outside. It was Jason screaming. "ERIC! NO! DON'T LEAVE ME! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The last thing Eric saw was Jason screaming at the top of his lungs. As Jason was struggling, his dad was holding him back, preventing him from going into the intense flames.

Rocco pulled out a device and pressed it. In an instant, they were transported outside to the woods with a clearing in the center of it. With another click, the shuttle began to appear out of thin air. Eric's eyes widened and he screamed furiously to try and get free, but it was no use. A second later Buster knocked Eric unconscious.

"At least we'll have some quiet on the way home!"

Rocco just stared at Buster then entered the shuttle to prepare for their departure. They decided through, to hang around for a bit, to make sure things went the way they had planned.

The sound of fire trucks could be heard throughout the neighborhood as a fire had erupted from a house in the center of a cul-de-sac at 11pm. Neighbors have been desperately trying to put the fire out in the hopes of saving anyone who may have been trapped inside the burning home. Once the firemen arrived they told the neighbors to leave it to the professionals.

Forty minutes later, the fire was out, but smoke filled the night sky. The firemen went to search for survivors but found nothing. Just then, a Chevy Tahoe came to a screeching stop beside the fire truck. Jerry and Trish ran straight towards the house screaming for their son, only to be stopped by the firemen. The fire marshal was watching the event unfold and walked over to the grief stricken parents with a surprised look on his face. He wasn't expecting the burnt house to belong to his friends.

"Trish... Jerry...? I thought..." The fire marshal couldn't help but glance at Trish and Jerry then towards their house and back at them. "Thank god you are all alright! When we got the call, and then you weren't outside, I feared the worst!"

Jerry spoke quickly, "Dale, we received a phone call telling us to leave; we made sure Eric was watched from next door! Can you please tell me he wasn't in there? We have to know! Eric was in there!"

Dale was speechless and surprised at the mention of their son. Dale had been a friend to the Shannons for a year since they moved into the neighborhood. He really liked being their friend. 

Just as Dale started to open his mouth, Jason came running over shouting "Jerry! Trish! Eric was trapped in there!" He had arrived with tears all over his face from crying over the loss of his boyfriend. "I'm sorry Trish, Jerry, but we tried our best and we never saw Eric anywhere."

Jack was right behind Jason as he joined up. Joyce was watching the events from the porch of her house. She was holding a cell phone in her hand and weeping silently.

Jack spoke up, "I should have come over even when you told us not to, dammnit!"

"Dad, you can't blame yourself!" Jason exclaimed. "It's not your fault. If I hadn't gone to sleep, I could have tried to get there sooner!" 

"No, son, you both would have been killed in the process."

With that Trish and Jerry broke into heavy tears. Dale, Jason, and Jack tried to console them, but it wasn't doing them any good.

An evil snicker could be heard from the small shuttlecraft in the nearby woods not far from where they lit the fire. "At least the hard part is done!" commented Rocco, who was behind the controls with a hint of triumph in his voice. 

"Yea well at least the damn kid didn't give us too much trouble!" Buster retorted. "Get us out of here and engage the cloak. It's time to pick up our payment!"

With that the shuttle became invisible and launched into the air quietly.

Once the shuttle was out of sensor range of Earth's primitive satellites, they opened a temporal vortex, which formed a ripple in space, large enough for the shuttle to enter. Once the shuttle entered it, the ripple closed. Little did they know, one of Earth's largest satellites had captured all the events that took place. This was kept quiet by the Earth government.

Three hundred years later, somewhere in deep space, the shuttle appeared after a ripple had formed. Once it was safely away from the ripple, it closed and the shuttle disengaged its cloaking device. Rocco sent out a transmission for permission to board a ship, however it was nowhere in sight. Moments later, a large vessel, The Vulture, appeared directly in front of the shuttlecraft. 

"Permission granted, see you in bay 1. Sid will see you there shortly" was all that could be heard on the shuttle. Moments later they found themselves slowly guiding the shuttle into the bay. Once the shuttle was settled, Rocco preformed the shutdown procedure and opened the hatch. All of a sudden the boy had regained conscious and for a short time he looked confused, then angry. He closed his eyes, deep in thought and commanded two guards to step forward and fire their rifles at the two shuttle pilots. With one blast each, they fell dead. As they were falling, the large bay doors opened and a tall man entering the bay clapping. The tall man was none other than Sid himself.

"As to be expected of someone with such powers!" Sid spoke with glee. "You just saved me from having to pay those two." He looked at the guards and raised his hand in an unfamiliar gesture, wanting them to leave. As the guards were leaving, one turned and spoke up "Sorry Boss, we have no idea what came over us."

Sid just waved his hand indicating things were ok. With that the guard left the room and he walked over to the weeping child. **So it seems you can control people's thoughts with ease, as well as read minds. ** Sid thought telepathically. **And no Eric, you aren't the only one with such a gift! **

Eric just looked up in surprise with wide eyes after hearing in his thoughts what the boss said. Sid stared back. There was more to the child than met the eye: he knew very well of his 'gift', from the time he was 5 and he also knew how to search deeper in anyone's mind without them knowing it. After shifting from his surprised look to looking down at his feet, he adjusted his composure to focus for a minute before breaking the connection. A horrified look came across his face then tears. The next sensation he had was a feeling that made him really sleepy.

Several hours later, Eric woke up in a room filled with guards on every side and their rifles were pointed at him. He knew what he had to do to protect himself. As Eric began to concentrate, the guards began to react, getting ready to shoot. Everything was in slow motion then suddenly everyone but Eric in the room collapsed. Blood could be seen running out of the guard's noses, as they lie on the ground motionless. The large steel gray doors opened with the boss clapping his hands at Eric. He stood there, chuckling with two guards standing behind him.

"Well, well, well, you obviously have more talent than I thought" Sid spoke in amusement. "It seems I have underestimated you after first discovering what you could do. I can train you and help develop your powers, but I would expect something in return!"

Eric's glare at Sid looked as if he was going to kill him, but something in his mind couldn't do it and then he passed out.

**Well it seems trying to read my mind was too much for you to handle. ** He thought to himself. Sid turned to the guards handing them each a small device "Guards take Eric to his den and wear this so he doesn't try and make you do his bidding."

With that they picked up the sleeping boy off the floor and carried him away. When the guards left, Sid spoke over the intercom, "Sid here, empty this room and clean it up good. I don't care what you do with the bodies, just get rid of them!"

After he heard an "aye sir" he left the room with the doors closing behind him.

Eric gasped as he shot up from his sleep. He was sweating and breathing hard as he searched the room.

He sighed as he began to think. **Jeez, just a dream of what happened. Why now?**

Just then the door slid open. Sid was standing in the door with a certain mischievous expression about him.

Eric shifted his attention as he saw Sid walk in. He quickly searched his thoughts trying to clear them, but he couldn't do it in time.

**Thinking about the past eh? ** Sid chuckled as he transmitted his thoughts to Eric.

Eric gasped as he saw a whip in Sid's hands and some sort of handcuffs in the other.

As the door slid shut, Eric screamed. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

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...To be continued...

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Author's Notes:

I realize now, that I had nothing to do with str8mayb's suggestion about writing 2 flashback scene's in a row, and for that I apologize, then again, they served some purpose to the story. I promise ch6 will solve SOME of the cliffy's. But for now, I gotta run as the CHP searches for me! Its not easy writing this since I am deaf, myself, but hey, it shows I CAN WRITE =)

-Hammy

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Editor number ones notes (you know the important one):

HEHEHE well it's finally edited. If chapter 6 doesn't resolve anything my officially sanctioned CHP shotgun WILL get a try out. Good chapter, I like the history here, but I want to know what happens not what happened!!!! Hehehe. Thanks for a good story hammy, even if it does take me forever to edit it. You're up Dibs!

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Chief Executive Editor, in charge of random commas;

Finally, I think I have some idea as to where the story may be going. Nice tactic I think, taking us into the past, so we can understand the future. Great chapter, and cannot wait for the next one. If there were any mistakes in the editing, blame Taron, I deny everything. Anyway, till next time, I shall bid you adieu - Some Weird Editing guy.