(Ten)

Cameron Bishop stood with his arms crossed, his face purple from the light of the video screens. He stood in front of a huge bank of viewing screens in his office, watching Kimble romp. "Well, he certainly is talented," he commented with a soft chuckle.

Kyle sat in a backwards chair, his arms resting across the back. He didn't approve of the cameras, but was in no position to argue. He wondered how many films Cameron had of him. He was a frequent visitor himself in the many rooms of the Club. He had brought Kimble here for inspection, but wanted to talk to Cameron first. He had expressed his reservations about Kimble's being this protector as Cameron had suggested. He was just too child like and innocent. Well, at least on the inside. What he was doing now, no mere child would even consider. Kimble could romp and play with the most skilled in the purple room. It had been something of a surprise.

Cameron hadn't addressed Kyle's concerns. He was watching the screens and being very quiet as he mulled over what Kyle had told him. The fact was Cameron had hyped up Kimble's status so he would be readily accepted and accommodated here among his crew. Joshua had warned him that Kimble would be unusual and might not integrate as easily as other recruits.

"Are you sure he's the one?" Kyle said, interrupting the older mans's thoughts.

"I think so, yes. He fits the description Joshua gave us. Look how beautiful, the Mark," he commented, pointing to the Honor Sword. Cameron cocked his head and squinted as he watched Kimble play. "How does he do that...?"

Kyle cleared his throat and looked away. He hadn't seen what Cameron was joking about and wasn't enough of a spy to probe any further. "He seems to have some shape shifting ability, or at least he mentioned it. He's telekinetic. He can fly."

"I see. What are his ambitions?"

"Not much more than you see there."

"He's not interested in his powers?"

"I wouldn't say that. He loves to fly."

"Good. Let's put him in the mule pool. The more he's out and around, the faster he'll find the LaRoo."

"How do you know he'll stay?"

Cameron laughed. "I'll give him unlimited access to the Club. That should satisfy him."

"He'll want to see his family."

"Leon will bind him to us." Cameron paused. "I want you to be his handler."

"You know I don't work like that. I just bring them in. The rest is up to you."

"This is a special case. He trusts you. I could see this as you came in. He listens to you. Do this for me. I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important."

"No."

Cameron turned away from the screens to scrutinize him. "Why not?"

"It didn't work out so well the last time."

The last time Cameron had asked this of him there had been trouble. A handler was a special instructor, one who worked one on one with a powerful new recruit that was considered a risk to others until they were better trained in the use of their power. Kyle had been a handler only once before. He had been given a lovely young female telekinetic and dove into his role with enthusiasm, believing he could do the job well. What happened instead was they fell in love, a result from working so closely together. She wasn't stable and when Kyle tried to back out, she was distraught and committed suicide. It wasn't pretty and Kyle was never the same afterwards. He refused to be anyone's handler ever again.

"This time will be different, Kyle. This is much too important to leave to anyone else. This is the culmination of all of our work."

"Don't you think you're relying too much on what Joshua has told you?"

"He hasn't failed me yet."

Kyle considered his options. He looked up at Kimble on the screen. Kimble lay sandwiched between the lovely blonde and another young man. Kimble's eyes were half closed and dreamy as he moved his body among them. The other two seemed spellbound by him, trapped in place by his arms, his legs, his telekinetic power. They were breathing all together as one being, connected by Kimble's sparkling whiteness. Kyle found it hard to equate this sexual animal with the childish personality he knew was there inside of it. It just didn't seem right. He was so beautiful to Kyle as he relished his passion as intensely as he had the flight to get here. Kyle shook his head, unbelieving. He couldn't do this. He couldn't sucker in another beautiful creature only to see it destroyed by Cameron's ambitions.

Cameron saw Kyle's silent refusal. "If not you, someone else. It will be easier for all of us if you handle him."

"You don't need me."

On the silent video screen, Kimble relaxed and laughed. He turned his head to kiss the young man behind him. The man whispered something and turned away. He had been content to give Kimble a tumble, but wanted nothing more. Some of the light went out Kimble's eyes. He wanted to cuddle after, but his partners left him. Cameron noticed Kimble's look of disappointment. "He needs you."

"No he doesn't," Kyle replied. He stood up and put the chair back in its place. "You want me to play babysitter. I don't work that way. He's yours. You deal with him." He got up and walked out.

Kyle found Kimble downstairs in one of the red velvet booths. He was laying across the bench, his legs crossed and comfortable. He had just showered in one of the lavish public bathrooms here and his hair was still wet. His eyes were half open and unfocused as he dreamed of some other place. He had a half drunk bottle of beer on the table and a lit cigarette burning unnoticed in the hand that rested on the table. Melany was a perfect hostess and had seen to his needs, pouring him drinks and giving him a pack of cigarettes to make him comfortable until Kyle returned. He didn't look up as Kyle sat on the bench opposite him. Kyle snapped his fingers in front of Kimble's eyes. "Hey?"

Kimble didn't startle and Kyle realized that Kimble wasn't dreaming, just terribly sad.

"You feel okay?"

Kimble nodded, his eyes heavy and mournful. "Feel pretty good actually. Just stepped out fer a minute, is all." Kimble's voice was anything but happy and Kyle knew something was wrong.

"Where did you go?" he joked, trying to get Kimble to lighten up.

"Siska."

"What's at Siska?"

"My father. I miss my father. Just ain't the same with him gone."

Kyle was confused. Was Kimble talking about sex? "What isn't the same?"

Kimble just looked at him, his mouth smiling now, but his eyes still terribly sad. "My father wuz the one what made me. I toldja I wuzn't human. I ain't even real. Never wuz. He made me, taught me, fucked me, loved me. Just now an' again, I remember what it wuz like ta be loved fer real and I feel all alone."

Kyle didn't quite get it. He remembered Kimble had said he had no parents. "Your father?"

"Not like yer father. I ain't never had no mother. He took some chemicals an' used his magic ta makes me. I wuz a program. Stupid fuckin' hologram what never took to the idear I wuz anathin' less than real. Sumpthin' happened ta me an' I got changed. Now I am real and still nuthin's better. My father is gone an I'm still all alone."

Kyle was quiet through Kimble's startling rant. Some of it he knew from what Cameron had told him, but the rest was a bit shocking. Still, Kyle's job was convince Kimble to remain here and ever the master at what he did, Kyle's voice was perfectly calm and reasonable as he said, "You're not alone, Kimble."

"Yes, I am. Didn'cha see me? I know you wuz watchin'. I could see the cameras. Neat trick, huh? How I kin gits them ta peak all at the same time like that? None a the other 'grams could do that, just me. Sheyman said it wuz cuz I kin feel 'em in my mind an' he's right. I kin sees inside people sometimes, but only when they're real close like that. He said it wuz a gift. If that's so, how come no one ever stays with me?" Kimble's voice ended in a plea, his eyes threatening tears.

Kyle shook his head and patted Kimble's hand, asking for patience. "I can't answer that because I'm not sure what's going on with you, Kim. I don't know you that well."

"Heh, I don't even know me...not no more. Wuz in fight on the way here, I got stabbed. Sawr my father in a dream. Sez ta me, ya cain't die just yet. Got you some work ta do, son. An angel, my LaRoo's gonna come find me. I sawr my father just as clear as I'm lookin' at ya right now. Fergot just how beautiful he wuz... I just had me a real good time right now but I feel all empty inside cuz he ain't here with me. Real fuckin' waste. Nuthin's been right since he left me."

Kyle considered what Kimble just told him. He had just confirmed what Joshua had predicted to Cameron. Kimble was waiting for the LaRoo, he must be the one. This was said with no prompting on Kyle's part. He was inclined to believe now Kimble was the ShaRain and that Joshua's strange prediction would come true. What disturbed him was Kimble's loneliness and lack of spirit after what should have been an uplifting experience. Kimble wasn't predictable or stable. He needed looking after.

"Why did he leave you?"

"He got sick and died. I wuz only 'bout eleven or so. Kept gittin' passed around after that, handler ta handler. Grew up real fast. I fergot about Sheyman's love and what it wuz like ta be cared for like that. Don' know why, but it just came on me tonight. I really miss him."

"It's okay to miss people, but you shouldn't be brooding over it. Why don't you tell me a little bit about how you got here. You also mentioned this person, Fallen. Tell me about her."

"All right."

Kimble briefly outlined who Fallen was and how she had found him shelved in a Dognan warehouse and brought him back to life. He left out the parts about Zander and the Clan. Those were private things and best forgotten. He went on to describe how Fallen's attempted suicide changed him forever and left him sort of stranded. He wasn't a hologram anymore. He didn't know what he was. Just that he needed energy as food to survive and had new powers he was only just learning how to use. Now he had gotten fried with the plasma and didn't yet know just what that was going to do to him, if anything. He wasn't happy that he couldn't shift. It worried him that he might be changed in other ways. He left out his internal trip to his private Black Room filled with the fractured remnants of his former selves. He wasn't sure what it meant and wasn't sure how Kyle would take it. He had made a new friend and didn't want to frighten him away or make him leave.

Kyle listened to Kimble's fantastic science fiction story with a kind of disbelief. If he hadn't seen Kimble melted and then resurrected himself, he wouldn't have accepted any of it. Now he wasn't sure how much was truth and how much was fantasy. He had to admit, his curiosity was piqued. Maybe he would stick around after all and make sure Kimble was properly taken care of. He wouldn't volunteer to be a handler, nothing would make him go that far again, but he would put Kimble on his team and train him with the others. He knew Cameron would readily accept the offer as a compromise. Maybe he could keep Kimble out of trouble. Not all of Cameron's people were good teachers or kind.

Kyle stood and held out his hand for Kimble to take. "You ready to meet my boss?"

"Uhm, shure. I guess," Kimble said. He wiped at his face and crushed out the cigarette that had burned out long ago. He rose and followed Kyle down the hallway to Cameron's office.