He had no clue what this was supposed to mean. If Chucky thought this guy would be able to replace his friend, he had baldy failed. Neil never could be replaced by anyone and especially not by a dumbfounded guy like that one. 'What a disgusting brown-noser.'

"Hey, fellows." Chuck greeted them, as usual with a toothpick in one corner of his mouth, smiling lordly.

"Hi!" Sarah replied still not having lost her mood. He threw a look at Angela and she understood, nodded that she thought the same.

"Uhm…Chuck, may I have a second with you?" Kurt asked him.

"Sure, what's the problem?" He and Chuck went out of the diner. This guy shouldn't listen to that. It wasn't his fault that his father was such an asshole.

"Chuck what's that supposed to mean?" He started, without hiding his irritation.

"What?"

"Him! I mean, why is he here?" Kurt knew that Chuck only played the role of the innocent although he knew he wasn't.

"We've lost one and I thought it was time to bring a replacement." 'A replacement? How? This guy has no idea of anything and obviously he isn't a quarter as intelligent as…' He was dragged out by Chuck.

"I told him and Paige everything and when I asked my son if he would like to help, he said yes. Where's the problem?" He had trouble to believe that this man ignored the fact that there had been another son, who now was probably somewhere in Canada.

"He doesn't know anything." This guy hadn't been with them in this shuttle. He never had seen a synthetic or a sentient, he never had seen what these freaks were able to do to reach their aim.

"Listen Kurtrude, he can be very helpful for us. He has … the balls one needs for this mission. He knows how to execute an order and he already entered NASA." He hated this arrogant know it all voice

"Yeah, but he's going to fail." He reminded Chuck of this little, but important fact.

"Not this time. I sit down next to him and help him. That's what I should have done earlier I know, but better late than never. And to be honest in a shuttle nobody needs this entire math and physics stuff." This sentence blew his top. Chuck put all efforts into this guy who wasn't worth for it. Okay, that was not the nicest way of thinking about someone, but he already had gotten so much attention and…what about Neil? Who cared for him? This man just couldn't pretend as if his youngest never had existed, as if his son didn't mean anything to him, it just wasn't fair.

"Yes, but this math and physics stuff had been quite helpful for us, especially because one had a lot of knowledge about it." He began to bark.

"Okay, I see as usual we have complete different point of views, but this had been my decision and I go through with it, also without you." With these words Chuck went back and he stood there, outside, not knowing what was going on, not knowing how to survive this.

"Chuck damn it, you can't replace Neil with such a nutbar!" he called out. Chuck didn't care.

He had talked to Angela and both had come to the conclusion that they should tell them. At least that they should tell Chuck, who seemed to have forgotten the entire existence of his youngest. Maybe if they reminded him of that, he would rethink his decision concerning Marc. He couldn't believe that Chuck might have forgotten his youngest even put his golden boy into his position. He rang the doorbell. The door was opened by Marc.

"Hello Kurt Mendel?" He asked.

"Dr. Kurt Mendel." He added. He couldn't hide his antipathy towards this guy. He knew it wasn't his fault that his little brother left. 'Shit of cours is it his fault. He did nothing to show his father how wrong his behaviour was and he also did nothing to find his little brother. I'm sure he hadn't had the guts to defend Neil. I'm sure he never would have done, because he's much too afraid of the old commander.'

"Alright, sorry…it's still a bit strange for me, this whole odyssey thing."

"Yeah, it's a bit strange at the beginning as well as in the middle and at the end. May I talk to your Dad?" Thanks God he had found his politeness back.

"Sure, would you like to come in?"

"Yes, thank you."

He sat in the living room, waiting for Chuck to come. He heard noises from the kitchen. Paige Taggart was singing along a song resounding out the radio. 'What a fucked up family. Neil must have been the only one with heart.' He remembered how often he worried this mission might endangering his Mum or his brother. How often did he also worry about his Dad? How often did he worry about Sarah when she seemed to break down under the fight for her son or for Angela when her father once too often had taken actions against her will? How often had he looked at him asked what was wrong? This boy had been such damn warm hearted and nobody ever had given something back to him. He remembered when he once had told him that he should stop caring about what his parents said and did or rather not said and not did. He had tried to explain him that he should stop caring for his family. He remembered how this boy only answered a leopard cannot change its spots.

Chuck came and sat down in front of him. Marc remained with them.

"Marc, I hope you don't mind, but this is something between your father and me." He asked him politely to clear out.

"Oh, yeah sure, sorry." And then he was gone.

"I guess I know what this conversation is going to be about?" Chuck started.

"I only wanted to let you know that I've met Neil in Vancouver." He spit out. There was no need for beating around the bush.

"Well, that's news, but why do you tell me?" This reply said it all. Talking to Chuck about his youngest was nothing but wasted time. He got up.

"I just thought you wanted to know where he is, for the case you decide to look for him again." He was full of rage. This bloody indifference, he wasn't able to believe all this. He never had met such indifferent parents. Okay, Neil was twenty-three or even twenty-four now, but this was no reason to pretend as if he never had existed, this was no excuse for what they did to him, for the way they treated him.

"Kurt, he had made his decision and went off. He never had gotten in touch withus, so why shell we waste our precious time to do that?"

"Sorry, I really didn't know that you're such an indifferent asshole." He went off. Before he was able get into his car he was stopped by a gentle female voice.

"Dr. Mendel, pleas wait a second." He remained until Paige Taggart had reached him.

"Sorry that I listen to you, but you told my husband that you've met Neil?" She asked him in a shaky voice.

"Yes, but as I see in this household is nobody concerned about the youngest." He was fed up by this family. Nobody ever could make him believe that anyone of these people really cared. They were relieved that Neil never had come back that was for sure.

"That's not true! I DO miss my baby. I want him back so bad." She was close to cry, but he didn't trust these tears, tears for the fact that their holly family didn't exist, but no tears for their youngest. If they were, she already would have moved heaven and earth to find him, but she had done nothing.

"Oh yeah you do, I'm sure and thus you've decided to have a nice little vacation in Mexico."

"I didn't go to Mexico. I've been in Arizona, at my parents. I needed to think about all what has happened, to get Chuck persuaded that his attitude is wrong." He only shook his head. He wasn't in the mood for this. He wasn't in a mood for getting caught in a net of lies.

"Chuck…I don't wanna talk bad about him…but it's him. He says that it's no use to look for Neil, and that we should let him go." She started to explain.

"He's afraid. He's afraid that he gets lost in his son's shadow, how he as child got lost in his sister's shadow." She went on. Telling probably something she hadn't told anyone before. Something which lay heavily on her heart.

"But I need to see my baby again. I need to see him. And now after you've told me that he's in Canada, so far away, I'm dieing of worry. Please tell me where he is and please tell me that he's fine!" She began to beg. She really meant it. Every word she said, about being worried about her youngest. She had told him a big secret, he knew that. She covered up one of her worse family secrets. If he told her, this could be the first step for Neil to improve his relationship to his parents.

"I've met him in Vancouver. He was fine. I wasn't sad or anything." He began. There was no need to tell her the whole truth. That Neil must have had a bad accident.

"Oh my God. Where? Where in Vancouver lives he?" She now sounded so full of hope and he felt lousy because now he had to break down this hope.

"I don't know. I only saw him once. He even didn't want to talk to me." The last sentence was a lie, but he didn't have to make things worth as they already were.

"Dr. Mendel I know you think about me like a brute of a mother, but that's not true." Not? And how did she call what she had done over years to her son?

"Really, and thus you didn't even recognize that your son is a genius? And thus you didn't recognize that he was starving for a little love, comfort and support?" He can't hold back his anger about all this.

"I always felt that he was special but…this sounds weak but what could I have done…Chuck tried to ignore this fact, because of his fear. I so often tried to explain him that he didn't need to be afraid and that we needed to nurture this boy, but he didn't take it serious and … Neil just slipped away further and further and at the end I only was afraid he once might be on the fast way of destruction…at least he already was on this way…I only want him back, take him into my arms again. Please Dr. Mendell help me to find my baby." Was he able to do so? Could he refuse an obviously worried mother her wish to find her son?

"Please, you can do that. But I just can't. It would destroy my marriage and I can't lose both, my baby and my husband. I need them, both. Being in uncertainty about my son is killing me." He looked at her. She meant it. She was dieing, he saw it in her eyes, which looked empty; in her gesture, which showed that she was lost; in her whole appearance, which had lost all its brightness and agility.

"I …really want him back…" She got interrupted by her own sobs.

"Mrs. Taggart, Paige, I promise, I'll do what I can, but I can't promise that I'll can bring him back."

"Dr. Mendell don't worry about that. I only need to know where I can find him."