Disclaimer: not mine

He was too late.

There was smoke coming from the window of the living room. Jimmy quickened his pace, running through the open front door, and letting out a half gasp, half wail at the sight of his aunt and uncle, dead on the floor of the kitchen. Just like Hoshi's house, the pantry and cupboards had all been raided, and everything of value taken.

His heart pounding, Jimmy listened carefully, searching for any sign that the people who had done this were still present.

There was nothing, so he called out softly, "Cory? Lisa?" He then fell silent once more, hoping and praying to hear his cousins' replies.

A muffled thump came from upstairs, so Jimmy immediately headed in that direction, taking the stairs two at a time.

He found his cousins hiding in Cory's closet. There was a small cupboard at the back, hidden by clothes. Cory had shown it to him a while back, loving that he had a little hidey-hole to play in. Jimmy was never more thankful for that small cupboard than now. Cory was holding Lisa tightly, and the six-year-old girl had her head buried in her brother's shoulder, trying desperately not to make any noise.

Cory flinched and looked up, the relief spreading quickly across his face when he recognized his cousin crouching in front of him.

Jimmy didn't make any noise, as he hurriedly gestured for his cousins to exit the closet. Cory did so willingly, holding Lisa to his chest. His eyes were pleading, but he made no sound, and simply watched as Jimmy put a finger to his lips, and then picked up a bag off the floor, throwing a few articles of clothing into it, before he led the two younger children to Lisa's room, where he repeated the process.

The next stop was Jimmy's room – he didn't have much, but he packed a few shirts and pants, along with a blanket into his shoulder bag, dumping out everything except for the communicator Hoshi had given him to give him more room. He would have time later – hopefully – to use it, to get someone who could help, but for right now, they were alone, and he needed to get his cousins to safety. Hopefully, he could find his other friends as well.

On their way downstairs, Jimmy quietly told Cory to take Lisa and wait by the door. Cory almost protested, but a look from Jimmy deterred him; he didn't want to be separated from his cousin, but something in the older boy's gaze told him there was probably a good reason for it.

Indeed, Jimmy didn't want Cory and Lisa to see their parents, still lying dead in the kitchen. He searched around, trying to avoid looking at the couple that had been so much more than just an aunt and uncle to him, but the soldiers who had done this had taken pretty much everything that was edible with them. Jimmy was able to find a few things hidden in the back of the pantry, which he added to his bag quickly, before he went back to his cousins.

Lisa was still crying silently, and Cory looked to be in a state of shock. Jimmy glanced around, and noticed the sign tacked to their door. A proclamation. Condemning them to death. He gulped, but grasped Cory's arm and led him and Lisa away from the house. No one said anything as the trio all but ran towards the mountains, away from the city, away from the farms and the fields. In his and Tom's exploring, they had found an out of the way cave up there, and had outfitted it as sort of a fort, bringing blankets, and a lantern or two. It would make for a good place to hide out, until they could figure out what was going on, and how to stop it.

It was strange, Jimmy would reflect later, how in periods of crisis, time always seemed to progress in slow motion. The sun had barely moved its position in the sky when Jimmy led his cousins to the cave.

He pulled them towards the back, before he set down his bag and indicated for Cory to do the same. Looking at Cory, he sighed, biting his lip. "Stay here," he implored them. "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Cory asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. He had no idea what was going on. A loud crash from downstairs had interrupted him while he had been doing his homework, and a few moments later, his mother had thrust Lisa into his arms, telling them to hide, and to not come out no matter what. He was stuck upstairs, hearing everything, but unable to move. And then Jimmy had been there. He still didn't know what was going on, but he trusted his cousin to keep them safe. It was an unspoken thought, this last year and a half, but somehow, he just knew that his cousin was really much older than him, for all there was only a year of actual age between the two. Jimmy had lived much more than him, and if anyone could protect him and Lisa, it would be Jimmy.

Jimmy wrapped his arm around Cory, and then Lisa, hugging them both tightly. Pulling back, his gaze hardened. "I don't have time to explain everything now, Cory, but promise me you'll stay here." He waited for the younger boy to nod, before he left, with a parting, "There's enough food to get you through the day and probably tomorrow, if necessary." Cory looked like he wanted to protest again, but Jimmy just shook his head. "There's no time, Cory. I don't know how long I'll be gone, so please just listen to me."

Cory nodded hesitantly, and Jimmy wasted no time in departing. Once clear of the cave, he switched to an all out sprint, running as fast as he could back towards the farmland he had come to think of as home over the last year and a half.

His first thought was to see if the Leightons were all right. He knew where Tom lived, so he headed in that direction, stumbling as he noticed the smoke coming in waves ahead of him. Most of the houses in the area were burning, and a few soldiers were coming out of one of them. Jimmy ducked down, heading for the fields to hide.

It was sheer luck that he actually found his best friend.

Tom was hiding in the fields, surrounded by dead and decaying plant life. He jumped about a mile when Jimmy put a hand on his shoulder, but relaxed when he saw whom it was behind him.

Jimmy put a finger to his lips, crouching down and observing his friend. There was a wild fear in Tom's eyes, panic at what was going on, and why.

Jimmy shook his head slightly, telling Tom not to ask. It wasn't safe just yet. Instead, he put his mouth to Tom's ear, and spoke, his voice just barely audible. "Is there anyone else hiding nearby?" he breathed.

Tom bit his lip, looking around. He nodded, just once. "I saw a few kids heading for the fields." His voice was just as quiet.

Jimmy looked around, trying to see if anyone was visible. "Come on," he said distractedly, leading Tom through the tall grass.

The two fourteen year olds searched for several hours, and were rewarded when they found more kids hiding.

Jimmy didn't know all of them, and the names of his friends still unaccounted for weighed heavily on his mind as they indicated for the others to follow them.

Even through the grief, Jimmy was exceedingly glad that Anya was among one of the six that they had found.

A shout from behind them caused all to look, and then panic, as the fields began to smoke, the dry plants incinerating in the fire that had been started with alarming speed.

Jimmy got them all to follow him, as they quickly ran towards the mountains.

Cory and Lisa were waiting, and Lisa wasted no time in throwing herself into her cousin's arms, crying fiercely.

Jimmy comforted her as best he could, before he passed her off to her brother, who was looking very relieved to have Jimmy back.

"What's going on?" came from several of the kids he and Tom had led here.

Jimmy bit his lip, turning to face the group. He and Tom shared a glance. "I'm not really sure," Jimmy replied quietly, looking down briefly at his lie, before his gaze returned to the group. He didn't have time right now to think about what he had read in Kodos' files. There were more important things to worry about. "I need to get back to the city, to get more information. You'll all be safe here, so please, don't leave."

"I'm going with you," Tom said decisively.

Jimmy almost protested, but decided against it, as he knew his friend wouldn't leave him alone. So he just nodded, resigned. "Anya, you're in charge." The girl in question nodded, not even realizing that she was actually taking orders from a fourteen year old. None of them really thought about it – Jimmy had a reassuring presence, and those that knew him trusted him to lead them. Those that didn't, just trusted his steady calm.

"Who are you?"

That came from one of the kids he didn't know. When he studied the group, he realized that he actually knew only two of them – not counting Tom and his cousins. Anya, and one of her friends, April, had been hiding near Anya's homestead. The other four kids were strangers. Two of them appeared to be human, while one seemed to be Andorian, and another… well, Jim wasn't sure where she was from, but her skin was a pale blue, her eyes almost catlike and amber. He thought she may be Deltan, but he wasn't positive.

"We'll do introductions later," he decided, glancing at the cave's entrance. Looking back, he made a decision. Everything would change, and if what seemed to be happening was actually happening, it would be better if no one referred to him by his name. For the moment, Jimmy Spaulding should cease to exist. It would be safer. It was a good thing he had been so insistent on hiding his last name. Heaven forbid if Kodos realized that he actually had the son of a Federation hero in his grasp.

"Just call me JT." With that, he nodded to Tom, and the two teenagers ran out of the cave.

They made good time to the city, arriving before the afternoon was half gone.

The streets were silent, and made Jimmy's stomach curl with dread. A muted sound seemed to be coming from the city square, so the two boys headed in that direction.

Jimmy knew an out of the way entrance to the square, so they skirted around the main street, and headed around to the side, avoiding the guards he knew would be posted at the most likely position.

There was one guard at the out of the way entrance he knew, and Jimmy, brain churning along much quicker than most, located a large rock off to the side. He picked it up, and with an almost regretful sigh, threw it with deadly accuracy at the guard's head.

The man dropped to the ground, and Jimmy and Tom crept closer.

The square was packed, filled with nervous townspeople. Younger kids were crying, unsuccessfully comforted by their parents. Around the perimeter, guards were stationed, phasers clearly visible in their hands.

The city was equipped with a rather impressive speaker system, so that announcements could be made to the inhabitants when necessary. Over that sound system, a crackling voice was heard.

Jimmy gulped. He recognized Kodos' voice.

"The revolution is successful. But survival depends on drastic measures. Your continued existence represents a threat to the well being of society. Your lives mean slow death to the more valued members of the colony. Therefore, I have no alternative but to sentence you to death. Your execution is so ordered, signed Kodos, Governor of Tarsus IV."

Pandemonium ensued. Adults were now screaming along with the children. People were running left and right, as the guards began to fire into the crowd.

Jimmy and Tom immediately burst into action. Tom grabbed a nearby kid, approximately their age, and threw him towards the now clear exit, telling him hurriedly to wait outside, and keep out of sight.

Both teenagers grabbed as many kids as they could; a few adults realized what they were doing, and thrust their own children in the direction of the two boys, sobbing for them to get out.

Eventually, Jimmy knew that they couldn't stay any longer if they wanted to make it out themselves, so he directed Tom back to the exit, barely stopping to pick up a young boy who was still clasped in his mother's arms; the boy was crying, clearly trying to wake up his mother. The woman was staring ahead, her sightless eyes almost pleading in death.

Outside the square, Jimmy and Tom quickly found the kids they had already sent to relative safety, and with a few hushed words, led them down the silent streets out of the city. Behind them, they could hear the cries of the inhabitants, less and less noise being made as the minutes passed and fewer civilians were left alive.

Nobody spoke until they were beyond the oppressing buildings and dangerous surroundings. Once they had put some distance between them and what seemed to have become a kill box, Jimmy had them all stop and rest for a few minutes. He himself was exhausted from the day's events, and not everyone could hold a flat out sprint for so long without resting.

He set the boy he was still carrying down, and looked at the group in front of him. Several were crying, while others simply looked terrified. Most looked to be his age or younger, though there were one or two who seemed to be older.

Jimmy looked back in the direction of the city. No one appeared to be following them, which was good. He turned back to the other kids. They were all watching him and Tom now, their expressions clearly saying they trusted the two fourteen year olds to see them through this.

"Is everyone all right?" he asked, still keeping his voice quiet.

There were nods all around, and Jimmy turned to look at Tom, who had also had a passenger – in his arms was a toddler. Tom didn't say anything, but he continued to make soothing sounds to the small girl he was carrying.

Jimmy and Tom shared a significant look, before he focused back on the other kids, none of whom he knew. "We need to keep moving. This is Tom, and I'm… JT." It would take some time to get used to thinking of himself as something other than Jimmy, but until this mess was over, it was safer if Jimmy Spaulding disappeared. "We'll have a chance to explain later, but for right now, you need to follow us. We've got a safe place to stay."

With that, he picked up the boy he had been carrying, and proceeded to lead the group back to the cave.

Once back in the relative safety that their hideout provided them, Jimmy instructed everyone to take a seat.

The kids all gathered towards the back of the cave. Jimmy set the boy he was carrying down on one of the makeshift beds that he and Tom had set up, so long ago. Tom also set down the girl he had carried away from the city, and everyone else spread out around them.

The first thing they all did was make introductions. Jimmy – no, he was JT now – committed each and every name and face to memory.

All told, there were twenty-one of them, including Jim – no, JT. Anya, at seventeen, was the oldest, along with her friend April. Those two, plus Tom, Cory, and Lisa, were the only ones who knew his real name, so Jimmy made a mental note to speak with them soon about not telling anyone what they knew.

The kid he had plucked from his mother's grasp back in the city square introduced himself, sniffling and crying, as Kevin, and when asked how old he was, the boy held up one hand, five fingers clearly displayed.

JT smiled reassuringly, and let the clearly distraught boy climb into his lap, where he snuggled down, sticking his thumb in his mouth, taking reassurance from the teenager who had saved him.

The girl Tom had carried was barely able to talk in coherent sentences, but she at least knew her name, Jenny. JT and Tom estimated her to be about three.

Aside from those, there were Cory, who introduced both himself and Lisa, who had cried herself to sleep while waiting for her cousin to return; eleven year old Marcus; Sha'al, an Andorian who was the equivalent of twelve Terran years; Roan, a ten year old; seven year old Matt; Sven and Callen, twin nine year olds; thirteen year old Sean; Rose, who didn't know how old she was, but seemed to be about the same age as Jenny, perhaps a year older; Navan, whom JT thought may be Deltan; Kieran, a fifteen year old; Percival, sixteen; Trina, a Capellan of an unknown age, though she appeared to have the same mental acuity as Sven and Callen; and five year old Diana.

Once the introductions were over, JT tried to explain what was going on, wanting to skip over what the city kids had experienced, but needing the ones he and Tom had found first to understand the situation.

"All the plants are dead or dying," he summarized succinctly. "Kodos has decided that his only option is to kill half the colony, so that the other half can live."

There were several gasps. Matt was the one to speak. "So… we're supposed to be dead." Perhaps not the most eloquent of ways to put it, but true, nonetheless.

JT nodded grimly. "Our best chance is to stay together. This cave is out of the way enough that no one should find us." He sighed. He really had no idea what he was doing, but for the moment, everyone was looking to him to lead, so until he got that sorted out, he would do his best. "We're all tired, so let's get some sleep for now. We'll figure things out in the morning."

Everyone nodded, some more hesitantly than others, and pretty much all curled up where they were sitting. They were all virtually strangers, for the most part, but happenstance had thrust them all together, and they would need to depend on each other, to survive.

"Anya?" JT's quiet call pulled the seventeen year old away from the group. He looked pointedly in April's direction, and, understanding, the girl tugged her friend's arm, drawing her attention.

Cory also separated, laying his sister down on the ground before he moved over to join his cousin by the cave's entrance.

JT looked around at the people surrounding him, and sighed again. He had been doing that a lot lately. "You guys are the only ones who know my real name, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't say anything."

"Why not?" April asked curiously, looking at the kid in front of her. She didn't know him all that well, but he and his friend Tom had been very useful as tutors last year. She had different difficulties than her friend Anya. She had no problems with science, it was her English Literature class that was – had been – destroying her. Jimmy – no, JT now – was a veritable mine of information, especially when it came to Shakespeare.

JT bit his lip, unsure of how to respond. He really didn't want people to know the real reason, but they all deserved something for keeping their silence.

Tom leaned forward. "It's because of Kodos, isn't it?" JT looked up, surprised. Tom shrugged. "You've been going to the Palace multiple times a week for the last year and a half, almost. There's more going on than what you told us all, isn't there?"

JT nodded hesitantly, but his eyes were pleading, begging his friend not to ask.

Luckily, Tom was pretty smart. "I won't ask, JT," he assured. "And I won't use your name. I trust you."

Anya and Cory agreed as well.

April was more hesitant, but after everyone else acquiesced, she also went along. "I won't pretend to understand why, but you saved us, and I have a feeling we have no choice but to trust you."

JT shook his head stubbornly. "I'm not the leader, here," he protested. "Anya, April, you guys are the oldest…"

Anya shook her head now, overriding his protests. "JT, age doesn't matter. You saved all of us. You and Tom. Face it, you're in charge."

JT sighed, uncomprehending, but accepting.

Next to him, Cory smiled. "Captain JT," he proclaimed. "And First Officer Tom, right?"

Tom nodded, agreeing, as he and JT shared a glance.

JT shook his head again, this time more in exasperation. "Fine," he grumbled. "Then I'm going to need a CMO. April, you up for it?"

April nodded, smiling. She had been interested in pursuing medicine as a career, upon her graduation at the end of the year. That might never happen now, but she could at least use what she knew to help their motley crew.

JT turned to Anya and Cory in turn, thinking things over. If they were going to do this, they may as well go all out. "Cory, you're Operations Manager, and Anya… Communications?"

Corry smiled, and Anya shrugged. "You know more languages then I do, JT, but sure."

JT shrugged. "So be a liaison between us and the other kids. If there's a problem or an issue, if anyone needs something, tell us so that we can fix it."

Anya nodded, and the small group – the command crew – shared a grin.

"You should get some sleep. I'll keep watch," JT implored.

Everyone but Tom agreed. Cory paused before he headed back to his sister. "I'll make sure Lisa knows not to use your real name," he promised. JT nodded his thanks.

When it was just him and Tom, JT raised an eyebrow. Tom shrugged. "You shouldn't keep watch alone. I'll stay up as well."

JT figured he probably didn't have a choice, so he settled back at the cave's entrance, and watched as the evening deepened into night.

The pair sat there in silence, watching the stars appear. It was late night, early morning, when Tom finally spoke. "I know you know more than you're saying, JT. I won't press, but just know that I'm here."

JT nodded thankfully. He didn't speak for a full five minutes, and when he did, his voice was quiet and filled with pain. "I saw the lists." Tom jerked, looking over at his friend. JT looked back, his eyes tearing up a little. "Both of them. He had two lists, one for those who would live, and one…"

"One for the dead," Tom finished, his voice barely above a whisper.

JT nodded miserably. "There was more, but please don't ask… maybe later, but now…"

Tom reached over and grasped his friend's shoulder, squeezing reassuringly. "Whenever you're ready," he assured the other boy. He really wanted to know more, but he wouldn't press. What he was most interested in was what list JT was on, but he wouldn't bring it up. He would wait for JT to come to him. He wondered if his friend would ever actually tell him what list he had been on. With the rest of them, it was pretty obvious, but JT had spent so much time with Kodos, Tom couldn't help but wonder…

The rest of the night passed in silence.

JT finally had time to think about what he had found in Kodos' personal files. More than the two lists, there were detailed plans. Kodos had used those six weeks since Jimmy had told him about the fungus he and Tom had found – he was thankful now, that he had left his friend's name out of it, when talking to the Governor. It meant that Kodos wasn't paying any special attention to Tom now. JT had seen the Governor's eugenics plan, and his ideas for creating a super colony based on those eugenics. What scared him the most, though, was the whole document about him. Kodos had had plans for him, and that freaked him out. What he didn't want to tell Tom was that he actually wasn't on either list. His name was listed under 'special handling'; Kodos hadn't written down everything he was thinking about JT, but what he had read, had told him that the Governor wanted to deal with him, personally.

It was as morning was threatening to dawn that JT remembered the communicator he had stuffed in his bag.

He quickly got up and extracted the device from his bag, returning to Tom and the cave's entrance before he attempted to use it.

The communicator made a spitting noise, but remained dark. He furrowed his brow, and tried again.

Nothing.

Tom looked on, watching, waiting.

Finally, JT looked up, his expression bleak. "Hoshi gave this to me, told me to use it to get help. But it's not working. I don't know…"

Tom shifted closer. "We'll figure something out, JT. Together."

JT's face cleared slightly. "Together," he agreed.

Tom smiled. "Hey, as First Officer, it's my job to stand next to you."

JT smiled as well, and put the communicator away, as the kids began to stir, some waking up, others on their way to doing so.

Once everyone was awake, JT got out the few packets of food he had managed to rescue from his aunt and uncle's house, and rationed them out. It was barely enough for all of them, so JT knew he would need to venture out to find more today.

As everyone ate, he filled them in on what had been decided the night before. A few of the older kids looked like they might protest at the leadership divisions, and question why they didn't have any such roles themselves, but JT didn't give them a chance, as he knew what needed to be done. "Does anyone else here have any sort of experience with medicine?" he asked. Not one of them was over seventeen, but he knew that if things stayed the way they were for much longer, they would definitely need doctors amongst them.

Kieran raised his hand hesitantly. "My dad is… was… a doctor," he said quietly, somberly, voice laced with pain. He had seen his father fall, throwing himself in front of a phaser to save his son.

JT nodded, smiling slightly. "Will you help April then?" Kieran agreed, smiling a little at the older girl.

JT moved on to other areas they would need covered. "Anyone have experience as a Scout, or know how to track and move about stealthily?"

A few hands went up, from Sean, Cory, Marcus, and Sven and Callen, the twins. JT thought the last two might be a little young, but then, so were they all. He nodded again. "We're going to need to do some scouting, and figure out how to get food, so I'll need all your help."

When everyone was done eating, he called for everyone over the age of twelve to gather around him. Sha'al joined them as well, as he figured she was the equivalent of twelve years of age. She didn't appear to speak much English, so JT was glad that Hoshi had completed his education in Andorian – a wave of grief crashed down on him briefly as he thought about his older friend, but he ruthlessly squashed it down, and turned to the problem at hand.

When Sha'al voiced a hesitant query in her native language, speaking quietly and not really expecting an answer, JT responded in kind, and gave himself a mental pat on the back at the way the girl's face lit up at hearing her own language.

"I'm hoping that we can all work together to get out of this," he implored, focusing on each of them in turn. "I'm speaking with all of you because you're the oldest. We've got some really young kids here, and they're going to be scared. The best we can do is to keep them calm. Can you do that?"

"How?" Percival asked curiously.

JT shrugged. "Games, stories, anything to keep them quiet. I'm not going to lie, things are going to get really dangerous. We're all scared, but we need to be strong for the younger kids."

Percival nodded his agreement. "I'll take charge of the younger ones," he volunteered. "I have..." he looked down. "…had… several younger siblings. I'm pretty good with kids."

JT reached out and rested a hand on Percival's arm, squeezing reassuringly. "Thanks, Percival," he said comfortingly, not pressing for details, trying not to feel guilt that he had saved the sixteen year old, but not his siblings.

The older boy looked up, smiling slightly. "Percy," he corrected.

JT nodded again, before he stood up. "Sean, Tom, Marcus, you're with me. We're going to find some food and hopefully medical supplies. Anya, you're in charge until we get back."

Everyone nodded their agreement, before JT left with his two companions, and the others went back to the rest of the group.

I promise, Percival was not named for the third Weasley brother. It just popped into my head and felt right. Any names you might recognize just felt right, and have nothing to do with any characters from TV shows, movies, or books.

Please review!