After finishing the report to Master Porky, the Commander had returned to the mess hall, the boy- "Lucas!" - Lucas staying close by his side.

It had been foolish of him to attempt to ask a question of Master Porky. He was lucky that the Pig King hadn't made him go through the whole list of things he liked to have him repeat from time to time.

Still, the Needles were mysterious. Not that he should be asking questions, but knowledge was a good thing- for example, if he knew he was going to have to fight a chimera, and he was able to find out about its strengths and weaknesses beforehand, he would do a better job of fighting it.

They reentered the hall- found the plates that had contained their food were gone, and there was a group of the soldiers sitting at the table where they'd been before. This had happened before- happened when anything urgent had come up that required his attention and he couldn't finish eating. He simply kept walking to the counter- the two soldiers in charge of the food saw them coming and began preparing two more trays of food.

The Commander kept thinking about the Needles as he walked towards them- even as he accepted the tray and waited for the other to accept his-even as they began to walk towards one of the tables.

He shouldn't be thinking about this still- he had other things he needed to see to today. Not only was the Ultimate Chimera still running free, it had escaped from the Chimera Lab so that they no longer had any idea where it was- but it felt almost like he was being forced to think about the situation with the Needles, as if one of the scientists had taken a giant mental magnet and was pulling his attention irresistibly in that direction.

Well, Master Porky had said that the Needles were the priority, hadn't he? And if the Commander had more information, he could take care of the Needles quicker, and return his focus to his regular duties- he hadn't been able to fulfill them with his normal care because of all the trips he'd had to make to get to where the Needles were- so the quicker he could take care of the Needles, the quicker he could return to the base and the boy- but how could he find out more about the Needles?

He couldn't ask Master Porky- and he'd already heard the scientists making guesses about them and realized that they didn't know much either- and he'd had the men asking him about them from the beginning. He couldn't ask any of them- who did that leave?

"Ask Lucas." whispered the voice- he twitched- was aware of the food sliding slightly across the tray as his hands trembled.

They reached an empty table- sat down again.

The boy- "Lucas!" - Lucas was being quiet right now- the Commander tilted his head slightly, studying him- he had a thoughtful look on his face- then the other boy noticed him looking at him and turned to look back at him- the Commander turned to his food and began eating it.

Come to think of it, the voice was being very insistent about calling the boy by his name. Actually, he was the only one without a rank or title- everyone else affiliated with the Army had a rank or a title- Master Porky was the King, all of the scientists were either doctors or assistants, everyone in the Army had a rank, and he himself was the Commander- but the boy- Lucas was only Lucas.

The name was rolling around in his head- it had done that before too, when the boy had first told him his name- or had that been the first time? It sounded...familiar?

Lucas. Lucas Lucas Lucas-

The Commander shook his head.

"The ones you mentioned before- the ones who are supposed to be the guardians of the Needles-" the words came out of his mouth abruptly, as the other boy finished his omelet- surprising them both- and then the Commander shut his mouth, not sure what he'd been about to say.

"...the Magyspsies?" The boy- Lucas- his voice was quiet, but not hesitant. "Yep, that's what they are."

"...they're not very good at it. Except for the one at the Temple. How do we get in?"

"I can't tell you that. It's not my secret- I'm sorry." the boy was quiet for a moment- before the Commander could come up with a good response, a good incentive to make the boy talk, he turned back to him- blue eyes meeting his seriously, without fear. "They disappear when their Needle is pulled, you know."

"...disappear?"

"It's like dying. It's slightly different, because they're not human, so they don't die like humans. It's just as permanent though. Once they're gone, they don't come back." The boy looked... sad? Was that it? He sighed and picked up his spoon- stirred the porridge in front of him. "Aeolia, Lydia, and Mixolydia... those are the names of the Magyspsies whose Needles you pulled." Before the Commander could say anything about how he had been following orders, the boy- Lucas- dropped the spoon in the bowl as if something had just occurred to him, and spun to face him. "Oh, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty or anything." he said quickly, blue eyes totally focused on him, "I know that you didn't know, and it's not your fault- I just wanted you to know their names- so that they wouldn't be forgotten. After all, just because someone's dead, that doesn't mean that people should forget about them as if they'd never existed, because they did exist, and people should remember them."

The Commander couldn't say anything to that- it felt like something was in his throat trying to choke him-

The voice was murmuring something, but he couldn't make out the words, refused to listen to the words- he started to move, to turn away from the boy, but he reached out- grabbed his hand.

"I just wanted you to know their names." Large blue eyes swallowed him like the sky as he smiled-

"And you?"

The boy blinked, and the Commander began searching for words- his question was too short, he'd have to try again and rephrase it, no one ever understood what he was asking when his questions were that short-

"Doria and Phrygia." the boy- Lucas- said, smiling again. "I was the one who pulled their Needles. Ionia and Locria are the ones who are left- and no one knows where Locria is. So Ionia is all alone right now." the boy's smile was slipping now- and then it went away. "I- I know how it feels to be all alone."

The boy- Lucas- his voice was so quiet, the Commander wasn't sure he had really heard it- the choking thing was back in his throat- and then Lucas lifted his head and faced him again.

"What about you?" his voice was still quiet- but he was focused on him again- waiting patiently as the choking thing went in for the kill and the voice tried to tell him what to say-

"Commander!"

He spun to face the soldier- he was wearing the Major uniform, he noted- who saluted quickly.

"Sir, we received that report you asked for- the one about the Ultimate Chimera!"

"Good. Take it to the meeting room."

The Major saluted and scurried off, and he turned back to face the boy- and stood up.

The boy- Lucas- stood up too, and then the Commander noticed that the boy's porridge was untouched.

"It's okay." the other boy said before he could say anything. "I'm not that hungry anyway."

For a moment, words tried to crawl out through his throat- then he succeeded in shoving them down and started moving. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard footsteps and knew that the boy- Lucas- was following him.

They both remained silent as they passed through the halls- stayed side by side- thoughts scurried through his mind- refusing to stay still long enough to be focused on-

The boy's name was Lucas- there was a group called the Magyspsies- the boy's name was Lucas, and he felt all alone- the Magyspsies were supposed to be the guardians of the Needles- the boy's name was Lucas and the two of them were the only ones who could pull the Needles-

The Needles. They were the priority- the boy refused to tell him how to get into the temple- but then, maybe he didn't know- he said that it wasn't his secret-

They reached the room. The Commander strode forward and opened the door- stood there, holding it, looking at the other boy and waiting for him to enter the room.

The boy stood there and looked at him. "Are you going to lock me up in there again?" he wasn't afraid- his shoulders straight, facing him without hesitation- but he was unhappy.

The Commander nodded- the choking feeling was back in his throat temporally before he shoved it away.

The boy- Lucas- glanced inside of the room before looking back at him again. "How about I promise to be quiet and I stay with you instead? I won't run away from you- I promise. I just really don't want to stay in there all by myself."

For a moment, he almost said yes- but then he remembered the Ultimate Chimera that he might have to go fight today- he couldn't let the boy get anywhere near the Ultimate Chimera, it wouldn't be safe- and what if the scientists discovered how to get into the Temple today? What if he went to go pull the Needle, and the troublemakers were still around there? What if they tried to retake the boy?

The Commander shook his head.

The boy- Lucas- looked upset- like maybe he wanted to argue- but he didn't.

He just gave a deep, sad sigh- and he walked inside the room.

The Commander started to close the door-

"Are you at least going to come back soon?"

He froze- feeling like the strongest possible PK Freeze had been cast on him.

The other boy just stood there, waiting patiently- his big blue eyes focused on him like searchlights- was the collar really blocking his PSI, or was this a new type of PK ability?

"Unknown." he finally managed to force out- then shut the door and locked it as fast as he could, before the boy could say anything else.

OoOoOo

The meetings accomplished nothing. The report said that the chimera was very strong and that a Dr. Andonuts had been in charge of the project- and he was now missing.

The scientists hadn't gotten anywhere with their investigation of the Temple, and there had been no sign of the Ultimate Chimera or the troublemakers.

The Commander left the meeting room behind- looked up and down the hallway for a moment.

Should he patrol the base one more time, or should he head back to the room now?

The boy- Lucas- had requested that he come back quickly, and he had already patrolled the base- and if an emergency occurred, they could always use the communicator- that's what they always did anyway-

The Commander found that he was already walking in the direction of the room- then slowed for a moment- realized that this was the first time he'd ever had to decide something like that. Until he'd taken the other boy and brought him here, there had been no reason to return to the room except to sleep and recharge.

Thoughts pounded away in his head as the Commander walked- the boy was his responsibility now - he had to take care of him- how was he going to do that? What things did he need to get for the boy still? What things could he do with him-

He turned a corner and there was a group of soldiers there, all carrying things- two of them were working together to carry one big box-

"Come on, together now- oh no!" one of the soldiers tripped, and the box hit the floor and spilled, and the contents went flying everywhere- one object slid right to the Commander's feet.

He reached down and picked it up. Stared at it.

"Oh, Commander!"

He looked up and watched the soldiers salute- nodded in response- went back to studying what he was holding- shifted it so that he was holding it with both hands. It was surprisingly large-

"Sorry for making a mess Commander- it's just that this stuff is so heavy-" One of the soldiers said- and the Commander heard sounds- realized that they were beginning to pick up the items that had been scattered.

He tucked the item- it was soft and fuzzy- under his arm as best he could, considering its size- continued to hold onto it even as he helped the soldiers pick up the things that had fallen and replace them in the box. Even though the gloves prevented him from actually feeling the item, he could tell it was soft and fuzzy by the way it looked- by the way it gave under his hands. It was also brown- almost like the dog the boy- Lucas- had been with before...

"Thank you Commander!"

He nodded as he placed the last item in the box- still keeping the item that had landed at his feet before in its position under his arm. "Where did these come from?"

"Supposedly, this is all stuff that was supposed to go to one of his Highness's playrooms in NPC, but apparently when he saw them, he didn't want them after all."

"Um... you know Commander- we're just supposed to throw this stuff away- if you want to keep that teddy bear, no one would care."

He switched his gaze from the stuffed animal to the soldier, then back again- pulled the toy out and studied it- then lowered the bear and tucked it under one arm as best he could- nodded to the soldier. "Thank you."

"No problem sir!" they saluted, and he thrust his fist in the air in acknowledgement, and then they all went their separate ways.

This teddy bear- he could use it for the boy.

He quickly strode to the room, then opened and opened the door- switched the bear's position so that it was behind his back as he walked into the room.

There was no one there.

But then there was a thud from the bathroom, and the boy- Lucas- walked out.

"Oh, you're back finally! Hi!" he said it with a smile- but he was also wet. Why?

The boy- Lucas- blinked- the Commander realized that the other boy was surprised at the way he was looking at him- and then he looked down at himself- looked back at the Commander and smiled. "I was just washing our clothes. I'm not sure how to dry them though, since there's no sun in here..."

"...washing ...our clothes?"

The other boy shrugged, still smiling, though it was a bit rueful now. "Well, there's not much else to do in here, you know. Besides, it's always nice to have clean clothes, right?"

"But it's not your job."

"It's someone else's job?" he sounded surprised.

"The cleaners come in every other day and pick up the dirty clothes, and bring them back when they're clean." he straightened up as he explained that. It felt ... good, to be the one explaining things to the other boy, instead of the other way around. Since he was the Commander, and the boy- Lucas- was not, this was the the way things should be, right?

But as he shifted, he felt the teddy bear move against him- for a moment, he hesitated- which would be better? Which would produce better results for the boy? Should he try to use it as a reward, or give it as a gift?

The boy- Lucas- was studying- was studying the bear- and he suddenly realized that even though he was hiding the bear behind his back, parts of it were sticking out-

"Did one of the Pigmasks give that to you as a gift?"

He shook his head, then tilted his head to the side, slightly puzzled.

"Because they like you and look up to you." the boy-Lucas- explained, apparently reading his puzzlement. "When they mixed the two of us up, one of them gave me a gift."

"...of course they respect me. I'm the strong one- the Commander."

The boy sighed and folded his arms. "I don't think that's the only reason. I'm know it's part of it, but not-"

Before the boy could say anything else, the Commander stepped forward and shoved the bear into his arms. He realized again how large it was- it filled the boy's arms and covered his face.

"Did the troublemakers ever do anything like this for you?"

The boy- Lucas- shifted the bear, moved it so that part of it was resting against the top of his head, but it was out of the way so that they could look at each other again. "Who?" he asked, his voice plainly puzzled.

The Commander remembered that the boy- Lucas- had claimed that the Army were the ones who caused trouble. Which was silly- although he had a point about the chimeras. But everything else he'd brought up- the Commander didn't know anything about it, which meant the Army wasn't involved, right?

The Commander turned away- moved to the other side of the room as he tried to think.

Someone must have been lying to him before- those people- the ones at the Temple, the ones who had been controlling the boy before- they must have been filling his head with lies- confusing him. Yes... that explained everything-

He heard movement behind him- turned to see the other boy placing the bear on the cot- no, half way on the cot, half way on the bed- he'd moved them, the Commander realized suddenly- he'd pushed their sleeping places together so that they were side by side, right next to each other-

Well, that was okay, right? There were no rules against moving the furniture- and this way, the boy- Lucas- would be closer, so he'd be easier to keep track of-

Even as he was thinking this, the boy was coming closer to him- only stopped once he was close enough to reach out and touch him- even though he didn't. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. The boy- Lucas- didn't look convinced, but before he could say anything, the Commander reached out- took his shoulder and began to maneuver him towards the door.

"Where are we going now?" the boy- Lucas- asked- not resisting but not moving toward on his own either.

"It's time to eat again."

"Okay, but shouldn't I finish taking care of the clothes first-"

"It's not your job."

"Maybe, but I don't want to make it harder for anyone to do their job either... you said they come every other day, right?"

"Yes, they'll pick up the clothes while we're eating."

"Okay then." Quicker than the Commander thought he'd be able to move, the other boy ducked away and disappeared into the bathroom- after a moment of getting over the surprise, the Commander followed.

He found the boy- Lucas- wringing out the clothes into the bathtub and then hanging them over the bar where the shower curtain hung. Then, when he ran out of space there, he draped them over the edge of the tub.

The Commander watched silently- listened as the other boy began to hum under his breath.

"...you're happy?" The question shot out of the Commander's mouth before he'd even realized that it was lurking around on his tongue.

The boy- Lucas- turned back to face him, one of the Commander's white t-shirts wet and dripping in his hands. His smile flickered ruefully. "Well...yes and no, I guess. I'm happy that I'm not alone here- that you're with me- and I'm happy that you're not trying to fight me anymore- but I don't like being separated from my friends, and I don't like this base at all...and like I said before, I really don't like the Pigmasks because of the bad things they've done. Still, I'm trying to look at the bright side-" he turned and draped the shirt next to the other clothes- it had been the last one that needed to be taken care of- and then walked over to him. "I mean, you're here- I don't even want to think about what it would be like all by myself. How..." the boy- Lucas- trailed off- and then he reached out- gently touched the Commander on the shoulder. "How did you stand it here?"

The Commander stared at him. What? What did he mean?

...it didn't matter. It didn't matter-

He had turned away- was headed for the door- the boy's footsteps sounded behind him- he didn't turn and look, would not allow himself to turn and look- but he couldn't stop himself from relaxing when the boy- Lucas- caught up.

"I wish you'd talk to me." the other boy said wistfully- and the Commander didn't know how to tell him there were things he wanted to tell him, but he didn't what they were and he didn't have any words to say them...

OoOoOo

They were lost in a sea of flames.

Fire surrounded them- tried to swallow them whole-

They ran hand in hand- tightly grasping each other, throwing their free hands over their faces, trying to gain whatever small protection they could from the burning heat-

They ran into a dead end- fallen trees that were now just mounds of flames- as they spun, hand in hand still, trying to find a way out, he suddenly realized what was burning all around them-

Flowers- tall ones. He thought- he thought they might have been yellow, before the fire-

The other yanked him forward- they dashed down another path, the fire chasing their heels-

There, ahead of them! The fire was ending- there was a dark space ahead of them- that had to be the end of the fire, right?

Wait- there was something ahead of them- something red- but it wasn't the fire- it was- it was-

Red dress- brown hair spilling everywhere- red blood-

A strangled cry- from the other? From him? No- from both-

And then a cry came from further in the darkness- and a form came flying out at them- landed at their feet-

There was a sound coming from the darkness- huge lumbering footsteps- but they couldn't look up from the body lying on the ground in front of them- a brown cowboy hat, covered with blood rolled out of the darkness like a tumbleweed- it landed on top of the unmoving body in front of them- and then-

A shadow detached itself from the darkness- loomed above them- its roar was so powerful that they were flung backwards, breaking their grip on each others' hands-

He flung himself upright- his eyes darted around the room- greyish white walls, no fire, no monsters- and then he turned-

The other was sleeping- his head on top of the bear as if it was a pillow- mouth slightly open as he breathed- one hand, extended towards him, twitched slightly.

His sigh of relief was so loud it startled him- he was almost surprised it didn't wake up the sleeping boy-

But even as he was thinking that, the boy reached out and grabbed his hand- clung to it tightly, just like he'd been doing in the dream. He tensed- watched the sleeper as he mumbled something that he couldn't make out- but the sleeper was also smiling affectionately- happy to be holding his hand...

Slowly, his free arm stretched out and his hand landed gently on top of the sleeper's head.

"Lucas."

OoOoOo

Argh no real life! My trip is coming up so fast! (goes back to preparing for trip...which is what I should have been doing before).