Author's Note: See, I told you. two chapters today. Hope you like them.
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I had had a hard time trying to get there without the guards at the front gate of the base seeing me. Once in Trinsuet I picked the usual bar; I was about to enter it when I had a strange feeling. For a moment I thought one of the guys was there since I felt a familiar presence inside, but then I realized it wasn’t any of them and got scared since it was the first time I would sense any other person that way.

I entered the bar with a hand over my gun holster and I saw his eyes looking at me from a table at the other side of the room. Lots of emotions and thoughts crossed my mind. I got furious, I got scared, I even got sad, and, although I didn’t notice it then, I came to accept later that the first thing I felt when I saw him was happiness. Either way, rage overcame me and all I wanted to do was punch him when I walked directly to him.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

He looked at me like he was looking at a ghost and the shock on his face confused me even more.

“I can’t believe it,” he finally said. I didn’t know who was the most surprised. “I’ve been looking for you all this time and I come to find you in this place. I never thought I would find you here AJ. Does that mean that this planet…”

“Don’t say it.”

“Wow, I really didn’t imagine it. You guys are smarter than I thought.” He had lowered his voice and although I regretted it the minute I did it, I took a seat in front of him. “Trinsuet. Turmei. Definitely not the place I would look for a rebel base.”

“You are telling me that you didn’t know.”

“Pure luck, kid. I was looking for you but…”

“Don’t call me kid, you bastard. I should kill you.”

“Why? I never did something against you AJ.”

“What? Are you kidding me?” Nothing except pretend to be my friend just to turn out being one of my father’s men, a Tracon.

“AJ, you need to listen to me. I swear I didn’t know who you were. I swear it.”

“And you want me to believe that, that you didn’t know who I was? You were looking for me.”

“No. I thought we were looking for the 5 chosen ones. You were suspects but I didn’t know who you really were. I wouldn’t have never helped him otherwise.”

“What are you talking about? Who I really was?”

“His son, my cousin.”

“Your…your cousin?” Not again please, this can’t be happening again.

“Yes, AJ, I’m your family, as much as they are, even more.”

“You are lying.” I tried to stand up but he put his hand on my shoulder to stop me. My hand went directly to my gun in reaction and he pulled his hand away.

“Am I?” He was looking directly into my eyes and I sensed that familiar feeling again, just like he was one of the guys. I stayed in my chair not sure what to do. “You know is the truth, you can tell it. We have the same blood AJ. I’m a McLean too.”

“My name is Littrell not McLean.”

“Come on AJ.” I looked down when suddenly something he had said came back to my mind.

“Wait a minute. You weren’t looking for me? You were looking for the 5 chosen ones? but Kevin said…”

“What did he say? He thought we didn’t know who you were? We know, and Drew of course knew you were his son, but I swear I didn’t know the whole truth. I was looking for the five chosen ones not knowing that my cousin was one of them. Remember when Kevin introduced himself as Littrell and you told me your name. That’s when I knew it. I had felt a special connection with you but I thought it was just because you were half Tracon. They had been hiding things from me but I guessed it was because they didn’t trust me with important information. Your full names was one of the things they hadn’t told me. I’m sure he was expecting for me to find it sooner or later though. It was like a joke for him.”

It was too much information for me to gather it so fast. They not trusting him? Why? And this was a joke for him? ‘Him’ I assumed was my father. And why is he separating him from them? He keeps saying ‘they’, not ‘us’. This has to be a trap.

“If you knew who we were, that we were the five chosen ones you were looking for, why didn’t you attack us?

“He doesn’t want you dead. Well, at least not you. He is trying to reach to you in some other way.”

“Like sending my cousin?” I stared at him while crossing my arms in front of me leaning back in the chair. You are not making me fall for this.

“You have the right to suspect. I would do it too, but I’m sure something inside you will tell you that I’m saying the truth. I’m not like your father, AJ.” Suddenly I remembered that day in the bar in K-Tawoor with my father, and the sensation I had that Jeff was feeling as uncomfortable as I was in there. The sensation that he was my friend, that I needed to trust him. No AJ! Don’t fall into this trap!

“I have been looking for you,” he repeated and I felt the need to believe him. Is help what he is asking for? I tilted my head to one side and had to close my eyes overwhelmed by the sudden realization that he and me were connected in a strong way too. I can’t believe it. It’s like being in front of one of the guys.

“Why?” I asked opening my eyes.

“You already know it.” I nodded but he said it either way. “I need your help.”

“And you think I’m gonna help you? The enemy?” I was fighting my feelings still convinced that it had to be some kind of trap.

“I’m not your enemy, AJ. That’s what they made you believe? That all Tracons are bad?”

I didn’t say a single word.

“We are not, AJ, and you know it. There are some bastards like your father.”

“He is not my father.”

He nodded. “There are some bastards like Drew but not all…”

“Stop.” I stood up. “I don’t wanna talk to you anymore.”

“You need to listen to it. You need to know the truth about you…”

“Shut up! Shut up and get out of my sight.”

I started to walk away.

“I’ll be here for a couple of days” he yelled at me. “If you wanna meet me just come to the bar.”

I turned around and walked directly to him again. “What the hell are you doing here?” I asked gritting my teeth and as low as my rage allowed me, some people were already noticing our discussion. “Spy work for the Empire? I’m turning you in.”

“No, you are not. You know I’m not a spy and you want to know the truth. Come with me AJ. Let me tell you everything.”

I shook my head in fear and walked away but once I crossed the door I found myself not knowing what to do. I lighted a cigarette, another old human habit I had picked up in this place, and after looking back for a second I gave a couple of steps to my right and took a seat on the corner waiting for him to come after me.

It didn’t take too long and by the time he got there I had calmed myself down enough to try to have another conversation with him.

He didn’t say anything at first, and probably took my silence as an indication that it was okay for him to take a seat at my side.

“It was my first mission with them,” he finally spoke up. “I’m not a soldier, AJ. I never was one. But Drew knew how to force me to go with them. I guess he needed me to find you, he probably saw I was perfect for approaching you, he saw you trusting me.”

“What do you mean by him knowing how to force you?”

“They have my sister.”

I looked at him but didn’t say anything for a while. A conversation that I had have with Nick some time ago came to my head. ‘She is calling for Jeff too, AJ’ Nick had told me. What are the chances? That would explain so many things.

“That’s why you need me? To rescue her?”

“You are powerful. More than you think.”

“Azdé” I whispered.

He looked at me and smiled shaking his head.

“We have our legends too, AJ, and they tell things differently from what you probably have been told.”

“Are not the five chosen ones your enemies?”

“I’m not talking about the five chosen ones, I’m talking about you. Not all the Tracons are YOUR enemies. Don’t judge us because we have people like Drew. There are some Tracons that always wanted the peace, they are just afraid. Come with me AJ, help me to get the peace we all want.”

I stood up, threw my cigarette on the ground and crushed it under my boot.

“My place is with my family.”

“You are right about that, just remember that you have more family than them, a family that needs you.”

I bit my bottom lip.

“AJ, if you love them…”

He stopped right there but it was too late. My heart was beating too fast suspecting the worst.

“If I love them what?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.”

I wanted to ask him if their legends mentioned anything about me hurting my brothers but I was too afraid to do it.

“Don’t look for me anymore,” I said before walking away from him. All the way to the base I forced myself not to cry. I wanted to yell, to kick something, I even wanted to laugh. It was a turmoil of emotions that made my heart beat too fast. I felt the need to stop to catch my breath but I just kept walking telling myself that everything would be alright now. There were too many things in my head, yes, but, instead of confusing me more, it was like everything was beginning to make sense in a way too. I knew he would wait for me to go back and I knew I would end up doing it at some point, but not before talking to Kevin. I didn’t want more secrets separating me from my family, I needed Kevin to advise me what to do. Maybe they would help Jeff. Yes, that’s it, we needed to do this together, we agreed not to lie to each other anymore. I will tell them what’s happening. Kevin will know what to do.

When I walked into our apartment nobody was to be seen in the living room. I noticed Nick’s room door was half opened and heard some voices inside, I was going to shout out that I was home but the mention of my name aroused my curiosity so I ended up walking slowly to the door trying not to make any noise. Once there I stood next to the wall, where they couldn’t see me.

“Nick, stop it okay.” Kevin was saying.

“Don’t tell me to stop, I have the right to be scared. Don’t you see it? I love him but…”

“Nick he didn’t want to hurt you. I thought you had understood that.” It was Howie the one trying to calm him down this time.

“How am I supposed to believe he doesn’t want to hurt me when everybody tells me otherwise.”

“What are you talking about? Who is everybody?” Howie’s voice showed the same amount of curiosity I was feeling. In my case the curiosity was mixed with fear of whatever Nick could say.

There was a pause and Brian was the next to speak, it sounded like he was mad.

“Okay that’s it. What’s with the weird look exchanges?”

“What?” Was Kevin annoyed or was it the voice of someone who had been caught doing something wrong?

“I have seen you and Nick exchanging looks more than a couple of times and I’m sure they have to do with AJ. You told me to forget that day, Kevin. You told me that if we wanted to protect AJ we needed to pretend nothing had happened, but I can’t. He almost hurt Nick. And I know he didn’t want to, but then I see you acting weird and I worry, especially when I see Nick scared. Yes, you were trying to act all cool Nick but I know you and I knew you were scared. I guess in a way I’m glad you are admitting it now, but you are still not telling us everything. What the heck is going on?”

“Lower your voice Brian! AJ might come back any minute.”

I looked at the door of the apartment and considered leaving. Maybe I didn’t want to hear this. My feet didn’t respond me though. I closed my eyes and pictured the scene inside, the look in their eyes.

“I wanna know what’s going on Kevin.” Brian kept pushing on the subject.

“Brian…”

“No! I need to know it.”

Another awkward pause and then Kevin’s voice again, very low this time.

“Remember those dreams Nick was having on the way here?”

“Yes.”

“Remember the last one he had?”

“That’s it? You told Kevin something about that dream, right? What was it Nick?”

“I…” Nick’s voice was shaking. “Remember how I told you guys that I always felt someone was coming down the corridor, someone who scared me for some reason, even if I couldn’t know who this person was? That last time I saw him.”

“Who?” Howie asked and I came even closer to the door, my heart beating so hard that for a moment I was afraid they could hear it.

“I don’t know. He looked human but I’m sure he was a Tracon, he was tall and with big dark eyes. I felt like he was looking into my soul.”

“Did he do something to you?” Brian was speaking too soft, it was hard for me to hear him.

“He walked to me and took me by the neck and told me ‘He is going to kill you. AJ is going to kill you.’ I felt like he was strangling me.” No, this can’t be true. I swallowed hard, all my fears coming back to me once again. Nick was still talking but it was so difficult to hear him, not because he was talking any lower but because I was getting dizzy. I had to take seat on the floor. I needed to listen to the rest.

“I couldn’t breathe” I heard him say when I had calmed myself. “But I managed to push him and ran away. I haven’t gone too far when I fell to the floor. I was too weak and coughing, he had really been close to choke me to death. I was trying to recover my breath when I felt someone approaching, I wanted to run again but I couldn’t react, I couldn’t even open my eyes and that’s when I felt someone picking me up like I was a little child. Someone carried me away. Everything was so confusing, I felt like I was dying. After some minutes this person put me back on the floor and told me to leave, ‘Go back to your brothers Nicky. Stop coming here’ he said, and the voice sounded familiar, it made me smile. I opened my eyes and he was looking at me, he was the way I remember him but for some reason I didn’t recognized him until I saw the silver chain that mom gave him for Christmas.”

I heard Howie’s and Brian’s chocked gasps and I had to put a hand over my mouth for them not to hear me too, tears were falling down my face.

“Dad?” Brian asked although we all knew the answer. I didn’t hear anyone replying but I was sure Nick had nodded.

“It was so good to see him again. Of course I was confused at first. I know you refer to my experiences as dreams but you already know they aren’t dreams. I astral project myself to that place. When I saw dad I thought this time it was a dream, he couldn’t be there, he is dead. Then he smiled at me and in a way I understood what was happening. It was easier for him to communicate with me while I’m astral projecting in my sleep because I reach a higher state of mind. He said that he and mom are always looking at us and he mentioned your parents too Howie, that they will always be near us. He gave me a kiss on the forehead and told me that he loved me but he had to go, then he…” Nick was crying and couldn’t keep taking.

“He what? What happened?” Howie’s voice sounded stronger than the others.

“Want me to tell it, little man?” Kevin was crying too, I knew it by the sound of his voice.

“No, I will. He told me that the Tracon was right. He told me ‘He is going to betray you Nicky. Tell your brothers that AJ is going to betray you.’ Then he disappeared and I woke up.”

I had heard some terrible revelations in the last months but right there they all looked insignificant compared to what Nick had just told the guys. Nothing could prepare me for that moment and something inside me died that day.

I didn’t have to hear anything else. I stood up and left the apartment as quiet as possible. Once outside it took me what it seemed like an eternity to close the door; my hand was trembling so hard, not only for the words that I had heard but for the decision I had taken; and after I finally closed the door I had to rest against the wall to catch my breath before starting to run. I was crying too hard already when I reached the main gate.

“Not again AJ.” Loui came towards me when I was about to cross it.

“I need to go there, man.” I wiped the tears from my eyes quickly and tried to compose myself but I was sure he had already noticed them.

“You are getting me in trouble, you were there already today. You know it’s dangerous if the same people see the same human over and over again.”

“Please Loui. I won’t give you problems anymore but I need to go there now, please.”

He finally acceded. I didn’t even worry about encountering any officers in the way, all that I wanted was to get there fast. I reached the bar where I have left him. It wasn’t difficult to find him. He was sitting on the same table and looked surprised to see me back in there so fast. I wasn’t crying anymore but I feared I would choke on my words so I had to take a deep breath before speaking.

“I’m going with you.” I sounded more determined than I thought I would. When Jeff smiled and nodded I smiled back at him feeling as if a weight has been taken off my shoulders.


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