Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 09:01:32 +0800 From: Johnny Kape Subject: The Voice That Can't Be Heard, Chapter 9 Before this chapter: All rights reserved. Every word of this story is fiction. Just like my other story, "The Captive Boy", this story is also a work of my early imaginations, about at age 12 or 13. All my stories committed into Nifty are listed in the prolific author list, under the name "Pedrick Oman / Johnny Kape". Special thanks to my editor, Matthew Templar, who helped me a lot in many aspects besides my English. His stories are listed in the prolific author list, too. I recommended everyone to read his stories, especially "One Gift To Give", which I enjoyed very much. Thanks again for those who sent me your feedbacks and thoughts. I'm still expecting to get your feedbacks. -- Johnny Kape The Voice That Can't Be Heard -- Chapter 9 Ben threw the T-shirt into the air, and triggered the infrared emitter. The automatic gun shot. "Ouch!!" Bob didn't expect that Ben would use the pitfall he set to attack him. The bullet hit his waist and he bent his body. Ben rushed to Bob and kicked Bob's hand and Bob's gun was knocked away. Bob sat on the floor with a great deal of pain. His waist was bleeding. "Thirty-Six, you..." Ben walked to the gun and picked it up. He raised the gun and aimed it at Bob. Bob looked at Ben painfully. "Do you want... to kill... me? Just shoot!" "Don't shoot, Ben," said Ray's daddy. Ben raised his head to look at Ray's daddy. "There is no benefit for you to kill him. Let the law deal with him! Though he shouldn't treat you like that, you were raised up by him after all. You shouldn't force your revenge on him even if he didn't treat you nice." Listening to Ray's daddy's words, many pictures of the past were playing again in Ben's mind. Yeah, Bob used him and deceived him, telling him that making love was a reward for completing a mission. However, he was actually raised up by Bob. Bob trained him. When he completed a mission, Bob would massage his body. Sometimes Bob would play some games with him. Ali would make meals for him every day. Bob and Ali were the most important persons in his life, until Ray and his daddy came along and taught him what love was. However, Bob wanted to kill him. Bob would kill Ray and his daddy just because they knew his secrets. Bob would even kill Ali. There was no doubt that Bob knew Ben couldn't speak. Ben's not being able to speak was always Bob's weapon and insurance, wasn't it? Kill Bob! Bob just treated him as a tool, not a human. Two sides of thoughts were fighting in Ben's mind. To shoot, or not to shoot? Ben was struggling. However, after a while, Ben found that there were a pair of arms wrapping around his shoulders, giving him some warm support. They belonged to Ray's daddy. "I know that you won't shoot," said Ray's daddy softly. Yes, Ben found that he couldn't shoot at all. It was not like a mission. In a mission Ben had no concern, he just shot. Ben didn't know how he felt. He lowered his arms and stood there quietly. Ray's daddy sighed in relief. "Can you call the police and the ambulance?" he asked Ali. "Oh... okay." Ali ran out of the basement hastily. Bob sat there on the floor and gasped. The pain from his wounds made his face twisted together. Ray's daddy hugged Ben, then he picked up his own T-shirt, which was also pierced by the bullet. He walked back to Bob and tried to stop his bleeding. Bob pushed Ray's daddy away. "You... ruined everything... What I've done... was for our country! You destroyed... all my efforts..." "Even if it is for our country, you can't sacrifice such a small kid like Ben," said Ray's daddy. He stood up. "Let alone you deceived Ben all that time, to make him live in a big lie! Anybody with just a tiny conscience would never accept your way of doing all these things." "Thirty-Six... was born to be... a secret agent... Both his parents... were excellent ones!" Ben's eyes opened widely. He just knew that his parents were attacked and killed, but nothing more. "So it is true that his parents were attacked and killed, right?" Ray's daddy didn't show any surprise. He asked peacefully. "Of course... it's real... I don't need... to lie to him... about this..." "What's Ben's real name?" asked Ray's daddy. He tried to get as much information about Ben from Bob as he could. "I... don't know... Not many people... knew about his birth... until his parents... got killed... We knew that they... had a son... Nobody knew... his real name..." It was Ben's first time to hear these things from Bob. He grabbed Bob's shoulder and shook him violently. Ray's daddy pulled Ben away from Bob. "Don't do that, Ben. It won't be too difficult to find out about your parents. There must be someone else who knows them." Bob snorted and didn't talk anymore. As Bob bled more and more, he started to lose consciousness. He lay down on the floor. Ray's daddy tried to stop Bob's bleeding with his own T-shirt again. Ben saw that Ray still stood there, dumbfounded. He walked toward Ray and hugged him tightly. Ray sighed with relief, then he started to weep. Ben caressed Ray's back softly. Then all of a sudden, he kissed Ray deeply. Ray was startled, but soon he had stopped weeping and kissed Ben deeply too. After kissing for a while, Ben released Ray and held his hands. 'Do you feel better now?' Ray wiped away his tears and laughed. Ray's daddy stood up and looked at them with a smile. Ali walked into the basement. He handed two big towels to Ray and his daddy. "Wrap yourself with the big towels. The police and the ambulance have arrived." Ben rushed to Ali and embraced Ali tightly. It was Ben's turn to weep, voicelessly. Ali was startled, but then he embraced Ben tightly too. "Why cry, my dear boy?" said Ali softly. Ben raised his head and looked at Ali's smile tearfully. "Don't worry about me," said Ali. "I'm a coward, not as brave as you. I refused to go back to my country to face my own destiny. I have just been hiding here. However, I've hidden long enough. Ben, it has been the happiest time in my life to meet you, take care of you and watch you growing up. I don't have the ability to protect you. I don't have the courage to tell you the truth either. I'm sorry, Ben." Ben buried his head into Ali's chest, still weeping. He knew that he might never see Ali again. Ali seemed to know what Ben thought. He patted Ben's back softly. "Yes, we will meet again. When I finish my time in the jail, I'll come back to see you. You should be a handsome young man by that time." Ali's tears dropped from his face to Ben's. He embraced Ben tightly. Some policemen and medical staff came in. A police marked where Bob was lying. The medical staff put Bob on a stretcher and took him out of the basement. "Please wait here and don't touch anything. There will be an officer coming here to ask you questions," said a policeman. They just waited there. After a short time, an older policeman came in. "Okay. What happened here?" asked the officer. "Who is the man that is injured? How was he shot?" "Sir, he was shot by the gun up there," said Ray's daddy, pointing at the automatic gun. "Please be careful. It is an automatic weapon triggered by the infrared beam. If the gun shoots now, the bullet may pierce your heart and make a hole there, which probably wouldn't do you any good." The officer was taken back by Ray's daddy's warning. He jumped aside quickly. Ray laughed when seeing the officer's actions. The officer looked at Ray's daddy, and said after a few seconds, "You... are you Jeff?" Ray's daddy smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Long time no see, Sir." Ray and Ben were both so surprised that they couldn't close their mouths. They then saw "Sir" hug Ray's daddy. He stepped backward and looked at Ray's daddy. "It seems that you are still self-exiling, aren't you?" Ray's daddy didn't answer. "Come back to the cop team. You were a very good officer. I've told you that one million and five times; that kid's death was not your fault." "Daddy... you... you were a cop before?" Ray raised his head and asked, surprised. Ray had never asked his daddy about the past. He also didn't know why his daddy lived alone in the abandoned building. "Yes," said the officer. "Your daddy was a very excellent cop before. However, in a gun fight, a bullet shot an innocent boy. Though the boy was sent to the hospital, the doctor still couldn't save his life. Then your daddy resigned as a cop and exiled himself from then on." Ray and Ben looked at Ray's daddy, still surprised. "If the boy was still alive, he would be your age." Ray's daddy looked at Ray. His tone was peaceful, but with a bit of sorrow. "I will never forget the boy's face." "Jeff, it wasn't your fault. Why blame yourself like that?" Ray's daddy didn't speak anymore. "All right, you are still as stubborn as before. I need you to come with me to the police station and tell me everything." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The following days, the society was shocked by this super news. Ray's daddy told the officer everything; including how Ben was used to execute all kinds of missions; how Ben sneaked into the Embassy of Feroga to install wiretaps; how Ray found Ben in the abandoned building, lying on the floor; and how Bob wanted to shut them up. People were very angry when they knew that the government trained such a small kid like Ben to be a secret agent, and then wanted to kill him when he messed up his mission. The government was under a lot of pressure again. Bob was arrested, and his boss was dismissed from his position. As for Ali, he was sent back to his country to serve his prison sentence. When the officer in the immigration office escorted Ali into the police car and was ready to send him back, Ben rushed out of the crowd of reporters and hugged Ali tightly. The scene of Ben weeping voicelessly into Ali's chest was sent out to the whole community, and made a lot of people cry. Someone gave Ben his parent's photos to let him know his parents again. As for Ray, the policeman brought him the news that his blood father died due to alcohol abuse. Ray didn't show many emotions when hearing this news; he just lowered his head. Contrary to that news, he resisted very much when he knew that he needed to be sent to a foster family, hence couldn't live with his daddy anymore. "No, I don't want to go anywhere! I just want to live with you!" "Ray, the Children Service refused to let me adopt you both. I know I can't give you a good life either. However, I've negotiated with them and they agreed to let you live in the foster family with Ben. You will always lack of food living with me. They can give you a better life." Ray's daddy tried to pacify him. "No, no, no!" Ray shouted and cried. "I would rather starve than leaving you. I want to live with you!!" "Ray, you are no longer a kid! You can't be so childish!" Ray's daddy looked as stern as he could at him. Ben embraced Ray tightly. Ray buried his face into Ben's shoulders and wept. "Ben, you are a lot more mature than Ray. He may have a difficult time to connect with the new environment. Take care of Ray, okay?" Ben nodded. Suddenly, he released Ray and rushed to Ray's daddy. He embraced Ray's daddy too. He didn't want to be taken away from Ray's daddy either. He hoped that Ray's daddy could be his daddy too. He hoped to be a part of the family with Ray and his daddy... "I agree," said Ray's daddy suddenly. Ben raised his head. Ray's daddy smiled at him and nodded to him. "I heard that. You wished me to be your daddy, right?" Ben was surprised and very happy. He nodded as hard as he could. "Sorry, son. I was too strict with you. I should have understood that you were trained and they ordered you to steal all kinds of things. You may not think it a big deal to be a thief. I agree to be your daddy. However, you need to promise me that you will take care of Ray, and won't steal anything under any condition, okay?" Ben buried his head into the chest of Ray's daddy, oh, also his daddy. "Ray, come on. Let me hug you again." Ray went to hug his daddy too. Ben embraced the two people, who finally became his family; who could hear his voice that couldn't be heard by others. -- To be continued.