The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.

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"Joshua? Josh can you hear me?" Peter cried.

Josh didn't move. Peter was frightened at the sight of him. He had blood on his face. His color was not good but Peter could hear him breathing shallowly.

"Josh, I know you can hear me. You are safe now. You will be all right, I'm here for you."

Peter followed the rescue team to the waiting flutter and climbed in with them. They quickly made their way back to the compound and rushed Josh into the infirmary. Peter wanted to be by Josh's side but the nurses wouldn't let him into the emergency room. Alexander came into the room as Peter was arguing with the nurse.

"Peter, listen to me. They need to help Josh and you will only get in the way. As soon as they get him stable, you will be with him. Let them help him."

"He needs me Alexander. I have to be with him." Peter argued.

"You will be with him as soon as they make sure he is ok. Give them a few minutes."

Alexander reached out to Peter and gathered him in his arms. Peter was overcome by this show of affection. That combined with is worries of Josh took him over the edge. He completely broke down. His body was shaking as he sobbed on his uncle's shoulder. He was happy to have Josh again but he was scared that he was going to lose him again. Alexander held on to Peter as he cried, not saying a word. After several minutes a nurse entered the waiting room.

"Excuse me! The gentleman is asking for Peter." She announced.

Peter let go of his uncle and followed the nurse. Once they got into the room Peter saw Josh laying on a bed. His eyes open looking for something. Josh saw Peter walk into the room and a big grin came over his face. Josh was so excited that he tried to sit up. He winced with pain and lay back down.

"Peter! I am so happy to see you." Josh grunted through the pain.

Peter walked over to him and took his hand. Looking into his eyes with all the love he could.

"Josh, God I am happy to see you. You don't know how much I have missed you. I never thought I would see your cute face again." Peter said with a smile.

"Me too Peter."

"How are you feeling?" Peter asked.

"The doctor told me that I have a mild concussion. I guess it could have been a lot worse."

"You both were very lucky. What I want to know is how and why?" Peter asked.

"What do you mean? If you don't know why, then I have ruined my life for nothing." Josh said angrily.

"Josh! Do you really love me that much? Do you love me enough to give up everything?"

"YES DAMMIT! I WOULD GIVE UP LIFE ITSELF FOR YOU! Why you can't accept that fact I don't know. But here is one thing you had better learn real fast mister. I love you and I will be with you for the rest of my life. Even if it is only as a body guard or a friend. I will be with you."

Peter had an amazed look on his face. He knew Josh loved him but how could anyone love another person that much? Would he do that same thing? Could he do the same thing? He stood there with his jaw on the floor looking at Josh, he could see that Josh mean every word he said.

"Josh, I-I don't know what to say. I love you too, but this is the first time in my life that someone has loved me like you do. The only other person that came close was my aunt and I was still very young then. I just never thought about it like that before. Now that I do run it through my mind, if I had known that you were on that ship, I would have done anything to get to you and probably died in the process. Yes Josh, I love you that much. I will do anything for you including dying if it meant that I could save your life."

"Peter, that is all I needed to hear. Thank you my love." Josh said as his eyelids slowly closed.

Peter hadn't notice that the nurse was still in the room. He glanced over at her and she was smiling.

"Is he going to be ok?"

"Yes Peter, he will be just fine now. That is all he needed to hear." She said as she reached out and pulled Peter to her in a friendly hug.

"Thank you." Peter said through his tears.

"You are family Peter, there is nothing to thank me for." She looked into his tearful eyes with a smile.

Peter nodded his head. "I'll be back in a little while. I need to check on Vic Rawlings. Do you know where he is?"

"Just down the hall, third door on your left."

Peter smiled back at her and left the room. He walked down the hall and found the room. He knocked on the door.

"Come on in." Vic's voice responded. "Hey there Peter, how's it going bud?"

"I fine Vic. What about you?"

"Hey it could have been a lot worse. Nothing that can't be patched back into place. How's Josh?"

"He's doing better. He has a concussion and needs to rest for a while. He just fell asleep." Peter answered.

"Well I do say that you are a sight for sore eyes. We thought we were dead when that Federation cruiser fired on us. I don't see how they missed finishing us off."

"Vic, we performed a little magic and now they think your ship blew up."

"What? How can you do that on a penal planet?" Vic asked.

"Well, I can't tell you everything quite yet, but let me tell you that what you see is very deceiving. If you know what I mean." Peter explained.

"Ahhh, yes, I understand. Hey not a problem at all Peter. I'm here, you are here, Josh is here and everybody is happy."

"Vic! What the hell is going on? How did you and Josh get here, well besides the obvious."

"It is quite a story, why don't you sit down and make yourself comfortable." Vic offered.

Peter sat in the chair next to the bed while Vic started the story.

"After you were sentenced, Josh went nuts. He was going to kill Professor Dengheim and he would have gone through with it if I hadn't caught him inside Energy. I don't know how he got past all of the security but he did. I saw him coming down the hall headed toward Dengheim's office. I was able to pull him into a storage closet just before security rounded the corner. I told him that we needed to talk and I took him to my office.

"Look Josh, you can't go through with this. What good are you going to do Peter if you are dead?"

"What do you mean dead? They aren't going to kill me if I am unarmed. I don't have a weapon. I'm just going to strangle the son of a bitch." Josh said angrily.

"Son, you have no idea do you? You are inside one of the most highly secure facilities that Epsilon has. You just waltzed in here like all of the doors were open. How you did that I would like to know. But let me tell you this. If you were to kill Dengheim, you are a dead man. No if's, but's or why's. They would kill you on sight. You wouldn't be questioned or given a trial. You would never leave Energy. So do you still want to go through with it?" Vic asked.

"There has to be a way. I got in here and I can get out." Josh stated.

"Look, Dengheim has constant security surveillance. They watch him all the time. You might not even get close enough to touch him before security was there in full force."

"That bastard took Peter away from me and I want him to pay for it."

"Josh, there are other ways to get even. More subtle ways. Ways that will make life miserable for him just as he has made life miserable for Peter and you. Wouldn't that make a lot more sense than killing him?"

"Y-Yes b-but how?" Josh asked.

"Very simple Josh, we sabotage his pet project."

"How do we do that?"

"I don't think there is anyone here that likes Dengheim. All I have to do is ask a few people for help and things will become total chaos."

"But Vic, why are you doing this? If anyone found out, you would be finished."

"Josh, I hate that son of a bitch. I really like Peter and I think he was right in what he did. If there is any way that I can help to make some serious changes around here, I will." Vic answered.

"Thanks Vic."

"My pleasure kid. There is something about Peter that intrigues me. Something that makes me want to help him."

Josh and I planned our attack. I talked to a few of the engineers in Energy and they agreed to help us. They misinterpreted results of experiments. Erased critical files from the main database. Before long, just about everyone in Energy was on our side. There were a few that were still on Dengheim's side but not a lot. Dengheim was going crazy with the setbacks that were happening. He started firing people, one lab technician that thought he was next in line and he broke. The little shit told Dengheim that Josh and I were behind everything. Luckily one of my buddies in security caught wind of what was going on and warned us. Josh and I made our way to the space port and stole that Epsilon ship that we came here on. We were chased all the way. That is how we wound up here." Vic concluded.

"Why did you do it Vic? You have ruined your life." Peter asked.

"Peter, I didn't have a life. I worked and slept. I didn't have any goals, any dreams. What kind of life is that?" Vic shook his head. "Now I have something to fight for or should I say against. Now I have a goal. That Peter, is a life. Not what I had before."

"Thank you for bringing Josh to me. You don't know how much it means to me. Thank you Vic with all my heart." Peter said with tears forming at the corner of his eyes.

"Peter, I would do anything for you. I don't know why I feel this way but I'm not questioning it. It just seems the right thing to do."

"I think I know why." A voice interrupted.

They both looked toward the door and Alexander was standing just inside the entry.

"Why Uncle?" Peter asked.

Vic looked at Peter and at Alexander and then back to Peter.

"Uncle?" Vic questioned.

"Yes Vic. My name is Alexander Benoit. Peter is my nephew."

Vic's jawdropped. He looked at Alexander and then back to Peter."

"Wow!" Was all he said.

"Vic, you know about the Benoit family?" Peter asked.

"Yes I do. It just happens that I am descended from Andrew Benoit. Peter, that makes us distant cousins."

"Vic, that is wonderful. I knew we had a connection, I just didn't know what it was." Peter exclaimed.

"Ok, now that we have had the family reunion, why don't we tell Vic exactly what is going on here." Alexander said.

Alexander and Peter told Vic all about the supposed penal world and what they planned to do when the time was right. Vic became excited when they finished filling him in.

"You can count on me. The only request I have is that I work with Peter. Do you think that can be arranged?"

"I don't see a problem with that at all Vic." Alexander answered. "In fact that is exactly the type of teams we are looking for. Totally committed to each other. People that will sacrifice themselves for their team mates."

Peter looked at Vic, tilting his head to the side. "Vic? You would do that for me?"

"In a heartbeat Peter." Vic answered.

Peter jumped up and ran to Vic and hugged him.

"Vic, I would do the same for you. Thank you, thank you."

The three talked for a while longer. Both Peter and Alexander told him about life on his new home. Vic was astounded at what they told him. He couldn't believe that they had put this over on the Federation and the Degardo family when suddenly it hit him. Josh! Josh Degardo. He is the enemy.

"Peter, what about Josh? Joshua Degardo."

"Vic, after what Josh has done do you think he is the enemy? Do you think he would do anything to jeopardize me? Peter looked at Vic. "He loves me with all his heart, he would die for me Vic and I would die for him. No, Josh isn't the enemy. Just because his last name is Degardo doesn't make him one of them."

"Yes, you are right Peter. I should know better from his actions on Epsilon. I'm sorry I ever brought it up." Vic apologized.

"Vic, I want you to tell me when you think something isn't right. You can do it without fear of hurting my feelings because I know you have my best interests at heart." Peter said with a smile.

A short time later Peter and Alexander left Vic so he could rest.

'Peter, you did very well today. I am pleased. But, I do want you to be careful with what you tell Josh. He is still a Degardo.' Peter heard Alexander in his mind.

Peter stopped dead in his tracks and turned to glare at Alexander.

"Listen to me Uncle Alexander. I love Josh Degardo with all my being. I trust him with my life. If you don't trust me to know that much, then you don't trust me at all."

Alexander stood there with the most frightened look Peter had ever seen on anyone's face. Peter was angry enough to not care. He glared at his uncle once again before he turned and headed to Josh's room.

Meanwhile Alexander stood in the hallway of the infirmary. He was totally stunned at what Peter had done. He immediately called the Benoit family counsel in his mind.

'I need everyone to meet me in the counsel chambers immediately. This is of extreme importance.'

About thirty minutes later, there was a group of people, including Alexander Benoit gathered in a large room. They were sitting around a table talking loudly.

"Listen everyone. Quite down please." Alexander requested.

"I have never experience anything like that before. When Peter Buchard turned to me he transferred his anger directly into my mind with a force that was amazing. I was actually frightened, even stunned for a moment." Alexander explained.

Everyone started talking at once again. Words like "Freak" "He's dangerous" and "He has to be controlled." Could be heard. An older counsel member stood and waited until everyone quieted down.

"I think we need to find out just how powerful this young man's mind is. Something like this has never occurred in the Benoit family before. Alexander, you and three counsel members will go to young Peter and take him to the meditation chamber." The elderly man said.

"Uncle, are you sure this is best? Peter has just been reunited with his love. He is not going to want to be isolated from him again. It might not be easy to do." Alexander questioned.

"It needs to be done immediately before he realizes the power he controls. If we can isolate him long enough to train him properly, it might keep him from hurting someone unintentionally."

"Yes Uncle, you are right. Again." Alexander responded.

Alexander and three other board members rose and left the counsel chambers, stopping along the way to retrieve a stunner and a set of restraints. They were not going to take a chance that Peter would violently object to being removed from Joshua's presence.

They arrived at the infirmary in short order and found Peter sitting with Josh. Peter looked at the four men for a moment and jumped up yelling at them.

"NO! I WILL NOT GO WITH YOU! I WILL NOT LEAVE JOSH." He yelled.

Just as Peter started to scream at them again a 'Thruuummmppp' was heard and Peter collapsed to the floor.

Copyright S. John Holder 2000

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at John's Lovescape

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