Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 18:45:30 -0700
From: Dan Kirk <kirkjr2@home.com>
Subject: Wreckers Chapter 4

This story contains homoerotic situations and descriptions.  It also
contains violence.  The violence, and the sex for that matter, are not
gratuitous.  They are part of the story.  If this is illegal where you
reside, or you are not of legal age, read no further!  Otherwise, enjoy.
All work remains the property of the owner, and is printed on this web
site, and its authorized mirrors/affiliates by permission of the author.
Any other printing, distribution, etc. is prohibited.

My thanks to Ed for his time & effort in editing!  It is greatly
appreciated.


The Wreckers
Chapter 4 - Training


	The feeling of a another presence in his room woke Justin up
immediately.  For a moment, he felt disoriented as he didn't recognize the
room he was in.  As his brain came fully awake, and with it, the memory of
where he was, his eyes snapped back to the figure standing in the doorway.
With his room totally dark, and light from the passageway outside flooding
in, he couldn't make out any details of the man standing there.

	"Good, you're awake," came a beautiful voice from the figure.  With
a click, the man turned on the lights in the room.  Justin felt his breath
catch in his throat as the lights revealed one of the most gorgeous men
he'd ever seen. Standing there in front of him was what looked like a god.
As Justin stood, he realized the man was 6'4, weighed about 220 lbs.  An
oval shaped face held brilliant green eyes, a soft, wide mouth that looked
like it begged to be kissed.  Short dark hair only accented the aquiline
features of the face.  Broad shoulders held the dark green t-shirt (he
wasn't wearing a cammie top - just a t-shirt, pants, and highly polished
boots), tight against a well-formed chest.  Muscles rippled as he moved his
arm back to his side.

	"At ease there, Ensign, why don't we have a seat?" the man
continued in his silky voice, as he let his eyes linger over the bulge that
suddenly appeared in Justin's pants.  Making his way to one of the room's
two chairs, the stranger motioned Justin into the other one.

	Once they were both settled, the stranger continued, "Let me
introduce myself.  I am Colonel Henry Sells, the commanding officer of this
installation.  At least the school here inside those blast doors.  One of
the first decisions that I made when I was given this command is that too
much formality would hinder our operations more than it would help, so you
can call me Henry, and I'll call you Justin.  Until you leave this
facility, rank won't be an issue.  The only distinctions here are between
Students, Graduates, and Instructors."

	When Justin had nodded at his statement, Henry leaned back in
chair, legs fully extended in front of him, crossed at the heels.  A gentle
smile lit his face up as he decided to continue on, "David told me he gave
you basic explanation of this facility, our purpose here, and all that
stuff.  Good.  He also told you that someone would be by today to give you
your first training, and a little more of a briefing on what exactly we
mean when we say talk about psionics.  Is that right?"

	Realizing this was the first time the man had let him speak, Justin
managed to squeak out, "Uh, yeah, that's right, uh, Henry"

	Henry's smile grew even bigger at that as he said, "Nice to hear
your voice at last, Justin.  But I don't want to hear it again until I tell
you.  We're going to begin your training now, and you are not allowed to
speak again until you pass a test."

	At Justin's nod, Henry pulled his feet back under the chair and
leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasping together under
his dimpled chin.  "Now, what we teach here has been labeled 'Psionics' by
the military brass.  Whether it really fits or not, I'm not sure since I
never played any of those games like many kids here did.  What I do know is
that we have seen four general types of abilities show up among the people
here.  These types have been classed as Mental (which includes telepathy,
empathy, astral projection, and similar types of abilities), Physical
(telekinesis, morphing of the body, transmutation, and other abilities
related to changes of the physical body or physical objects), Elemental
(creating fire, water, wind, controlling weather, etc.), and Healing
(pretty much self-explanatory).  Most people here have exhibited abilities
in at least 2 areas, some as many as 3.  For instance, several have shown
strong abilities in Physical, with other abilities in Mental and Healing.
Almost everyone has exhibited Physical, most others have some level of
Mental.  Elemental and Healing are the rarest.

	"From the reports of what happened to you in Phoenix, and from the
reports of Curtis and Jason, you appear to exhibit both Physical and
Mental.  Your beginning level courses will work with you to develop your
strengths in those areas.  Today, I'm going to work with you in touching
your ability, and reaching your 'center'.  If that goes well, we'll test
you in all the areas to see your total capabilities.  Let's get started
now.

	"In order to use your abilities, you are going to have to learn to
touch your 'center'.  Lean back in your chair.  Good, now just relax.
Clear your head of thoughts, feelings, everything except your core self.
Your sense of who you are."

	As Justin let Henry's melodic voice carry him deeper, he tried to
clear his head of thoughts.  All this information flooding in made it hard
though.  He closed his eyes and tried harder to clear his mind, but it just
wasn't working.  He finally started imagining Henry's form leaning back in
that chair and imagined his hands running up and down those strong legs.
Dammit, being woken up like that, and told all this crap had him
off-kilter, and being locked up in this damn room with the stud was making
him horny.  He felt something stirring in his pants.  Frustrated, he
imagined his hands running up Henry's legs, massaging the inside of the
man's strong thighs, and finally rubbing a little higher.

	Again, Henry's voice startled him, he was so lost in the imaginary
foreplay, "Um, Justin, I don't think you're gonna have much of a problem
getting along here," was all he said.

	Curiously, Justin opened his eyes to look at the man sitting 5 feet
away from him.  Henry smiled at him, leaning back in his chair, obviously
getting excited, as Justin's hands massaged his legs across FIVE FEET OF
THE ROOM!  At his gasp of surprise, his arms shortened up to their normal
length and Henry chuckled softly "That sure was a fine example of your
abilities in the Physical arena...NO! Don't say anything out loud!  No
speaking, remember?"

	Frustrated, Justin spoke inside his head, directing the thought
towards the man across from him, 'How DARE you tease me this way, I don't
even know how I did that!'

	'And you definitely show strong ability in the Mental arena as
well,' was the voiceless reply.  It didn't seem possible, but the mental
voice was even more sexy than the real voice of the man. 'Now, let's work
on this some more.'

	For the next two hours it seemed like Henry took great pleasure in
torturing Justin.  But no matter how much he worked at it, Justin could
never figure out exactly what it was he did that caused things to happen.
He managed to consistently form his thoughts and project them.  Hear
Henry's thoughts, even block Henry's thoughts out.  He reached out and
touched other minds nearby.  Some seemed oblivious, others greeted him,
seeming happy to 'meet' him.  Others were blocked so that he couldn't hear
them.  After much prodding, he even began to be able to sense emotions.

	Yet, it seemed like he wasn't getting any real control over it.
Sure, when he got pissed, frustrated, upset, horny, he was able to do
things, but when he calmed down and tried it the way Henry showed him,
nothing happened.  After those two hours, both men were becoming agitated
and frustrated.

	Finally, Henry said, "Ok, that's enough for now, Justin.  Damn,
that name doesn't come off the tongue right.  I think I'm gonna call ya Jaz
from now on.  Ok, Jaz, let's go get some food."  When Justin stood up and
nodded silently, he laughed softly, putting his arm around his newest
recruit. "It's ok, you can talk now"

	Exasperated, Justin just looked at him and thought, 'After this
morning, I don't think I'm ever gonna speak more than two words at once to
you again, at least until you make it up to me.  How about some breakfast
sausage?'

	Startled, Henry turned to see the young man standing there, still
in the uniform he had arrived in, rubbing the front of his pants.  Feeling
a sudden wave of desire for Justin, he stepped towards the young man,
parted his lips and bent forward to kiss him.

	Only to jump back as Justin mentally shouted, 'HA!  I DID it! I was
even calm!' and with that, Justin bounded out of the room, only to stop
dead, staring at Henry, who was standing there poleaxed. 'Now that I showed
I can project empathically too, why don't you show me where the galley is,
I'm hungry.'

	Shaking his head, and feeling some desires he knew were his own,
Henry walked out of the room and showed Justin the way to the galley.

***

	Surprised that it was only 0900, and even more surprised that the
galley was still serving at such a later hour, Justin followed Henry into
the galley as they headed to the serving line.  There were a few people in
the galley, sitting down and eating their own breakfasts.  While the two of
them filled their plates from the self-serve line, Henry sensed Justin's
curiosity at food being served so late.

	"Since so much is going on here so often, and since training seems
to take a lot out of people, we long since decided to keep food available
24 hours a day.  Any time you're hungry, come on down and there will be
something to eat.  Main meals are served at the typical time frames, but we
always keep warm food available.  Just don't expect it to be absolutely
fresh all the time." He smiled at Justin's slightly bewildered face,
sensing the total disorientation that most people felt on coming here.

	Once their plates were loaded, they turned and made their way to
the neatly arranged dining tables.  Justin actually felt Henry's decision
to not further bewilder him by introducing more people.  Henry led him over
to a deserted table and the two men sat down to eat.  'This is definitely a
time when not having to use your mouth to speak can be useful' drifted into
Justin's head just as he stuck a fork full of eggs into his mouth.

	'Yeah, I can see that,' was his reply. Then as he noticed a couple
of people around the room were holding back laughter, 'Can everyone hear
us?!'

	'Most of the time, yes.'  Anyone within a short range can hear mind
talk if they aren't actively blocking it out.  Fortunately, it doesn't
extend too far, but it can get damn right noisy at times, with everyone
talking to each other.'

	'Oh,' was the only reply Justin could give.

	'Don't worry, you'll pick up on the ethics of it soon, and we'll
show ya how to block it all out whenever things get too loud.  Most people
still use voice communications whenever they are in the same room with each
other, except when it's inconvenient, like when eating,' continued Henry as
he wolfed down the food on his platter.  'So, any questions now?'

	'Um, yeah,' thought Justin, impressed with the ease with which he
had adapted to this new ability - almost like he had been doing it for all
of his life. 'What's the schedule here?  Where do I fit in?  What am I
going to be doing?'

	'Well, Justin, I already know that you are thinking about your
abilities, and how they can be used, so I'm going to answer that question
first.  Your abilities give you the capability to be a cornerstone of our
country's survival.  In the aftermath of the Event, things have gone
rapidly downhill.  You will be helping our country get back on its feet.
You and everyone else here.

	'Next, you will fit in by learning to use your abilities to your
utmost.  When you are ready, you will be sent out on missions that will
help our country in various ways, all depending on what you can do.  As for
your first question, you will be training and training until you are so
tired you pass out every night.

	'There are 12 other entry level students who have arrived over the
last few weeks.  You will be joining them as a class group.  That will be
tomorrow morning.  For today, you and I will be finishing your entry
assessment.  I have abilities in 3 of the 4 areas, so I will be testing you
on the elemental area of control after we eat.  David Baxter will be
joining us later to test you in Healing since he has some ability in that
area.

	'Once your classes begin, you'll learn the basics of what people
can do with each area of ability so that you will always know what people
with that ability can do. Your classes will also give you full training on
what's been going on in the world, and the real effects of the Event, and
what we are doing to roll it back.  Finally, you'll also be participating
in physical training to get you in good shape, and self-defense training.
No questions, now, I see you're done, so let's go.'

	'Shit,' Justin thought to himself (he hoped), '36 years old and I'm
going back to school.' Then, out loud, he said exactly two words, "You
lead."

	Laughing at the newest recruit's dedication to keeping his word,
Henry led them to the tray line where they dropped off the empty trays for
cleaning.  About halfway to their destination, he felt Justin gathering his
thoughts in.

	'This isn't the way to my room,' Justin projected towards the back
of Henry's head.

	'No, it isn't,' was the reply.  'Elemental ability is too dangerous
to be trained in a regular room.  We don't want an uncontrollable fire
breaking out in your room.  We're heading to some training rooms.'

	"Oh, ok," was the verbal response.

	After another few minutes, and passing several people dressed as
casually as Henry, they reached a door that looked several inches thick.
As it opened, Justin realized that it was about 6 inches thick.  The room
they entered had a ceiling about 20 feet high, and looked to be made of
thick, heavy steel.  10 feet above them, an observation room could be seen,
with thick, heavy, blast panels ready to slide over the windows.  Inside,
the room appeared empty.  He also noticed cameras ringing the room.  Not
able to control his acerbic tongue, he said out loud, "All this for little
ole me?"

	"I thought you weren't going speak more than two words to me?" was
the reply from Henry.

	Looking irritated, Justin thought back, 'I wasn't speaking to you,
I was speaking to the cameras.'

	Laughing at the attempted evasion, Henry just said out loud, "Well,
we do a lot of combat training here.  It's amazing what fire and water can
do on the battlefield, even with guns.  The brass use the training tapes to
figure out how to position us on the battlefield, if it ever comes to
that."

	Suddenly uncomfortable with the thought of using his abilities to
kill (hell, killing was bad enough as it was, but this was a much more
personal way), Justin shifted his feet on the metal floor.  He looked up as
Henry walked over to a control panel, which lowered the lights ringing the
room until things were almost totally dark.  The metal on metal sound that
filled the room could only be the observation room blast doors closing.

	"Don't worry, the cameras are off for today's testing.  The brass
is only interested in our ability in combat, not in what it takes to get
people trained for it..  Now, let's sit on the floor here in the middle of
the room.  I want you to clear yourself like you did earlier this morning,
and prepare to touch your center."

	Justin drifted off as he closed his eyes and complied.  The soft
voice of Henry taking him deeper.  Still, he could not really touch this
'center' that Henry spoke of, but he prepared himself the way he had when
he had made Henry feel lust for him, and when he talked mind to mind.  As
the instructions came to make a ball of fire appear between them, he
imagined a tongue of flame, like on the tip of a candle appearing, and
wanted it.

	At Henry's gasp, he opened his eyes, to see the flame appearing
between them, held fast to some invisible wick.  He smiled at the look of
shock on Henry's face and made it grow bigger and bigger until it was a
raging bonfire between the two.  The heat from it caused sweat to break out
on both men.  At an unspoken signal from Henry, Justin let the fire go,
dissolving into nothingness.

	"Well, Jaz," began Henry, "you may just be the best student to ever
come through here.  No one has been able to do that on the first try.  No
one has been able to control the size of it without at least HOURS of
training." With each sentence, Henry's voice climbed an octave, "HOW the
hell did you do that?!" the last came out just short of being a shout.

	Deciding the look on Henry's face paid up for earlier today, Justin
answered out loud, "I just imagined it exactly how I wanted it to appear,
then I, um, I just wanted it to happen, and it did."

	"Interesting," was the only reply for a few moments.  Finally,
Henry stood and indicated Justin should go to the other side of the room.
When he was in position, he spoke up, "Ok, Jaz, I'm gonna skip the basic
stuff and test you on some intermediate stuff"

	As he said that, a field of energy surrounded Henry.  Pale blue, it
crackled as it moved into a spherical shape, extending even under the floor
until it was complete.  As he nodded at his student, a similar sphere
appeared around him.  Grunting at the quickness of the kid catching on, he
smiled at himself and summoned electricity into the room, a bolt of
lightning pointed at Justin.

	Justin jumped as lightning struck the shield around him.  He felt
the shield weakening and willed it to be stronger.  The bolt bounced off,
hitting the wall around him.  Deciding it was his turn to attack, Justin
imagined a ball of fire streaking from his hand and pushing through Henry's
shield.  As soon as he had finished imagining it, he willed it to happen.

	Henry was startled at the ball of fire that appeared and streaked
for him.  Quickly he put more strength into the barrier in front of him,
and was shocked when the ball of fire streaked right through it as if it
didn't exist and hit him in the chest.

	When the ball of fire hit Henry in the chest, Justin panicked.  His
shield disappeared and he ran for the fallen man.  Water appeared from
nowhere and smothered the fire that enveloped the man.  Remembering that
David was supposed to be testing him for healing later, he 'shouted' with
his mind for the man to come running.

	When he reached Henry, the stench of burnt flesh hit him violently.
Resisting the urge to vomit, Justin knelt by the burnt shell of what had
been a beautiful man and started crying.  It seemed like hours and David
still wasn't here.  Rocking back on his knees, Justin was consumed by a
surge of feelings as he realized Henry was still breathing, if barely.
Through his sobs, Justin willed the man to live.  He slowly formed an image
in his head of the burnt form in front of him returning to how it had
appeared before he cast the fireball.  When the door opened and a strangled
voice from in front bellowed, "Oh my GOD!" he passed out on the floor.

***

	Drifting silently in a black void, Justin wondered where he was and
what happened.  It seemed like there was nothing around him, that he was
floating in the middle of a total void.  After a few minutes he thought he
heard voices floating across the void, and tried to hear them.  Slowly,
ever so slowly, they came into focus where he could hear them better.

	"...still don't know exactly what happened, sir,." said one
voice. "When Captain Baxter entered the training room, he found Colonel
Sells badly burnt, like he'd been set on fire.  Ensign Ackeman was kneeling
next to him, in obvious emotional distress.  The next thing Captain Baxter
knew, even before he had a chance to move towards them, a bluish-white
light surrounded the two, and when it dissipated, the Colonel was fully
healed.  Both men were comatose after that and nothing we have done has
roused either of them."

	"Are you saying that the boy burned Colonel Sells to a crisp, then
healed him?" said another voice, this one vaguely familiar, and with a
touch of hysterics to it.

	"Yes, sir, that's what I'm saying," responded the first voice.
"Until one, or both of them regain consciousness, we might never know what
happened."

	"Well, until Colonel Sells regains consciousness, I want this boy
guarded night and day by the best people you have, Commander.  I do not
want him leaving this room until we know what happened from someone we can
trust!"

	With that, the voices faded out again and Justin felt himself
drifting again in that lonely void.  After a while, he sensed he was no
longer alone.  Suddenly, in front of him, appeared an old man.  He looked
in his late 50's, or early 60's.  White hair, receding on top, crowned a
wizened face, wrinkles around the eyes and mouth, but still somewhat firm.
It was obvious that in his younger days, he'd been quite good looking, and
the soft smile formed by his lips brought that beauty to his face still.

	"Well, boy, you sure have done it now," the old man said. "Colonel
Burns is in a pure fury.  He hates this place enough as it is, that old
Baptist bastard.  He thinks all homos should be shot on sight, and having
to tolerate us, not only to exist, but to be in his precious military, has
him looking for any excuse to terminate anyone he can pin down."

	"W-W-W-W-What?" stuttered a confused Justin.  "Who are you?!"

	"You've met me before, boy," answered the old man. "But, let me
introduce myself.  I'm Alan Mills, Major, US Army, retired.  You might
remember me as that kid running around the mess hall the day you showed up
here."

	At Justin's incredulous look, Alan chuckled softly and continued,
"I know, I know, 60 year old man like me running around and goofing off is
a little hard to take.  But my first childhood was far too serious and I
decided to take a little break."  With that, the man's features began to
change.  His body became more firm, his hair turned into a brown mass,
curling a little so his bangs fell just to his eyebrows.  The wrinkles
faded from his face, replaced by firm, tanned skin, and his eyes grew
richer, more the brownish tone of freshly turned earth, warm and welcoming.

	"There, that's better," continued the man who now appeared to be in
his early 20's, "that's a more suitable appearance.  Look, if we don't want
that jackass Colonel to execute you, you're gonna have to wake up.  After
you are awake, I'll go and get Colonel Sells and bring him back too."

	"Uh, don't mean to sound stupid, but, how do I get back?" was all
Justin could think of saying.

	Holding out his hand, Alan smiled and said, "Follow me, and
remember, just stay quiet until I've gotten Colonel Sells."

	Once Justin had placed his hand in Alan's, colors seemed to leap
out of the void, surrounding them, and swirling until everything was a
blur.  The next thing he knew, he could feel a hard bed under him and he
let out a small groan as his stomach rumbled with hunger.  His head ached
like it had been put in a vise.  There was a prickly feeling on his arm,
and he knew that it was from an IV needle.

	Groaning at his weakness, Justin remembered his strange meeting
with Alan, and the conversation he overheard.  Grateful that Henry was ok,
and from what Alan said, he probably should be awake now.  He wanted bad to
see the man who was now his commanding officer.  He had to apologize for
what he did.  He opened his eyes to look around.  He was obviously in some
type of medical ward.  Through the oval windows in the doorway, he could
see the back of a guard in uniform on the other side.

	An IV needle in his arm led to a bag of liquid, 'probably just a
saline solution', he thought to himself.  He reached over and carefully
pulled the needle out, using that tape that had kept it on his arm to quell
the blood coming out of the hole.  Letting the needle fall back onto the
bed, Justin levered himself into a sitting position, swinging his bare legs
over the edge.  'Dammit!" he thought. "I'm wrapped in a fucking hospital
gown!"

	Before he could do more, the doors swung open and a middle-aged man
walked in.  He was dressed in a white coat, like a doctor, over Navy-issue
khakis.  The silver oak leaf on one collar and caduceus on the other
declared him a Navy doctor with the rank of Commander.  Seeing his patient
awake, and trying to get out of bed, he smiled and said, "That's enough,
Ensign!  Lie back down.  We're gonna have to take a look at you before you
get out of bed."

	'Shit!' Justin thought. ' Now I'm not gonna be able to see Henry.'

	'Don't worry,' said a mind-voice a lot like the doctor's.  As
Justin just stared, the mental voice continued. 'Yes, I'm an instructor
here, and the base's executive officer.  My name is Barry Kiles. Don't
worry, the Colonel is awake and said to tell Jaz that he is fine.  I can
also tell you that from a medical perspective he's going to be just fine
now that he's awake.'

	"What," Justin croaked, then cleared his voice to say, "What
happened?"

	"Well," answered Barry, "From what we can tell, and the brief
discussion we had with Colonel Sells, it appears that you are showing more
advanced abilities than any other person to show up here.  You have now
demonstrated abilities in all four areas.  More, you have shown that all
four areas operate at very high levels.  The Colonel is a decent in the
mental and physical disciplines, but he's the best when it comes to
elemental.  You far surpassed him there, and have shown very strong mental
and physical abilities. What's more, you also show more ability in healing,
since the damage to the Colonel would have challenged even my abilities.
In short, you just showed yourself to be extremely valuable, and useful."

	"Uh, what about the other Colonel?  He didn't sound too happy."

	"Don't worry about Colonel Burns.  He's an asshole, bigot, and all
around jerk.  With Colonel Sells back, his authority once again ends at the
blast door.  You're safe here.  Now sit back and let me have a look at
you."

	As Justin sat back and allowed the doctor to do a full examination,
he thought about the doctor's words.  He definitely didn't know what to
make of the fact that he was now considered the 'most' powerful person
here.  He also didn't know what to do if he ran the risk of hurting his
instructors during training.  Before he had too much time to think himself
down a dark path, the doctor finished.

	"Well, everything seems to be working normally.  Tomorrow we're
going to run some tests, MRI, CAT scan, etc.  They cost a lot of power, but
in this case I think they'll authorize it.  For now, you may go back to
your quarters and rest.  The Colonel said he'd be by tomorrow to check up
on you.  Also, your schedule for tomorrow should be on your desk.  I've
been told that you will start tomorrow with your classes."

	Glad at being able to get out of the medical bay (gods, he hated
being a patient), Justin swung his legs back over the bed and started to
stand.  When his feet touched the cold floor, he looked over at the doctor
and thought 'Clothes?' He was startled when the doctor pointed to a chair
by his bed, that had his uniform in it.  Smiling at his own lack of
noticing them, he stooped over and got dressed, pointedly ignoring the
doctor who obviously enjoyed the sight.  With a 'Later, doc!' he left the
door, past where the guard no longer stood, and stopped.

	Hell, he didn't know the way, none of the signs indicated where to
go.  With a silent curse, he decided it was time to figure out how to get
around the base by himself.

***


	It took about an hour, but he finally found the mess hall.  As the
smell of warming food made his stomach rumble, he looked up at the clock on
the wall.  Damn!  It was 2215 (10:15 p.m.).  Realizing he hadn't eaten in
over 12 hours, Justin decided to get some food.  As he grabbed a tray and
looked at what selections there were available, he realized the night
selections were just not as good as the morning had been.  He settled on
some Clam Chowder soup, a couple slices of bread (which looked just like
the stuff he had gotten used to on board ship years ago), and some pieces
of warmed meat that looked like it was roast beef.

	As he sat in the empty room, consuming the food in front of him,
three more people walked into the room.  All three were familiar to him.
David Baxter led the trio.  He was a Marine captain, looking to be in his
mid-20's.  His dark hair was cut in a classic high and tight, and he stood
about 5'7 with a stocky, but firm, build.  Nearly dwarfing him, the twins
on either side (Curtis and Jason Parker) stood at 6' even.  Their blond
hair had a classic short surfer look, barely managing to meet military
regs.  They looked to be in prime shape with strong shoulders tapering down
into slender waists.  When they saw him sitting there they jumped, giving
each high fives over David's head.  Laughing, they said in unison, "See,
told ya he'd be here stuffing his face!"

	With a smile on all their faces, the three made their way to
Justin's table and sat down.  David took the lead, "Hey, Jaz!  Glad to see
ya up and about!"

	"Oh GODS!" Justin groaned aloud.  "Is everyone gonna call me THAT
now?"

	"Yup," smiled the twins, again in unison. "First words out of
Henry's mouth were 'How's my Jaz?' After he explained that was his
nickname, we decided we all liked it."

	Dropping his head in defeat, Justin decided to find out how much
trouble he was in. "So, what's the fallout from today?  Is Henry really
ok?"

	"Most definitely, he's fine," answered David.  "When we left, he
was yelling for the Commander to let him out of bed.  I don't think that's
going to happen until the good doctor is sure everything's ok.  As for
fallout, well, let's just say good Colonel Burns now hates your guts, and
everyone here is anxious to see what else you can do.  The sooner we get
you in the field, the better."

	"Really?"

	"Yup," the twins chimed in again.  Curtis continued alone (Justin
didn't realize how he knew which it was, but he did know), "And you're
gonna be getting a lot of training. No one else has been able to work in
all four areas like you, and from what Henry said, you're a fast learner,
so they're gonna make sure that you can learn as fast as possible."

	"Speaking of training, your orientation class is tomorrow,"
interrupted David.  "It starts at 0530 so you better be up and ready early.
The twins here will be by to pick you up and drop you off at the first
class. They'll also take you to your one on one sessions.  You might figure
this out, but they are going to be your escorts till you're familiar enough
with the layout to find your own way.  For now, I recommend you get to bed
since you're done eating."

	With a nod from Justin, the three stood up and walked him back to
his room.  With a kiss on his lips, David said goodnight and made his way
back to his own quarters.  The twins stood in the hallway for a moment and
looked at Justin.  Seeing he was tired, they decided seduction could wait,
and gave him another kiss, one on each cheek, and left too.  Shaking his
head, trying to process the events of the day, Justin opened the door to
his room, took off his shirt, and laid down on the bunk without even
turning the lights off.  Quicker than he expected, sleep claimed him.

***

beep

beep

beep

Beep

Beep

BEEP

	The irritating noise was getting louder every few seconds.  Slowly,
realization flooded Justin's brain that it was an alarm clock, and its
irritating noise was getting louder.  A moment of whimsy took him, and he
imagined the poor, hapless alarm clock starting to smoke as its innards
overheated.  An acrid smell drifted over to him, and his eyes flew open to
see the alarm clock smoking furiously.  Cursing, he knocked it off the
night table and into the empty trash can.

	Smothered laughter informed him that the twins had already arrived.
They both stood there, blond hair impeccable, as were their freshly pressed
cammie pants and green t-shirts.  Jason said (again, Justin didn't know how
he knew which spoke, he just did), "Come on, sleepy head!  It's 0500 and
you've only got a few minutes to shit, shower, and shave!"

	Grumping sourly, Justin realized the two were not going to wait
outside when they sat in the room's only two chairs.  Knowing they were
gay, and knowing they were trying to embarrass him, he grabbed his shower
kit, change of clothes, and went to the small head (bathroom) that adjoined
his room.  He quickly showered (thinking 'damn, I hate these two minute
showers') and looked at himself in the mirror over the sink.  To his
surprise, he realized he didn't need to shave.  'Wow, maybe I'll never have
to shave again!'  He brushed his teeth quickly and got dressed in the fresh
clothes.

	Emerging freshly washed and clothed in less than 6 minutes total,
he was greeted by applause from the waiting twins.  Curtis said, "Phat!  He
IS a veteran after all!"  Some silent communication happened between the
two and Jason continued, "I bet he'll be able to eat just as fast!" and the
two turned and walked out of the room.

	Quickly, he 'policed' the room (a term for throwing his kit into a
drawer, and his dirty clothes into a hamper in the wardrobe), and tightened
up the cover on the bed, before he followed the two so they wouldn't get
too far ahead.  Catching up to them, he got a little irritated as Curtis
commented, "Damn, he even cleans his room fast. Wonder who told him about
the surprise inspection?"

	Knocking the young man in the shoulder, Justin walked past the two
and said over his shoulder,"Boys, if you had ever been really in the
service, you would know there is NO such thing as a surprise inspection,
only the inspection the officers tried to surprise you with!"  As he
reached the galley, he quickly grabbed a few pieces of toast, some
scrambled eggs, and a glass of milk.  Barely taking the time to sit, he
wolfed the food down while the twins were still picking out some food.

	As they sat down next to him, he stood up, put his tray and glass
away, and stood by the entrance.  As he crossed his arms and tapped his
foot in a fake show of impatience, the nearly full room erupted in
laughter.  One of the men at a table next to the twins shouted, "Looks like
your tricks didn't work this time!" The twins blushed furiously and quickly
finished their food and hurried to join Justin by the door.

	Growling in mock ferocity, he said, "If I'm late because of you
two, you're gonna pay for it!"  Then seeing the mischievous smiles on their
faces, he added, "I'll make sure I find you both a pretty girl!"

	Laughing at their looks of mock horror, he smiled and motioned for
them to lead on.  In a few minutes, they had arrived at the room where his
orientation training was to take place.  There were 6 tables, each with two
chairs, lined up in a semi-circle.  A small projector was sitting on a
stand in the middle, pointing to a small screen at the front of the room.
Commander Barry Kiles stood to one side and motioned Justin to the only
remaining chair in the room.  To his surprise, Justin found the person
sitting next to him was Alan Mills (looking to be around 25, as he had
appeared in the void.)

	"Now that our last new student has joined us, we will begin," spoke
Commander Kiles.  "Welcome to your first day of real training. Some of you
have been here for a few weeks, going through basic training on military
discipline and protocol.  Ensign Ackeman and Major Mills here are both
veterans and will not be taking those courses, which will continue for the
next 6 months for the rest of you.  However, everyone here will be taking
physical training and self-defense courses together.  You will also meet on
a regular basis once we reach intermediate level training.

	"Most of you have received a basic instruction in your new
abilities, and some basic understanding of what we do here.  However, to
give you a better idea, a special tape and special welcome has been made
for this orientation.  I doubt that I need to stress that falling asleep
would not be wise."  With that, Kiles turned off the lights and pressed a
button on the projector.

	A face familiar to everyone appeared in the room.  Almost eight
years ago, he had been elected President, and still held that office.  This
video had been shot in the oval office, with Washington apparent behind it.
Despite the fact that Justin had not voted for the man, and did not support
many of his decisions, the man was still the Commander-in-Chief, and Justin
was back in uniform.  Sitting even straighter in his chair, Justin waited
to hear what was to be said.

	"Hello, men," the image began, "I am glad to be welcoming you to
the Advanced Psionics Edulocation Center." At the mispronunciation, the
room erupted in soft laughter. Smiling, the image continued, "In the next
few months, you will learn to use your new abilities in the defense of your
country, and in support of our efforts to return civilization to the world.

	"By now, you should have been briefed on the extensive nature of
the threats we face today.  A little later, your trainers will give you a
more fuller picture of the threats we face today, and what your role in it
will be.  I will end this short speech by admonishing you to learn as fast
as you can.  Your country needs you like it has never needed any of its
people before.  Without your assistance, freedom may fade from the face of
the planet."

	With that, the image winked out and Kiles turned the lights back
on. Smiling, he commenced his part of the orientation.  "With those
stirring words, I am going to be giving you some information that is
considered to be classified as Top Secret.  What I am about to tell you is
not to be revealed to anyone, of any rank, outside of the members of this
facility.  I don't care if Colonel Burns or Admiral Bartlett demand you
tell them anything, you don't speak.  The penalty for revealing any of this
information is execution.  That is not after trial, that is on the spot,
bullet to the brain.  Is that clear?"

	As each of them nodded, or mumbled "yes, sir", except Justin and
Alan, who just looked at each other with raised eyebrows, he continued,

	"Very well, this having been made clear, you are about to learn a
lot more about what has happened and what is happening around the world
after the Event.  As most of you are aware, chaos reigned here in the
United States until military law was established and order restored.
However, in comparison to the rest of the world, we had it easy.  Most of
South America, Asia, and Africa have de-evolved to a level of technology
equivalent to the 18th century.  The Middle East has also fallen apart, and
fallen to an almost medieval level of feuding between desert kingdoms.
Israel only exists by the barest of fractions, her only defenses are the
arms being held by all of their citizens.  Europe, well, Europe has been
hardest hit of all.

	"In the chaos following the realization that oil no longer would
burn, ancient hatreds swarmed to the surface.  Smaller countries found
themselves being invaded by their larger neighbors.  Wars started over a
few gallons of usable fuel oils.  American troops, cut off from any hope of
coming home, joined forces with the armies of their host countries.  Within
6 months of the Event, almost half of Europe was dead.  A few months after
that, half of the survivors started to starve to death as every scrap of
food was hoarded by armies intent on keeping power.

	"It was there that psionics was first used in combat.  It is there
that psionics are fast becoming the newest source of power in a war torn
Europe. The sole light has been England.  Protected by the English Channel,
England was able to maintain itself in a condition similar to what we have
here.  However, for some reason they have found fewer gifted people like
yourselves to help them defend themselves.  It is for this reason, that
many of you who prove strongest in the combat techniques will be sent there
to protect them from the continental armies which may invade them.

	"At home, things are far from rosy as well.  We are dealing with
splinter groups and whole regions that wish to take this opportunity to
weaken the unity of the United States.  As needed, you will be called upon
to assist in routing out these groups and bringing them to justice.

	"In the next few months, you will be given the training necessary
to keep you alive, and help you succeed in these missions.  What the
President said is corny, but it is true.  As our world struggles to adapt
to this new situation, we will be the glue that keeps our country
together."

	Decidedly uncomfortable at the speech, Justin stretched his legs
out, crossed his arms, and let his mind wander as the Commander continued
on.  As much as he would like to, he couldn't deny his new abilities. The
bar in Phoenix, the lessons yesterday, what happened with Henry, they all
pointed out his new abilities as clear as day.  To make things worse, he
obviously was capable of doing more than most of the people here.  Which
meant that wherever the action was going on, he would probably be in the
middle of it.

	Overall, not a pleasant idea.  Shying away from the more serious
line of thought, he looked around the room.  Except for Alan next to him,
all of the other 'new' recruits looked young.  As young as he looked now.
What's more, their eyes all showed a level of innocence that seemed to
point towards them really being that age, unlike him and Alan.  They were
also cute.  He started to wonder if any of them would make a good
boyfriend, another uncomfortable thought that was quickly pushed aside by
the old defense of 'Naw, sex yes, boyfriend no.  I don't want no stinkin'
boyfriend.'

	"Isn't that right, Ensign Ackeman?"

	"Huh?" was Justin's only response to Commander Kiles' question.

	"See, gentlemen," the Commander continued, arms crossed, staring
down at Justin. "Any distraction at all, including getting lost in your own
thought, can cause you trouble. Continuing on now that all of us are back,
your training over the next few months will be intensive.  We need you
ready and able to do your part as soon as possible.  In the next week, 30
graduates and 9 instructors will be deployed both CONUS (Continental United
States) and overseas.  Several nuclear powered ships will be taking them
and a strong detachment of troops to England to help there, the rest will
be deployed to help bring rogue areas back under US control.

	"What this means for you, is that there will be fewer instructors
to assist in your training, and that you will all be pushed as hard and
fast as you can so that you can be of assistance sooner rather than later.
In the binders on the table in front of you, you will find your daily
schedule, and basic training materials.  You may take the binders to your
rooms at the end of your day to study if you need to. We will meet each
morning at 0530 in this room for daily assignments and general discussion
of your abilities.  With the cutback in available staff, you will also be
given duty cycles assisting in food preparation and cleaning duties.  These
shifts will appear in your daily schedule.  For now, open your binders,
review your schedules, and get to your next training." With that, the
Commander left the room.

	"Whew," Alan said, letting out a big breath at the same time.  "Are
all the senior officers here windbags?"  As the room erupted in laughter,
he reached for his binder and opened out his schedule, while Justin did the
same.

	Justin looked over his schedule and groaned audibly, at the same
time as almost everyone else in the room.  When they said "pushed hard"
they meant it.

	0530-0600 - Initial Orientation
	0615-0900 - 1-1 Training, Mental Discipline, Room 4B - 1st
Lieutenant J Parker and C. Parker
	0915-1130 - 1-1 Training, Physical Discipline, Room 5C - Major
Collins
	1130-1230 - Lunch, Main Mess Hall Level 1A - NOTE: Liquids Only Due
To Medical Requirements
	1230-1430 - Medical Assessment and Testing, Medical Ward Level 5D,
Commander Kiles
	1500-1700 - Group Training, Elemental Discipline, Room 4A
	1700-1800 - Dinner, Main Mess Hall Level 1A
	1800-1900 - Military Protocol & Basic Introduction to Martial Law
Enforcement
	1915-2100 - Physical Training and Self-Defense
	2100-0500 - Free Time

	'Well, at least I know who the two graduates staying behind are,'
was the only comment that came to Justin's mind.  He noticed that Alan was
looking over his shoulder.

	"Yup, boy, they running your ass off too!" the older guy (who
looked 25 instead of his 60 years) said.  "It's a good thing Ah ain't 60
anymore!"

	"Old geezer like you ought to be happy to be able to keep up with
us kids," Justin replied, smiling brightly.

	Noticing the weird looks from their 'classmates', and that it was
about 5 minutes till they had to leave, he decided to introduce himself.
"Hi, I'm Justin Ackeman from Phoenix, AZ."

	"Yeah, you're the guy that decided Colonel Sells wasn't hot
enough," replied one of two at the next table, "I'm Kyle, from Virginia."
The next few minutes was a rush of names as everyone else introduced
themselves.

	"We've all been here for most of the last month," continued Kyle
after a couple of minutes. "None of us have been in the military before so
they made us go through a 'mini' boot camp.  It sucked major."

	"I won't have any of that, no sucking on my cock unless I ask ya!"
interjected Alan Mills (who held the rank of Major).  As the rest of the
people in the room laughed, the twins burst into the room in their usual
rush.

	"C'mon, Jaz!" they almost shouted.  "Time for your lessons!" was
delivered in unison, with identical evil grins.

	Placing a hand on Justin's shoulder, Alan leaned in and whispered,
"Boy, I think you might want to be careful of those two. Ah think they have
the hots for ya."

	Shrugging a gesture to say 'What can I do?' Justin grabbed the
binder and his schedule off the table and followed the twins out the door.

***

	The next few weeks passed like a blur.  From the moment he woke, to
the moment he hit the rack (bed), Justin felt like he was being pulled in
twenty different directions.  He found himself both learning a lot, and
almost nothing at all.  Whenever he tried to use the techniques in
controlling his abilities that were being taught, he failed miserably.
However, when he fell back on his first technique of imagining what he
wanted to happen, then willing it to happen, he succeeded very well.  After
a week of this, his instructors gave up the more standard teaching
techniques, and focused on seeing what he could do with this new method.

	It was all but limitless.  There was very little he couldn't do.
Morph his body into new shapes, make himself taller, older, younger (he
even went as young as 3, and as old as 60), he even changed his gender (not
something he cared to repeat).  He filled a training room with water, then
walked around in it for an hour without breathing.  He implanted a thought
into the mind of everyone at the base, and had them do it (jump on one leg,
shouting 'Love ME!').

	During that time, he found the twins constantly around him.  He
also spent a lot of time with Alan Mills and David Baxter, but he could not
seem to find Henry Sells at all.  He wanted to talk to him, and wanted
something more, but could not seem to find him.  After a particularly
difficult day, David told him that Henry Sells was not actually on the
base. He had been called to Washington to help oversee operations, and act
as an advisor to the military brass.  In his absence, Commander Kiles was
in charge, and David was acting XO.

	It was also during that time that he developed good friendships
with Jason and Curt, David, and Alan.  He got to know his fellow students a
little, but it was those four that he spent a lot of time with.  The twins
seemed intent on getting in his pants, at the same time as each other, but
he made sure that he was never alone with them in a place where something
could happen.  It wasn't because he wasn't interested, he was.  He spent
more time in his room imagining what it would be like with those two than
he cared to admit, but he also valued their friendship more.  It seemed
like every time he slept with someone, that was it.  Their friendship would
end after a while, and the few times he had fallen in love, that love had
been un-returned, or the person had left after a year or two.  No, he
definitely didn't want to lose the twins' friendship.

	After a month had gone by, he was officially graduated.  Joining
him was Alan Mills.  Of the other students, graduates, and instructors,
only Alan seemed to understand what he did, and how he did it.  In fact,
after a week, Alan declared that he was using the same basic techniques
that Justin used.  Upon their graduation, Justin was promoted to Lieutenant
Junior Grade, and ordered to report to the main door.

	Dressed in full battle dress uniform, Justin stood just inside the
main door, only entrance and exit to the facility and wondered what was
about to happen.  Beside him, Jason and Curtis Parker were also dressed in
full uniform and seemed to be very excited.  As they had made their way to
the entrance, they had mentioned that this was the first time they had been
allowed outside in over 7 months.

	As the huge, thick blast door opened, they were surprised to see a
tall, powerful figure standing there, in the exact center.  As all three
snapped to attention, Justin heard a voice he had been hoping to hear for
the last month, "Well, Jaz, it's about time you earned your keep!"  Looking
at the handsome face of Colonel Henry Sells, Justin decided that he was
going to make this man proud of him.


To be continued...