PHALANX - The series

Episode one : the story continues

Frederic and Raglan circled one another. Suddenly, Raglan lashed out, and Frederic is unable to stop his ferocious attack. Raglan's sword cuts through Frederic's neck without too much trouble. Frederic sinks to the ground, clutching at his cut neck, blood is gushing from the wound.

"Can't ….. breathe….," He stuttered, still clutching at his injuries.

"It's bound to get even harder!" Raglan shouts. He raises his sword, and Frederic sees it streaming down towards him…

 

"WAAAAAAAW!" Frederic shouts, his body trembling in fear and emotions. He was covered in sweat. He is sitting right up in his bed, his breath labored and ragged.

Jennifer sits up besides him. "It's just a dream, honey. Let it go," she says.

"Oh, it was terrible. I dreamt I was back at Stonehenge, fighting Raglan."

"I take it didn't went well?"

"I lost," He simply stated. Jennifer hugged him. He hugged her back.

"It was just a dream. Let it go. Raglan's dead, he can't hurt you anymore," she said lovingly, her head resting on his shoulder.

"It looked so genuine, almost real. If it weren't for my memory of him dying, I would believe it was real."

"Dreams can be very real, I know. I was there, remember?" she referred to a black moment in all their lives.

Frederic nodded. "I know. We got through that one together, and we will get through this one too," he said, clenching his fist.

"We sure will. Now, let's get some more sleep. It's only three-thirty," she said, sinking back in her pillow.

"You do that. I need some more time to calm down." He stood up and walked downstairs. He went into the basement and opened the vault door.

"Linda, show me a list of the latest projects," he asked. A list appeared on the screen, dating back 2 weeks.

"Command center. Could you show me those blueprints?"

Sure. She provided him with the requested item. Frederic whistled.

"Cool plaything. Raglan is real imaginative when it comes to this sort of stuff," he mumbled, studying the blueprints.

"Later," he mumbled, remembering his dream. "I need some time off, to get myself in balance." He and Linda worked on different things he could do to get back in shape. It was morning before they knew it.

"Good morning" Frederic said, as he walked into the kitchen, finding all his friends gathered there already. "Good morning," they said back.

"I need some time alone. I think I'll go to the Amazons, and hike into the woods. I need to get my emotions back in balance. The last few weeks have been really straining. These dreams are possibly a sign from my body, indicating I'm exhausted," he said, after about 5 minutes of pleasant conversation.

They all stared at him. "How long?" Daphnix finally asked.

"Until I'm ready. I don't know how long that'll be. But some time alone in the woods, going back to the basics, will do me good. It can be anything, ranging from a few days to a few weeks."

They all nodded. "Ok, if that's what you want," Jennifer finally said. Frederic draped an arm around her shoulders. She took his hand, and looked lovingly at him.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise," he said, kissing her on the mouth. She responded eagerly.

"When are you leaving?" she finally asked.

"This afternoon."

 

Frederic stepped out the portal, in the center of the village. It was exactly as he remembered it. The Amazons came running, as soon as they had heard the portal close. They were cleaning up after dinner. He once again hated time changes, but he would leave now. Even in total darkness, he could see better than most people could in broad daylight.

"Hello, girls. Good news! I defeated the Evil One, and Jennifer managed to convince the Gods of the Universe to let me live."

"Well done! Come on, let's feast. Say, where are Jennifer and your friend?" Tina asked.

"I need some time off, so that's why I came here, to go hiking in the woods with nothing but my sword and some clothes. I need to be alone."

Tina nodded. "I understand. You know where to find us when you need us," she offered.

Frederic nodded. "Thank you, girls. Could you keep these here until I get back?" he jumped out of his clothes, only keeping his boxers on. He handed his clothes to Tina.

"Sure thing, Frederic," she remembered he wanted them to use his name. He nodded his appreciation, nodded a goodbye and left.

Frederic traveled north for two days, finally coming on a clearing in the woods. In those two days, Frederic had managed to get a lot of experience in trapping animals, what plants were eatable and in defending himself against mosquitoes and pests like that. He immediately decided to build his camp here, at the edge of that clearing. Over the course of the next few days, Frederic was busy chopping off branches and gathering large leaves and building himself a suitable shelter in a large tree. His powers came in handy as third, forth and fifth hand, when necessary. Finally, when a week had passed since he had left the last traces of civilization behind, he had a shelter deep in the woods, next to a beautiful clearing, and with a large lake 15 minutes walking to the east.

For the next few days, Frederic lived on the rhythm of nature. He awakened when the sun came up; he went to bed when it set. He ate when he got hungry, but there was one constant through all of this: his nightmares. Every night, he awoke at least 2 to 3 times because of them. Finally, when he entered his third week of solitude, he became more relaxed, his felt his muscles tightening because of the constant workout in the woods, and he felt his mind relaxing from the stress it had been under for the last weeks. Gently, his nightmares subsided. The first night he didn't have any, he slept 15 hours! Of course, that helped even more and after a few more days he felt better than ever.

Frederic sat in his camp, staring out over the clearing, his clearing. Suddenly, he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time: worry. He worried how his friends were doing. He worried about how the world had changed during this 4-week seclusion. He decided there and then to get back. He erected a mental field around his camp, preserving it in perfect condition, and to make sure no one saw it. Because of the tremendous amount of experience he had accumulated during those 4 weeks, it took him only one day to do the same hike it took 2 days to do 4 weeks earlier.

It was noon the second day after he left, when he walked into the Amazon village. After truthfully answering their questions, he asked for his clothes. He soon found out, that his muscle volume had increased beyond his expectations. His clothes didn't fit anymore! He flung them over his arm, and said goodbye. The Amazons didn't agree, however. They begged and pleaded for him to stay for lunch. So he did. After a nice lunch, he opened the portal, waved once more goodbye, and left.

Frederic entered his house. He walked into the kitchen.

"Hello, everybody! I'm back!" he said when entering. He found Michelle, Sonya and Barbara staring at his muscular form.

"Don't I get a 'welcome back'?" he asked mischievously.

"Sure, Welcome back," Barbara said, still looking at Frederic's muscles.

"Where is the rest? Still asleep?" Frederic asked.

"They're on a trip of their own. With a friend of yours. They said you could come when you were home."

"And, what friend might that be?" he asked.

"Someone named Buffy Summers. They said something about Jenny's own mental health."

"I see. I'll have to do some work on this suit, and I'll join them as soon as possible," he said, walking upstairs. He extended his suit a little, making it possible for him to get into it without too much problems. He then walked to the same store he had ordered the Phalanx outfits from. He ordered a new one, suited to his new muscle size.

After doing these tasks, he walked to a secluded spot, activated a portal and stepped through. He found himself in an alley.

<<Jennifer? Daphnix? Where are you?>>

<<We're in the library at the local high school.>> Jennifer sent back. She also added instructions how to get there.

<<I'll be there. You two have some explaining to do. You two have some five minutes to get your stories straight.>> he sent.

Frederic walked to the high school. He opened the doors and walked to the library. Suddenly, he heard footsteps. His newly developed instincts took over, he pressed himself next to the lockers, and tensed his muscles, ready to attack when necessary. The man walked by, and never noticed Frederic. His sigh of relief was audible, and he continued his walk to the library.

"…And now he's back from wherever he was?" he heard a familiar voice, coming from the library.

"Yes, I am. New, improved, and better than ever!" he said, walking inside.

"Frederic!" Jennifer shouted, and ran towards him. He grabbed her, and pressed her firmly against him. He kissed her passionately.

"I missed you," she said, after breaking the kiss.

"Missed you too. So, How are you holding out?' he asked.

A little less sure of herself, she said: "Just fine."

"I can imagine."

"And you?" she asked.

"Oh, I am just fine. 4 weeks seclusion in a forest do wonders to a man," he said.

She grabbed his muscles. "I can feel it. It's a wonder those clothes still fit."

"They didn't. I had to come home in my boxers, and let them out some."

"Are you two love birds almost done?" Daphnix said, walking over to them.

Frederic playfully pushed him backwards. "What does a guy have to do to get some privacy around here?" he teased, and walked over to the table where Buffy and her friends were seated. Willow looked up from a massive book as he approached.

"Hello, everyone. So, is it interesting?" he asked Willow.

"Tremendously," she said, her head going back down.

"Maybe I'll read it someday," he said, sitting down. Jennifer pulled her chair closer to his, and put her head on his shoulder. His arm traveled up and rested on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and a content smile graced her lips.

"I've missed this," e whispered in her ear.

"So did I," she whispered back.

"Now, tell us. How was your trip?" Buffy finally asked.

"The first week, it was horrible. I was not used to that kind of life. After that, it began to get better." He told them what else he had done during his 4-week seclusion. He told them about the clearing, his shelter, the lake, everything. He also told them how he had wrestled boars, and how he kept mosquitoes away. They were hanging from his lips the entire time he spoke. He was a good storyteller, and that helped. When he was finally done, they were watching him with their mouths wide open. Jennifer had snuggled even closer to him during his tale.

"What? Stop staring! I hate it when people stare at me," he broke the silence.

"Sorry. Never thought you'd finally get good in physical confrontations," Daphnix said.

"You'd be surprised. But I never needed a seclusion to beat the crap out of you," Frederic shot back.

"Is that so? You think you can beat me?" Daphnix' tone rose a little.

"In whatever you can throw at me. As long as it isn't anything tactical, I can beat you."

"You think so? Pull your sword. I'll show you what a lousy fighter you are," Daphnix said, standing up and pulling his sword.

Frederic looked at Jennifer's head on his shoulder. He gently asked her to move a little, and stood up. He pulled his own sword, looked at it, and put it back. "I don't need a weapon to deal with you. Let's take this outside. I don't want to trash this place."

"Fine." Both boys walked outside, to the front of the school. There was no one there. Jennifer, Buffy and the others followed. They really wanted to know what was going to happen.

Frederic got into a fighting stance. Daphnix greeted him with the sword, and Frederic bowed. Immediately afterwards, Daphnix flew towards Frederic, who nimbly went out of the way, and grabbed Daphnix, pulling him over his own backwards falling form, throwing him a few meters back.

Daphnix got up, knocked the dirt from his clothes, and launched again at Frederic. This time, he didn't move. As Daphnix got close, Frederic grabbed his friend's lower arm, knocked the fist against his knee a few times, making Daphnix drop the sword. Frederic threw him back. Daphnix got up, and decided that brute force was not going to do it. They started circling each other. Frederic attacked Daphnix, who tried using Frederic's momentum to throw him over his back, but that didn't work! For some reason, Frederic had already grabbed on, and he now had Daphnix where he wanted him: on the ground, with himself on top if him. Frederic pulled Daphnix's head back, and gently tapped the neck.

"Blam! You're dead. I just broke your neck," he said.

"Ok, you win. But, it wasn't a fair fight," Daphnix said, grabbing Frederic's outstretched hand and lifting himself up.

"Why not? I had the disadvantage. You should be happy."

"You played on that prejudice."

"Nope. I was just so damn sure I could beat you, I decided to make the defeat even worse."

"You bastard!" Daphnix's fist flew towards Frederic, who easily caught it. "You're right. This is too easy."

"STOP IT!" Buffy yelled. Frederic, Daphnix, and Jennifer were looking at her with an expression of surprise on their faces.

Frederic let go of Daphnix, and asked: "Why?"

"You two are friends, this is no way for two friends to behave! Look at you, fighting like this!"

Frederic, Daphnix and Jennifer burst out laughing. "This is how we keep in shape. We fight amongst ourselves, since there is no one with the same abilities as us. If we were really fighting, Daphnix would be dead now." Both boys' arms flew around each other, indicating their friendship.

Buffy sighed. In relief possibly.

They walked back into the library.

"So, how is everything here going?" Frederic asked, when they were seated once again.

"Fine. I was a little shaky at first, but since I went on a few rounds with Buffy, I feel better," Jennifer said.

"You joined her slaying vampires?" Frederic asked, a look of concern on his face. "You're okay, are you? You weren't harmed or anything?"

"No, of course not. Last time, they got me by surprise. Now I returned the favor."

Frederic seemed to settle down a bit. "As long as everything is ok," he said softly, grabbing Jennifer and pressing her firmly against him. Suddenly, he let go.

"There's someone coming. Girl, pretty, probably blonde hair. Can't make out the name without using my powers. I don't trust this," he mumbled, hiding behind the door.

The others sat back down, worried. Finally, the doors opened and Cordelia walked in. They all let out their breaths.

"Hi guys. Something wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"My fault. I got them worried for nothing," Frederic said. The girl jumped and let out a surprised yelp.

"Who are you, and what is your business trying to scare me?"

"I am Frederic Fromthefield. I didn't knew whether I could trust you or not, but if they do, so do I, " he said.

"You are the one they told me about? The Phalanx?"

Frederic looked accusingly at his friends. "Yes, I am. But, you have to keep this quiet. I don't want to turn into a major press event."

"I understand. I kept Buffy's secret quiet too, didn't I?"

Frederic nodded. Buffy wanted to know something. "How did you know about her?"

"I heard girl shoes in the hall. She walked over here, trying to look not under way here. She was behaving like the nicer looking girls do. Staying away from the library."

"And about the hair?"

"I had to guess, but the faint smell of blond hair was still detectable, but barely."

Now, that got everyone's attention. "You can smell someone's hair color?"

"If they don't wear too strong a perfume." He looked intensely at Cordelia. She smiled and looked away.

Willow closed the big book and let out a long sigh.

"What is it?" Daphnix asked.

"Reading Latin is hard enough without you sitting here speaking English."

"If you prefer, we can talk in Latin," Frederic offered.

"Great idea! That gives us the chance to brighten up our knowledge!" Jennifer said.

Daphnix only nodded. "Fine with me."

The rest, except Mr. Giles, looked shocked at them.

"O, Right! You don't speak Latin. How foolish of us," Frederic said, looking real sorry.

"So, what's the book about?" Frederic asked Willow.

"The usual. How to defeat and summon demons and such."

"Interesting. May I?" he asked, pointing at the book.

"Go ahead," she said. Frederic grabbed the book, opened it at the beginning, and started scanning through the pages.

"Who wrote this? It's full of spelling mistakes. And those declensions are all wrong," he said after reading a few lines.

"Let me see," Jennifer said. Frederic put the book down on the table, and Daphnix and Jennifer looked at it.

"Yea. You're right. That is not how it is supposed to be. Who wrote this?" Daphnix asked Mr. Giles.

The man was looking at the book too. "I don't see anything wrong with it," he said.

Frederic looked at his friends. <<Shit! We used the knowledge.>>

<<What's wrong with using our knowledge?">>

<<Not our knowledge. The knowledge. You know, the Gods of the Universe stuff?>>

Now Daphnix's and Jennifer's hand flew up too.

"Uh, nothing. Forget we ever said it. Our fault." Frederic flipped through the pages, corrected the mistakes in his mind, and reached the end of the book in less than 5 minutes.

The rest looked real strange at them. They knew that something bad had happened, the raised hands said enough.

Finally, Buffy and her friends had to go to class, And Frederic, Daphnix and Jennifer stayed behind in the library.

Finally, Frederic asked: "Mr. Giles, can you keep a secret?"

"Sure, I guess. Why? What is so important that even Buffy can't hear about it?"

"You see, the Gods of the Universe granted me more than power. They also gave me knowledge. Knowledge the Human race isn't ready for, and part of that knowledge is like how Latin is really supposed to be spoken and written. We almost said too much."

"I understand, I think."

"Good. I just wanted to straighten that out. Now, can we have a look around?"

"Go ahead. I have some more work to do."

<<Ok, separation time. I'll take the upstairs, Jennifer takes the left portion of the ground level, and Daphnix takes the right. Go and assimilate knowledge.>>

<<Fine.>> <<Ok>>

By the time it was lunch break, Buffy and her friends returned to the library. They found Frederic, Jennifer and Daphnix reading passionately.

"I'm done!" Jennifer shouted to her friends, and walked to the table and sat down.

"So am I. You lost!" Daphnix shouted upstairs.

"Hey, I had an entire floor by myself, remember? Anyway, 5 more minutes and I'm done too."

Buffy looked intrigued. "What have you been doing in here all morning?"

"Reading. Interesting stuff, this library. So, how come you aren't dead?" Jennifer asked Buffy.

"I was, but Xander brought me back."

"So the prophecy was fulfilled. Hear that? Her prophecy came true. How come yours wasn't?" Daphnix shouted upstairs.

"You know, the Gods game me leniency."

"The Gods wouldn't even give themselves leniency. There has to be something more."

"Maybe my time out of my body qualifies as being dead. I was a ghost for those days. Ok, done!" Frederic walked to the edge of the raised level, and looked down. He jumped, made a summersault, and landed neatly on his feet.

"Sharing time. Could you give us some room, please?" Frederic asked Buffy and her friends. They cleared the table.

Frederic sat down, and Daphnix and Jennifer repositioned themselves, like the letter Y. they raised their arms, and made fists.

Frederic's power left his body for the first time in a long time. He created a memory void between their fists. Daphnix and Jennifer connected to it, and deposited their knowledge assimilated from the library. Frederic duplicated the combined knowledge, and sent it back to his friends. After taking in his copy, he deactivated the void.

They opened their eyes, and saw Buffy and the other stare at them.

"Transfer complete," Frederic declared, matter-of-factly.

"You learned this entire library in a morning?"

"We cheated. We each learned a part, and gave it through to one another," Jennifer said.

"One morning? We have been working for over a year in this, and still we don't know everything," Willow said.

"Having these powers has its advantages, but there is the tremendous responsibility to the human race," Frederic said. His friends nodded.

"And speaking of responsibilities, where is the Linda laptop?" he added.

"At the room. She wanted to browse the net, and we decided it would be for the best if she was left alone while doing that," Daphnix said. Frederic nodded.

"Good. Now, I'm getting hungry. Let's get something to eat," Frederic said.

"Excellent idea. How about Pizza?" Daphnix suggested. Jennifer agreed with him.

"You two grab a pizza. I'm going to the room. In what hotel are we staying?" Frederic said.

"Actually, we're staying at Buffy's house," Jennifer said.

"I see. And, having fun there?" Frederic asked.

"Not yet. We decided to wait for you. One more thing: there's enough room for you too. We already asked," Jennifer said.

"Good. Now, I have something to do." Frederic nodded his appreciation. He then said 'see you later' to the rest, and left.

Daphnix and Jennifer got up and shrugged. "Coming back to civilization is pretty hard, I guess," Daphnix said. Jennifer just nodded.

When Frederic was walking to Buffy's house, he noticed there was a big forest not far away from Sunnydale. <<I'm going to the big forest. Join me when you're done>>

<<Ok, pal. Have fun.>>

Frederic started walking. He ended up almost flying. The forest had an almost magical attraction to him. The seclusion, the environment, it all appealed to him. He touched down at the edge of it. In less than no time, he had ripped off his clothes, leaving only his boxers and sword and sheath on. He walked quietly inside.

The singing of the birds, the wind blowing through the leaves, everything. "I AM HOME!" he cried inside. he jumped quickly from place to place, making sure to make as little noise as possible. After 15 minutes, he had what he was looking for: a nice spot to build a shelter. He quickly amassed some dead branches, and made himself a platform, high up in a tree. He jumped down, and started scanning the area with his improved senses. He didn't use his powers, since he considered them cheating.

"Probably no boars here," he joked. "But, a rabbit will do just as well."

He walked around, and he managed to get one in a matter of minutes. He walked back to the platform, and started a fire at the bottom of the tree. He stripped the rabbit of its fur and put in on a sharp branch. In less than 5 minutes after returning to the tree, he had a rabbit slowly roasting above a nice crisping fire. He turned the branch, to make sure the rabbit roasts evenly and without burning.

Suddenly, he heard a branch snapping. He raised his head, and immediately heard the normal chatter of two people unaccustomed to the woods. He could also feel the mental power, searching for him.

<<Hello, guys. Glad you could make it.>> he sent. He was immediately rewarded with a feeling of surprise.

<<Where are you? How come you can sense us, but can't sense you?>>

<<I am one with the woods. I am actually quite close. Walk straight ahead for a few minutes, and you'll find me. See you then.>> he cut the link, and resumed his camouflaged operation of roasting the rabbit.

The rabbit had roasted evenly, and Frederic had just removed the branch from the fire and was now busy prying the roast animal of it.

"Yuck! You're not going to eat that are you?" Daphnix said, as he and Jennifer walked up to him.

"Why not? I did that lots of times, only with boars. And you two know how good a wild animal can taste." Frederic said, taking a large bite from his prey.

They both nodded. They sat down, and rested against the large tree Frederic had used to make the platform in. They noticed that Frederic didn't eat like normal people. He quickly gulped down the animal, his senses always aware of his surroundings. In about ten bites he had gulped down about 3/4 of the rabbit, and he now asked if his friends would like some too. They declined. Frederic nodded, took a few more bites, and threw the remains away.

"Come," he said curtly, as he walked to the tree, and started climbing it. His friends were astonished by his agility, and they used their powers to get up to the platform. Frederic was already seated, admiring the view.

"Cheaters. You'll never be able to climb trees if you don't practice it," he said, when his friends sat down next to him.

"Hey! I can't climb in trees! I never did that before!" Daphnix said, defending himself.

"I could, but it would take too long. I guessed it to be best to just fly up here," Jennifer said, cuddling next to Frederic. He draped his arm around her, and pulled her closer.

"Someone's coming. Buffy and her friends. It seems they're looking for us. They probably saw the smoke from the fire," Frederic said, gently pulling his arm back from around Jennifer's shoulders. He stood up, and jumped down. He heard a piercing "NO!" from Jennifer. He landed safely on the ground, and jumped from their vision in a few quick jumps. After a few seconds, they heard a sharp yelp of surprise, followed by laughter, and some smart remarks from the girls concerning Frederic's half-naked form.

"Come on. The others aren't far away. I hope you can climb in trees," Frederic asked Buffy, Willow and Xander.

They all said 'no' of course.

"No problem. I'll just fly you up there," he said when they were at the foot of the tree. Frederic's powers kicked in once again, and he gently lifted them of the ground, and up to the platform. He climbed it once again himself.

"Don't you never do that again!" Jennifer shouted at him when he climbed up on the platform.

"Do what, honey?"

"Jump down."

"Oh. It's the fastest way down. And the easiest. Besides, I jumped down from trees ten times larger than this one," he said, sitting down on the now almost cramped platform.

"So, what do you think of the view?" Frederic finally asked Buffy and her two friends.

They expressed their admiration for it. They conversed some more, and when Buffy and her friends went back to school, Frederic and his friends remained on the platform.

"Now, tell us. How was it really?" Daphnix asked finally.

"I told you everything," Frederic said.

"Come one, you're talking to us here. We know you better than anyone. You can't fool us. We know something happened."

"Nothing happened," Frederic said, looking down a little more. Now his friends were sure something was wrong.

"Oh, yes it did! I can see it on your face. Tell us," Jennifer said.

Frederic let out a low grunt. "Ok, I'll tell you. It's probably nothing, but anyway, I had a dream while I was there."

"So, you had nightmares at home too," Daphnix interjected.

"Your story or mine?" Frederic asked. "It was not about Raglan for once. I dreamt there was something or somebody with mental abilities attacking the Earth. I never saw who or what is was, and it was all pretty chaotic. I just had this real bad feeling that something was wrong, and that Earth didn't stand a chance."

"It's just a nightmare," Daphnix said.

"It was not a nightmare. It was more than that. Almost like the flashbacks I had when my powers were first activated."

"So, now you can see the future too, huh? Tell me the winning lottery numbers," Daphnix joked.

"Stop joking. I'm serious. I am sure it was not just a dream, but something else. Something I can't identify. Yet," he added. He stood up, jumped down and disappeared in the forest. He ignored Jennifer's cry as he dropped.

"I guess I hit a nerve. Come, let's get back to the library," Daphnix said, sounding not too concerned.

"I guess," Jennifer said, her voice was dripping over with concern. They both stood up and gently lowered themselves down the tree. After touching down, they walked back to the school, sneaked inside and settled themselves back in the library. They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing various slaying techniques with Giles. When the school was over, Buffy and her friends came to the library to get Daphnix and Jennifer they were surprised not to find Frederic there.

"Where is he?" Buffy asked.

"We don't know. He just ran of. I think I struck a nerve," Daphnix said.

"I'm sure he'll show up. After surviving for 4 weeks, he won't get himself killed in one day." Buffy joked.

Jennifer bowed her head and mumbled something like: "I guess."

"Hey, if you're that concerned, why don't you contact him?" Xander asked.

"We tried. We can't even find him, let alone talk to him," Daphnix said, he gently put his arm around Jennifer's slumped-down form. The rest just sat down around the table. After another 5 minutes of silence, Buffy finally said:

"Come home with me, it's still a few hours till my slaying round, and I think you guys can use some rest."

Daphnix nodded. "I think that's a good idea. Come, Jenny, sitting here worrying about him won't help him."

"Are you so sure about that?" a voice called out from behind them.

"Frederic! Where have you been?" Jennifer shot up and raced towards him, burying herself in his grasp.

"Whoa! Where you that concerned over me? I'm sorry. I never meant to frighten you. I just needed some time to think, to meditate. I needed to get my thoughts in order."

"Where have you been?" Daphnix had come over to them as well.

"I went back to the place I was for the last 4 weeks. I sat down on the shores of my lake and I meditated for those hours I was away. I needed to focus, to get my thoughts back in check."

"And? Did it help?"

"It did," Frederic ended that line of conversation. "So, now what?" he asked, effectively changing the subject.

"I suggest we do as we were about to do when you walked in: go to Buffy's house and get some rest," Daphnix said.

Frederic looked at Jennifer's tired face and nodded. "I guess we could use some rest."

"It's decided then. Come on, before my mom gets suspicious," Buffy said. The group walked to Buffy's house, and they said goodbye to Xander and Willow.

"Mom? This is Frederic. You know, the guy I told you about when I asked if they could stay here?" she asked. Buffy's mother looked Frederic over, and finally said:

"I remember. Ok, he can stay, but no funny stuff in here."

"Ok, ma'am. Thank you for letting me and my friends stay here," Frederic said, bowing his head a little. He then turned around, nodded at his friends, and walked out the kitchen, Daphnix and Jennifer walking after him.

"Strange boy. He has those strange eyes. And he looks so… confident. Almost as if he were feeling superior," she said to Buffy.

"I know. That's just his way of handling things," Buffy replied. And he really is superior, she thought, after leaving the kitchen and walking upstairs. Jennifer slept on a spare bed in Buffy's room, while Daphnix slept in the spare room.

As she had half suspected when she walked into her room, Frederic and Jennifer were laying on Jennifer's bed, cuddled together. Daphnix was lying in the next room. He too was sleeping.

I wonder if I should wake them when I go on my slaying round, Buffy thought when she walked back into her own room.

<<Wake only me. My friends need their sleep.>> she heard Frederic's voice in her head.

How…? You can communicate with me like this? she thought back.

<<Yes, but it takes a tremendous amount of energy to make you hear me, and not make you think you are talking to yourself. Now, when you go slaying, wake only me, if I am asleep. Try not to disturb my friends.>>

Ok. I am going downstairs. I'll call you when I go out.

<<Do that. Thank you.>>

You're welcome. And Buffy walked out of the room, and went downstairs. Not long afterwards, Frederic had succumbed to Jennifer's warm body and her rhythmic breathing next to him. He gently fell into a slumber, and h e drifted off into sleep.

 

Three major spaceships flew around in space, attacking many, and loosing few. They used a combination of advanced technology and mental abilities. They were now headed for … Earth! Frederic instinctively knew that THIS was the reason why the gods had let him live. His biggest challenge wasn't the Evil One, it was this alien race. He saw them approach earth, and they took out the entire satellite network. They also destroyed every rocket or spaceship attempting to reach space. Frederic saw the Human race crumble, dragged into slavery. He saw tremendous suffering, and he could read the tremendous joy in the aliens' brainwaves. He was astonished by the fact that torture could bring forth such feelings of pleasure in this alien race.

He jolted awake. Damn, they're closing. I need to get ready. He thought silently, cloaking his thoughts from his friends. He took out the laptop, and worked on the final design of the command center. He implemented the advanced power grid and the storage cells, and he finished the outer design. He finally heard Buffy come up the stairs. He sent an <<I'm ready. I'll be down in a minute.>>, before she even had the chance to reach the upstairs. He felt her shrug her shoulders, and go back down. After Frederic had saved the design on the Linda mainframe at home, and after he secured it maximally, he went downstairs.

"Here I am. So, what happens next?"

"Just go outside, walk around, and kill any vampires we encounter."

"Ok. Anything I should be aware of? Any particular strengths and weaknesses?"

"The normal. Wooden stake through the heart, no sunlight, no garlic."

"Ok. Let's get going." They walked to the front door, and just as they were about to open it, Jennifer and Daphnix came down.

"You weren't planning on leaving without us, were you?" Jennifer asked.

"We were. You need the rest. Go back to sleep," Frederic said.

"We can sleep later tonight. Right now, we want to have some fun," Daphnix said.

Frederic seemed to think for a few seconds. Buffy decided not to get involved in this. Finally, Frederic nodded. "If it means that much to you, ok."

They jumped to the door, opened it, and walked outside. They first went to the library.

They were walking to the school building, and went inside the library. As soon as he cleared the door, Frederic's blood boiled.

"Vampire," he muttered, and he leaped to the person talking to Giles. In mid-flight, he drew his sword and it was very obvious this vampire didn't have a chance.

"NO!" Buffy's voice shrieked through the air. It made the vampire turn around, and get out of the way. Frederic nimbly put one hand on the ground, pushed up and landed on his feet facing the vampire.

"You will die, along with all the others of your kind, for the crimes you have committed," Frederic said. His low voice was even scarier than his raised one. It was drenched in a deep and pure hatred.

"No, he's a friend!" Buffy stood between the vampire and the outraged Frederic.

"He's a vampire. I will kill them all for what they did to Jennifer. Now, get out of the way or I'll kill you too."

Jennifer and Daphnix walked over to Frederic. She put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "He's a friend. He helps us," she said.

Frederic shook his head. "A vampire? Jenny, they almost killed you. They're evil. I'll kill them all." His voice had lost most of its bravado, and now a trickle of doubt sounded through. "Buffy, get out of the way."

Jennifer walked in front of him. "Let it go. I have. At first, I was terrified, but after some time I got used to it."

"I have sworn to protect humanity. These things aren't human. They kill us. Even if he's a friend, he still needs blood. And where does he get it? Right, from us."

"He gets it from a blood bank."

"What?! And the people in the hospital who need transfusions? He's even worse. He takes from the sick and helpless. A normal human has a slight chance, but he takes from the needy, the sick and the helpless. INEXCUSABLE! "

"Don't please. Don't," Jennifer pleaded.

Frederic put his hands on her shoulders and sighed real deep. "I trust you. If you say he's harmless, I'll believe you." He shifted his gaze to the hurt looking man. "If you make one mistake, you're dead before you know it. And I mean DEAD dead. No coming back."

The man nodded. Frederic took Jennifer close to him, and he sat down at the table. Daphnix sat down at the other side of Frederic.

Buffy decided to introduce them, and then get on with business. "Anyway, Frederic, this is Angel. Angel, meet Frederic." She said, her voice calm, as though she was introducing two normal friends.

"I guessed as much," Angel said. Frederic's gaze focused on Buffy, and if looks could kill, she'd be splattered all over the nearest wall. He then refocused on Angel.

Buffy saw that Frederic's gaze never trailed from the man. She tried to change the subject. "So, anything new I should be aware of?" she asked Giles.

"Eh, no, nothing," The man stammered a little. He was obviously shocked by Frederic's outburst towards Angel.

"Don't worry. Angel's a good guy. A curse has given him back his soul," Willow said.

Frederic seemed to relax a little, but still his gaze never left Angel. The distrust was clearly visible on his face. He still had Jennifer cuddled up close to him, and his hand was still in a protective position.

"So, if there's nothing new, it's just a normal run, right?" Buffy asked, changing the subject again.

"No. That's why I came in the first place. I think that Spike is up to something again," Angel said.

"What is it this time?" Buffy asked. Spike was the leader of the vampires in Sunnydale, and every time he executed one of his evil schemes, Buffy had to use everything in her arsenal.

"I don't know. I just picked up these… rumors that he is going to try to lure you into some kind of trap."

"Ok, I'll watch out. Anything else?" she asked.

"Not to my knowledge. I just want you to be careful."

"I always am, you know that," she said.

"I know you, that's why I have a reason to urge you to be extra careful."

"Hey! Besides, I have help tonight," Buffy said, looking at Frederic and his friends. They nodded.

"Don't worry Angel. She won't be harmed," Daphnix said.

"Come on guys, we have to go now if we want to finish my round in time" Buffy urged them. They stood up, and left.

Once outside, Frederic dropped his continuous monitoring of Angel, and shifted it to Jennifer. Together, they started walking around the small town. By now, the sun had set completely, and the village was covered in an eerie darkness. Frederic fought to maintain his emotional equilibrium, as this scene brought back unpleasant memories. After about 5 minutes, this passed though.

"It's quiet. Too quiet," Buffy said. Frederic saw his two friends nod in agreement.

"Perhaps it is true what Angel said, about the trap," Jennifer suggested.

"That, or he is the biggest liar alive," Frederic muttered.

The rest chose to ignore that remark as they walked on. Suddenly it happened:

"NO! Help me! Somebody help…" a woman's voice cut through the air, and Buffy and consorts started running towards the source of the sound. By the time they reached the place, the woman was already dead.

"Damn! We're too late," Buffy said as they saw the body of the woman.

"Anybody you know?" Frederic asked.

"No. Never met her in my life," Buffy said. Suddenly, another cry cut through the night. Again, they ran to the place, to be disappointed once again. For the second time, they were too late to help the poor soul. When it happened a third time, they began to see a pattern. They were being lured to a specific place. Daphnix volunteered to take a look from above. He immediately spotted another attack. He blasted towards the scene, and made sure that the vampire was immediately disposed of. After his friends had joined him, Daphnix said:

"That is one vampire that is never going to hurt anyone anymore."

Buffy nodded. "I wonder where the trap is," she said.

"If there is one," Frederic still wasn't convinced of Angel's loyalty.

They continued the round, and soon Buffy and Frederic were locked in a conversation about special abilities, and stuff that happened in relation to them. After maybe 5 minutes, they came by the cemetery. Involuntarily, the conversation stopped, and they walked over it in silence, their senses working overtime. Nothing was found.

"See, that Angel guy can't be trusted. He just tried to scare us off," Frederic said after they cleared the grim place.

He was soon forced to swallow his words, as 25 vampires leaped up from the bushes. They soon had the group surrounded, and were now launching their attack on them.

Frederic jumped forward and soon had 2 of them 'entertained'. Buffy's stake worked overtime as one vampire after the other was forced to surrender. Daphnix and Jennifer also took 2 each, but soon it was clearly visible that they couldn't keep it up. After a ferocious battle, that lasted for 20 minutes, it was visible to Frederic that the vampires were on the winning side. Buffy was lying nearby, a nasty cut clearly visible on her face. Jennifer was fighting in front of the wounded girl, trying desperately to keep 4 more vampires away from her wounded friend. Daphnix was entangled in battle with 3 vampires himself. Frederic had just killed the 2 vampires he had, and now raised his sword.

"This calls for the big guns. Sword of the Phalanx, grant me the Power!" in a blistering blaze of lighting, Frederic's metamorphosis was completed. He sheathed the sword, and put the armor in combat mode. Two compartments opened from the sides, and launched projectiles of raw mental power at the vampires attacking Jennifer. They were ripped apart as the small blobs of power coursed through their bodies. They exploded in large puddles of gore and vile blood. The vampires quickly turned to dust, and Frederic turned around to aid his other friend. He took out the sword, and it cut through the vile creature's skull like it was paper. The sword penetrated the brain, and continued on its way down. After cutting the vampire's head in two halves, Frederic withdrew his sword in a rain of blood and brain muck. That vampire turned to dust before it hit the ground. Frederic's sword flew out and separated the head from the body of the second vampire. Daphnix now had the last one easily succumbed.

Frederic deactivated the armor, and tended the wounds of Buffy.

"Concussion. Sprained her left wrist. Nasty cut in her forehead," he muttered. He raised his hands over her body, and healed the wounds.

Buffy came to her senses, and tried to sit up.

"Wow! I wouldn't go at it so wild. You have a nasty concussion, and that is one of the few things I can't do anything about. You'll have to stay still for a few days." Frederic said, helping her to her feet.

"Thanks," was the only thing she said.

Frederic nodded. "I'd better get you home. We will do the rest of the round, and check on you after we're done," Frederic said. He drew his sword, and created a portal. Buffy looked skeptical at him, shrugged her shoulders and stepped through. She soon was in front of her own home.

Frederic and his friends continued the round.

"Everybody Ok?" Frederic asked as soon as Buffy was away.

His two friends nodded.

"Good. Let's continue the round and get this over with. I've seen enough violence for this evening."

His two friends agreed. Together, they walked in a hurried pace along the sidewalk, when suddenly, Frederic collapsed.

Two spaceships of alien design flew in a complicated pattern around a small ship, which was trying desperately to shoot them, but its energy rays kept missing the bigger ships. Suddenly, one of the bigger ships broke of its evasive maneuvers, and fired at the smaller ship. An energy barrier absorbed the hit, and the smaller ship's pilot took his chance, and fired at the bigger vessel in front of him. The bigger ship exploded in a massive ball of scrap metal.

The smaller ship now turned its attention to the remaining bigger craft, but that one had ran off while his companion kept the smaller craft busy.

"…You okay?" Frederic heard someone say on the background. He opened his eyes and grunted as his head pounded in pain. The pain ebbed away, and he managed to sit up.

"What happened?" Daphnix asked. "Are you okay?"

"Remember what I told you about my dream? The one where Earth was being attacked by creatures with mental powers? Good. I've had a second dream a few hours ago, and now I've had another one. The first one was about the earth being completely destroyed and enslaved by an alien race with tremendous technological and mental abilities. Right now, I've had one about them attacking a smaller craft, but it managed to fend off the attack."

"Shit! Is it that serious? What are we going to do? I mean, there are 5 remaining Amazons, and there are 6 of us, making 3 strong and 8 weak psychics. That's not enough to fend of an attack of an alien race which is more advanced, both technologically and mentally."

"They are not as powerful as we are, but they have a tremendous amount of experience in combat situations. Tonight, we're going home. Daphnix, you are going to begin drafting people with great sense of responsibility, and with the ability to keep a secret, from all layers of the population. We are going to create ourselves a mental army. Use whatever recourses necessary. Jennifer, you and me, we are going to begin working on the final phase of the command center, and new offensive and defensive technology. Whatever we can think of. By tomorrow, we need to get at least the command center project ready for construction."

Frederic's friends nodded. They understood that it was worse than they had first thought it would be, and that direct actions needed to be taken.

"How many do we need?" Daphnix asked.

"Begin with 100, with good leadership capabilities. They will enlist other people, until we have about half a million mental soldiers. I'll leave the organization of it to you. You are the military and tactical brain of us, so you should know best."

Daphnix nodded. "I'll get on with it right away."

"Good. As soon as we get home, Jennifer and I are going to make the command center ready, and we will begin with the design of mental amplifiers, and special uniforms and armor for our troops. Effective soldiers require effective tools."

"Understood," Jennifer said.

"Good, now let's finish up this round, and notify Buffy and her friends they will have to find someone else for the duration of Buffy's concussion."

Again, Frederic's friends nodded. They finished the round without encountering any more vampires. They were now in the library talking to Giles.

"We have to get home. It is of the highest importance," Frederic said.

"If you go, who will do the rounds?"

"Ask that vampire friend of yours. We are very sorry, but the entire Earth is at stake here. We need to get ready."

"For what?"

"We can not say. We already said too much."

"I understand. Ok, I'll ask Angel to take over while Buffy's out."

"Good. Goodbye," Frederic said, turned around and took a few steps. He lifted his sword, drew a portal, and the threesome was underway home.

"Good…bye," Giles sent after them, but he was not sure if they could hear him.

They worked through the night. Jennifer and Frederic got the command center design ready for construction, and besides that, they also designed a space worthy fighter craft. The hull design is boxy, but the technology incorporated in it is simply vastly superior, with a cloaking device for total invisibility on all scans, a top speed of 99% of light speed, and a whole bunch of other goodies. Since it is only a prototype, no weapons had been implemented on it yet. They also designed a whole lot of weapons and shield for use on the command center, making it an impregnable fortress.

Daphnix had used the vast recourses Linda had available, and created a list of 5000 people who could do what was required. When confronted with this list, Frederic replied:

"Take 100, make sure they are the best in their field, and make those fields of expertise as wide a variety as possible."

Daphnix nodded, and got back to work. Frederic and Jennifer went to different contractors, and had to install a cooperation of different contractors, distributors, and shipyards. (The thing is being built 150 km out the LA coast, so they need those too!).

Frederic also launched a radical new design of computer chip. One that is both compatible with IBM/PC and Apple/Macintosh, running at a constant speed of 2.5 Ghz. Because of it superior nature, the thing sold like bread, and soon Frederic was richer than he ever imagined. He also created a whole line of computer hardware that was designed especially for this chip, bringing in even more money. Money that flew out as fast as it came in.

Frederic pulled himself out of the design project for a few weeks, so he could focus entirely on making more money. He used the vast knowledge he had absorbed during his college education, and created radical improvements on existing techniques, bringing in power and money. He assigned Barbara and Sonya as executive directors of F² tech, as he called his company. Soon, people were connecting the F² symbol with reliability, easy to use and superiority.

The money poured in, just as fast as it poured out doors and windows, as the construction of the command center needed radical new materials, designed specially for the project, and an excruciating amount of labor. Thanks to the mental powers of Frederic and his gang, the work progressed exceptionally fast, and after 5 months of construction, they could finally move in. Frederic had also given Boeing and Lockheed a little project to work on: the building of the first Phalanx Star Ship Daedalus. That construction progressed faster than usual as well, but neither the people of those companies as those who worked on the command center, retained any knowledge of what they did. Frederic had to do this; to make sure maximal secrecy was maintained.

Frederic, Jennifer and Daphnix were on the bridge of a small ship they had rented. They were under way to the command center, to get it up and running. It was not because the construction was finished that the thing worked did it?

"So, how long before we're there?" Jennifer asked when they had jut left.

"Hey, the thing is at a distance of 150 km of shore for the moment. It will take us a few more hours to get there. This thing can do no more than 45 kph."

"Why not just transport there?" Daphnix interjected.

"The outer hull is made especially to repulse all mental power directed at or through it. I have created a mental portal inside, but in order to use that, I need to get the systems on line, and I can't do that, unless I get there."

"Ok, got the point. Can't you make this thing go any faster?"

"Not within 20 kilometers of the center. I can try to get us there." Frederic concentrated and lifted the boat out of the water. It cruised trough the air at a speed of over 200 kph, and soon it touched, or better crashed, back in the water.

"20 kilometer radius. Mental power is useless."

"Will we be able to use powers inside the center?"

"Yes. The mental dampers are directed outwards."

"Good," Daphnix said. The last 25 minutes were spent in silence, as even at this distance, the center towered out far above them. Finally, they were in approach for docking the rented boat.

"The primary command center. A total height of 750 meters, with 250 of them under water when in normal flotation mode. A width and a depth of 1 kilometer. It can support 15,000 people indefinitely, and can support 100,000 people in emergency life support. That will be cramped, and the bays and everything will have to be converted into dormitories." Frederic said, when he pulled into an empty boat slot in the built-in shipyard.

"Yes, in the 250 meters under water are 2 submarine decks, convertible into starship ports if necessary, there is a boat dock just below the water line, there are 4 starship ports above the water line. Maximal capacity: 15000 ships like the Daedalus, 200 nuclear ballistic missile submarines and 100 Enterprise class carriers." Jennifer decided to add her own weight.

"It has 15,000 tracking antimatter torpedoes in 25 torpedo tubes. It has 150 phaser banks and it has 50 fusion engines below the lower submarine deck. The entire command center is powered by 10 fusion generators, although only 5 are required for normal operation of all systems. The command center tactical computers are delegated to a second AI, the Battle Oriented Logical Analyzer, or BORLAN for short." Daphnix, the tactical of mind, gave some tactical info, Even if it was just to show his friends that he too had done his homework on the command center.

Finally, the little boat was docked. Without power, none of the lifts worked, so the three friends walked down the 250-meter long stairs down to the engineering compartment, Frederic's flashlight illuminating the dark halls and obscured compartments and staircases.

"Good, here we are: the engineering compartment. Let me connect this battery, and let's get this show on the road ASAP." Frederic connected the battery he had pulled from his rucksack and soon, the entire deck was illuminated in the eerie low-power red lights.

"Jennifer, you monitor the integrity of the reactor. Daphnix, connect the Linda laptop, and monitor computer capacity. I will attempt to start the reactor."

The friends split up and took their respective stations.

"Reactor integrity : 0%"

"Computer capacity: none"

"As it should be." Frederic's fingers raced over one of the few lit-up consoles. "How is that?"

"Magnetic containment at 50% and climbing. Hydrogen tanks are being filled with hydrogen extracted from the ocean water."

"Computer still down."

Frederic nodded. "So far so good. Jennifer, tell me when the tanks are filled and pressurized."

After a long 5-minute wait, Jennifer said, "Magnetic containment at 100% and holding. Hydrogen tanks filled and pressurized."

"Finally," Frederic said, and he began typing again. The first reactor lit up, and a blinding flash forced them to cover their eyes.

"Reactor one operational. Primary systems should be coming online." Frederic said.

"Magnetic containment: 100% and holding. Reaction integrity: optimal. We are getting a 99% reaction rate."

"Computer at 50% and climbing. Report from stations: weapons offline. Shields offline. Life-support: 25% and climbing. Science 35% and climbing."

"Let's see if I can get reactor 2 to 5 online, and finally get some sightseeing done," Frederic said, furiously typing the console. 2 more reactors lit up, and activated with the white flash that was required to get the high temperatures needed for the reaction.

'Damn! There something wrong with R4," Frederic reported.

"All operational reactors stable and holding at 99% reaction rate. Magnetic containment 100% and holding. What's wrong with it?"

"All systems are operational and holding. Bypass it, and use one of the five backups. We'll look at it later."

"I have no idea what's wrong. It won't get to fusion temperatures."

"Use one of the other reactors to jumpstart it," Jennifer suggested.

"Ok, let's try that. Magnetic containment to maximum. Reactor filled with deuterium and tritium. Ok. Jumpstart using the 3."

With a gigantic boom!!!! The reactor labeled '4' exploded.

"Reactor 3 survived. Magnetic containment at 90% and climbing. Safety threshold of 75% not reached. Reactor 4's magnetic containment has failed. The emergency computer systems have cut the hydrogen flow, and the safety force fields have protected us."

"Ok, Let's get the 5 and 6 operational, and find out what went wrong with 4." Reactors 5 and 6 started nicely, just as they were supposed to.

"Hey, a 5 out of 6 isn't so bad. Especially since we never tested any of these systems," Frederic said, as they walked through the center.

For the next few days, all they did was explore the command center, testing out various systems, and transferring Linda from her basement enclave to the new command center. Finally, after a week, they got some time to look at the exploded reactor 4. Frederic and Jennifer, who had designed the system, took it completely apart, and examined every individual piece.

Meanwhile, Daphnix got busy with his recruits. During the 5 months of construction it took to get the command center operational, Frederic had trained the first 100 recruits, had given them a uniform like he himself and his 'Club' wore, and he had given them level 3 powers. They had been given the mission of recruiting more people, with various training and expertise's. Frederic needed 600 people to be permanently based on the center, in three shifts of 200, to keep it in working order, repair systems, do maintenance, and do combat when Frederic and his friends were not available.

Daphnix was scanning through the lists he had been sent by his first 100. He had over 1500 new recruits. They had been trained by the first batch, and now Daphnix was given the difficult task of selecting which man or woman for which job.

Frederic and Jennifer walked out of a lift on the bridge, covered in the black residue left over from the explosion of R4.

"We've found the source. One of the magnetic interlocks failed due to the high stress of the jumpstart. I have given order to F² factories to build a new reactor, and correct the problem," Frederic said.

"Good work, guys! Now, next problem: we have 1500 new recruits. They will come aboard next month, to receive their mental powers. We need 600 to remain aboard for operations, right? Well, take a look and we'll decide later which ones we'll take." Daphnix gave a list to Frederic.

"We'll take a look at it, as soon as we get out of the shower." Frederic said, and he and his girl walked back to the lift and disappeared back in the bowels of the tremendously large command center.

After their shower, Frederic and Jennifer stepped up on the half-oval shaped bridge. The flat side was a gigantic computer screen, but it was completely under computer control, making it possible to view either one large or a lot of smaller screens, as was desired by the moment. The different stations were all facing forward, towards the viewer, and the command chairs were in front of most of the stations. Only the station that controlled operations was more forward, as the occupant needed and unhindered view when using the engines to lift into space or drop to the bottom of the ocean.

"Let's take a look at this list. I think that the conference room will be better than the bridge for this kind of discussion," Frederic said. His two friends agreed, and together they disappeared in the lift.

"Deck2, Conference room," Frederic ordered the computer once inside. As a response, the lift accelerated and decelerated almost immediately.

Deck2, conference room.

"Thank you."

You're welcome.

The conference room had a long table inside. It could accommodate at least 12 people. Frederic sat down at the end of it, and his two friends took the respective places at his side.

Frederic spread the list open on the table, and they started debating which recruits to use in the center. After a long 5-hour debate, a list of 600 people of extraordinary capabilities in the field of physics, cybernetics, security and so on. 25% of each 200 people shift consisted out of people who would maintain the systems and make necessary repairs. There was also at least one capable person to command the center during their absence.

Until their crew came aboard, the three friends agreed to take each one shift of 8 hours, to make sure that the center was manned at all time should something happen. After this month, they had completely examined the center, gotten familiar with the design and the performance, and so on.

Even Frederic, who had designed 99% of the center, was still surprised at some things. Between the design and the actual outcome was a big enough difference to surprise him at some points. The anti-radar worked perfectly. They also did extensive tests on the engines, and after a few tries, they had completely mastered the liftoff and landing controls. Submerging and deep-sea capabilities were tested, and the center never budged under 10 km of water above it. Even at that depth, the hull was compressed less than one centimeter under the huge water pressure.

Finally, it was time for their recruits to come. Deck 25 was completely dedicated as a reception area, especially designed for assembling recruits or for staging armies when in wartime. Now, the 1500 recruits, the 100 original soldiers, and the three friends were dwarfed by the huge 1 km² surface, and the 5 meter-tall walls.

Frederic took the stand.

"Good day, everyone. I am Frederic Fromthefield, Phalanx of the human race and commanding officer of the mental troops. This is Daphnix Smith, tactical and military officer in the mental army, and this is Jennifer Simmons, Science officer and design expert. I am glad to welcome you all into our mental family. I am sure that your instructors have told you that secrecy is of the highest importance, but I can't stress this enough. I am sure that your instructors have done splendid job, and now enough pleasantries. Come forward when I say your name, to receive your 3rd level powers, your sword, insignia and uniform in the mental army of the Phalanx. Congratulations!"

"Adams, John." The entire afternoon went up in this. Frederic noticed that the discipline in his 'army' was made of iron. Not one of his new recruits budged or did anything out of line for the entire afternoon.

Finally, the ceremony drew to a close. Frederic concluded:

"May your new powers bring you nothing but happiness. Before you go, I have pinned up a list of people who will remain on this station to help run it. That is all. At ease I hope that each of you will be able to bring in more recruits. Like I have told your instructors, I will need at least 500,000 soldiers. Good luck in your new life, and your new job. Dismissed!"

The soldiers relaxed, and after the ceremony, the reception and the party relaxed everyone. Frederic and his friends walked in among the recruits, and talked to them like they have known them all their lives. Like any great commander, Frederic knew how important it was for soldiers to have a commanding officer they knew, not someone far away giving some orders.

By the next morning, the party had broken up, and the recruits who weren't on the list went back home through the portal. The rest gathered in a smaller conference hall.

"You have been chosen because you are the best of the best. Your accomplishments have drawn the attentions of my staff, and me and we hope you will be as successful here as in your old lives. Good luck everyone. Admiral Smith will assign you your stations and your shift," Frederic said, stepped down from the small stage, and he and Jennifer walked out the room after nodding an extra encouragement to their 600 people.

After being assigned a duty roster, they were assigned quarters on deck 4. The station was of such a gigantic size, that there were actually crew quarters left empty on deck 4.

Frederic sat in the command chair, and Jennifer sat at the science station when the recruits of the seconds shift walked in.

"Good day, everyone. Please take your stations." Frederic said, standing up and greeting every one of his bridge officers. Thanks to his superb mind, he remembered everyone by name. When his crew had taken their stations, Frederic sat back down and he couldn't help but wonder if this was the greatest adventure of his lifetime.