Needle in a Haystack

An irritating buzz disturbed Kismet’s sleep. He swatted his pillow to make it stop. It did but then it started again. With an annoyed grunt, Kismet shoved his hand under the pillow to locate the offending piece of electronics and pressed the off button.

It immediately began to buzz again.

Kismet opened one eye and looked at it. His younger brother’s image grinned at him. It took a moment for it to register the buzz was not his alarm but a call coming in. He pressed the connect button and grunted.

“Puck has disappeared,” Amberly said without preamble.

It took a moment for the words to register. When they did, Kismet rolled out of bed wearing nothing more than his boxers, went over to his work area, and started bringing his electronics online.

He tried to keep the hardness out of his voice when he thought of one of his brothers in physical danger, but he knew it was there when he spoke.

“Disappeared how?” he started entering access codes into the screens as they popped up as he sat down at the work station the university called a desk.

“I don’t know. I called and they said he was on a ‘special mission’; I don’t believe them.”

Kismet sighed and tapped a few more things. He didn’t want to frighten his naïve, lab-rat brother but Amberly probably had good reason to not believe them. Puck refused to ‘confirm nor deny’ anything but some of the things he had skirted around led Kismet to believe that his post wasn’t exactly the listening post everyone was led to believe it was either.

“Confirm the remote access request, Amberly.”

“This is a secure facility. I’m not supposed to allow remote access.”

“Amberly, don’t make me break all the way in. Confirm.”

“Fine. What is it you want?”

Kismet tapped a few things as the access was confirmed as Amberly asked his questions.

“Ok, I have the data.”

“What data?”

“The data you weren’t going to send me. I know you Amberly. You were going to try to fix this on your own, weren’t you?”

“Well, not alone,” Amberly answered.

“He’s my brother too.”

“You’re graduating in two weeks, Kis, then getting married. It’s an important time in your life.”

“You’re getting married, too. Oh no, that’s right, you already did, and didn’t tell Mum and Da,” Kismet said, his tone now playful and teasing his baby brother as the data finished opening on his screen. “Maybe I should tell them so they call you right back and tell you they are coming for an immediate visit so you can’t go on this little Puck-hunt and I get to go all by myself.”

“Fine Kismet, you can come.”

Amberly sounded annoyed to Kismet, but Kismet was sure it wasn’t true annoyance. The call was still connected.

“As soon as I have more details I’ll call you.”

“Call me, or I will come anyway and when I find you… well it won’t be pretty. I’ll bring Mum and Da.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.” Kismet grinned as he pressed disconnect.

A short time later his roommate turned one sleepy eye toward Kismet and groaned. Kismet looked in Valdorn’s direction.

“You’re up early,” Valdorn said as he sat up.

“Sorry. Go back to sleep. I’ll try to be quiet.”

“Nah, it’s ok. Need to study anyway. Might as well get up,” Valdorn yawned. “What bit you so early?”

“Puck’s missing.”

“Missing? Like lost? Or like ‘plaster the sector’ missing?” Valdorn asked as he climbed out of bed and moved over closer to his best friend.

“Don’t know yet. Looking right now. Either way…” Kismet’s shoulders tensed from the control it was taking not to break down. He felt as if he should either wail like a brat who had their last lolly stolen or destroy something he may need to locate Puck.

“You can’t do this alone, Kismet.”

“And I can’t put any more people I care for in danger. Amberly isn’t,” Kismet just shook his head as he felt Valdorn’s hand on his shoulder. He relaxed under the pressure of Valdorn’s hand. “He just isn’t, ok. Bobby might able to do something. Puck would be able to as well, but he’s the one they got.”

“Amberly is a good distraction though,” Valdorn said gently. “He’s had all the basic courses, and he speaks more languages than both of us combined. Well more than me,” Valdorn teased. “He’s smart and resourceful. There are other people who can help you.”

“Like who?” Kismet asked turning to look directly at Valdorn. “This is my family, Val, my brother.” His voice cracked as he spoke.

“After four years together, we are like brothers are we not?”

Kismet nodded and turned back to the screen.

“Then do you really have to ask me if I will help?” With the unspoken answer hanging between them Valdorn picked up the phone and placed a quiet call to his uncle who had just arrived for graduation but had not begun to travel to the university. After a long conversation in a language Kismet only heard when Val talked to his family, his best friend hung up and took a deep breath. “Kismet, I have made my uncle understand you are a brother to me. He has agreed that your safety, and that of your brother, is more important than seeing our graduation. However, he feels that if we both leave now it will cause… problems on a scale I cannot begin to explain. So, you will go with my family and I will go with yours, by my uncle’s order and since you are my brother in the eyes of my uncle, we both must obey.”

“I can’t do that,” Kismet shook his head. “He’s travelled a long way to see you. You’ve been talking about how important this is for months. That your cousins were coming and how you’ve not seen them for four years.”

“They are family. They understand. If any of us just disappeared not a rock would go unturned. I have a cousin, Taloric, who is as close as I could ever have to a brother,” Valdorn became misty eyed. “If anything… if anyone…” Val bit off the words. “He is the brother of my heart, just as you are, Kismet. And like he, Fate has promised you to another.” Val took a few steadying breaths, “Uncle feels that our deity has had a hand in our lives and has asked me to explain this to you. The name of our deity translates best to ‘Fate’, but we also believe that ‘Fate’ has two lovers or brothers depending on the tale. In some, they are even both. Their names translate best to ‘Chance’ and ‘Luck’. The three love so deeply that if any is separated from the others for long, then all three are swallowed by insanity for without one, there cannot be three. My uncle has reminded me of this and requires me to prepare you some for what you will see aboard the ship. He said it was Luck that got him here so early and Chance that found him a port not so far away it could not be reached in a hard day’s travel, but not so close it will be the first they examine. He was curious, though, if it was Fate that made us roommates and Brothers? Or is it Fate who takes you away from me now to put you in the arms of another?”

“Your uncle thinks we have?” Kismet blushed, “But Mia?”

“Such prudish thoughts for one as enlightened as you, Kismet? Have I ever done anything to do you? Advanced on you in any way to make you uncomfortable?”

“No. But…” He looked down at their total lack of modesty, “Doesn’t this… affect you?”

Valdorn took that moment to stretch -- his back arched and his arms extended over his head. His nipples pilled into tight buds and he thrust his hips forward so that his sex was more prominent. His efforts caused his shorts to slide downward slightly to reveal a scant half inch more of his honey-gold treasure trail. “I am not made of stone, Kismet. Does it not affect you?”

Wide-eyed, Kismet watched. Then realizing it did affect him, he swallowed. “Maybe it is best we did not travel together. You, Mia, and I.”

Valdorn adjusted himself and smiled at the simple admission of could-have-beens. “The reason you’ve never met my uncle, although I’ve broken bread with your family many times, is he is Seberian. I am… mostly… human, but I was not raised among humans.”

“Seberian? They’re a class four alien species?”

“Yes. Uncle is a liaison between our sector and yours. Just remember that although they resemble humans they are not human. It’s not just the religion. It’s other things too.”

“Such as?”“Humans generally live in family units with a mother, father, and their offspring, in one dwelling until well after the offspring is physically mature, often by years and not until they are ready to begin a new family unit of their own. In our culture, the females make family units with other females for the purpose of rearing offspring. Males make family units with other males or with females. When Uncle’s father was a young man, he served on a ship like you will be going on. He met a young human woman and they had a son. That son grew up on an out station and married another human in the human custom forming a family unit of two. They had one offspring – a male – me. There was an accident where both my parents died before I was a year old. It was pretty bad, I’ve read the reports. My grandfather’s daughter from another family unit claimed kinship to me. Although our lines are not typically traced paternally, mine was different because it was primarily human. She took me into her family where I was raised with my cousins.”

“Humans foster each other’s kids too. That’s not such an unusual practice, Val.”

“When I finally matured I was sent to live with the men on Uncle’s ship.”

“Matured?”

“Physically. When my seed ripened and I could impregnate a female,” Valdorn shrugged, “It happens to all of us, eventually. It’s not something I like to talk about, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Kismet laughed, “but what does this have to do with me meeting your Uncle and your people?”

“On the ship there is very limited personal space. You will most likely be expected to share a bunk with someone, usually in alternating hours, but sometimes not. I would have done so and since you are taking my place…”

Kismet nodded.

“You will be expected to work. Everyone works in the kitchen, which should be educational for you.” Valdorn grinned, “If they think you have no other skill that is the only place you will work, so speak up about what you can do.”

Kismet threw a pillow at him. “I have other skills and you know it. I am the most skilled and best trained tech analyst that the government has that actually read the fine print and didn’t get sucked into passing the test the first time through.”

“Yes, you have other skills,” Valdorn caught the pillow and threw it back, “and you are the best. I will not debate that, even if you barely passed the language requirements. So tell them. Also, if anything seems screwy, trust my family to take care of you. Take their advice although it seems strange at the time. I know you don’t know them, but this is my family, the only one I’ve ever known. I hope you really get to know them.”

“I’m putting everyone I love in your care, Valdorn. When we next meet we will exchange families and stories. Hopefully it will be soon.”

“A couple weeks at the most I’m sure. Find your brother, get him safe. Let me worry over your family and Mia.”

Kismet looked at his machines. “I can’t sit here much longer,” he announced.

“I could eat,” Valdorn suggested, knowing it was the simple task that set Kismet’s mind at ease even if the results weren’t always… edible.

With the electronics doing their thing, the sun rising, and a growing sense of unease Kismet took Valdorn’s advice, pulled on a pair of well-worn jeans and headed to the dorm’s community kitchen. He was taking over breakfast duty today and flapjacks was now the menu -- a lot of flapjacks – and bacon.

“What’s going on?” One of his dorm mates asked as he entered enticed by the scent of food he didn’t cook, in hopes there would be enough to share.

“Puck’s missing.”

“How can we help?” another asked as he sat down, plate and fork in hand upon seeing the offering on the table.

Kismet shrugged. More of his friends filed in.

“Well, give us the details and we’ll see what we can do.”

A few young men in Kismet’s dorm didn’t make their first class of the day.

Others ate then began the tedious duty of sifting through the raw data his search was kicking back, looking for the needle in haystack that would be his brother.